Sending Signals

Chris Difford is having a very busy year. There’s a new Squeeze album in the works, they are supporting Heart on their forthcoming arena tour, and there’s also the matter of an enormous UK tour in hour of Squeeze’s 50th anniversary. Chris also hosts the podcast “I Never Thought It Would Happen” which is currently on Season 4. Seems like a good time to have a chat, right?

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Roll up! Roll up! This episode I’m joined from across the Atlantic by singer-songwriter Jade Bird, who has just released a new EP, “Burn The Hard Drive”, which chronicles the breakdown of her relationship and engagement to a former bandmate.

It’s the first significant release from Jade since 2021’s very excellent “Different Kinds Of Light” album.

We take a deep dive into her creative process and the ethics of mining your personal life, and the lives of others in your orbit, for songwriting content. Enjoy!

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Phillip Ingram is one of the founding members of Motown band Switch who formed in late 1976, and after a chance encounter, were championed by Jermaine Jackson. Motown chief Berry Gordy heard the band’s tape and signed them to his subsidiary Gordy label.

Switch were a a consistent presence on the R’n’B charts in the last 1970s.

Switch sort of imploded in the early 80s, although one member tried to carry on with new musicians, and Phillip began working more behind the scenes, recording vocals for commercials, and also backing vocals for the likes of Donna Summer amongst others. He’s also known for his work in film. You can hear him on backing vocals on several songs in the Disney classic, “The Little Mermaid”. He also appears as the wedding singer in the Julia Roberts movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding”. He still plays shows with the current incarnation of Switch which features a few original members in fact.

Phil is also the younger brother of the late singer James Ingram, who you may have heard of.

He was lovely company, and I hope you enjoy our chat. Let me know what you think.

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It seems like a good time to take a deep dive into Best Picture nominee, and more importantly, my favourite film of 2023, “Past Lives”. This episode I’m joined by the film’s Assistant Director Ben Kahn to discuss his personal impact on the film, creating the remarkable chemistry between the cast, evoking an older digital landscape, and the profound effect the movie is having on people.

Hope you enjoy! 

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This Friday, March 1st Bruce Hornsby releases a new album in collaboration with chamber ensemble yMusic. The record is entitled “Deep Sea Vents”. It straddles the line between contemporary songwriting and modern classical, and the album has an aquatic theme with all the songs dealing with the ocean, or at least water in some way. The album is emblematic of much of Hornsby’s career in that it veers from the strange to the beautiful to the funny to the challenging. He doesn’t like the easy route.

If you know anything about Bruce’s career you’ll know his mid-80s smash “The Way It Is”, released by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, a powerful piece of social commentary inspired by his life growing up in Virginia, and featuring two piano solos. It’s a song that’s hung around, being sampled by rappers like 2Pac and Polo G. Bruce seems to have a conflicted relationship with the song. He often stills play it live but in a re-worked way, and he seems keen to be seen as a forward-thinking artist, not wishing to be defined by the past.

He was a live member of the Grateful Dead in the early 90s playing over a hundred shows with them. In recent years, he’s collaborated often with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and you’ll see like the likes of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig or The Staves or Blake Mills pop up on his album credits.

I was a big admirer of his 2019 album “Absolutely Zero” which is well worth your time. Bruce was fantastic company when we spoke, and I hope you enjoy our chat!

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Welcome. My guest this episode is artist and photographer Lynn Goldsmith.

Her career as a photographer has brought her into the orbit of rock n roll legends like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and notably Bruce Springsteen with whom she had a romantic relationship in the 70s as he was still working his way up, with his blistering live shows, and the relentlessly determined creative drive which produced the album Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Her document of this era forms the basis of a new coffee table book published by Taschen entitled “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: Darkness on the Edge of Town”.

She’s had an incredible life: working with Elektra Records in the late 60s, co-managing Grand Funk Railroad in the early 70s, and releasing music under the name of Will Powers in the early 80s.

She’s also worked in other mediums of art and her photographs have graced album and magazine covers.

Lynn joined me from Nashville to talk about her new book and her career in general. We had a great chat. Hope you enjoy it. 
 

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I’m listening! Hopefully you are too, as this week is incredibly fun. I’m joined by “Frasier” writer and consulting producer Bob Daily.

Bob was on the writing staff for several seasons of the original run of “Frasier” and he’s back on board for the new revival series out now on Paramount+. If you’re at all interested in how TV shows like this get made, you’re going to find this fascinating. We dig into the world of show development, writers rooms, table reads, and more.

Bob is very articulate about his craft but incredibly personable too, and I had a blast hanging with him. Let me know what you think!

This will likely be the last show of the year, but I’ve already got things in the pipeline for next year, so I’ll be back soon. Thanks so much for listening. If you want to help the show, please keep listening, leave a nice review or rating, tell your friends about the show, and/or follow me on the socials; it’s all appreciated.

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Hey. It’s a special one this week. Juliana Hatfield is a singer-songwriter based in Massachusetts. She was a member of the Lemonheads in the early 90s, as well as bands like Blake Babies in the late 80s and Some Girls in the early 00s. She’s made albums with Matthew Caws from Nada Surf and Paul Westerberg from The Replacements. She’s also released around 20 albums under her own name, sometimes as the Juliana Hatfield Three. Although a prolific songwriter, in recent years she occasionally releases an album of covers by a specific artist. Her latest one, “Juliana Hatfield Sings ELO”, follows her albums of songs by Olivia Newton John and The Police. Being a big ELO fan myself, it seemed like a great time to talk with her. She had a particular rough time in the press in the 90s and he experience with working with a major label has clearly left it’s scars. Stick with this one, after a lot of ELO geek talk we go deep. It was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the show. Sometimes you have a guest where you feel you’re really chasing down some kind of epiphany. I’m not sure we reached one, but you decide.
 

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This week I’m joined by drummer Chester Thompson. Chester is perhaps best known for his live work with Genesis and Phil Collins, but he has also worked with Frank Zappa, Weather Report, The Bee Gees, and The Pointer Sisters. He has a new jazz album out called “Wake-Up Call” and he joins me from Nashville to discuss it’s “genesis” (see what I did there?). Anyway, Chester schools me in the ways of jazz, talks about his career, and indulges my Genesis fan-boy questions. Hope you enjoy.
 

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Breathe deep the gathering gloom. This episode I welcome back John Lodge of The Moody Blues to the show!

John has recently released his re-working of The Moody Blues 1967 opus “Days Of Future Passed”. I think it’s fair to wonder whether it’s a good idea when artist take on projects like this, and I want to ask John about the possible disconnect between fan expectations and artist perspectives. I was also naturally curious about the current state of relationships between John and his former bandleader Justin Heywood.

John was really good company and I had a great time talking with him. Hope you enjoy it too!

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Waddup? I’m joined this episode by Jonathan Higgs from the excellent Everything Everything. The band are from Manchester and formed in 2007. They’ve so far released 6 albums, 2 of which were nominated for the Mercury Music Award. They’ve also had 5 Ivor Novello nominations.

Their most recent album 2022s “Raw Data Feel” saw the band experiment with the use of AI to create the album artwork as well as some of the lyrics for the album. Mark Hanslip, a researcher from the Unversity of York, helped Higgs develop an AI bot named Kevin which was fed 4 sources of information: LinkedIn’s terms and conditions, the classic poem Beowulf, 400,000 posts from controversial message board 4chan, and the sayings of the Confucius. The generated results were poured through and compiled into useable material. Jonathan has generally preferred to keep secret which lyrics are his and which were generated by AI, which accounts for about 5% of the albums lyrics.

The band’s debut album 2010s “Man Alive” is about to get a deluxe reissue. It’s an album I really like, so it was a great opportunity to speak to Jonathan. Hope you enjoy it.

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Welcome. Dave Pegg is the longest serving member of Fairport Convention. Fairport are one of those bands who are a subculture unto themselves. They were formed in 1967 with Dave joining the band in 1969. Fairport split in 1979 but reformed in 1985 and have been active since then.

They’re still a very hardworking touring band here in the UK. They came through my hometown of Southend earlier this year and I saw my first Fairport show. Frankly, I was shocked how good it was.

The band on record tend to be a bit defined by a run of albums they did in the late 60s when Richard Thompson and the late Sandy Denny were in the band. I think a bit of line-up snobbery had contributed to my not having seen them sooner, but alongside Dave, the band still features founding member Simon Nicol. Multi-instrumentalists Ric Sanders and Chris Leslie have been in the band since 1985 and 1996 respectively. The tour I caught them on also saw them reunite with drummer Dave Mattacks who originally joined in 1969 and has had several spells in the band.  

A big part of the Fairport culture is their annual music festival Cropredy which is taking place in August this year, so we discuss preparations for this year’s event.

In addition to Fairport Convention, Dave played with Jethro Tull for a long time, as well as working with Nick Drake on his wonderful “Bryter Later” album.

Hope you enjoy our conversation.
 

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Good dawning to thee, friends. My guest this episode tv producer and Daria co-creator Susie Lewis.

Susie Lewis was an intern at MTV when she began working on the show Beavis and Butthead. That show featured a sardonic character names Daria, and feeling that MTV needed more content for girls, Susie was drafted in alongside Glenn Eichler to create a spin-off series called Daria.

Daria is not just a great animated series, it’s a great TV series, full stop. It still stands up really well. It’s smart and funny and warmly evocative of the late 90s and millennium era in which it was made.

It’s one of my all-time favourite shows, so I was delighted Susie was willing to come on the show. She was lovely company, as you’ll hear.

Thanks for listening.
 

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Hullo! This week I’m joined by Dougie Payne of Travis. He was lovely company. Travis have recently been revisiting their 2001 album “The Invisible Band” with a series of live shows, reissues, and a live album. It’s a fascinating era to talk about, as the band had found themselves thrust into the spotlight after the unexpected runaway success of previous album “The Man Who”. I was in my late teens in this era, so it was interesting for me to reminisce on that time period too. I hope you enjoy. 

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Listen up! Andy McCluskey is the frontman of Merseyside electronic legends Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark or OMD as they’re often known.

OMD was formed in 1978 out of the ashes of another band The ID, to which I have a little family connection, which you’ll hear about in the episode.

Their 1980 song Ebola Gay earned them widespread popularity throughout Europe, and their 1981 album “Architecture and Morality” which would sell over 4 million copies and spawn hit singles like “Souvenir” and “Maid of New Orleans”.

Their follow-up album “Dazzle Ships” has just turned 40 years old, and it’s history is somewhat complicated. The album embraced sound collage and shortwave radio recordings. It’s an album about technology and the Cold War. It sold just a fraction of it’s predecessor, but it seems to have enjoyed a reappraisal over the years. It was possibly just ahead of it’s time, and maybe it subverted expectations too. We get into it in the interview.

After OMD fell apart Andy masterminded 90’s pop sensations Atomic Kitten, becoming a principal songwriter alongside former OMD band mate Stuart Kershaw. Andy’s profession relationship with band dissolved around their second album, but it strikes me as a somewhat surprising career path, and I was interested to hear Andy’s thoughts on that too.

OMD reformed in 2006 and are a continuing concern. Their last album, the well-received “The Punishment of Luxury” came out in 2017, and Andy updates me with progress on the follow-up in our interview.

Enjoy!
 

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Sorry it’s been a while. Delighted to have Robert Forster as my guest this episode. Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter, raised in Brisbane, where he currently resides. He’s perhaps best known as one of the co-founders and leaders of indie-rock royalty The Go-betweens. The Go-betweens were formed in 1977 and had an initial run that lasted until 1989, before a reunion run from 2000 until 2006 when co frontman Grant McLennan died of a heart attack aged just 48.

As well as a run of solo albums, Robert also ventured into musical journalism writing for Australian magazine The Monthly and sister publication The Saturday Paper. Some of his writings were collated together in the book The 10 Rules of Rock n Roll.

On February 3rd 2023 Robert releases his 8th studio album The Candle and the Flame. The album was created during an incredibly difficult time for Robert and his family. His wife Karin, who plays violin on Robert’s albums, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and playing music in the evenings along with their son Louis was a much needed escape from the ravages of chemotherapy. You would imagine from looking at some of the lyrics, that this situation influenced Robert’s songwriting on this album, but remarkably, just one song, She’s A Fighter, was writing after Karin’s diagnosis.

Robert was fantastic company and had a lot to say. I really hope you enjoy our conversation.
 

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Listen up! This week we take a trip to St. Petersburg to speak to shoegaze merchants Blankenberge whose latest album “Everything” is very good indeed.

Also,  Steve Hackett returns again! We discuss his forthcoming “Foxtrot at 50” tour, progress on the next album, and of course, Jack Hawkins. Enjoy!

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Friends, Romans, Countryman! Join me this week as I hang out with Bernard Butler. We discuss topics ranging from walking the Estuary coast, to being branded “difficult to work with”, and why you potentially shouldn’t buy his new reissue*.

Bernard was fantastic company and had a lot to say about being an artist; he was engaged, honest, and forthcoming.  Hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think!

*please await context before making such a decision ;)

PS: Apparently the release date for the “People Move On” reissue has been pushed back by a couple of weeks due to production issues, so I may mention a now incorrect date in the episode.

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Top of the morning. Thought I’d try something different. Here’s myself and my friend Jason Booth, from the band Last Tourist, discussing our favourite music of 2021. I’m largely insufferable throughout but Jason is very nice, and you get to hear a Last Tourist song at the end of the show! Normal service will resume shortly.

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lasttouristband.bandcamp.com 

It’s the last episode of the current series, and I’m joined by David Gedge frontman and only constant member of indie-rockers, and John Peel favourites, The Wedding Present. We talk about David’s plan to release a new 7” single every month in 2022, a project The Wedding Present pulled off back in 1992. We also talk about taking third album “Seamonsters” back on the road, working with Steve Albini, writing songs as you get older, and more!

My other guest is author Jon Miles, who has just released his fun debut novel “The Ice Scream Factory”, aimed at junior/middle-schoolers. We talk about what it takes to write your first book, and Jon also reads a section of the book for the episode.

“The Ice Scream Factory” by Jon Miles is available to order exclusively from Amazon.

Thanks for listening this series. It’s been quite a ride.

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Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @weddingpresent / @jon_milesjw

How’s it goin’? This week I’m joined with Roddy Woomble. Idlewild are about to make their 25th anniversary with a tour and the first vinyl release of their 4th album “Warnings/Promises”. Roddy tells me about his approach to writing lyrics, the metamorphosis this band underwent around the time of “Warnings/Promises”, and what it’s like to be the support act for a huge band.

Also on the show, rising blues guitarist Danny Bryant tells me about his new album “The Rage To Survive”, how you create a unique identity as a guitarist, and whether it’s ever limiting to work within a specific musical form.

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idlewild.co.uk

dannybryant.com

Come on in. This episode I’m joined by the delightful Midge Ure. We had a great conversation encompassing his forthcoming “Voice and Visions” tour, the 3 (three!!!) albums he has in the works, his new photography book “In A Picture Frame”, his radio show for Scala Radio, his friendship Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott, and more. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
 

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Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @midge_ure

Midgeure.co.uk

I’ve been expecting you. This week The Connells are releasing their first proper new album in 23 years! The record is called “Steadman’s Wake” and it’s a triumphant return. I’m joined by previous guest Mike Connell, along with frontman Doug MacMillan, as they guide us track-by-track through the album. Boy did we have fun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Twitter: @signalspodcast / @connellsmusic

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @therealconnells 

Yello! This week Tom Baxter joins me to discuss fatherhood, the challenges of being a self-sustaining artist in the 21st century, and the time Boyzone covered one of his songs.

I also talk to Tom and Joe from electro-pop merchants W.H. Lung about their forthcoming 2nd album “Vanities”. 

Twitter: @signalspodcast / @whlungmusic

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @tombaxterofficial / @whlung

So here I am once more. Very excited to welcome Ninet Tayeb to the show this week. Ninet is an Israeli singer songwriter who shot to fame when she won the first series of “A Star Is Born”, a televised TV talent show in Israel. She became a celebrity fixation, with all the baggage and speculation that comes along with that. Her debut album “Barefoot” went platinum in a single day, but she felt that she wasn’t being authentic and worked on finding her own identity as an artist. The transition was not easy. When she previewed material from her forthcoming second album at the televised Arab Festival, the reaction was brutal and she found herself getting heckled from an agitated crowd.  

Undeterred she has continued to forge her own path, carving out a continued career in music and twice winning MTV’s favourite Israeli artist award.

Her most recent album 2017’s Paper Parachute has distinct shades of PJ Harvey and the noisy grunge Ninet loved as a teenager. Ninet is also a frequent collaborator with UK prog-legend Steven Wilson.

Although she doesn’t self-identify as an actor, Ninet has various acting credits to her name, starring in a TV series based on her own life, and more recently the Netflix series “When Heroes Fly”.

She apparently doesn’t often give interviews these days. I was thrilled she was willing to talk to me for the show. Our conversation is deep at times, but it feels honest; I felt an unexpected kinship with Ninet, and I hope you enjoy it.

My other guest is responsible for probably my favourite release of the year; the debut EP by Flight Mode. The band is led by Norwegian musician Sjur Lyseid. The EP is called “Tx. ‘98” and you’ll hear how it was inspired by student exchange year Sjur spent in Texas as a 16 year old. We discuss truth vs fiction in songwriting, the pros and cons of nostalgia, and the future plans of the band. You’ll hear some clips from the EP too. Make sure you go and check out the EP. It’s currently only available digitally, but it’s pretty widely available. Enjoy.
 

Twitter: @signalspodcast / @flightmodeosl 

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @flightmodeosl / @n.tayeb 

Well hello! This week I chat to singer-songwriter Willy Mason (and producer Noel Heroux) about his excellent new album “Already Dead”, his first album for 9 years.

My other guest is artist Miles Taverner, who makes stunning works of art from wood and other materials the tide happens to bring in. He has an exhibition in London in September 2021 as part of the Totally Thames Festival.

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast / @wwilly.masonn / @milestavernerart

Twitter: @signalspodcast / @wwilly_masonn 

willymasonmusic.com

milestavernerart.co.uk

thamesfestivaltrust.org

seareconnection.co.uk 

Did you miss me? This week, I’m joined by actor, novelist, and musician David Duchovny. David is about to release his third album “Gestureland”, and was kind enough to talk to me about it. We discuss transferring skills across art forms, the energy of inexperience vs having learnt your craft, as well as the pros and cons of long-term creative partnerships. It’s a good one!

Also on the show, I welcome my dear friend Peter Eden. Peter was an A&R guy in the 60’s who branched out into the role of producer. He played a pivotal part in the early career of Donovan, and went on to produce records by John Surman, Bill Fay and more. He was also the brains behind the 70’s children’s TV series “Animal Kwackers”. Enjoy! 

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How ya doin? Very cool episode this week, as I welcome musician and actor Stevie Van Zandt AKA Little Steven to the show. We talk the Disciples of Soul, rubbish 70’s production values, and the potential existence of “Electric Nebraska”. Strap in.

Also, I’m delighted to welcome Canadian actor Fred Ewanuick, who is one of the stars of Corner Gas/Corner Gas Animated. When I told Fred that Stevie was the other guest, Fred felt that would make him the B-side. Why don’t we call it a double A-side?

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Boo! It’s me. This week I talk to the brains behind The Go! Team, Mr Ian Parton. There’s a new Go! Team record out this week, as I type, and it’s called “Get Up Sequences Part One” and it is fan-tactic! Ian tries to explain what The Go! Team sound like, how visual aesthetics can influence his approach to music, and discussed his recent diagnosis with debilitating Meniere’s disease.

Also on the show, the very sweet, very mysterious Cinjun Tate, frontman of Remy Zero who were a band that meant a lot to me. Cinjun has got quite story to tell, but getting at it took some work :)

Hope you enjoy!

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It’s me! This week; Stephen Fretwell is my first guest. Stephen is back after disappearing from the music world for over 10 years. He’s released 3 new songs so far this year, and they’re very beautiful. I was curious to talk find out what it’s like to walk away from professional creativity and then find your way back. Stephen had a lot to say on the subject…

My other guest is multi-instrumentalist and one-half of Morcheeba, Ross Godfrey. Morcheeba are back with a new album “Blackest Blue” and I spoke to Ross from his London home about the making of it, as well as having a broader conversation about the nature of genre.

stephenfretwell.com

@StephenFretwell

morcheeba.uk

@MorcheebaBand

Twitter: @signalspodcast

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Come on in! This week legendary bassist Tony Levin joins me from his place in New York State to discuss the new Liquid Tension Experiment album, as well as his work with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, pushing his limits, and his pioneering bass techniques. He’s great company.

Also, sound artist Justin Wiggan joins me for a remarkable conversation that encompasses analogue astronauts, plant-based music, Salman Rushdie, Burnley building society, and dolphins taking photographs. It’s a wild ride.  

LINKS

TONY LEVIN

tonylevin.com

@tonylevin (Twitter)

JUSTIN WIGGAN

justinwiggan.co.uk

@justin_wiggan (Twitter)

@glassedtwin (Intragram)

SENDING SIGNALS

@signalspodcast (Twitter)

@sendingsignalspodcast (Instagram)

Good morning, afternoon, and/or evening! This week I’m joined by original Wings drummer Denny Seiwell to talk about his new project “Ram On”, which is a tribute to the classic McCartney album “Ram”, which Denny played on, and is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary at the moment.

My other guest is M G Boulter, whose new album “Clifftown” is utterly brilliant. Matt grew up, and lives in the same area as me, and I’ve seen him play with his band The Lucky Strikes a lot over the years. He’s fantastic company; warm, eloquent, and very interesting. Matt gives us a track-by-track tour of “Clifftown” and we ponder what it means to grow up and stay put in a seaside town. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Twitter: @signalspodcast

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

mgboulter.co.uk

dennyseiwell.com

Another exciting instalment of Sending Signals is here! This week I talk to David Marks about his time in The Beach Boys. David was only about 12 when he joined the band, and grew up across the street from the Wilson brothers. I get David’s take on whether Brian Wilson is being exploited, whether Mike Love gets a bad rap, and the truth about the guitar stabs on “Don’t Worry Baby”.

My other guest is David Brewis from one of Britain’s finest bands Field Music. I’ve loved this band for a long time, and David is such nice company. Their latest album “Flat White Moon” is out now and it’s predictably great. Unfortunately the circumstances that inspired the album were less than great, and David and I have a candid conversation about loss and the nature of memory. It’s a good one.

davidleemarks.com

field-music.co.uk

Twitter: @signalspodcast

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

What-ho! In this very special episode, David Crosby talks to me about the new 50th Anniversary box set of Crosby Stills Nash & Young’s masterpiece “Deja Vu”, as well as the future of the band, learning to control his temper, and how to die well.

Also, I dig into the show’s archive to bring you a little bit of my interview with Bay City Rollers frontman Les McKeown who sadly passed away last week aged 65. 

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Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Whatcha. This week I’m joined by one of my teenage guitar heroes Steve Cradock. Steve is the guitarist in Ocean Colour Scene, as well as frequently working with Paul Weller, and more recently playing lead for The Specials. He’s just reissued his second solo record “Peace City West” with a new mix.

Also joining me is Scott Milligan, the brains behind Burton prog-poppers Kitten Pyramid. There’s a new Kitten Pyramid album out now called “Koozy” and it’s a triumph over absurdity; funny, sad, and bizarre. Scott takes me through it, track by track. 

Twitter @signalspodcast

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kittenpyramid.co.uk

stevecradock.com

Me again! This week I talk to screenwriter and director William Nicholson about his incredible movie “Hope Gap” and the personal experiences that fed into the project. Bill also has screenwriting credits on “Les Mis”, “Gladiator”, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, and more, so it was fascinating to learn about his approach to projects that diverse.  

Also on the show I talk to Halifax indie-disco merchants The Orielles about their brilliant new record “La Vita Olistica” and the accompanying short film. We discuss the relationship between different art forms, the benefits of returning to a project with some perspective, and much more.  

Twitter @signalspodcast

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theorielles.co.uk

williamnicholson.com 

Good morning/afternoon/evening! The 50th anniversary of “American Pie” is fast approaching and Don McLean is here, reflecting on how the song has affected his life and legacy, how he’s changed since he wrote it, and the album cover where it looks like a plane is flying up his nose.

Also on the show, Spencer Zahn joins me from upstate New York to discuss his remarkable album “Sunday Painter”, one of the finest records of 2020. 

Let me know what you think.

Twitter: @signalspodcast

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

spencerzahn.net

donmclean.com

It’s that time again! Very fun episode this week. I was delighted to talk to Chris Hillman about his work with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as the process he went through to write his recent autobiography. We chat about memory, his songwriting process, and what people misunderstand about him.

You might not recognise the name Boy Meets Girl, an American pop duo consisting of George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam, but you will undoubtedly be familiar with some of their work. As a band they are best known for 80’s classic “Waiting For A Star To Fall”, but they’re also the writing team behind Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” and the smash hit (is that still a thing?) “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. They were so much fun to hang out with; I really enjoyed myself on this one.

Twitter: @signalspodcast

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

boymeetsgirlmusic.com

chrishillman.com

How are you? This episode Steve Hackett returns to Sending Signals to discuss his remarkable new album “Under A Mediterranean Sky”. We discuss the effect of location and geography on creating music, and for some reason, the movies of Jack Hawkins.

Also this episode Steve Rothery puts up with my disparaging remarks about their 1999 record “Marillion.com”, discusses his guitar sound, new solo project “Revontulet”, progress on the new Marillion album as of November ‘20, losing weight, and much more (well maybe not MUCH more, that’s enough to be getting on with surely?).

Speak soon. Matt

marillion.com

steverothery.com

hackettsongs.com

Twitter: @steverothery

Twitter: @hackettofficial

Twitter: @signalspodcast

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Hello again! This episode I’m joined by author Mike Gayle, and drummer Andy Williams from the band Doves. Both guests were excellent company and I hope you enjoy it.

As you will hear, Mike has a history in music and teen journalism. His first novel “My Legendary Girlfriend” was published in 1998. Last year he released his 17th book, the excellent “All The Lonely People”. The novel deals with themes of loneliness and multiculturalism; there was plenty to talk about. We discuss deciding where to end a story, the problem with descriptions like “realistic”, and whether writing your 17th book is harder than your first.

Doves are back after an extended break, and they’ve released one of the finest albums of their career, “The Universal Want”. Andy gave me some background on the making of the record, and I was intrigued to find out whether there had been any difficulties reconnecting after such an extended break from the band.    

Let me know your thoughts on the episode.

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Twitter @signalspodcast

www.mikegayle.co.uk

www.dovesofficial.com

Welcome back! This episode I have a seriously epic conversation with singer Fish about his final studio album “Weltschmerz”. I’m fascinated by the idea of deciding you’ve done all you can within a certain media and wanting to do something else. We unpack that idea and lots of other things during our chat. Fish is a great conversationalist and we had a great time talking. You’ll also hear from clips from the album.

Also on the show I speak to actor and musician Brian Protheroe. Brain released several albums in the 70s before focussing on his acting career. He appeared in Superman The Movie, various BBC Shakespeare productions, and TV shows such as Lovejoy, Holly City, Midsomer Murders, and Spooks. Brian still enjoys making and self-releasing music and he recently released a collection of songs called “Desert Road”. I hope you enjoy our chat! 

PS: My debut solo album is out on all major streaming services now! Matt Royal: “Meet You By The Photobooth”

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fishmusic.scot 

brianprotheroe.co.uk

Hey folks. Here’s something to brighten your January I hope! I’m really excited to share this episode, the first of Series 3. Dan Wilson is the frontman of Semisonic (“Closing Time”, “Secret Smile”) but he’s also a brilliant songwriting collaborator. He’s worked with on some songs you may know by Adele (“Someone Like You”), Taylor Swift (“Treacherous”), and Dixie Chicks (“Not Ready To Make Nice”) amongst many others.

Dan is genuinely one of my favourite guests I’ve had on the show. He was so engaged, and had a lot to say about being an artist, and was so generous with his time. We really had a fun time recording this. I hope you enjoy it.

Dan was also kind enough to share a demo of a Semisonic song! So stay tuned to hear that at the very end of the episode.

As if that wasn’t enough, my other guest is KT Tunstall. She’s about to release an expanded reissue of her second album “Drastic Fantastic” and talks very candidly about the difficult experience she had making the record. Funnily enough, she’s also worked with Dan Wilson, so it was a great chance to hear the perspective of one of Dan’s collaborators.

As I mention in the show, my debut solo album “Meet You By The Photobooth” is out on January 15th 2020, under my name Matt Royal. I would be honoured if you’d check it out. It will be on all the major streaming platforms.

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A very special episode featuring all 4 surviving original members of The Zombies; Rod Argent, Chris White, Colin Blunstone, and Hugh Grundy! We take a look at the making of one of the greatest albums of all time, “Odessey and Oracle”, including a track-by-track commentary from Rod and Chris. It’s one of the most ambitious episodes I’ve attempted and I hope you enjoy it.
 

Let me know what you think;

Twitter @signalspodcast

Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast

thezombies.net

thechriswhiteexperience.com

colinblunstone.net

smilingsessions.com

‘Allo! This episode I’m joined by J. Willgoose Esq. of Public Service Broadcasting to talk about anxiety, therapy, and his creative process. J. recently became a father and was also coming to terms with the delay the pandemic has brought to the band’s next album.

My other guest is Michelle Stodart of The Magic Numbers. This year was supposed to be a celebration of the 15th anniversary of their very successful debut album, but of course, the tour has been delayed. We had a nice time though and talked about the self-imposed pressures of lockdown, and how to cope in an industry whose support for you may only be fleeting.

Enjoy!

Twitter: @signalspodcast @themagicnumbers @psb_hq

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

sendingsignals.simplecast.com

publicservicebroadcasting.net

mattroyal.rocks

Action! “Sometimes Always Never” is a movie that really moved me; it’s an incredible piece of work, and it was fantastic to get to speak to it’s writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, and its director Carl Hunter, about the lengthy gestation period the movie went through, and to get a sense of what goes into pulling off a movie like this.

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, the movie stars Bill Nighy, Alice Lowe, and Sam Riley, and deals with themes of kinship, loss, and er, word games. It’s profoundly affecting and has a striking visual identity.

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!

Twitter: @signalspodcast

Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Attention! The following personnel are assigned to Sending Signals; John Lodge of The Moody Blues, and actor Jamie Farr, best known for playing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger on M*A*S*H.

John Lodge joined The Moodies in 1966 as the band’s bassist, as well as sharing in vocal and songwriting contributions. We had a great conversation about lockdown, his new single, the future of the Moodies, and the making of their classic album “To Our Children’s Children’s Children”.

Jamie Farr has led a fascinating life. He appeared in legendary rock n roll flick “Blackboard Jungle” in 1955 before being drafted and sent to Japan and Korea. He made appearances in the likes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, and the Doris Day movie “With Six You Get Eggroll” and then in October 1972 he was hired for day’s work which would change his life.

I was intrigued to know what it’s like to be somewhat externally defined by a show you worked on for 11 years. He was 85 at the time of our conversation, meaning he’s spent 74 years of his life NOT in M*A*S*H, but Jamie seems incredibly upbeat and grateful for his life, and he was lovely company. I hope you enjoy our chat.

Let me know what you think;

Twitter @signalspodcast

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johnlodge.com

mattroyal.rocks

“The Vast Of Night” is one the finest movies of the year, and this episode we go behind the scenes on its creation with one of its stars, Jake Horowitz, Production Designer Adam Dietrich, as well as talking with Jared Bulmer and Erick Alexander about their beautiful score, and we have music and conversation from The Mellows who’s songs were also used in the movie!

“The Vast Of Night” is out now on Amazon Prime.
 

Find me on Twitter @signalspodcast

Find me on Instagram @sendingsignalspodcast

This episode, legendary engineer/producer Stephen Street takes us behind the scenes on the making of classic records by The Smiths, Blur, and The Cranberries.

Also, the show’s mission to explore the nature of creativity widens its parameters, as my old friend Tom Pendry, one of the Directors of Henry Poole & Co. is here to chat about bespoke tailoring and its long association with Savile Row in London. 
 

Stephen Street on Twitter: @streetstephen

Tom Pendry on Instagram: @fullenglishbreakfast

henrypoole.com

Welcome to Season 2! Very excited to have Stewart Copeland on the show this week. The Police were a formative band for me growing up, and Stewart is a great storyteller. We dig into The Police reunion tour, creativity during lockdown, and coming to terms with your father being a spy...

Also on the show, Stuart Braithwaite of legendary Scottish post-rockers Mogwai!

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mogwai.co.uk

stewartcopeland.net

And we’re back. Did you miss me? This month Lloyd Cole talks divisive new album “Guesswork” and the challenges of being creative as you get older.

Steve Hogarth of Marillion is also on, reflecting on 30 years with the band, as they tentatively start work on a new album ahead of a UK tour later this year.

marillion.com
lloydcole.com

Twitter: @signalspodcast
Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast

Episode 10! I'm still here! Delighted to have drummer Steve Ferrone of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as a guest this week. We discuss growing up, overcoming his addiction, and of course, the loss of Tom.

Also on the show, Bob Collum pops in for a chat and performs a song for us from his latest record "Pay Pack and Carry".

Hey hey hey! This week John Illsley of Dire Straits talks nostalgia, the pressure of being huge, and whether bass players should make solo albums.

Also, you may remember The Connells for their hit "74-75" but there's a lot more to the band's career. It was awesome to talk to Mike Connell from the band about their past and future.

theconnells.com

johnillsley.com

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If you can, please subscribe, rate, and review the show if you haven't already. Thanks!

Greetings! Episode 8 is here. Grant Nicholas is on the show this week, talking about the upcoming Feeder album “Tallulah”. We talk about the ups and downs of 25 years of Feeder; being creative in the face of tragedy, the process of making some of their records, and whether “Buck Rogers” irritates him too.

Also I’m delighted to have Tony Banks of Genesis on the show. We talk about his new boxset of solo work, some Genesis geekery, and generally have a laugh.

feederweb.com
tonybanksmusic.com

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@sendingsignalspodcast

Be seeing you.

The spaceship is landing! Bev Bevan of ELO and The Move is on the show this week. We get real about ELO's first album, Bev's ill-advised ELO spin-off band, writing credits for drummers, and the great songs left off "Time".

Also on the show, the very nice Eric Pulido of Midlake AKA "E.B. The Younger" talks about going solo, and the status of Midlake's ongoing hiatus. I also compare him to Harry Styles and Phil Collins.

Dive in!

Howdy! This week Big Star drummer Jody Stephens is here! Big Star are one of the greatest bands "evs" and they have such a mystique around them; it was so cool to talk to Jody from Ardent Studios where Big Star created most of their records, and where he now works!

Also on the show, Professor of Creative Writing, poet, music writer Katie Mullins. We had an awesome conversation about teaching and grading creativity, the difference between lyrics and poetry, the desire to be liked, and er, Billy Joel's "River Of Dreams".

Find Katie on Twitter @katieuwsf

Find Jody on Twitter @jody_bigstar and on Facebook

Visit thoseprettywrongs.com

Find me on Twitter @signalspodcast

Tell your friends!

Imagine you could take a pill that reduced or even eliminated your body's need for sleep. Would you take it? What would be the implications for society if everyone took it? Those are some of the issues raised in "Dead Tired"; the debut novel from Derek J. Pack, one of my guests this week.

Also, we take a trip over to "Motor City", Detroit. Guitarist Dennis Coffey is here talking about his early work with Del Shannon, his current solo career, and of course, the assembly line hit-making process of Motown.

Enjoy.

derekjpack.com

denniscoffeysite.com

@signalspodcast

Wossup!
This week we have a member of Desperate Journalist and an actual journalist whom I shall not refer to as "desperate".

Clarisse Loughrey, is here! The Independent's Chief Film Critic, and occasional "substitute teacher" for the BBC's flagship movie show on 5Live (known as Wittertainment to those in the know) herself. I really enjoyed our chat. We talked about the current state of film journalism, its challenges, its rewards, and whether it can be considered a truly creative profession.

Jo Bevan, vocalist with one of the finest bands in the U.K., Desperate Journalist, talks us through their phenomenal third album "In Search Of The Miraculous", via a the story of Dutch conceptualist.

Growing up and childhood also ended up being a theme of the episode with Clarisse and Jo both sharing candid memories of the difficulties they experienced when they were young.

Visit desperatejournalist.co.uk

You can find Clarisse's work at theindependent.co.uk

Let me know what you thought @signalspodcast

You're still here? Welcome back.
This week the brilliant and hilarious Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy talks new album "Office Politics", ELO, Mastermind, and complains about Mike Rutherford's bass pedals. Also, designer and musician Ben Brignell discusses creativity in design, design principles, computers and stuff, and plays live!

Visit thedivinecomedy.com and ben.bz for more info on this week's guests.

Please could you also take a minute to rate and review the show!

Welcome back.

This week, Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford indulges my fan-boy questions, and we talk father-son relationships, and about the Mechanics' current activities.

Also, we have a visitor from E Street! Nils Lofgren checks in from the road to discuss new album "Blue With Lou", writing with Lou Reed, playing with Neil Young, and I ask if playing with Springsteen is ever creatively stifling.

Find me on Twitter @signalspodcast

For more information on Mike Rutherford:
@officialmatm
mikeandthemechanics.com

For more information on Nils Lofgren:
@nilslofgren
nilslofgren.com

This week Counting Crows' Adam Duritz talks mental health and creativity, and the future (or possibly not) of the band.

For more information on dissociative disorders (as mispronounced by me) visit;
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dissociative-disorders/

For more information on Counting Crows visit;
http://countingcrows.com

Also Colin Blunstone of The Zombies chats ahead of the band's induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.

For more information on The Zombies visit;
https://www.thezombiesmusic.com

Find me on Twitter @signalspodcast

Hi, I'm Matt, and you are?

Welcome to the first series of SENDING SIGNALS. We have some incredible guests in the coming months, including MIKE RUTHERFORD, COLIN BLUNSTONE, ADAM DURITZ, JODY STEPHENS, CLARISSE LOUGHREY, DENNIS COFFEY, and many more.

Thanks for being here. Find me on Twitter @signalspodcast