Making of a Musician – Details, episodes & analysis

Commentary Podcast

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast was made in Naam, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation and pay my respects to Elders past and present and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders that may be listening.

Where Art meets Post Punk is how Severins formed out of the early 90s. Now 30 years on and still recording new music and in part 2 of this episode Geoff Berry explores the themes behind his writing and how that connects to his work and his studies to achieve a PHD in philosophy.

Geoff talks about how the band has formed it's unique and wonderful sounds and his respect for the other members of Severins.

You can also find out a few things more like what he likes about Talking Heads, which Rolling Stones album is a good beginning and you have a fear of Mick Jagger and who a First Nation artist you should listen to.

https://www.facebook.com/severinsband

https://severins.bandcamp.com/track/less-of-a-lesson

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You can find Making of a Musician on Sundays on Untidy Radio.

https://untidyradio.com/alternate-player/

https://untidyradio.com/2025/10/28/what-is-untidy-radio/

It is on 7pm in Melbourne, Australia AEDT

• Manchester, UK: 8 am
• Most of Western Europe (e.g., Paris, Berlin): 9 am
• New York City, USA: 3 am
• Los Angeles, USA: 12 am (midnight)
• Tokyo, Japan: 9 pm

Read my post about Untidy Radio here https://www.sometimesanderson.com/news/untidy-radio

The Episodes are going backwards from Yolanda. 

We are up to part 2 of Mark James this week, then it goes:

Me, Cris Sirc, Helen Ryder, Serina Pech, Jordan Bakkar, Ben Smith, Mandy Connell, Tracy McNeil and Billy Abbott and then back to Season 2

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Episode 8 features Cris Sirc of Angler, Phat Puff and Sirc. Listen in to how Kiss grabbed his attention and the club Clockwork Orange’s Indie Pop lead to the discovery of electronic music. We discuss what equipment to use, including how you can use an Atari to create music, favourite synth sounds and who has been Cris’ biggest influences.

This episode is dedicated to our good friend Stevie B, Steven Bertschik.

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Episode 7 features the talented Helen Ryder, a Melbourne based singer who has sung across many genres throughout her career: pop, country, soul, blues, gospel and jazz throughout her career. Listen in to hear how she came to a musical career, why she chose the songs for her debut album 'Someday Love', what her influences are and the music has played a part in her journey so far.

Note: Please excuse the background noise at times towards the end of the interview - The crowd in St Kilda can get rowdy. I have tried everything nearly to get rid of it….

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Episode 6 of Making of a musician features the fabulously gifted Serina Pech.

This interview was recorded on the eve of the launch of Serina's self-titled EP on the 23rd of March 2017.

Serina Pech is a singer-songwriter who grew up in the isolation of Katherine in the Northern Territory – an influence she carries through her music.  

Listen in to how she found her way to music and the vast influences who have helped develop the amazing storyteller Serina has become through the use of song with her raw, honest and penetrating lyrics that colour her songs and allow listeners into her private world and imagination.

Make sure you check out bandcamp https://serinapech.bandcamp.com/  or iTunes and buy Serina’s EP now - best 7 dollars you will ever spend.

https://www.threads.com/@serinapechmusic

https://ffm.to/serinapechpolitics

This episode is dedicated to Peter Webb who I knew to be a loving husband and father, optimist and fighter.

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Jordan Bakker is a passionate young acoustic performer from Melbourne Australia. ;sJordan original work covers many genres from Bluegrass to a Bossa Nova, yet all have a raw Blues backbone. Listen in to hear how he started, what advice he has received from Tash Sultana and much more.

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During Episode 4 of Making a Musician we meet singer/songwriter Ben Smith, who was born in the UK but spent ten years of his childhood in sunny Queensland playing regular gigs in pubs as a 10 to 13-year-old.

Listen in to how Ben returned from the UK after being signed by a record company at 16 to start his real musical journey in Melbourne years later.

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In Part 2 of Episode 3 of Making of a Musician we continue the journey through Mandy Connell's musical influences, songs she can’t get enough of and the album everyone should own. Listen in to hear Mandy explain how to join a music session and how she became the amazing folk musician she is.

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In part 1 of episode 3 of Making of a Musician we go through Mandy Connell’s journey through folk and how she is bringing to life traditional folk ballads from the UK and poetry from Australia in the Stray Hens. Listen in to hear a fantastic insight into the folk scene of Australia including Mandy’s earliest musical memories and attempts at learning a few instruments.

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From Depeche Mode to the Dawes, listen in to hear how Tracy McNeil became drawn in by the Melbourne music scene to call Australia home after leaving Canada nearly 10 years ago for 10 months. We talk about the beautiful influences around her, the latest Tracy McNeil and the Goodlife album ‘Thieves’ and the craft of song writing in episode 2 of Making of a musician.

https://tracymcneil.com/music/

https://tracymcneil.bandcamp.com/album/you-be-the-lightning 

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