On February 27th 2023 Ben Kweller received the worst phone call imaginable. His 16 year old son Dorian had died in a car accident. An oncoming truck had veered into Dorian’s lane and a downed tree had gone through his windscreen as he swerved over. Dorian himself was a budding musician, releasing music under the name Zev, and had been due to tour with his father later that year. Ben has been incredibly open about the tragedy, and turned the tour into somewhat of a tribute to his son. Out of the ...
Jun 17, 2025•46 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Tom Sheehan was born in Camberwell, South London. He was an in-house photographer for CBS Records in the 70s, and went on to be the chief photographer for Melody Maker. He enjoyed long-term working relationships with the likes of REM, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, and Oasis, the subject of a new book of Tom’s work entitled “Roll With It: Oasis in Photographs 1994-2002”. I had a great time chatting with Tom about his life and work, and I hope you enjoy it too.
May 28, 2025•44 min•Season 6Ep. 7
Nels Cline was born in California in January 1956. He started played guitar at the age of 12 and his early career is fairly jazz-based, before stretching into other directions. He has played guitar for Wilco, one of my favourite bands in the world, since 2004. He has a new solo album out on Blue Note Records entitled “Consentrik Quartet”, featuring Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone, Tom Rainey on drums, and Chris Lightcap on double bass. It’s a really excellent album and I was thrilled Nels agreed to...
Apr 29, 2025•54 min•Season 6Ep. 6
Wolfgang Flür was born in Frankfurt in 1947 but moved to Düsseldorf in the early ‘50s, which has been home ever since. As a young man he played in the band The Sprits Of Sound, and studied to be an architect, hoping to get into interior design. Wolfgang joined Kraftwerk in 1973 and plays on one of the most remarkable album runs in pop music history; “Autobahn”, “Radioactivity”, “Trans Europe Express”, “The Man Machine”, and “Computer World”. He left the band in the mid-80’s and his relationship ...
Mar 25, 2025•44 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Wendy James is tied up with some of my earlier memories of music. She fronted the band Transvision Vamp, who were hard to ignore in the late 80s. Songs like “I Want Your Love” and “Baby I Don’t Care” were pretty big hits over here. Transvision Vamp split in the early 90s and since then Wendy has persuaded various solo projects. Interestingly her first solo album “Now Ain’t The Time For Your Tears” was written by Elvis Costello, sometimes alongside Caitlin O’Riordan from the Pogues. These days We...
Mar 11, 2025•38 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Pat Arnold has had quite a life. Born in 1946 she grew up in LA, and was in an abusive marriage with two kids while still a teenager. In 1965 she got a chance to audition for Ike and Tina Turner’s band as an “Ikette”. She got the gig and left her children in the care of her parents. This eventually took her to London where she fell into the orbit of The Rolling Stones, and she decided to stay behind there to establish herself as a solo artist, signing to Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham’s labe...
Feb 25, 2025•39 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Nadia Reid is a singer-songwriter born and raised in New Zealand, before recently relocating to Manchester. She’s just released her fourth album “Enter Now Brightness”. We take a deep dive into the album, and our conversation ends up encompassing motherhood, relocation, generational trauma, faith; it goes to some deep places. I really hope you enjoy it. Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast
Feb 11, 2025•37 min•Season 6Ep. 2
You know how every now and then, an album comes along that just gets into your bones, and it’s hard to describe just how grateful you are it exists? (If you don’t know that feeling, I’m sorry, but keep searching for it). Tamara Lindeman working as The Weather Station has make two such records I feel that way about; 2019’s “Ignorance” and 2025’s “Humanhood”, released on January 17th. “Humanhood” is a brave, striking and beautiful piece of work that just keeps on giving back, the more you mine it....
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 1
I first heard The National 17 years ago this month I think, and I fell in love instantly. They’ve continued to be one of my favourite bands, and it’s been great to see them ascend to new heights of popularity and pursue interesting creative directions in the band and outside. Guitarist Aaron Dessner is now a key producer and co-writer for the likes of Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams. His twin brother Bryce Dessner is a composer whose orchestral and chamber compositions have been commissioned by t...
Dec 18, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 21
It’s a busy one. My guests this episode are Sunderland’s David and Peter Brewis, known collectively as Field Music, and Walter Schreifels of New York post-hardcore rockers Rival Schools. You may remember David Brewis from Field Music has been on the podcast before. I’ve been a fan of the band since 2007’s magnificent “Tones Of Town” album. Depending on how you count it, “Limits Of Language” is their 9th, 10th, or 11th studio album, in addition to numerous side projects and offshoots. However you...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 5Ep. 20
So, actually quite a personal episode for me this week. When I was 16 years old I started a media GNVQ at a local college, and during the first year there was a week allocated for work experience, so around June 2000 I spent a week working at Uncut magazine. My babysitter for that week was Michael Bonner, who in 2018 officially became the magazine’s editor, after founder Allen Jones stepped down. I hadn’t spoken to Michael since that week 24 years ago, so I was very curious to speak with him abo...
Nov 28, 2024•48 min•Season 5Ep. 19
Phil Manzanera has had a remarkable life. Best known as the lead guitarist in Roxy Music, he’s also worked as a writer, producer and/or performer with the likes of David Gilmour, Steve Winwood, Nico, Brian Eno and many more. He’s just released a mammoth box set of his solo work which dates back to 1975’s “Diamond Head” album. The box, entitled “50 Years Of Music”, comes at a time of reflection for Manzanera. He recently released a memoir, in which he detailed his childhood in Cuba at the time of...
Nov 13, 2024•39 min•Season 5Ep. 18
Released on the 9th June 1978, “Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds” went on to sell an estimated 15 million copies. As you likely know, the album features an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi story, narrated by actor Richard Burton set to music, with vocal performances from the likes of David Essex, Justin Hayward, Phil Lynott, Chris Thompson, and Julie Covington. A single, “Forever Autumn”, reached number 5 on the UK singles chart, and has become an enduring classic. I...
Nov 05, 2024•38 min•Season 5Ep. 17
The last time Genesis keyboard player extraordinaire Tony Banks came on the show was a few years ago, and we discussed a box set of his solo albums. Since then there has been a final Genesis tour, “The Last Domino?”, which I got to see the opening and closing nights of, and Tony now has a new boxset compiling his three classical albums “7”, “6”, and “5”. The first half of the interview we take a deep dive into that process which I hope you’ll find interesting. Creating classical music isn’t some...
Oct 02, 2024•47 min•Season 5Ep. 16
Gemma Hayes is a singer-songwriter from Ireland, and after a 10 year gap she is about to release her 7th album “Blind Faith” and, spoiler alert, it’s really, really good. We discuss the album’s long gestation, balancing motherhood and creativity, and I was also keen to dig into her debut album, the Dave Friedman produced “Night On My Side” from 2002, which made such a deep impression on me as a teenager. It was such a lovely, unhurried conversation, and I hope you enjoy it. Instagram: @sendingsi...
Sep 18, 2024•53 min•Season 5Ep. 15
Steve Howe is a guitarist best known for his work with Yes, who of course are a cornerstone of progressive rock. The albums “Close To The Edge”, “Fragile”, and “The Yes Album” are essential listening, as far as I’m concerned. Steve had a period of time out of Yes in the 80s and early 90s but had success with another band, Asia, before rejoining Yes and sticking with them up to the present day. Last year they released their 23rd album “Mirror To The Sky”. They’ve been out on tour this year too. B...
Sep 04, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 14
What to say about REM? It might actually be hard for teenagers today, or even 20-somethings, to appreciate how big R.E.M. were in the 90s. For a while, even when they were reinventing themselves, or tackling themes not especially conducive to pop hits, they just seemed to keep getting bigger. They signed the most expensive record deal in history in 1996. They are one of the biggest selling bands of all time, having shifted something like 90 million albums. Formed in 1980 in Athens, Georgia, they...
Aug 20, 2024•28 min•Season 5Ep. 13
Steve Wynn is a founding member of The Dream Syndicate, a key band in the so-called Paisley Underground scene of the early 1980’s. Their debut album “The Days Of Wine And Roses” was recorded in three overnight sessions and released in 1982. It’s one of the great indie-rock touchstones and a phenomenal debut. The band had high-profile support slots with the likes of U2 and REM, but the rest of the 1980’s saw them struggling to capitalise on their potential, and by the end of the decade they had d...
Aug 06, 2024•52 min•Season 5Ep. 12
Paul Carrack is a singer, songwriter, and musician, and he’s heading out on tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of classic song “How Long”, a hit he had with his band Ace. Paul has had an incredibly varied career since then. He was a member of Squeeze replacing Jools Holland on keyboards, and playing on their much-loved album “East Side Story”, even providing lead vocals for one of the bands most enduring songs, “Tempted”. He was a songwriter and vocalist in Mike Rutherford’s band Mike +...
Jul 17, 2024•37 min•Season 5Ep. 11
Bill Oakley, along with his best friend and writing partner Josh Weinstein, wrote various episodes of The Simpsons during it’s glory days including “Marge Gets A Job”, “Bart vs Australia”, and the legendary 2-part season-straddling “Who Shot Mr Burns”, and they were appointed executive producers and showrunners for the 7th and 8th seasons of the show, where they continued to push the envelope of what the show could be, bowing out while the show was still on a high. One of Bill’s greatest claims ...
Jul 03, 2024•51 min•Season 5Ep. 10
It’s been five years! Yes, it’s 5th anniversary extravaganza episode of Sending Signals! I’m delighted that Dan Wilson agreed to come back on for a catch-up. He’s one of my favourite ever guests on the show and he didn’t disappoint. We talk about his recent Grammy win, the role of embarrassment in songwriter, as well as the story behind the Semisonic classic “Singing In My Sleep”. Chris has written songs with the likes of Taylor Swift, Adele, Mitski, Chris Stapleton and on and on… British singer...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Would you like some toast? Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast X: @signalspodcast
May 21, 2024•36 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Putting last week behind us, this was genuinely one of my favourite conversations I’ve had for the show. Like many, I was first aware of Isobel as member of Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian. I found her such a compelling figure. She looked like she had stepped out of a French new wave movie. She was a cello player in an indie rock band. And when she sang, she had this enigmatic, whisper-quiet vocal style. While still a member of Belle and Sebastian she made a couple of solo albums under t...
May 07, 2024•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 7
Chris Difford is having a very busy year. There’s a new Squeeze album in the works, they are supporting Heart on their forthcoming arena tour, and there’s also the matter of an enormous UK tour in hour of Squeeze’s 50th anniversary. Chris also hosts the podcast “I Never Thought It Would Happen” which is currently on Season 4. Seems like a good time to have a chat, right? Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast X: @signalspodcast
Apr 30, 2024•26 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Roll up! Roll up! This episode I’m joined from across the Atlantic by singer-songwriter Jade Bird, who has just released a new EP, “Burn The Hard Drive”, which chronicles the breakdown of her relationship and engagement to a former bandmate. It’s the first significant release from Jade since 2021’s very excellent “Different Kinds Of Light” album. We take a deep dive into her creative process and the ethics of mining your personal life, and the lives of others in your orbit, for songwriting conte...
Apr 17, 2024•30 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Phillip Ingram is one of the founding members of Motown band Switch who formed in late 1976, and after a chance encounter, were championed by Jermaine Jackson. Motown chief Berry Gordy heard the band’s tape and signed them to his subsidiary Gordy label. Switch were a a consistent presence on the R’n’B charts in the last 1970s. Switch sort of imploded in the early 80s, although one member tried to carry on with new musicians, and Phillip began working more behind the scenes, recording vocals for ...
Mar 21, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 4
It seems like a good time to take a deep dive into Best Picture nominee, and more importantly, my favourite film of 2023, “Past Lives”. This episode I’m joined by the film’s Assistant Director Ben Kahn to discuss his personal impact on the film, creating the remarkable chemistry between the cast, evoking an older digital landscape, and the profound effect the movie is having on people. Hope you enjoy! Instagram: @sendingsignalspodcast X: @signalspodcast
Mar 12, 2024•40 min•Season 5Ep. 3
This Friday, March 1st Bruce Hornsby releases a new album in collaboration with chamber ensemble yMusic. The record is entitled “Deep Sea Vents”. It straddles the line between contemporary songwriting and modern classical, and the album has an aquatic theme with all the songs dealing with the ocean, or at least water in some way. The album is emblematic of much of Hornsby’s career in that it veers from the strange to the beautiful to the funny to the challenging. He doesn’t like the easy route. ...
Feb 27, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Welcome. My guest this episode is artist and photographer Lynn Goldsmith. Her career as a photographer has brought her into the orbit of rock n roll legends like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and notably Bruce Springsteen with whom she had a romantic relationship in the 70s as he was still working his way up, with his blistering live shows, and the relentlessly determined creative drive which produced the album Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Her document of this era forms the ba...
Jan 16, 2024•46 min•Season 5Ep. 1
I’m listening! Hopefully you are too, as this week is incredibly fun. I’m joined by “Frasier” writer and consulting producer Bob Daily. Bob was on the writing staff for several seasons of the original run of “Frasier” and he’s back on board for the new revival series out now on Paramount+. If you’re at all interested in how TV shows like this get made, you’re going to find this fascinating. We dig into the world of show development, writers rooms, table reads, and more. Bob is very articulate ab...
Dec 12, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 12
