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

In this episode Ben sits down with West End drummer and percussionist Dan Day to chat about a career that’s taken him from learning drums at age 3 to playing on major theatrical productions like Evita, Mean Girls, Sunset Boulevard, Come From Away just to name a few...

Ben and Dan chat about:

< Dan starting to learn drums aged 3

< Falling into musical theatre by accident

< Earning your chair through depping, being good and just being nice

< Life as a working drummer in the orchestra pit both in London and on tour

< Surviving high pressure auditions when you really want the job

< COVID

< Getting the gig and behind the scenes of Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Sunset Boulevard and Evita

< Working with some of the biggest creative names in musical theatre today e.g. Pasek and Paul, Alex Lacamoire and Alan Williams MD

< Working on The Greatest Showman Musical

< His Crescendo

Strap yourselves in for nearly 2 hours of drum and musical theatre goodness.

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

Dan Day:

https://www.dandaymusic.com

https://instagram.com/danthedrummer12

Volunteer radio presenter, producer, music lover and all-round self proclaimed 'radio fanatic' Zinnia Bridgman joined me to chat about going from her lockdown student radio beginnings to co-presenting The South Coast Music Show on Voice FM.

We chatted about:

< Getting started in radio through university and student broadcasting,

< The thrill (and terror) of being live on air on Voice FM,

< Why volunteer community radio still matters in a de-localised industry,

< The concept of celebrities with platforms / high follower counts being able to cut the line for mainstream radio shows over people who have put in the hours,

< The goings on behind the desk and in the room where it happens,

< Supporting emerging south coast musicians and venues,

< Volunteering, passion projects, breaking into media, and other things...

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/

Zinnia Bridgman:

https://www.instagram.com/zinniaecbridgman/

https://linktr.ee/zinniaecbridgman

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zinnia-bridgman/

Voice FM:

https://www.voicefmradio.co.uk/

https://www.voicefmradio.co.uk/south-coast-music/south-coast-music-show/

Joe Hayes started out as a full time accountant with a massive photography hobby. Several businesses later and and a network of over 3000 people, Joe now facilitates photography, videography and more recently podcasting for some of the biggest brands on the south coast and in the UK in general.

Joe chats about how his unique path led him to where he is today, where he thinks the direction of podcasting as an industry is going, along with some advice on building networks, tech and how to get started in the 'content' industry.

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

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Joe Hayes aka Kindful Creative

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

https://www.kindfulcreative.co.uk/

'kindfulcreative' on Instagram

Jose Ramos wanted to work in the news industry since he was young and used his Mum's phone as a camera to film his version of The News, and all these years later he is doing exactly that as a newly senior reporter.

Jose speaks about his journey from his self news tape all the way to now reporting on both local and national news, meeting and almost meeting a lot of interesting people, and his stories that have featured in some major UK newspapers along the way.

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

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

Jose Ramos

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-ramos-28493319b/

https://x.com/journo_jose

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/author/profile/297715.Jose_Ramos/

David Catterall started his career as a drama teacher and then co-hosted Channel 4's third worst show of 2006. It wasn't until a friend of his introduced him to Photoshop and a chance encounter in a Food Hall that changed everything, and the rest as they say.... is history!

David chats about his unique journey to where he is today, how he turned his hobby into his job, and slightly peels back the curtain on his creative process in creating viral unofficial posters that have ended up on national television.

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

Reaching The Crescendo Podcast

https://linktr.ee/reachingthecrescendopod

David Catterall

https://www.facebook.com/people/David-Catterall-Designs/100063850515860/

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