Reaching The Crescendo with Ben Mussell – Details, episodes & analysis

Benjamin Button Tickets (before it closes): https://shorturl.at/vk8LE

Fiddler On The Roof UK Tour Tickets: https://shorturl.at/qg6Hd

Into The Woods Tickets: https://shorturl.at/35c9I

Award winning musical theatre maestro Mark Aspinall joined me to chat about his 15 year journey from being a music school assistant to becoming one of the best in the biz when putting the music into musical theatre.

We chatted about:

< Mark’s original career plans before he pivoted towards the theatre world

< How he got his foot in the metaphorical stage door of the industry

< His experiences of being on the creative team for both 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' and 'Fiddler On The Roof'

< Being x2 Olivier nominated in the same category, and winning his first award in the process

< Going ‘Into The Woods’ for his next project

< Advice for theatre up and comers

< The future of musical theatre both on and off stage 

Follow the podcast, Ben and the guest on social media:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/reachingthecrescendopod/

https://www.tiktok.com/@reachingcrescendopod/

https://www.facebook.com/reachingthecrescendopod/

Ben Mussell:

https://www.instagram.com/ben_mussell/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmussell/

Mark Aspinall:

https://www.globalartists.co.uk/artists/composers/

https://www.instagram.com/masps_snaps/

Freelance Copywriter Amy Shepherd joined me to chat about the relatively unknown art of copywriting, so much so her Nan doesn’t really understand what she does for a living. 

We chat about:

< What copywriting is

< Brands she’s worked for in the past e.g. @thecalmzonenet and @LUSH  

<Life in the freelance world

< Her stance on AI

< What she's currently working on

< Brands she wants to work for and with in the future

< Her future Crescendo 

Follow the podcast, Ben and the guest on social media:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/reachingthecrescendopod/

https://www.tiktok.com/@reachingcrescendopod/

https://www.facebook.com/reachingthecrescendopod/

Ben Mussell:

https://www.instagram.com/ben_mussell/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/benmussell/

Amy Shepherd:

https://www.amyshepherdfreelance.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-shepherd-172a391a1/

https://www.instagram.com/amy_shepherd_freelance/

Tor Byrnes aka Tor Da Force has been an indie DJ for the last 15 years and over that time has become a staple of clubs, festivals and venues inbetween.

Her career as a DJ has since turned her into an events promoter with her company We Broke Free, making her a force to be reckoned with as a 'Good Time Dictator'.

Tor chats about how she got to where she is today, being a female DJ in a male dominated industry and her previous and present work at some of Europe's biggest festivals.

Follow the podcast and guest on social media using the links below:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Tor Da Force

https://www.webrokefree.co.uk/

Will McNicol has been playing fingerstyle guitar since aged 6 and enjoyed it so much, he never stopped. It has taken him all over the world and counts his mentor Antonio Forcione as a friend.

Will chats about first picking up a guitar, his love of recording, his favourite gigs and his love of passing on his pearls of fingerstyle wisdom to his fellow guitar player through his workshops and online college.

Follow the podcast and guest on social media using the links below:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Will McNicol

https://www.willmcnicol.co.uk/

https://www.willmcnicol.co.uk/teachingbooks

Elspeth McBain is the CEO of Lighthouse in Poole; the largest arts centre outside of London. However, if her parents had had their way, things would have been very different. So in true rebelious young adult fashion, she ended up at a holiday park in the Isle of Wight and the rest is history.

Elspeth speaks about her journey from the Isle of Wight - Croydon - London and ending up in Poole in 2009. She also details the behind the info on the year long preparation to put on a pantomime for young and old that runs for just 3 weeks.

Follow the podcast and guest on social media using the links below:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Lighthouse, Poole website - https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/

Aladdin 2023 tickets - https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/aladdin/

Abi Logan started dancing lessons at age 3 and it all spiralled from there. The rest is history!

Abi chats about her beginnings at her local performing academy, getting the choreographer bug through the Rock Challenge competition, using the Covid lockdown as an excuse to start a dance troupe and now going full circle by choreographing her first panto (oh yes she is...)

Follow the podcast and guest on social media using the links below:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Abi Logan

https://www.instagram.com/abilogann/

Tickets to Sleeping Beauty at South Hill Park - https://www.southhillpark.org.uk/shp-events/sleeping-beauty-2023-christmas-panto/

Emily Young has been a photographer since 2014, starting in portrait mode. Then at university, she switched to live music photography, created a specimen magazine for a group project and has run with it ever since. even as far as Texas.

Emily explains how her group uni project spiralled a tad out of control and in the process led her to meet some of her favourite bands, connected her to her now team of volunteer photographers both in the UK and across the pond, create PR connections that would make Scooter Braun's jaw drop and give her stance on the future/revival of physical music media.

Follow the podcast and guest on social media using the links below:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Emily Young

https://www.squareonemagazine.co.uk/

https://www.instagram.com/itsSquareOne/

https://www.instagram.com/emilyjadephotos/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjadephoto/?originalSubdomain=uk

Tracey started Totally Music to act as a digital scrapbook to collate pictures from her gig experiences. However, when the Covid lockdown hit in March 2020, she saw an opportunity to use her blog to provide a platform to the best unseen and up-and-coming musical talent when they were not allowed to perform. It has been growing ever since.

Follow the podcast and the guest on social media:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Totally Music

https://www.totallymusicofficial.com/blog

Lee Townsend saw his Dad in cover bands from a very early age so it was inevitable that he would pick up a guitar eventually. His parents then moved to Spain when he was 18, so he followed suit and the rest is history.

Since then, he has become a reputable wedding singer, has built a YouTube channel to nearly 12,000 subs being a go to guy for loop covers/tutorials and musical gadget reviews.

Lee chats about living in Spain, the life of a wedding singer, YouTube BTS, his opinion on AI entering the music space, having a hobby as your job and his plans for the future.

Follow the podcast and guest on social media using the links below:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Lee Townsend

https://leetownsendmusic.com/

Imprints started off as a University project and spiralled from there as many bands do. Ever since then, they have found their unique gypsy/folk-rock sound, their space pirate hats, potentially invented the coolest fiddle playing style ever and even got Michael Eavis' (yes that Michael Eavis) phone number in the process!

Andy (frontman) and Vince (thrash fiddle) talk about their humble beginnings, inadvertently starting crowd fights, Feeder being their support act, wanting to headline Glastonbury and the all important next studio album.

Follow the podcast and the guest on social media:

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Imprints

https://www.imprintsuk.co.uk/