Most well known for Being in the band Martin Stephenson and The Daintees, Martin began his career as a busker aged 15 and soon got swept away by the excitement of Punk through 76 & 77, ended up a shoe gazing new waver in 78 inspired by early Cure and the Brighton scene, all set to be a guitarist he joined The Cosmic Outbursts with his cousin Jamie in 78 and soon teamed up with members of the Disturbed to form Strange Relations, who were influenced by Monochrome Set, Wha Heat, early Velvets of course and Lenny Kaye's Nuggets album, his new wave shoe gazing came to an abrupt and painful end when he was fired from SR though overuse of a flanger and being too giddy as the other boys were a tad older, Martin fell into songwriting by developing a jack of all master of none approach to guitar, he would get a Spanish book and learn a few licks then do the same with Jazz, Blues, Country, Skiffle, Reggae and eventually this would become his trademark on his debut album Boat to Bolivia... which had no formula and the range was insane.... one distinguishing factor of the Daintees is the range, they have covered so much even within four songs that many formulated bands never even think of...
Peter Philips- Elvis, Ted & Vampire Festivals plus Dissapearing Presenters!
We knew it was going to be eventful speaking to Peter Philips - Porthcawl Elvis Fest, Father Ted Festival and online Vampires? Add in Steve disapearing to get his MOT done and having to type questions to Peter at his base in Tuscany! That was before Peter started on the fantastic stories!
Matt Evans - Keys
Matthew Evans is a songwriter and producer. In 2003 he signed to Beggars Banquet. After support from BBC Radio 1 DJs Steve Lamacq and John Peel, recording three sessions for Peel, he released his debut album, Songs of Ignorance. The album was praised by NME as ‘one of the lost greats…revealing a canny aptitude for hook-laden guitar tricks but also story-telling uncovering some kind of deeper human truth.’
He has toured extensively across Europe, and his music has been licensed to film and television worldwide. His music has been heard on American TV comedy series ‘The Royals’ (2015), Cult feature length film Svengali (2013), and numerous TV commissions. Matthew has also been nominated for the Welsh Music Prize Album of the year for 2015 and 2020.
Matthew is also a keen filmmaker and has made music videos for clients that include Rough Trade Records, 1965 Records and Beggars Banquet.
Matt is a Course Leader: MA Songwriting and Production at Cardiff Atrium USW
Matt Evans of the Band Keys speaks to Steve Johnson for KCL
Jonny Owen Chats to KCL
Merthyr-born Jonny Owen is a BAFTA Cymru winning producer, actor, and writer. He is the writer and star of Svengali, the cult internet series which has been produced into a feature film. He has appeared in some of the UK’s biggest TV shows, including Shameless, Torchwood, Murphy’s Law, and My Family. In 2006, Jonny was awarded a BAFTA Cymru for his documentary on the Aberfan disaster which he co-produced He also did a piece for Cardiff City's appearance in the FA Cup final for Match of the Day in 2008. It received positive reviews in the media (The Guardian said it was the best part of the day's coverage) and from football fans across the country. He directed ‘I Believe in Miracles’, the story of the history-making Nottingham Forest team that won back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, and ‘Don’t take me home’ the story of Wales’ journey at the Euro’s. His latest Project is 'The Three Kings', released on November 1, it covers the lives of managers Matt Busby, Bill Shankly and Jock Stein who all came from mining communities around Glasgow. Jonny is also an avid Cardiff City and Wales fan, and a director at Nottingham Forest controlling the club's media output and video production. Jonny has recently joined talkSport to launch a new two-hour Sunday morning programme with Mark Webster.
USA Special - James Maddock Songwriter
A rock & roll lifer, James Maddock has been carving his unique path since the 1980s, when the British-born singer/songwriter kicked off his career with a raw, soulful voice; a storyteller's sense of narrative; and the ability to blur the lines between folk, classic pop, and rock. Since those early days in London, he's ridden the wave of a music industry that's ebbed, flowed, peaked, and crashed. Maddock has stayed afloat throughout the entire ride, enjoying a brush with commercial success during the late 1990s — including a major-label record deal, a Top 5 AAA radio hit, and a song placement on Dawson's Creek — before transforming himself into an independent solo artist during the decades that followed. Bruce Springsteen is a fan. So is David Letterman. Listening to Maddock's newest record, Insanity vs Humanity, it's easy to see the appeal.
http://jamesmaddock.net
https://youtu.be/vAN9dfBKG5s
Boo Hewerdine -Songwriting, Chris Difford, Nick Hornby, and Curry Pasties!
Tony and Steve have a good old Chinwag with Boo over lunch!
Boo is a fantastic songwriter and is launching his Patreon Page this weekend. Please do take a look at his work, he has written so many great songs.
Here are some links to check out.
https://www.patreon.com/boohewerdine
Danny Chang Part2..Some Lockdown Ideas
KCL Caught up a while back with Danny, you may have seen the first part to our Vodcast.
We now release the second Part of the interview and ask for your ideas of help to artists and workers within the creative industries.
We are a community fiercely hit by by shutdowns and issues with funding,surely together we can use our creativity to try to adapt and move forward
We at KCL would be interested in any suggestions that may help the cause.
Garry Christian
Garry Christian is a Triple Platinum, multi-million selling award winning musician and songwriter, known as the lead vocalist of The Christians, an international chart hit band from the UK.
In his established career Garry Christian has not only sung with The Christians, but other artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden(Gerry and the Pacemakers) and Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), collaborating on number 1 singles. As The Christians lead vocalist, Garry and the band also enjoyed a run of 8 consecutive UK top 40 hits (10 in total) with top ten albums in the UK and Europe.
Steve and Tony Speak to Garry about his Career.