An in-depth chat with Suzanne Vega. We talk through her music career over a cappuccino at Wellington's Hotel Intercontinental just moments before she was to board a flight to Japan for more shows. I saw Vega in Sydney on her tour and then again in Wellington. As a lifelong fan it was the ultimate thrill to not only meet her but to have her sit down and answer questions, have a conversation...and here it is. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 17, 2018•46 min
An in-depth chat with Chris Familton - a Kiwi based in Sydney, Australia for 20 years now. He's a music writer, behind the successful blogs Post to Wire and Doubtful Sounds, he's a DJ, a musician - now in the band Charlie Horse, back in New Zealand and back in the early/mid-90s he was a member of Thorazine Shuffle. He's also a stay-at-home dad. We talk about all of this and general passion for music. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Aug 09, 2018•1 hr 22 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington-based guitarist, guitar luthier, conservationist, former City Councillor and newly instated board chair for Wellington Orchestra. We talk art and culture, oh and that time Ray Ahipene-Mercer saw The Beatles in Wellington as a teenager. Oh, also that time he was asked to be a guitar tech for Led Zeppelin. Ray Mercer has a kind heart, a deep soul and a huge bag of stories. We unpacked a lot of that during this wonderful conversation. Get full access to Sounds Good!...
Aug 03, 2018•1 hr 26 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington writer Helen Heath. We talk about her poetry volumes 'Shaft' and the brand new 'Are Friend Electric'. We talk about her Masters in Creative Writing and PhD completed at Victoria University's IIML, her life in Wellington and life online; we talk about the "horrors" of the internet, the impacts of being connected to and through devices. And we talk good old concept albums of course... Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Jul 26, 2018•1 hr 25 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington-based, English-born guitarist, singer and poet Russell Self. Russell has lived in New Zealand for a quarter of a century before that his home was in various places in England and France - he's been a busker, had many jobs, has released an album of poems and music, has performed around the world and continues to think up and recite poems as well as learn the songs of others. We talked about all of this and some favourite writers and musicians too. Get full access ...
Jul 21, 2018•1 hr 13 min
An in-depth chat with writer and musician Bill Direen. We talk about his upbringing, his early interest in music and his movement between writing for the page and the stage; travel, scholarship, commitment and craft. We talk about motivations and aims - and then the actual work. So much of it. There's no end-point, there's no chance he'll stop creating until he has to. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Jul 13, 2018•1 hr 26 min
An in-depth chat with Christchurch based singer/actor/producer Ali Harper. We talk about her current show, "Songs For Nobodies" which is set to debut its month-long circa season right at the time of this recording. She's touring it around the country and then taking it to America. Ali has a quarter-century's experience acting and singing, including working as a vocalist on Dancing With The Stars, appearing in lead and chorus roles in touring musicals and running her own production company. We ta...
Jul 06, 2018•1 hr 1 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington writer Pip Adam, winner of the Acorn Foundation Prize at the 2018 Ockham Book Awards. Writer of two novels (The New Animals, I'm Working On A Building) and a collection of short stories (Everything We Hoped For). Pip is also a podcaster (Better off Read) and creative writing teacher. We talk books, obviously. But also her upbringing and experiences, we talk shared love of movies, TV, music. podcasts - and Pip reflects on the recent prize win and on the criticism ...
Jun 29, 2018•1 hr 34 min
An in-depth chat with Barry Saunders, songwriter, lead singer of The Warratahs and solo artist too. Barry's a poet, and musician - he's written songs about the New Zealand landscape and mindset that are now seemingly a part of both. We talk through some of his solo records, The stop-start nature of The Warratahs, his early experiences as a rock'n'roller and adventurer and his latest project, a collaboration with Delaney Davidson. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subs...
Jun 22, 2018•1 hr 9 min
An in-depth chat with Sam Cutler, author of the book "You Can't Always Get What You Want", former Tour Manager for The Rolling Stones (1969) and The Grateful Dead (early 1970s). We talk about Altamont and Europe '72, the aftermath of dealing with The Stones, life on the road, so many colourful stories...Sam lives in Australia now and has several books on the go, both fiction and non-fiction... https://samcutlersbooks.com/ Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Jun 15, 2018•1 hr 29 min
An in-depth chat with Sarah Bradley, broadcaster, journalist, singer, actor, student, diplomat...Sarah and I worked together on the "Good Morning" TV show for many years and we also worked for the same magazine for a time. We talk through those moments and many other journalism and broadcasting highlights for Sarah; from New Zealand to New York and back - and then back to America again - Sarah has worked as a local and international TV host, radio personality and magazine editor. She has a love ...
Jun 08, 2018•1 hr 1 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington poet Chris Tse. We talk about his childhood and early influences, the experiences captured in his two books to date, 'How To Be Dead In A Year of Snakes' and 'He's So MASC'. We talk too about music fandom, flying overseas to see shows, and the huge influence of music on his writing. We talk identity and his coming out to his parents, his coming out to the world through his writing; we talk a lot about a lot of really cool stuff. A huge conversation between two pe...
May 31, 2018•2 hr 25 min
An in-depth conversation with Wellington-based singer/songwriter Emily Fairlight. We talk about her recently recorded and released second album, "Mother of Gloom" - and also her earlier, self-titled debut. We talk about songwriting and poetry and the creative process; we talk touring and recording overseas, the joys (and troubles) of self-management and self-promotion. We talk head injuries and other obstacles and overcoming those things in order to live and create... Get full access to Sounds G...
May 25, 2018•1 hr 5 min
An in-depth chat with Mark Cubey, former producer of Kim Hill's popular Saturday morning radio show, recent director of The NZ Festival's Writers & Readers, magazine editor and creator, broadcaster, arts enthusiast, entrepreneur and encouraging presence. Mark and I sat down to talk about radio and film and books and magazines and their place in his life, we talked about changes in technology and approaches throughout the years, the record label and magazine and website LOOP, his time spent s...
May 18, 2018•2 hr 3 min
An in-depth chat with artist and musician Fane Flaws. We go back to his days in Blerta and from there through Spats, The Crocodiles and The Bend to these days with No Engine, as well as his work making ads and music videos, creating the opening credits for Radio With Pictures and his own art. We talk, too, about songwriting. And music. So much music. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
May 10, 2018•1 hr 46 min
An in-depth chat with musician and venue-owner Roy Brown. Roy is a piano player, singer/songwriter and band-frontman. He grew up performing in venues around Hawke's Bay including the mighty Cabana. Now, after time in Auckland and Melbourne, he has returned to Hawke's Bay and is the owner of that legendary venue. We talk about Roy's life and careers - across performance, hospitality and retail - and we talk mental health, advocacy, and that time he met his hero: David Bowie. Get full access to So...
May 03, 2018•1 hr 1 min
An in-depth chat with Lisa Harrow. She is New Zealand acting royalty - born in Auckland, Harrow moved to England to take up a position with RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) and on to work with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her contemporaries in the company include Dame Judi Dench and Sir Patrick Stewart. Harrow now divides her time between New Zealand and America, she divides her acting time between stage and screen - theatre, film and TV - and her husband Roger Payne is a world-renowned w...
Apr 26, 2018•1 hr 35 min
An in-depth chat with Darren Watson - the guest on the very first Sweetman Podcast returns. Nearly three years on from when Darren and I first sat down to speak and he has a fantastic new album to plug, his finest, 'Too Many Millionaires'. The album is out May 1, 2018 with a New Zealand tour starting May 3 (Dates in the notes attached). We talk about the process behind the album and you'll hear some exclusive song-snippets. We talk music-making and the aims and ambitions behind this new, acousti...
Apr 19, 2018•59 min
An in-depth chat with Gil Eva Craig, a Wellington-based musician, photographer and sound-tech. Gil was a musician first and foremost - she was a member of one of my favourite bands for a time, Sugarbug. She still plays, including an enduring collaboration with Charlotte Yates but her main gig is as a sound engineer, including sound design for theatre. She's been on the monitors and front of house sound for live bands and in the studio tracking, mixing and mastering. She's part of Western Audio w...
Apr 12, 2018•1 hr 18 min
A brief chat with Jeremy Taylor of Slow Boat Records. We talk Record Store Day, the history of the event and this year's activities at Slow Boat - in-store appearances and performances by Mermaidens and Tiny Ruins. And of course there'll be some of the special releases on offer. (See the notes for a full chat with Jeremy from last year and a recent conversation with Slow Boat's owner, Dennis O'Brien). Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Apr 06, 2018•35 min
An in-depth chat with American singer/songwriter, soundtrack composer and theatre performer Elvis Perkins. He was in Wellington in February/March for the show "HOME", as part of the NZ Festival. So we talked about that show, but also his solo career beginning with Ash Wednesday and his band Elvis Perkins in Dearland, the horror films his brother (Oz Perkins) has directed that he has scored, the most recent American election, his father Anthony Perkins, the death of his mother (Berry Berenson)in ...
Mar 29, 2018•1 hr 2 min
A chat with James Buttery - vinyl collector, record-nerd, he's the co-host of a new podcast called The Good, The Bad & The LP. He's the host of a YouTube channel where he effectively reviews his own record collection. We talk about his late start in life, music-wise, his travels between England, Australia and New Zealand and the aims and ambitions of his new podcast. We also talk collecting. And all things record-collection and record-collecting. We talk too about this podcast and some of my...
Mar 22, 2018•1 hr 35 min
An in-depth chat with Dennis O'Brien, owner of Slow Boat Records in Wellington. As captain of the good ship Slow Boat Dennis is an institution. His store is perhaps the greatest record store in New Zealand. Actually, no question, it is. Dennis was also a singer/songwriter with a professional music career long before he started selling records. We talk about his years playing in bars in Wellington and playing on giant festival bills in England. His albums, his aims, his return to New Zealand and ...
Mar 15, 2018•1 hr 15 min
An in-depth chat with singer/songwriter, frontman of the Mockers and Fagan & The People, broadcaster, sailor and poet Andrew Fagan. We talk about all of these things - the Mockers reunion, new music with his other band, upcoming poetry readings as the opening act for John Cooper Clarke and his love of the sea, of sailing in his boat Swirly World. We also revisit his time as PD and breakfast host for Kiwi FM and then a stint in talkback. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substa...
Mar 08, 2018•1 hr 8 min
An in-depth chat with Ebony Lamb, singer/songwriter, frontperson of Eb & Sparrow. The band is just about to release its brand new album and will be heading on a nationwide tour. We talk touring and music-making but before all of that we talk about a Hawke's Bay upbringing, her father's record collection, photography, parenting and life experiences. Get full access to Sounds Good! at simonsweetman.substack.com/subscribe...
Mar 01, 2018•2 hr 14 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington-based writer Megan Dunn. She's the author of "Tinderbox", part-memoir/part-novel it tells the story of her time working in the Borders book-store chain, and her attempt to re-write Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451 novel from a different point of view. We talk about all of this as well as her background in visual art, performance and art criticism. And we talk about her fascination with mermaids, the basis of her next major writing project... Get full access to Sounds...
Feb 22, 2018•1 hr 28 min
An in-depth chat with journalist and poet Richard Langston. We talk through his varied career from being a newspaperman and TV reporter through to filling in on radio for Kim Hill, writing poetry, working on Maori TV and Country Calendar and his love of music - from interviewing Billy Bragg, Morrissey and The Go-Betweens in the UK to starting a Flying Nun fanzine in Dunedin. We talk about writing and reading and the importance of both. And Richard reads some of his poems... Get full access to So...
Feb 15, 2018•2 hr 24 min
An in-depth chat with Christchurch-based artist Marie Le Lievre. Marie is Katy's cousin so I first met her over a decade ago. We've watched her work, we're fortunate to have some of it on our walls; we've talked about Marie's art and approach over the years but this was a chance to sit down and talk through the work and some of the baggage that informs in. Marie talks through her reasons for painting, her technique and approach and the aspects of her life that have informed her work. She has an ...
Feb 09, 2018•56 min
An in-depth chat with Wellington jazz drummer Ant Donaldson. A veritable encyclopedia, Donaldson relays the story of his many bands and music projects from the Primitive Art Group and Six Volts to his work - finally - as a rock drummer in a rock band (TEETH) via improvisation and deep study of the rudiments. From playing with Mike Nock in Sydney to performing with stalwarts of the Wellington improv scene and nurturing in a new generation Donaldson has done so much. And here we get to talk throug...
Feb 02, 2018•2 hr 10 min
We made it to 100! I say we and I guess I mean me. But I also mean you - dear listener. Thank you. If you've tuned in even once...well, welcome back for a start! And so here I talk about the behind-the-scenes, the before and after interviewing, the aims - and we walk back through some key moments from conversations with Booga Beazley and Dave Dobbyn, with Sylvie Simmons and Jeff Boyle, Anika Moa and Luke Buda, Mike Nock and Phil Judd and Nadia Reid. My thanks to all guests, to all listeners and ...
Jan 25, 2018•1 hr 34 min
