Hello and welcome to episode 177 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is in Newcastle and zooming with Matthew Murphy of The Wombats and Love Fame Tragedy who is in LA.

Ben and Murph talk about his second album from his side project Love, Fame, Tragedy. We talk about writing for this project and The Wombats, talk about the heritage of great scouse bands (there’s a few), playing live, living in LA, and much more.

Even for a writer beloved by his fans for being so frank and open about his romantic failings, tempestuous marriage and issues with drugs and depression, Life Is A Killer is Murph’s truest and most lyrically raw album to date, documenting one of the most difficult years of his life. As the now sober songwriter navigates his way through balancing life as a new father of two and touring the world with The Wombats, he explores the mental struggles of managing family life amid self-destructive excess. Written in between London and LA, Murph enlisted the help of producers Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers) and Mark Crew (Bastille, Rag N Bone Man, The Wombats) to push his sonic boundaries further than ever, with new sounds and even voice notes from his wife Akemi.

As singer, guitarist and primary songwriter of The Wombats, Murph has sold over a million albums, garnered nearly 2 billion streams, and, in 2022 secured his first ever UK #1 album with the acclaimed Fix Yourself, Not The World.

Thank you to Murph, Charlie and Murph’s dog for coming on and support with this episode.

See you very soon for season six.

Hello and welcome to episode 176 of the ACPG podcast.

This episode is the last interview of the series. But don’t worry we will be back for a new series and our much loved outro episode.

In this episode Ben is zooming with J Willgoose, Esq of the fantastic Public Service Broadcasting.

The talk about PSB’s new live album, approaching playing live, writing new albums, and more.

A celebration of the power of radio written in recognition of the centenary of the BBC, This New Noise saw the band joining forces with the 88 piece BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jules Buckley. A standout performance from 2022’s BBC Proms, it received 5*s in The Telegraph who called it “a resonant, timely and ultimately touching show”. Founder member J. Willgoose, Esq. remixed the concert from scratch, bringing out even more depth and texture from a multi-layered performance and showing it in a new light.

This New Noise is the second time Public Service Broadcasting have been commissioned for the BBC Proms. In 2019 the band performed an orchestral arrangement of their 2015 studio album The Race for Space with The Multi-Story Orchestra to mark the 50th anniversary of the first manned mission to the Moon.

Thank you to J Willgoose, Esq, Jodie, and Elliott for their support with this episode.

Hello and welcome to episode 167 of the ACPG podcast.

This week Ben is zooming with too proper geezers, Bruce and Simon of the fantastic Good Health Good Wealth.

With a mix of Streetesqe spoken word vocals and dirty dirty beats. GHGW are a heading mix of Queens market and a eastern European club. And I love it (to quote them).

Ben, Bruce, and Simon discuss how they good started, their approach to making music, touring and playing live, and how London influences their sound.

Good Health Good Wealth are East London vocalist/songwriter/producer Bruce Breakey and Lithuania-born guitarist/producer Simon Kuzmickas; two friends who met in a central London Wetherspoons a decade ago.  

Like some of the best partnerships in the history of music, there’s an odd couple quality to Good Health Good Wealth, but one that just seems to work. The pair have been winning fans with a sound that combines the poetic everyday storytelling of The Streets, Baxter Dury or Mac Miller with a taut, lightly funk influenced production style that takes its cues from everything from peak-era Neptunes productions to Justice, Daft Punk and Prince.

Despite their differences, Bruce and Simon bonded over a shared love of everything from Action Bronson to Tom Waits and played together in a punk band for years. But it was when the covid pandemic struck that they decided to take things in a different direction.  With an almost spoken word delivery and knack for creating an inescapable melody, their songs have tackled everything from pining for the escape of the weekend while struggling without a job, to the thrill of finding new love in the city. Each new song showcasing Bruce’s lyrical ability to bring the minutiae of the everyday to life with an almost cinematic quality.

Thank you to Bruce, Simon, and Sarah for this interview

See you next week for JW Francis.

This week Ben is backstage at the Newcastle Academy with Jimmy Adkins, lead singer and guitarist of the might Jimmy Eat World.

We crammed a lot in a our chat including recording, touring, fans, joining a band, song writing, and even more.

Bleed American was my (Ben) album of year one at uni.  Amazing memories.

Jimmy's good cause of the week is Team Taylor, check them out at http://www.teamtayloraz.com/ 

In this episode we hear from a fans perspective. Brian Garcia has amassed one of the largest and most impressive memorabilia collections of his favourite band, Oasis. This is to the point of needing storage units to house it all.

So what gets somebody from the point of liking a song, to a super fan.

The good cause for this week comes from Brian and is the MDS foundation.

This week Ben is back at the think tank in Newcastle, back at the Hit the North festival with Louisa of She Drew the Gun.

We managed to cram a lot in a short episode including identity, location, support from other artists, Liverpool, and so much more.

Louisa's charity of the week is The Whitechapel Centre, check them out here. https://www.whitechapelcentre.co.uk/

This week is back on the ‘phone’, this time with Zach Hangauer of howtoreleasearecord.com

James and Zach spoke a lot, you guessed it, about releasing your music and what Zach does to support new and emerging artists through howtoreleasearecord.com.

Zach’s charity of the weeks is a returning good cause.  It’s ACLU, check them out at aclu.org

This week Ben is back at the Riverside in Newcastle with We Are Scientists.

Ben catches up with Keith and Chris pre gig to talk about the pitfalls of social media takeovers, song writing, dealing with record companies and so much more.

The good causes for Keith and Chris are www.pS9pets.com and www.children.org.

This week Ben is backstage at the Newcastle arena with Jon Fratelli of The Fratellis.

Jon and Ben talk about naming a band, touring, support slots, massive hits, getting started and so much more.

Jon’s charity of the week is the Eilidh Brown Memorial Fund.  Find out more here eilidhbrown.co.uk

This week James is back on the phone, this time with Matthew Rusk founder of MGR Music and our season two partner.

They look at a career in music in more detail and how to get the best out of a career in this industry.

Matthew's charity of the week is the WAVE trauma centre, find out more here. http://wavetraumacentre.org.uk/

This week Ben is in the Newcastle Boiler Shop with the original Rude Boy Neville Staple and Christine 'Sugary' Staple.

Ben chats to Neville and Christine about playing live, festivals, identity and so much more.

Neville and Christine's charity of the week is Musicians Against Homelessness.

This week Ben is backstage at the ‘Hit the North festival’ in Newcastle with The Blinders.

Ben catches up with Tom, Charlie, and Matt at the Newcastle Academy to talk about festivals, touring, identity, and moving to another city.

The Blinders charity is Safe Gigs for Women, check it out at www.sgfw.org.uk and also a nod to the RNLI, check them out at www.rnli.org

This week James is on the phone to the Netherlands speaking to Maurice Hissink.

James and Maurice spoke about Maurice's work in online music marketing and online strategy.

Maurice's good cause of the week is Clini Clowns, visit www.cliniclowns.nl to find out more.

Hello and welcome to episode 166 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben has 'the look of love' as he zooms with one of his musical idols, Martin Fry of ABC.

Similar to Chris Difford a couple of week ago. ABC and Martin Fry hold a special place in Ben's musical life. No 'poison arrows' with this one, and we can definitely hear 'Smokey Sing', ok I'll stop dropping ABC songs in here.

As you can imagine this was a great a thrill to talk about Martin's life in music and his new 40 year Lexicon of Love live album. Celebrating their most successful and well known work.

Alongside the usual stuff we talk about fashion, identity, and Chanel guitars that got them in trouble. It's quite a ride, even if there was a few little audio gremlins.

Thank you to Martin for his time, it was a real pleasure to talk music with you. Thank you to Sacha for setting up the inviting and her support as ever.

See you next week for another band with a tonne of steal. Good Health Good Wealth. 

This week Ben is still at Northumbria University but he's out of the locker room and backstage with Nattie and Sam of Fickle Friends.

Ben, Nattie, and Sam talk about being part of a music community in both Brighton and Liverpool, cancelling gigs, looking after yourself, and a lot more.

Nattie and Sam's good cause of the week is Mind, find out more at https://www.mind.org.uk/

In this week's episode Ben is at Northumbria University in a locker room talking to Ewan and Jimmy of Canadian rock band, The Sheepdogs.

Ben chats to Ewan and Jimmy about being the first unsigned on the cover of Rolling Stone, adding members to their band, touring, and so much more.

Ewan and Jimmy's good cause of the week is MusiCounts in Canada. Check them out here. https://www.musicounts.ca/

In this week’s episode we are have our full interview with Leigh Fuge, guitarist, musician, session musician, guitar tutor, gear reviewer, and all round good guy.

We caught Leigh over skype as he is based in Swansea, so no background beats this week.

Leigh’s good cause of the week is Macmillan, check out there site here https://www.macmillan.org.uk/

This week we’re both back in think tank Newcastle with musician Laurel.

We’re caught up with laurel on tour for her debut album ‘Dogviolet’. We spoke about her song writing process, work ethic, recording, and her book that accompanies the album.

Laurel didn’t have a specific charity of the week but wanted to mention trying to combat loneliness. 

This week Ben is in the Think Tank Newcastle with Get Cape Wear Cape Fly or Sam Duckworth if it’s a Sunday.

We caught up with Sam on tour in 2018 and spend sometime talking about identity, playing festivals, getting as many people as possible on stage and much more.

Sam's charity is Grenfell united.

Visit www.acpgmusic.com/episodes063

In this week's episode Ben and James are in Manchester to sit down with Emma Zillmann, festival booker for From the Fields who look after Kendal Calling and Bluedot.

We talk about all things festivals and how you could maybe appear at one of these festivals.

Emma's good cause of the week is Guide Dogs.

Check out more at www.acpgmusic.com/episode062

In our second full length interview of season two, Ben is at the Newcastle Riverside chatting to Tyler Szalkowski, guitarist of the New York band State Champs.  

They cover all things from festivals, to touring, learning the guitar, and being a guitar teacher.

Tyler's good cause of the week is repeat good cause, ACLU.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode061

In the first full length interview of season two. Ben chats to Editors and Minor Victories guitarist Justin Lockey at Northumbria Uni while on tour for Editors latest album, Violence.

Justin chats to Ben about his life in Editors, Touring, Festivals, joining an established band, and much more.

Justin's good cause is Oxfam, Editors as a band have close links to Oxfam.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode060

This week it’s the ACPG mid-season quick fire pallet cleanser. Ben started hitting guests with some quick-fire questions at the end of each interview with the musicians we’ve had on the show and it turned out pretty good.

This is a highlights reel of those questions while we get all of the full stand alone interviews ready for release starting next week.

The good cause is Grenfell United.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode059

This week it’s the second instalment of the two-part Christmas special on Music Law with Erin Jacobson, the music industry lawyer.

The discussion moves on to contracts, publishing and record deals including some common pitfalls that musicians can fall into. How often can these subjects lead to bad blood within a band and how can you avoid the pain? Lots to cover.

The good cause is Girls Love Mail and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode058

Hello and welcome to episode 165 of the ACPG podcast.

This week Ben is zooming with another Aussie Alex Lahey.

Ben and Alex talk about her new album The Answer is Always Yes, touring, festivals, and building a community.

Fresh from recently announcing her new album and debut for Liberation, The Answer is Always Yes, Aussie polymath Alex Lahey today returns with a fresh taster from the record, 'They Wouldn't Let Me In'. A breathless post-punk gem, it's a track that hits at the very heart of The Answer is Always Yes, an album that finds Lahey analysing her otherness through different lenses, from its isolating effect to the surrealism and humour it instills.

We hope you enjoy this episode and we’ll see you next week for Martin Fry from ABC.

Thank you to Alex and Alex for this episode.

This week it’s the first of a two-part Christmas special on Music Law, with Erin Jacobson, the music lawyer. The number of musicians who’ve found themselves in a bad situation due to a lack of awareness of the many components to music law is countless.

In this episode Erin starts us off with copyright, music composition and sound recordings, as well as royalties.

The good cause is neuroendocrine cancer research. Links to Erin’s fund along with more info in the show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode057

This week we cover a career in music. Not everyone makes it to play their music in front of thousands of people and it certainly doesn’t happen instantly. How can you boost your income whilst on your journey to achieve your dreams?

In this episode you’ll hear from MGR music founder Matthew Rusk as well as guitar teacher and enthusiast Leigh Fuge.

The good cause is the WAVE Trauma Centre.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode056

This week the topic is learning the guitar. An exciting yet often frustrating part of many a musicians’ journey. How do you do it? How far can you get following online videos? What to expect from lessons? How to move from complete novice to competent?

In this episode you’ll hear from MGR music founder Matthew Rusk as well as guitar teacher and enthusiast Leigh Fuge.

The good cause is MacMillan cancer support.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode055

This week the duel topics are time management and decision making. With only a finite amount of time available, the decisions musicians make and the way they use their time is absolutely critical, particularly when music is one of many things they’re juggling in their lives.

In this episode you’ll hear from Steven Page (Bare Naked Ladies), Jimmy Eat World, Laurel, Jon Fratelli and Leigh Fuge.

The good cause is the Eilidh Brown memorial fund.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode054

This week the duel topics are identity and feedback. Who are you? How do you portray yourself to the world? Which trusted voices to you have to tell you whether you’re on the right track?

In this episode you’ll hear from Jon Fratelli, Dave Keuning, Jimmy Eat World, Steven Page (Bare Naked Ladies), Fickle Friends and more.

The good cause is the PETA and their mission to protect animals.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode053

This week the duel topics are playing live and location. Do you need to relocate to a big city in order to progress? How important is it to play live shows outside your home town? What are the most important things when playing live?

In this episode you’ll hear from John Newman, Dave Keuning (Killers), Justin Lockley (Editors), We Are Scientists and more.

The good cause is musicians against homelessness.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode052

This week the topics are forming and joining a band. How do you pick those other unfortunate souls that you’re to spend a significant portion of the foreseeable future with? What happens when line ups need to change?

In this episode you’ll hear from Dave Keuning (The Killers), Justin Lockley (Editors), State Champs, We Are Scientists and more.

The good causes is Children.org.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode051

This week the topic is fans. Following on from our two-part special in season 1 with Mark Duffett of Chester University, we take a look at things from the fans perspective. Brian Garcia has taken fandom to new levels, especially when it comes to collecting memorabilia.

In this episode you’ll also hear from Jimmy Eat World, Dave Keuning (The Killers), Fickle Friends and Kevin Brown of GigRev.

The good cause is the MDS Foundation.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode050

This week the topic is mobile apps. Having a website can be an obvious choice to musicians, but what about a mobile app? In an age where increasingly more people use a mobile phone to browse the web, whilst social media app algorithms restrict your reach within their platforms, why not?

In this episode you’ll hear from Kevin Brown, of GigRev who has tackled this challenge.

The good cause is the throat cancer foundation.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode049

This week this the second of the two-part instalment on music marketing. More great insights on a topic that can be so tricky for aspiring musicians.

In this episode you’ll hear from Steven Page (Bare Naked Ladies), We Are Scientists, Maurice Hissink, Dave Keuning (The Killers), Zach Hangauer, She Drew the Gun and Kevin Brown.

The good causes are the Whitechapel Centre and Shelter.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode048

Hello and welcome to episode 164 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is zooming as James is holiday(ing). Not sure if that's a real word.

Ben is on zoom this week with one of his favourite artists of all time. Chris Difford from the band Squeeze.

This podcast has thrown up a few unreal scenarios but thankfully it's still fun and great to meet people that you've listened to for most of your life.

Squeeze have been a soundtrack band for me, so it was amazing to talk to Chris about his life in music, songwriting, touring, and so much more.

Thank you to Chris for talking to us.

See you next week for Alex Lahey.

This week is the first of a two-part instalment on marketing. A tricky business where you can end up spending lots of time with little reward without having a bit of know-how and a plan.

In this episode you’ll hear from a mix of artists and industry pros including Steven Page (Bare Naked Ladies), We Are Scientists, Maurice Hissink, The Sheepdogs, Zach Hangauer, She Drew the Gun and Kevin Brown.

The good cause is the Dutch Clini Clowns.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode047

After discussing the record deal route last week, here we focus on releasing music yourself. It’s easier than ever to record music, but how do you release it?

With things like mastering, distribution and licencing to consider, how do you get your music out there? You’ll hear from ex-label owner Zach Hangauer as well as top artists Laurel, State Champs, Jimmy Eat World and The Sheepdogs.

The good cause is the aclu.org.

Show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode046

This week the topic is the record deal, once the main target for all aspiring musicians. What is the role of the record company today? Are they still as appealing as they once were?

We speak to Keith Armstrong of Kitchenware records along with Jon Newman, Neville Staple, She Drew The Gun, The Sheepdogs, Jimmy Eat World and We Are Scientists.

The good cause is the Robin Hoodie foundation.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode045

This week the topic is festivals, an essential element of any music lovers’ summer. It was the summer 2018 that we caught up with Emma Zillmann of From the Fields who puts on big UK festivals Kendal Calling and Blue Dot to find out what’s involved and how bands get on her radar.

You’ll also hear from Dave Keuning (The Killers), Justin Lockley (Editors), Get Cape Wear Cape, State Champs and The Blinders.

The good cause is guidedogs.org.uk.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode044

This week the topic is touring. In an age where selling physical copies of your music is no longer the thing it once was, a tour can be essential for bringing in the much-needed cash.

This is a topic that some artists have mixed feelings towards – today you’ll hear from Justin Lockley (Editors), Jimmy Eat World, John Newman, The Sheepdogs, Fickle Friends, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and We Are Scientists.

The good cause from Editors is Oxfam.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode043

This week the topic is song writing, a fundamental necessity for aspiring musicians. There is no single right way of approaching it though, so we spoke to established artists to find out how they do it.

In this episode you’ll hear from Steven Page (Bare Naked Ladies), Justin Lockley (Editors), Laurel, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly and We Are Scientists.

The good cause is the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign ran by the Steven Lewis Foundation.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode042

We’re back for season 2 of the show! A new format brings you loads of fantastic guests all talking about specific music topics such as song writing, festivals, marketing, record deals, playing live and more.

All designed to help musicians and bands take their career to the next level this season has insights from industry experts plus top bands The Killers, Bare Naked Ladies, Editors, Jimmy Eat World and Jon Newman. Listen for free now.

More information about the show at www.acpgmusic.com

This week is the finale to season 1 of the ACPG podcast as Ben and James reflect on the journey so far, and give a little taster of what to expect from season 2.

It’s been superb so far, meeting amazing people and seeing first-hand how much the music community are passionate about helping others.
We’ve got great guests lined up for season 2, with a little break allowing us to make some improvements to the format and overall quality of the show.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode040

This week we continue our journey through space and time for part 2 with Gus and Wilson of Winchop, the fantastic two piece from the USA.

Here we move on to talk about the unusual way in which to were signed, how they make their long distance collaboration work, their fantastic whiskey covers and the importance of interacting with other artists.

The good cause this week is supporting the music community.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode039

This week we have an ACPG first as we straddle three time zones to catch up with Gus and Wilson of Winchop, a fantastic two piece from the USA.

We were keen to get these lads onto the show, as they do the majority of their band activity in different locations. In this part one we talk about how they got started in music, writing musicals, duo’s vs a full band and forging a partnership.

The good cause this week is supporting the music community.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode038

Hello and welcome to episode 163 of the ACPG Podcast.

This week Ben is back at the Cluny with Beans on Toast (AKA Jay).

They talk pre gig, post sound check about his life in music, songwriting, touring, festivals, community, and making friends with friend of the show Frank Turner.

Since 2005, Beans on Toast has written simple songs about complicated subjects. Tackling the big issues of the day but doing so with his feet firmly on the ground, he’s become a people’s champ of the modern folk scene and amassed a huge back catalogue of songs in the process.

An unrepentant optimist whose songs celebrate all that is wonderful about the human spirit, his live shows are similarly uplifting and have taken him from SOLD OUT headline shows in the UK to the stages of major international festivals across the globe.

Thank you to Jay and James and we hope you enjoyed this episode.

See you next week with Chris Difford of Squeeze. Holy smokes, it's big one.

This week James continues with digital marketing entrepreneur Stacey Kehoe of Brandlective where they move on to discuss marketing content; creating, scheduling, re-purposing, hashtaging and analytics.

Getting the most out of social media is important for musicians, so it was really useful to get some insights from Stacey and delve into the specifics for some of the popular platforms.

The good cause this week is the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode037

This week James is speaking to digital marketing entrepreneur Stacey Kehoe about marketing mistakes, having clear objectives and testing your market.

Through her business Brandlective, Stacey is well versed in how to build up a strong brand and identity. Content is king, with many ways to dive in when promoting your music, some being better than others.

The good cause this week is the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode036

This week Ben continues for part two with one of the top video music directors, David Wilson, where they move on to discuss Arcade Fire, his relationship with them, collaboration, age gaps, and shooting videos.

David has transitioned from fan, to video producer, to collaborator with Arcade Fire. A band like that only invite you back if you offer something special. We delve into what that is.

The good cause this week is the Terrence Higgins Trust.

More info and show notes at www.acpgmusic.com/episode035