Shows
A Deeper ListenMarlon Williams Amplifies Te Reo Maori in Dynamic New AlbumMarlon Williams, singer-songwriter from New Zealand, uses his deep vibrato on more than a dozen new original songs written entirely in the Indigenous language Te Reo Maori. It was a years-long endeavor, with songs featuring collaborators like KOMMI and Lorde. KEXP contributor Celine Teo-Blockey spoke with Williams in Sydney, Australia last month. He was attending the premiere of the album’s accompanying documentary, Marlon Williams: Ngā Ao E Rua – Two Worlds. “A big goal for the record was to see what Maori is capable of across different musical worlds,” Williams says in the interview. “Where can this lang...
2025-07-2230 min
History Lab26. Facing Off: From Botany Bay to AotearoaIn this episode, historians Kate Fullagar and Mike McDonnell revisit Bennelong’s portraits to examine how colonial art encountered Indigenous identity. Indigenous scholar Jo Rey, a Dharug woman, challenges these depictions, questioning their accuracy and impact. The conversation then expands to the Pacific, where Māori scholar Alice Te Punga Somerville discusses the story of Tupaia, a Polynesian navigator and artist who traveled with Captain Cook. His illustrations of first contact tell a different story—one of Indigenous agency, not just European discovery. What do we see when we look at these portraits today? And more im...
2025-03-2637 min
History LabIntroducing: Unsettling PortraitsCan colonial depictions of Indigenous people tell us anything useful about the past? How do Indigenous people today feel about these enduring images? Unsettling Portraits is a three-part series exploring the history of portraiture and colonialism, alongside contemporary First Nations responses. Indigenous artists and historians in Australia, the Pacific and North America discuss the practice of colonial portraiture, including Daniel Browning, Jo Rey, Alice Te Punga Somerville, Gordon Henry and Joseph Pierce. And you'll hear about the ways in which contemporary artists like Daniel Boyd, Michel...
2025-03-2302 min
All The BestSink or Swim - Part IIIIn the final instalment of Sink or Swim, we look to the future and explore how we can survive the hotter summers that lie ahead for all of us. Blacktown is facing increasingly extreme urban heat, but locals are coming up with their own solutions. We visit two cool refuges where we discover ordinary citizens and local leaders who are shaping the communities they want in the places where they live. You’ll hear from Maryam Zahid, a community leader creating spaces for newly arrived women to learn skills like swimming, and Emma Bacon, who is campaigning fo...
2025-01-0727 min
All The BestSink or Swim - Part IIAngelica has decided: this is the summer she finally takes the plunge. Go with her as she joins an adult swim class for beginners, and realises that there are plenty of other adults who share both her trepidation and her determination. Angelica’s home of Western Sydney is heating up faster than nearly anywhere else, making swimming an essential survival skill – not just for staying afloat, but for staying cool. She talks to local doctor Kim Loo to learn what extreme heat can do to the human body, and to urban planning and heat researcher Professor Seba...
2024-12-3027 min
All The BestSink or Swim - Part ISydney holds a strong identity as the capital of sandy shores, ripper waves and thefinest swimmers in the world. But this idealistic depiction of a devoted swimmingculture doesn’t connect to many locals like Angelica who has never learned how toswim. Come and join Angelica on her personal quest to overcome the deep blue waters.Along the way, she talks with her local community of Blacktown. A part of Sydneythat lacks the postcard beaches whilst the limited swimming spots fail to meet thegrowing demand. ...
2024-12-2432 min
We are BlacktownLeanne RedpathLeanne Redpath is a Dharug artist, educator and book illustrator. She is also connected to the Burubiranggal, Warmuli and many other family groups across Sydney and NSW. Leanne started painting with her mother as a young child. She is the author of Cooee Mittigar and Sharing, children’s books created to share Dharug knowledge and culture. Leanne is a long-serving director of the Dharug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation. She is a mother and grandmother, and she loves spending time with her family and on Country. We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production.Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Ja...
2024-07-1806 min
We are BlacktownMayor ChagaiMayor Chagai is the founder and head coach of Savannah Pride, a basketball club that mentors and connects young people through sport. Savannah Pride is a grassroots youth organisation that draws on the South Sudanese community’s passion for basketball to foster community harmony. At six years old, war forced Mayor to leave his South Sudanese village. He made his way via Ethiopia to a Kenyan refugee camp, where he discovered he had a gift for basketball. A true community leader, Mayor’s work with Savannah Pride creates a supportive place where young people in the Blacktown LGA can chann...
2024-07-1806 min
We are BlacktownKim LooKim Loo is a doctor who has worked in the Blacktown LGA for 35 years. She is committed to highlighting the evidence around social, environmental and commercial determinants of health. She is a tireless advocate for climate justice. Kim is a fourth-generation Australian with a Malaysian Chinese cultural background. She is the mother of two adult children. Kim is passionate about permaculture and cooking and she uses these activities and values to grow her community. She contributes to many public health and wellbeing organisations including NSW Doctors for the Environment, Asian Australians for Climate Solut...
2024-07-1805 min
We are BlacktownHemanta AcharyaHemanta Acharya has worked as a clinical nurse specialist and mentor to graduate nurses. She is also a talented football player who played for Australia in FIFA's Football for Hope Festival, held during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Hemanta was born in a refugee camp in Nepal after her family was forced to leave Bhutan. She spent 15 years in Nepal and was one of the first to arrive in Australia as part of a program to settle Bhutanese refugees, one of the most successful refugee initiatives in Australia’s history. We are Blacktown is a UTS Imp...
2024-07-1807 min
We are BlacktownKelly AndersonKelly Anderson is a Dhungatti and Gumbaynggirr woman who lives on Dharug land. Participating in the Too Deadly for Diabetes lifestyle program, Kelly overcame type 2 pre-diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure, bursitis, chronic pain and mental ill-health. She’s shared her success with her family who have also joined the program and are experiencing health benefits. We are Blacktown is a UTS Impact Studios production. Producers: Britta Jorgensen, Jane Curtis, Celine Teo-BlockeyExecutive Producer: Olivia Rosenman Sound design: Melissa MayResearch: Jackie MayPodcast artwork: Alexandra MorrisTheme music: Beaming by FRID...
2024-07-1805 min
We are BlacktownKaz ThereseKaz Therese is an interdisciplinary artist working across theatre, visual arts and dance, with a practice grounded in performance, activism and community building. They are an award-winning theatre director, programmer and cultural leader. Kaz’s work has often involved the activation of new spaces, connecting communities and artists to broaden the experience of contemporary art and its audience. They founded FUNPARK in Mount Druitt in 2014. FUNPARK has repeated its success as part of the Sydney Biennale in 2020 and Sydney Festival in 2022. Working with major arts organisations in Australia and around the world, Kaz’s art explores...
2024-07-1807 min
We are BlacktownEsky EscandorEsky Escandor is a multidisciplinary artist and community worker. He is the rapper in Worlds Collide, a seven-piece Western Sydney band with a wild, polyphonic sound. Esky is a renowned comedian whose talent shines in the documentary film In Search of the White Deer, written and directed in collaboration with Reg Azwar. Esky believes that art and music have the power to change people: to connect and to feel that they belong. For over a decade he has worked at the Mount Druitt Street University, part of a movement that helps young people develop creative skills, overcome d...
2024-07-1807 min
We are BlacktownMaryam ZahidMaryam Zahid is an award-wining Afghan-Australian human rights champion, diversity and inclusion practitioner, self-taught artist and social commentator. Maryam Zahid is the founder of Afghan Women on the Move, an organisation that supports the health, mental wellbeing, individual growth and development of Afghan and other women of diverse migrant backgrounds. Maryam’s work aims to help women reach their full potential in all aspects of life: employment, study, art, financial literacy, swimming and more. Maryam grew up in Afghanistan and arrived in Australia just before her twentieth birthday. Having missed out on the opportunity to go to...
2024-07-1805 min
We are BlacktownAngelica Ojinnaka-PsillakisAngelica is a global youth affairs leader, advocate, researcher and speaker. She served as the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations in 2022 and is the current Oceania Youth Advisory Representative to the World Federation of United Nations Associations. Her work as a Convenor of the African Australian Youth Suicide Prevention Committee has helped her explore what wellbeing looks like for her own community in Western Sydney. She is the host of Impact Studios’ exciting new podcast, Sink or Swim, which comes out in September. When not immersed in advocacy and research or learning to swim...
2024-07-1806 min
We are BlacktownStephen GappsStephen Gapps is an award-winning public historian whose work investigates the Frontier Wars and seeks their recognition as Australia’s first wars. He is the author of The Sydney Wars 1788-1817 and Gudyarra: The First Wiradyuri War – The Bathurst War, 1822-4. Stephen grew up on Kastelan Street, on one of the few hills in Blacktown. As a kid, he would play cricket in the cul-de-sac, splash around in Eastern Creek, and build cubbies in the bush. He was one of the first students at Evans High, a high school that opened in 1974. Evans High now hosts an Intens...
2024-07-1806 min
We are BlacktownOm DhungelOm Dhungel is a consultant, mentor, trainer and speaker who helps people and organisations explore and unleash their full potential using a strength-based approach. He is the author of Bhutan to Blacktown – Losing everything and finding Australia, a memoir about how being forced from his home country shaped his life and character. Om, his wife Saroja and daughter Smriti have lived in Blacktown for twenty years. Smriti’s new baby has brought a third generation into their Blacktown homes. Om is a renowned community leader in Western Sydney who serves on several committees and boards includin...
2024-07-1807 min
We are BlacktownDaisy MontalvoDaisy Montalvo is a director and creative producer who has worked for key Western Sydney arts organisations including FUNPARK, PYT Fairfield and Blacktown Arts Centre. Her telenovela-inspired web series, Las Rosas, tells the story of one family’s conflict around a quinceañera (a 15th birthday coming-of-age celebration marked in many Latin American families). The story was inspired by her own experience growing up in Western Sydney as a first-generation Australian whose parents migrated from El Salvador, and it was filmed in the childhood bedroom of her family home. Daisy’s art and filmmaking shines a light o...
2024-07-1806 min
We are BlacktownGeetha BhatGeetha has lived in Toongabbie since the early ‘80s, after migrating with her young family from Karnataka, South India. She has been involved in community service and charitable organisations in her local area for over 35 years, balancing this work alongside her 36-year career at the ATO, Metcash and Mission Australia. Geetha is a respected elder in her Havyaka community. She gave full-time retirement a try but has recently taken up a part-time role with NSW Healthshare to stay active and be involved with her local hospitals. She is actively involved with Healthy Living Toongabbie Inc a gr...
2024-07-1806 min
We are BlacktownLeanne TobinLeanne Tobin is a multidisciplinary artist of Irish, English and Aboriginal heritage, descending from the Buruburong and Wumali clans of the Dharug, the traditional owners of the Greater Sydney region. She grew up in Western Sydney. Leanne is a descendant of Maria Locke, one of the first students at the Blacktown Native Institution, a residential school for Aboriginal students who were often forcibly removed from their families. Maria Locke was a high-achieving student and went on to be the first Aboriginal woman to receive a colonial land grant. When she died, the government revoked the land. Leanne has...
2024-07-1805 min
A Deeper ListenBest Of: Why Less Than 5% of Producers Are WomenGender equity in the music industry still has a long way to go. The University of Southern California has been studying inclusion in the recording studio for years. In 2018, it found that out of the songs that made it on Billboard’s year end Hot 100 chart, along with the nominees in top Grammy categories, only 2% of those songs were produced by women. That number only increased to 3.4% in 2022. On this episode, we revisit a story we first aired in 2019. It’s by Contributor Celine Teo-Blockey, who reported on the challenges that Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties has over...
2024-01-0409 minA Deeper ListenSXSW Sydney Performers on Fair PaySXSW recently increased payments to performers from $250 to $350 but performers still have to choose between getting paid or getting access to a free wristband to attend the festival. This change happened as SXSW expanded its global footprint and just put on SXSW Sydney. Contributor Celine Teo-Blockey went to the festival and spoke to artists on what they think is fair treatment and pay. Hear more about the open letter that called for higher pay at SXSW: https://www.kexp.org/podcasts/sound-vision/2023/2/14/250/ Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omn...
2023-11-0713 minA Deeper ListenHighlights From Australia’s BIGSOUND Music ShowcaseBIGSOUND is Australia’s biggest, most established showcase for emerging local artists. Celine Teo-Blockey went to the event and shares a highlight reel of the music she saw. Miss Kaninna - Blak Britney Kobie Dee - Basics Porpoise Spit - People Like Me The Empty Threats - Boys in the Gutter & Dear Sunshine Dyan Tai - Ni Hao Proteins of Magic - Divine Physics Georgia Llewellyn - Like This The Merindas - Before Daylight & History Eraser SouthEast Desert Metal - Beds Are Burning Radio Free Alice - Look What You’ve Done Jujulipps - Airplane Mode Good Pash - How We’ll End...
2023-09-2813 min
Under the Radar PodcastSpacey JaneBeing hailed as the poster child for a Covid generation might sit uncomfortably with some indie bands but Caleb Harper, frontman of Spacey Jane—a four-piece from Perth, Australia—takes it in his stride. Their 2020 debut Sunlight is defined by intimate lyrics often rooted in Caleb's strict, religious upbriging, that had made his transition to adulthood particularly fraught. Being part of Spacey Jane with Kieran Lama, Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu and Peppa Lane has continued to help him process feelings of anxiety and alienation. Bouyed by the sunny melodies, these songs have in turn, resonated with young millenials who came of a...
2023-03-301h 00
Under the Radar PodcastTim Burgess"Typically, music heals," says Tim Burgess, the hyperactive multi-talent whose career encompasses three decades as The Charlatans frontman, sixth diverse solo albums, three memoirs, his own O Genesis record label, and more than 1000 installments of the now-beloved Tim’s Twitter Listening Party. During the darker, more uncertain days of lockdown, these twitter parties facilitated joyful connections between fans and some of our favorite bands—from Blur's Dave Rowntree to Oasis' Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs, Paul McCartney and Susanah Hoffs from The Bangles. As the parties progressed, it took in more diverse albums including Run The Jewels, Iron Maiden and more rece...
2023-02-0947 min
Under the Radar PodcastPhoenix - Thomas MarsPhoenix frontman Thomas Mars subscribes to Ed Ruscha's philosophy on art—that it should prompt bewilderment or even disgust before appreciation. And not the reverse. This can be applied to the French band's music. Consider their latest album Alpha Zulu, the title seems odd but dig a little and it reveals a salient truth for Thomas. Together with his friends and bandmates Deck D'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz the foursome started the songwriting for this, their seventh album, after the death of their dearest friend, producer Philippe Zdar—who was crucial in helming their breakthrough 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoe...
2022-12-051h 05
Under the Radar PodcastBloc Party - Kele OkerekeOne of the biggest British post-punk revival bands Bloc Party returned this year with Alpha Games, their sixth album. Frontman, Kele Okereke discusses how new band members, drummer Louise Bartle and bassist Justin Harris (replacing Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes who left in 2013 and 2015 respectively) finally had the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to a Bloc Party album. Much to the delight of fans, the album's sonics harks back to their critically-acclaimed debut, Silent Alarm. Usually, one to eschew nostalgia and weary of looking to the past for inspiration, Kele and longtime guitarist, Russell Lissack, gave in to a tour...
2022-11-0452 min
Under the Radar PodcastMarlon WilliamsAs a child, New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams believed that if he could nail the songs at iwi or tribe gatherings then surely everything in the world would be ok. Nevermind that elders were discussing big issues such as Maori land rights, water rights and education, Marlon had an inate believe in the virtues of song and his vocal prowess as a singer. Indeed his voice is something to behold — a melismatic, velvety croon that can register as Roy Orbison or Elvis. And before the release of his latest album My Boy, it could be said that it's a vo...
2022-09-301h 03
Under the Radar PodcastSeratones - A.J. HaynesSeratones frontwoman A.J. Haynes and her Shreveport, Louisiana-based band (bassist, Travis Stewart and drummer, Jesse Gabriel) released their disco-inspired, third album Love & Algorhythms, earlier this year. At the time of writing the album, A.J. was also working full-time as an Abortion Advocate in the last standing Abortion clinic in Louisiana, an experience that brought her close to burnout and informed much of the record's theme of liberation, Afro-Futurism and radical joy as a form of protest. She draws from the works of Black Feminist authors in her lyrics –– from civil rights activist, Toni Cade Bambara ("The Salt Eaters...
2022-08-3158 min
Under the Radar PodcastWarpaintWarpaint are back after six years with Radiate Like This, their excellent fourth album after 2016's Heads Up. According to drummer Stella Mozgawa, completing the album while isolated from bandmates Emily Kokal, Theresa Wayman and Jenny Lee Lindberg was challenging. Theirs is a band that have always thrived on the intimacy of being in the same room during the songwriting process, and after finally coming together in between babies, solo albums and cross-country moves, the pandemic forced them to work individually in their separate home studios, isolated from one another. Stella had the added disadvantage of being away from...
2022-07-0850 min
Under the Radar PodcastTeenhood, Wolves and that Right PathIn our final episode for Season 2, we listen to some raw tape that didn't make the Julien Baker episode. And we're joined by not one but two fans. Allison, a teenage fan, from Louisiana, shares how Julien's music helped her through her own bouts of depresson during the pandemic. And Azin Samari, a documentary editor on "The September Issue"—the award-winning film about Vogue magazine, Amazon docu-series "Lorena" and more recently, Hulu's "Sasquatch." Azin is currently working on a documentary about the refugee crisis. She discusses her experience with religion, editing for documentary, and its similairities to editing for au...
2022-06-1649 min
WPRN Public RadioLowland Hum Makes Quiet MusicReported by Celine Teo-Blockey, Sound & Vision’s mini-series, "Apparently," explores the stories of musicians, performers and arts workers who are juggling parenthood with their art. Today we hear the epic story of parenthood from Lowland Hum, who make “quiet music,” but their experience as new parents were anything but quiet. (Cue a tornado, colic, and a miscarriage.)
2022-06-0513 minA Deeper ListenEmmy The Great Embraces Biracial Heritage Through Music and MotherhoodEmmy the Great talks about splitting her childhood between China and the UK and how she felt conflicted with her biracial identity. She was seen as white when living in China and "threw away" her Cantonese language when she was living in England. “I just sort of grew up code switching, as a natural way of being,” She says. “And as I get older I don’t want to always compartmentalize everything.” Celine Teo-Blockey reports on how music and motherhood is helping Emmy The Great embrace both sides of her heritage.Support the show: https...
2022-05-3110 min
WPRN Public RadioAustralian Indie Rocker Courtney BarnettAs reported by Celine Teo-Blockey. Originally produced 11/18/2021 Australian indie rocker Courtney Barnett's latest album Things Take Time, Take Time is an attempt to be kinder to herself. To not worry about the big picture of how to stay successful or even sane after achieving then sustaining global stardom against the backdrop of a world that seemed to be burning at each turn. Instead, she shifts her mind and focus on the small comforts — regular Zoom calls with friends during the Pandemic, taking in the laid-back beauty of a Joshua Tree sunset, the blush of a new love and the ac...
2022-05-2853 min
Under the Radar PodcastUnpleasantness is Necessary for Art?We listen to some raw tape of Jamie Stewart—from experimental, art-pop band Xiu Xiu—that didn't make it to the main episode. And we're joined by a Xiu Xiu fan, Bay Area-electronic musician Alex Olive who shares how elements that we might ordinarily find off-putting in Xiu Xiu's more discordant, noize-led and sometimes frightening work is vital to her art and life. We also discuss gender dysphoria, trans rights and In true Xiu Xiu form, Sanrio characters. Follow Alex Olive @olivecraving on Instagram and be sure to check out her Bandcamp here.Much thanks to Rob Wilc...
2022-05-1933 min
Under the Radar PodcastA Music Podcast With MusicWe listen to some raw tape of Courtney Barnett before she pressed record for our interview. We are also joined by a true fan of her music—Paul Kondo, of The Podcast Gumbo Newsletter. Not too long ago we were "hotsauce" in that newsletter. Paul recommends three podcasts in each gumbo newsletter, with an added extra podcast mention, thrown in as hot sauce. Paul shares with us the first albums he coveted—The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese's 1978 documentary of The Band's final performance in San Francisco featuring friends such as Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell —still ranks high f...
2022-04-2121 minA Deeper ListenApparently: Middle Kids on What It Takes to Tour With ToddlerSound & Vision’s mini-series, Apparently, explores the stories of musicians, performers and arts workers who are juggling parenthood with their art. On this episode, contributor Celine Teo-Blockey profiles the Australian band Middle Kids and how they lost money in order to do a US tour during a pandemic with a toddler in tow. Support the show: https://www.kexp.org/sound/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2022-04-0515 min
Under the Radar PodcastJulien BakerMemphis-bred singer/songwriter Julien Baker's third album Little Oblivions revisits familiar themes in her confessional writing — faith, addiction, mental health and her sense of isolation. However, in the process of writing the album, Julien had to undergo more transformation than ever before. She now has a radically different understanding of God, of her own struggle with addiction, and how she squares that with her own queer identity. She's also attempting to be kinder to herself. The catalyst for much of this change was losing her sobriety in 2018. It prompted her to cancel shows and step away from her music ca...
2022-01-2656 min
Under the Radar PodcastJamie Stewart - Xiu XiuExperimental art-pop and noize band Xiu Xiu's single "Rumpus Room" found me on a particular low day in early 2021. I remember puttng it on, cranking the volume up and jumping around like a sugar-ed up toddler in a boucy castle. There's hints that the song is about more serious things but in that moment I needed joy and bouce—and that's what I found. Jamie Stewart began Xiu Xiu 20 years ago. The band has seen many configurations and different members. For the last decade, Xiu Xiu's been a duo of Stewart with Angela Seo. Xiu Xiu's music is often co...
2021-12-2455 min
Under the Radar PodcastRoyal BloodEnglish rock duo, Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher are Royal Blood. When they burst on the scene with their eponymous, debut album in 2014—boasting an old school rock sound reminiscent of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they were immediately hailed the saviors of guitar rock. Their sophomore album, How Did We Get So Dark followed the same playbook. There's an evolution in their sound on Typhoons, their latest studio album. It harks back to their eclectic roots. Both honed in their skills playing in various bands from soul and pop to funk and indie rock, as well as at ch...
2021-11-2646 min
Under the Radar PodcastCourtney BarnettAustralian indie rocker Courtney Barnett's latest album Things Take Time, Take Time is an attempt to be kinder to herself. To not worry about the big picture of how to stay successful or even sane after achieving then sustaining global stardom against the backdrop of a world that seemed to be burning at each turn. Instead, she shfts her mind and focus on the small comforts — regular Zoom calls with friends during the Pandemic, taking in the laid-back beauty of a Joshua Tree sunset, the blush of a new love and the acceptance of the cycles of change in li...
2021-11-1953 min
Under the Radar PodcastTransgenerational Trauma in MusicWe listen to some tape that didn't make the main SPELLLING episode. And are joined by podcaster Alexandra Cohl of The Pod Broads who discusses the different pieces that she thinks an artist like SPELLLING brings to her music. From the lasting effects of transgenerational trauma that manifests itself on SPELLLING's track "Haunted Water," to her bi-racial identity that quietly informs all her work. Alexandra—whose partner is multi-hyphenate rapper, producer and Empire State Music & Arts festival founder, Kerry Blu—also sheds some light on the ways artists of color have felt about the previous administration's mishandling of the pand...
2021-11-0532 min
Under the Radar PodcastSPELLLINGBay Area-based experimental artist Chrystia Cabral started making Gothic-inspired music as SPELLLING, in 2017. The dabbling and experimenting of her first two albums were instructive but have now given way to something more intentional. The bewitching vocals and haunting soundscapes of Pantheon of Me and Mazy Fly are still present but her art has evolved and expanded sonically and thematically on her lush, third record The Turning Wheel. She pulls from Science Fiction authors, fairy tales, Disney and Afro Futurism—building worlds intended for fans of her music to inhabit and seek refuge.Many thanks for making this po...
2021-10-1148 min
Under the Radar PodcastLet's Talk About Class, Pop Music and Tom WaitsWe hear a bit of tape from Sleaford Mods singer Jason Williamson that did't make it to the main episode. Our guest is musician, producer and award-winning podcaster Martin Zaltz Austwick. He shares some of his thoughts on the class warfare endemic to the music of Sleaford Mods and why he sets a higher bar for pop music. As the co-host of Song by Song podcast—a show about the music of Tom Waits—we of course, discuss the genuis of the left-of-field autuer!Please visit Martin's blog Year of The Bird to hear the four volumes of m...
2021-10-0138 min
Under the Radar PodcastSleaford ModsOn Sleaford Mods latest album Spare Ribs the Nottingam duo keep their aim firmly at the ruling political class and their mishandling of the pandemic. As the U.K. reels from further economic unraveling thanks to the harsh realities from the Tory push for Brexit, coupled with a decade of austerity measures, Jason Williamson's agit-punk over Andrew Fearn's sly beats continues to give voice to the everyman and their frustrations. Lyrically, the rants are richer, more poetic and in parts intimate, stripping it of the machismo that his image might first brandish to the casual listener. Williamson sheds light...
2021-09-2447 min
Under the Radar PodcastWhy Do We Have To Talk About Race?We hear two pieces of tape that didn't make it to the main Adrian Younge episode. Both speak to these awkward and sometimes very difficult conversations on race that we should all be having, especially in the aftermath of George Floyd and this country's race reckoning. We also speak to a promising young artist, jaythehomie, from emo-rap duo RoeShamBeaux about his thoughts on Adrian Younge's album The American Negro and the things he learnt that weren't in any history book. He also shares his own experiences with racism and the concept of double consciousness, growing up in suburban Virginia...
2021-08-2724 min
Under the Radar PodcastAdrian YoungeThe cover art of Adrian Younge's album The American Negro depicts the shocking image of a man hanging from a tree. Flip the cover over and the other image reveals that on his back is a note which reads 'This n***** voter." You may ask "Why, do we need an image so offensive? Or an album like this one now?" A multi-hyphenate artist dedicated to shining a light on the unsung heroes of soul, jazz and culture, Adrian also shares a deep love for history which he is keen to impart to us. As he believes knowledge and education...
2021-08-2050 min
Song by SongI'm Still Here, Alice, Tom Waits [297]Things get a little meta this week, as guest host Celine Teo-Blockey discusses with Sam & Martin the way that this song exemplifies the ways women are seen and perceived in art and culture, and in the world in general. We chat about storytelling, being trapped in roles, and the buddhist attitudes of Bill Murray. website: songbysongpodcast.com twitter: @songbysongpod e-mail: songbysongpodcast@gmail.com Music extracts used for illustrative/review purposes include: I'm Still Here, Alice, Tom Waits (2002) Playing Nancy, Groundhog Day The Musical, Rebecca Faulkenberry / Tim Minchin (2017) We think...
2021-08-1822 min
Under the Radar PodcastThe Stories We TellWe hear some tape that didn't make it to main episode featuring Lucy Dacus. And speak to Under the Radar Magazine's Television Editor, Lily Moayeri—a long time music journalist and teacher-librarian—on her thoughts about whether we need permission to tell our stories. Lily also shares her personal story on learning to read as a young child and we reflect on how far women have come as musicians, artists and journalists. Or have we? Follow her on twitter @lilymoayeri and this link to her podcast Pictures of Lily. And here's a link to journalist and author Lyz Lenz's news...
2021-07-3021 min
Under the Radar PodcastLucy DacusLucy Dacus has gone from strength to strength with her music career. Her stunning 2015 debut No Burden, highlighted her poetic lyricism and gift for melody. Her follow up Historian honed in on her ability to tell us a compelling story. Her most recent Home Video is brutally direct and personal. It feels like we're reading her private diary, not meant for public consumption. It's a tricky thing when we make art out of this excavation of our own intimate experiences. Lucy explains how she negotiates what songs need permission from the people that share these formative moments with her...
2021-07-1653 min
Under the Radar PodcastLondon Grammar - Hannah ReidAfter more than a decade of functioning as a democracy, Hannah Reid has stepped into the offical role of band leader in London Grammar. And her bandmates Dot Major and Dan Rothman are more than happy for her to steer the ship on a more female-centric course, for their latest album Californian Soil. It's a more direct album than their previous work—unafraid to show strength and vulnerability. Here are the links to "I'll Be Rooting For You," "Missing," "Californian Soil," and "America"—make sure you listen to them as they are discussed in some detail in t...
2021-07-0147 min
Under the Radar PodcastWhy Do Artists Struggle?We hear some tape that didn't make it to the James Yorkston & The Second Hand Orchestra episode. And speak to Lily Sloane, an artist and therapist who we thought could speak uniquely to the relationship between art and mental health. What we weren't expecting was the deeper significance that songs such as "Struggle" and "Choices Like Wide Rivers" have for her. For more news on Lily's sound design and composing work follow her @lilyrosesloane on Twitter. Or check out her website lilymakessound.com. Here's the link for Lily's podcast A Therapist Walks Into A Bar. For her solo album...
2021-06-2529 min
Under the Radar PodcastJames Yorkston & The Second Hand OrchestraScottish singer/songwriter James Yorkston released his 10th studio album The Wide, Wide River as James Yorkston & The Second Hand Orchestra earlier this year. After almost 20 years playing with band members who were often friends (The Athletes, Yorkston/Thorne/Khan and the Fence Collective among others) he teams up with a collective of Swedish musicians, most of whom he had never met before the studio recordings. This brave experiment works lending the songs an air of surprise and a lightness of touch while lyrically tackling themes of loss, ageing and depression. 'Sometimes you have to shake things up...
2021-06-1758 min
Under the Radar PodcastThao & The Get Down Stay DownThis is a Bonus episode to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down's latest album Temple opens with a chunky Vietnamese rock riff, the kind that Thao Nguyen's mother would have grown up dancing to—in the Vietnam of her youth, before war came to define the country. The title track is sung from her mother's point of view and includes snippets of real conversations. The most poignant being her stoic mother's advice to her to now "find her own freedom."Temple is about this quest for freedom and Thao's desire to live he...
2021-05-2959 min
Under the Radar PodcastCan you sing in your Mother Tongue?We hear some tape that didn't make it to the main episode featuring Emmy the Great. To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, we speak to a new fan of Emmy the Great, food writer Jenny Liao. She talks about her Chinese American heritage and her efforts to re-learn her mother tongue of Cantonese by listening to old Canto-pop, new Emmy the Great and watching the films of internationally renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai. Follow Jenny Liao @jeliao on Twitter to find out more about her upcoming children's book on Chinese food and their traditions. Write us...
2021-05-2821 min
Under the Radar PodcastEmmy The GreatEmmy the Great is the moniker of Hong Kong-born, British singer-songwriter, Emma-Lee Moss. Her latest album April was written four years ago, after a British Council residency to China and a trip back to Hong Kong. For most of her adulthood, Emma felt she had transcended living in the former British colony. So she was surprised that after her trip, she felt the pull to return there. As soon as the album was recorded, Emma left New York where she was residing at the time and moved back to Hong Kong. For three years, she made a life there...
2021-05-1358 min
Under the Radar PodcastMemories of The Flaming LipsWe hear some tape that didn't make it to the main episode featuring The Flaming Lips. And we also speak to an early fan about the memories he had as he listened to the episode. Write us an Apple Podcast review or if you prefer to share your thoughts with us via email, please drop us a line at celine.teoblockey@undertheradarmag.com — and you might be featured on the podcast. Get your latest print copy of Under the Radar magazine here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2021-04-2314 min
Under the Radar PodcastThe Flaming Lips - Wayne CoyneThe Flaming Lips are one of the most beloved psych-pop bands. They've managed to achieve commercial success and win multiple Grammy awards without having to sacrifice their instinct for the wierd and wonderful. Led by Wayne Coyne, an unconventional but committed frontman, this once band of 'wierdo outsiders' have gone on to inspire a generation of psychedelic rock bands and collaborate with a diverse range of artists—from Henry Rollins and Peaches to Miley Cyrus and Kasey Musgraves. Their latest masterpiece American Head has Coyne and longtime band member Steven Drozd reflecting on their youth and ho...
2021-04-081h 02
Under the Radar PodcastComing Soon: Season 2 of Under the RadarListen for a teaser to our Season 2 launch episode and other upcoming guests. Follow us on Apple Podcast so you don't miss our first episode with The Flaming Lips, out next Thursday, April 8.Send us your thoughts at celine.undertheradarpod@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2021-04-0102 min
Retail Leadership with Steve WorthyEp29 - ADVICE TO MY YOUNGER SELF! - PART ISend us a textGUEST LIST:WALTER GAINER II Walter is problem solver who helps individuals and businesses do what they do best while reducing their stress.**Connect with Walter**Watch and Listen at http://www.bosslocks.org/podcastJoin the Working While Black community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/workingwhileblackInterested in having Walter help grow your business?Connect or schedule a time to speak: https://calendly.com/bosslocks/60consulthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/waltergainerii/info@bosslocks...
2021-03-2928 min
Under the Radar PodcastUnEdited: Hanif AbdurraqibHanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist and cultural critic. His book Go Ahead in the Rain blended criticism, history, memoir, and poetry to pay tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, and the upcoming A Little Devil in America (March 30) explores how Black performance is woven into American culture. His website, 68 to 05, is mapping the music that shaped him with personal playlists for each year—between 1968 and 2005. He is also the host and creator of Lost Notes: 1980, named one of 2020's best music podcasts by The New Yorker and The Atlantic. We had an opportunity to chat abo...
2021-03-0530 min
Under the Radar PodcastUnEdited: Hrishikesh HirwaySong Exploder's Hrishikesh Hirway has had a busy 12 months. He launched two new podcasts as the Pandemic hit last year. And by Thanksgiving had a Netflix hit when Song Exploder his longtime music podcast made the transition to a television show. I was unaware of his TV show when we spoke but we did chat about this business of making podcasts, couple's therapy and how for years the piano he practiced on was made of paper.Here's the original article that was published at Under the Radar magazine's website. And links directly to Song Exploder, Partners...
2021-02-1958 min
Under the Radar PodcastUnEdited: Roman MarsRoman Mars has been producing one of the most popular podcasts ever—his show, 99 Percent Invisible—for over a decade. Last year, they marked the occasion by releasing a design book called The 99 Percent Invisible City: A Field Guide to The Hidden World of Design. I was presented with the opportunity to interview him about it.Here's the original article that was published at Under the Radar magazine's website. And a link directly to 99 Percent Invisible where you can purchase the book. UnEdited is our off season mini-series featuring raw tape with Tastemakers, Podca...
2021-02-061h 08
Under the Radar PodcastUnEdited: Jason BentleyAs KCRW Music Director for a decade and host of the radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic, Jason Bentley is a respected tastemaker. He has been pivotal in introducing us to artists and bands that have ascended pop charts and become permenent fixtures in the culture. He left a hole in my radio-listening habits when he left the station, late in 2019. It was a treat to get the opportunity to interview him about his new podcast, in partnership with Soho House called The Backstory. We discuss how he hopes to forward conversations in culture with The Backstory...
2021-01-2337 min
Under the Radar PodcastUnder the Radar Podcast Presents: The Show On The Road with Agnes ObelThe Show On The Road is a great music podcast hosted by Zach Lupetin from folk rock outfit, Dustbowl Revival. I'm excited to share this episode where he speaks to Danish composer, pianist and singer/songwriter Agnes Obel. It was recorded at the Capitol Records Building in Los Angeles before there was a hint of Pandemic. And Obel was still looking forward to playing at the Greek Theatre over the Summer. They discuss her latest album Myopia, how perhaps we are not masters of our own fate and how when she has an album to finish she frets about...
2020-12-1658 min
The Show On The Road with Z. LupetinFantastic Negrito - The Show On The Road Presents: Under The Radar PodcastThis week we're bringing you an episode from another podcast we think you’d really like. It’s called Under The Radar Podcast and this episode features the fantastic Oakland-based artist Fantastic Negrito.
Under The Radar is a monthly music podcast with host and producer, Celine Teo-Blockey. She's a music journalist who writes for the longtime indie music mag, also called Under the Radar. She interviews indie songwriters and independent artists, going deep into their childhood memories and the musical milestones that have helped shape their most recent albums.
Committed to giving voice to a diverse host of artists, her gues...
2020-12-161h 02
The Show On The Road with Z. LupetinFantastic Negrito - The Show On The Road Presents: Under The Radar PodcastThis week we're bringing you an episode from another podcast we think you’d really like. It’s called Under The Radar Podcast and this episode features the fantastic Oakland-based artist Fantastic Negrito.
Under The Radar is a monthly music podcast with host and producer, Celine Teo-Blockey. She's a music journalist who writes for the longtime indie music mag, also called Under the Radar. She interviews indie songwriters and independent artists, going deep into their childhood memories and the musical milestones that have helped shape their most recent albums.
Committed to giving voice to a diverse host of artists, her gues...
2020-12-161h 03
Under the Radar PodcastTravis - Fran HealyWhen Scottish band Travis landed their bonafide hit with "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?"—we were all taken with frontman Fran Healy's cheeky grin, affable persona and the way he seeminly wore his heart on his sleeve. After years of Brit-pop feuds and Oasis infighting, it was refreshing to have a band that wasn't grabbing the headlines with tiresome rock n'roll antics. Travis were nice.After their 1997 debut Good Feeling—a rock record that fitted the zeitgeist but failed to make an impression, they took a year off to write and find their own soun...
2020-10-2900 min
Under the Radar PodcastFantastic NegritoFantastic Negrito is the latest incarnation of Xavier Amin Dephrapaulezz. As a child, he was raised in an orthodox Muslim household in New England. His Somali-Caribbean father was an Oxford-educated immigrant who played traditional African music. Just before he hit his teens, his father relocated their family to Oakland. Coming from his conservative childhood, it was at once an intense culture shock and liberating. The street was alive with the new sounds of hip hop, rap and punk. And he was drawn to it. In his youth, he thought that the Blues was the music of...
2020-09-251h 00
Under the Radar PodcastEverything Everything - Jonathan HiggsEverything Everything frontman, Jonathan Higgs grew up in the North of England in a home filled with music. As early as six years old, he was experimenting with making music and rudimentary computer games on a free software program. By the time, he got to University he knew he wanted to be the frontman of a band. Everything Everything's line-up was complete when Alex Robertshaw joined Higgs, and his friends, Michael Spearman and Jeremy Pritchard—just in time for the quartet to ink their first label deal.Higgs spoke to us ahead of the band's upcoming al...
2020-08-2800 min
Under the Radar PodcastCaroline RoseCaroline Rose grew up on Long Island, New York, in a happy household where her artists-parents encouraged her creativity—she won coveted roles in musical theater productions, performed in a regional middle school band and instead of Summer jobs, she would take to the streets busking to earn her keep. However, like many of us, she was eager to see the big world. She couldn’t wait to get out of her small town and live the life she craved— to “hop trains and write songs”— the way vagabonds and storytellers, in the vein of her most favorite artist, Tom Waits, d...
2020-07-2755 min
Under the Radar PodcastEzra FurmanEzra Furman grew up in Chicago, loving the Jewish faith as much as punk, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. While driving with a friend through their suburban streets one evening, she stumbles on the voice of Lou Reed. The car stereo is playing "Rock n Roll" by the Velvet Underground. She is smitten with that voice. Still unsure about her sexuality at this stage, it's like a siren's call—she begins to see in Reed, a way for her to express her gender, identity and ambitions. Ezra was fortunate to meet her hero, at SXSW one year and Reed wa...
2020-06-1959 min2020-05-1453 minUnder the Radar PodcastUnder the Radar TeaserUnder the Radar is a music podcast that goes deeper into the latest albums by indie artists. Each month, an artist reveals memories of childhood, musical inspirations and milestones that have helped shape them and their work. Hosted and produced by Celine Teo-Blockey.From Under the Radar magazine, founded in 2001 by co-publishers Mark and Wendy Redfern. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2020-05-0701 min