Have you ever wondered why you get goosebumps when you listen to certain songs? Or what makes a hit, a hit? Maybe you’ve argued that the music you listened to when you were younger, is the best music that was ever made. All of that, relates to neuroscience. The way the brain processes music is a huge field of study; it’s why music therapy exists, why people with Alzheimer’s can remember a tune from the childhood, or why songs can be a way for non verbal people to communicate. It’s something I’m ...
Aug 28, 2020•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Quan Yeomans is a guy who likes to play. Whether fronting Regurgitator for the past quarter century and bringing his songwriting clout to their punk, pop, and electronic missives, stepping out with the hyper sounds of Happyland, or collaborating on any number of other projects, there’s a sense of childlike wonder, of curiosity and risk, to all he does. That’s why I asked him to Take 5 with his inner child songs. I wanted to hear that music that, for him, captured that sense of freedom, of newnes...
Aug 21, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Darren Hanlon is one of Australia’s great troubadours. His music has charmed us for near on twenty years now, and he’s known as a songwriter’s songwriter; his skill at getting straight to the heart of the matter has built him a loyal following of fans and fellow muso’s alike. Daz is also one of those people who you want to pull up a pew and have a cuppa with. There’s a sense of calm that falls whenever I chat with him, and for all of these reasons I asked him to Take 5. From new friends, to unhe...
Aug 14, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast When I say the name Virginia Trioli, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For me, I think boss. I think killer journalist who, when she does interviews, it’s like watching sport. I think sharp wit, and big passion. If you listen to the Take 5 outside of Australia, you may not think anything… so let me catch you up. Virginia Trioli is a Walkley Award winning journo. Her career began in print media in Melbourne, before she pivoted to radio and then TV; holding it down as host of ABC News Bre...
Aug 07, 2020•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast One of the biggest and best voices in Australia, is Emma Donovan’s. As a little kid, Emma got a heap of practice in with her family band. The Donovans were a legendary country group, and whether her uncles were pushing her to the front of the stage to sing, or her mum was plopping her in front of crowds at Tamworth talent quests, her soulful voice was honed over years of family support and self belief. Emma would go on to form the Stiff Gins, she’d release solo records, join The Black Arm Band, ...
Jul 31, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Courtney Barnett is a national treasure. Ever since I started hearing her songs, around 2013, she’s been one of my favourite storytellers. A dry wit, with a knack for writing very catchy indie rock songs and reflecting back on the world around her; big and small. That talent has taken her around the world, and for a good part of the last five years, Courtney has been on the road; consistently touring around Australia, the US, and Europe. When coronavirus hit, that all stopped. And CB found herse...
Jul 17, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast Rufus Wainwright is one of the greatest voices of our time. Hailing from a dynasty of incredible songwriters in Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, his life has stories and then some. From the get go, Rufus’ 1998 debut album announced an artist who stood on his own two feet. He would make a handful more, before stepping out of the pop realm and into the classics; performing opera and Shakespearean sonnets on stage for a decade. In 2020, he returned to his old stomping ground, and on the d...
Jul 10, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Susan Rogers, by her own admission, is a rare bird. A female producer and sound engineer in an industry dominated by men, her drive and commitment would land her side by side with Prince as his star soared. She came to work with him in Paisley Park as an audio technician right before he would begin Purple Rain, and she’d stay working with him and becoming his sound engineer through his commercial peak; recording Parade, Around the World in a Day, The Black Album, and Sign O the Times. But Prince...
Jul 03, 2020•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ricky Powell is a collector of stories. Whether on the street shooting the daily comings and goings of his beloved New York, or on tour with Beastie Boys and RUN DMC capturing 80’s rappers in front of the Eiffel Tower, or Andy Warhol uptown, standing side by side with Basquiat in a singular moment of modern art. See you may not know Ricky Powell’s name, but you’ve seen his pictures. As a street photographer for the past thirty years, he’s one of those people who has always been at the right plac...
Jun 26, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s only one person on the planet who has played Coachella, the New York Metropolitan Opera, and hit the stage at Eurovision; and that person is Kate Miller-Heidke. With her soaring voice, Kate’s talent has taken her to stages all across the world. And her talent has made her creative life a rich tapestry; writing musical theatre, performing in many different guises, and penning her own albums over the past fifteen years. With that in mind, I asked her to choose songs for the stages. Music t...
Jun 19, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast I was 21 when I first heard Pnau. Their debut album Sambanova would become the soundtrack to pre drinks and after parties, it signalled a duo who knew how to bring it, with an exceptional debut of house music. Nick Littlemore was the producer behind it, and alongside Pete Mayes they’d craft many more records, reaching new levels of explosive, ecstatic pop music. It wasn’t the only project Nick would excel at through. With Luke Steele, he formed Empire of the Sun, and topped the charts in Austral...
Jun 12, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every now and then I invite someone who isn’t a muso, to Take 5. It makes sense right; all of us are affected by music, and the songs that soundtrack our lives. Ben Shewry’s trajectory has been remarkable. He heads up Attica, acclaimed as the best restaurant in Australia, and one of only two that has made it into the world’s Top 50 Best Restaurant list. He appeared on that very first season of Netflix’s Chefs Table series, and has popped up on Masterchef as a special guest over the years. The ea...
Jun 05, 2020•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Melbourne duo Remi have been making music for almost a decade. We first met then in 2014, when they uploaded a song called Sangria to triple j Unearthed. I still remember finding it online, it was instantly catchy and I instantly wanted to know everything about them. They put out two records, and made a name for themselves with their live shows. The pairing of MC Remi’s elastic rhymes with the killer production of Sensible J made their music a no brainer. And so as they ready to release their th...
May 29, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Melbourne duo Remi have been making music for almost a decade. We first met then in 2014, when they uploaded a song called Sangria to triple j Unearthed. I still remember finding it online, it was instantly catchy and I instantly wanted to know everything about them. They put out two records, and made a name for themselves with their live shows. The pairing of MC Remi’s elastic rhymes with the killer production of Sensible J made their music a no brainer. And so as they ready to release their th...
May 29, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessie Ware got her start in the club. Back before she was making her own music, Jessie’s voice jumped on songs by SBTRKT, and her love of dance music has stayed with her throughout her career, where every album is always partnered with some killer remixes. Her debut album “Devotion” came out in 2012, and in the years since she’s released soaring records of ballads and bangers. In between crafting four albums, she also started a podcast with her mum. Table Manners sees Jessie and Lenny invite so...
May 22, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tori Amos is an icon. From her arrival onto the scene in 1992 with her debut album Little Earthquakes, to redefining how we felt about classical piano, and opening the door for so many to do it their own way. Her voice, her style, and her presence has blown us away for almost three decades. Tori has released fifteen studio albums, consistently toured all over the world, and penned two books; the latest of which is titled Resistance. That was the catalyst for me asking Tori Amos to Take 5. But to...
May 15, 2020•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast I’ve been chasing Miranda Tapsell to Take 5 for years. The proud Larrakia Tiwi woman has proven hard to pin down because she’s been so busy making movies, starring in TV shows, and writing. Many of us first saw Taps in 2012, in her breakthrough role as Cynthia in The Sapphires. But she’s also been a star of stage and small screen, performing in plays, on telly as Martha in Love Child, and a regular guest on Get Krackin’, and most recently as the lead star and co-writer of Top End Wedding. In amo...
May 08, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Rapture are one of my favourite bands. They were the sound of the noughties; with their punk-funk party out of New York City, they’d define a scene and fill every dancefloor on Indie night at the local pub. Every now and then, I like to dip into the Take 5 archives and share a conversation from the past because, while this podcast has been around for almost three years, the Take 5 has been going for more than fourteen. I’ll be honest, some of these early conversations are a bit rough. You’ll...
May 01, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anna Calvi is a powerhouse. A virtuoso guitarist from a young age, it took her a while to gather confidence to get behind the mic; but when she did, the world took notice. In the last decade, Anna has released three acclaimed albums, she’s toured Australia, and she’s consistently pushed the boundaries, sonically and lyrically. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Anna a couple of times before, and it’s always a trip to hear her diminutive speaking voice when you know the power she has on stage and o...
Apr 24, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast For many of us who came of age in the 90’s, Dave McCormack was a familiar voice. As lead singer of Custard, his husky voice atop some truly whimsical indie rock drew us out of the angsty guitar scene of the time; they made songs that were playful and were a beacon beaming out of the Brisbane scene. The band called it a day right after their most successful album Loverama. Dave would go on to play in other bands, he began composing soundtracks for film and television, and his voice would become f...
Apr 17, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Georgia Barnes grew up in raves. As the daughter of Neil Barnes from Leftfield, she seemed destined to make music herself, and her formative years where her childhood bedroom was also their studio certainly helped her along the way. These days, we know her simply as Georgia. Her second album Seeking Thrills came out in early 2020, and we were well acquainted with her talents. She’s got an incredible knack for making earworms; her songs wriggle in and get stuck in your head as soon as you’ve hear...
Apr 02, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sydney singer Ngaiire is a powerhouse. I remember the first time I heard her voice, I was a goner. The way her voice curled around every lyric was one thing, but her songwriting craft showed a promise that would pay off in the EP’s and albums that would follow. Music has always been a big part of Ngaiire’s life. As a child of the 90’s, she grew up listening to pop songs in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, then Australia. She would find a connection particularly to Janet Jackson and Talib Kweli;...
Mar 26, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a family tree of modern music and one of its biggest branches is New Order. The Manchester band, formed in the wake of Joy Division’s untimely end, have fed into the sound of almost every band and artist you’ve loved for, for forty years. Even if you’re not a fan, you can trace their blueprint across all you hear. Their transformation from post punk to electronic music, swept up kids who would go on to become techno DJ’s, rock bands, pop acts, and everything in between. In the 80’s, they...
Mar 19, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast I still remember the first time I heard Hot Chip, and I distinctly remember the yellow sleeve their first album came in. It didn’t reveal much about the band, except that they made this comforting electronic music, they seemed like nerds with a heart of gold, and their lead singer’s voice was an instant friend. By their second album Hot Chip had added a whole lot more party to their sound, and from then on they’ve been part of so many of our memories. Whether on record, or live, these geeks beca...
Mar 12, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Girls to the Front on the Take 5 podcast! A Frankensteined special of some of my favourite recent conversations with incredible women. Celebrate International Women’s Day with some incredible humans, sharing their favourite songs by some amazing creators over the past decade. Yumi Stynes on Janelle Monae - ‘Pynk {ft. Grimes}' Eleanor Dixon from Kardajala Kirridarra on Emily Wurramara - Lady Blue Jen Cloher on Camp Cope – The Opener Kimbra on Anohni - ‘Drone Bomb Me’ Kasey Chambers on Beyonc...
Mar 07, 2020•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you came of age in the 2010’s, the sound of Hayley Mary’s voice would have been a tonic. As the lead singer of The Jezabels, she soared over big, dramatic pop songs, and drew a dedicated fanbase from all over Australia. In early 2020, Hayley stepped out on her own with her debut solo EP; and while the sound of it showed another side of her, one thing remained the same. That voice. Always cutting through, always lifting us up when we needed it the most. Carving out blocks of time is a tried an...
Mar 05, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast American artist Natalie Mering didn’t always sing folk music. Back in the day she was into noise rock; she played bass with the kind of heavy bands you see late at night before she re-emerged as Weyes Blood. Once Natalie got on the mic, we all melted. It’s not just her incredible 70’s pop-folk vocal, but the worlds she takes us into; whether on her breakthrough album Front Row Seat to Earth, or last year’s incredible Titanic Rising. It was after speaking to her about the latter, that I knew I wa...
Feb 27, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leigh Whannell is a guy who likes to scare you. Back in 2004 he wrote and starred in Saw; it was a horror movie done on a budget, it’d go on to make millions, and it got Hollywood’s attention. Pretty soon, Leigh and his mate James Wan were on a role; they’d make sequels and new horror films, and these two guys from Melbourne were all of a sudden the talk of the town. Fast forward to 2020, and Leigh is writing and directing his take on the classic HG Wells story, The Invisible Man. It’s a modern ...
Feb 20, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s been almost 20 years since we first met Clare Bowditch. Back in 2003 she grabbed our attention with her brooding debut single “Human Being”. This writer was one we wanted to hear more from, and over the years we’d hear Clare craft many more beautiful songs, star on TV in “Offspring”, and become a leader in the music community as a collaborator and mentor. Until now though, we didn’t really know what came before that first song. But last year Clare Bowditch wrote her memoir, Your Own Kind of...
Feb 13, 2020•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pennywise are Cali punk legends. From backyard parties in Hermosa Beach, to touring the world over the past quarter of a century, the band have built a huge fan base; particularly in Australia. So when they came back again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their “Straight Ahead” album, I asked the guitarist Fletcher Dragge, to Take 5. Fletcher has always been a good chat, as up for a party as he is a solid dive into politics and punk. And it’s clear that the latter, in both genre and ethic, h...
Feb 06, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
