All My Friends Are In Bar Bands

Just wanted to say goodbye properly. I can't do this anymore. I tried and I failed. I couldn't finish this story. Sorry if you were waiting on me to do so. I was too. I gave podcasting a go for nearly 10 years but I'm done. Thanks if you listened.Support David on Patreon: http://patreon.com/davidjamesyoungSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost 20 years ago, Luke Steele emerged as one of the great modern eccentrics of Australian music. An ebullient personality (one was a spider, one was a bird), he started the decade as a scrappy underdog and ended it as one of the biggest pop stars in the world. Who else could get to that kind of A to B, from Jebediah to Jay-Z? With a new solo album looming, Luke spoke openly about his one-of-a-kind journey that took him from blues bars in Perth to the Hollywood Bowl and back again. Luke's debut solo album Listen to the Water is out May 13. With thanks to Mariam Dib and EMI Music Australia. Recorded by David James Young and Luke James Steele. Produced and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow Luke on Facebook: @lukesteeleofficial Follow Luke on Instagram: @lukesteeleofficial This podcast was recorded on Dharawal land and edited between Wirundjeri and Dharawal land. Support David on Patreon: http://patreon.com/davidjamesyoung See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i

Few could have predicted that the scrawny Jewish kid with the guitar in Sydney's eastern suburbs would go on to conquer the world. Hell, even fewer could have predicted his second-ever gig would be opening for Sonic Youth. Still, that's just how Ben Lee's career has unfolded - just when you think you have all the answers, he changes the questions. An ARIA winner, a two-time Hottest 100 runner-up and a keen collaborator with everyone from Josh Radnor to Joel Madden, Lee's life can't be summed up with a mere hour of conversation. Still, it's worth a shot. With thanks to Ben Lee, Caitlin Harnett and Wollongong UniBar. Produced by Paul McWhirter, edited by David James Young. Follow Ben on Facebook: @benleemusic Follow Ben on Twitter: @benleemusic Follow Ben on Instagram: @benleemusic Follow Ben on TikTok: @benleemusic This podcast was recorded on Dharawal land and edited between Wirundjeri and Dharawal land. Support David on Patreon: http://patreon.com/davidjamesyoung See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

When then-triple j breakfast hosts Alex Dyson and Matt Okine decided to surprise Melbourne singer-songwriter Gretta Ray with news she'd won a competition through the station’s Unearthed initiative, they did not head to her place of work. Nor did they go to her place of residence. Instead, they ended up at Princes Hill Secondary College, where Ray was a student. A prodigious singer and budding songwriter, Ray could not have predicted the ensuing years of national and international touring, millions of streams and a steady ascent to the top of Australian pop's echelon. Now barely in her 20s, a debut studio album awaits - but not before a quick Bar Bands debrief on her choral background, conquering festivals, genre code switches and meeting her heroes. Gretta Ray's debut album Begin to Look Around arrives August 27 via Ballarat/EMI Music Australia. Special thanks to Mariam Dib. Recorded by David James Young and Gretta Louise Ray. Produced and edited by David James Young. Follow Gretta on Instagram: @grettaray

Lonely and dreaming on the west coast, Jono Mata and Sam Blitvitch both aspired to be the guitar heroes they saw on their screens at an impressionable age. With Sly Withers - both men's first in-earnest band - they were able to achieve something far greater. With their open, honest every-man take on pub rock and pop-punk, the band quickly carved a niche that soon became bigger than either could have anticipated. With the release of their second studio album Gardens, the band find themselves among the top of the food chain in Australian rock - which is quite the feat for a band that was barely out of high school when it started. Reflecting on their story over a drink on the patio of a Newtown Airbnb, Mata and Blitvich connect the dots to explain how a fledgling guitar band ended up on the national airwaves and touring the country with Amy Shark. Gardens is out now via Dew Process. Special thanks to Amy Simmons, Deathproof PR, Nathan Wood, Dew Process and Skinny O'Leary. Produced and edited by Paul McWhirter

Much like the inner rings of a cut-open tree, there are a surprising degree of layers to Sydney trio STUMPS. Although they boast a confident, extroverted frontman in Kyle Fisher, he had never actually even so much as sang a note on stage prior to the band's formation in the late 2010s. Their rhythm section, meanwhile - bassist Merrick Powell & drummer Jonathan Dolan - had never played indie-rock before; instead, their bread and butter was hardcore punk matinees - making songs to literally scream at the sun in scene stalwarts Perspectives. So, how did all three end up making jaunty post-punk-revival-revival indie-disco? Gather round, and we'll tell you a tale. Special thanks to Kyle Fisher, Pat O'Hara, Beau Somers and The Lansdowne Hotel. Produced and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow STUMPS on Instagram: @stumpstheband Follow STUMPS on Twitter: @stumpstheband Follow STUMPS on Facebook: @stumpstheband This podcast was recorded on Gadigal land and edited on Wirundjeri

Charlene Bailey has lived a life of reintroductions. A promising country upstart in the heart of Tamworth, the singer-songwriter got her start as a child prodigy in a family band. She later emerged as a prospective indie-pop darling in the big smoke of Sydney and Los Angeles, helming Tigertown for some prosperous but simultaneously tumultuous years. These days, folks know her as Charlie Collins - a big-voiced, big-hearted and utterly charming artist that sonically composes her past and present to create something well worth investing in for the future. With two new songs out in the world - one of which features her childhood hero Kasey Chambers - it felt opportune to saddle up next to Ms. Collins and her two playful cats in her Sydney abode, discussing both the story so far and what we can expect going ahead. Charlie's new singles "Fuck It" and "Honey Can We Run Away" are out now via Island Records. Produced and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow Charlie on Instagram:

Growing up outside of Cologne, Anika Ostendorf had lofty but headstrong ambitions to get into the world of music. She ended up there, but not in the way her younger self may have initially expected. As Hachiku, Ostendorf has forged a career in the indie pop world that has seen her charming, kitschy indie-pop win over audiences on both a local and international scale - as well as tours alongside the likes of Courtney Barnett, The Breeders and Jose Gonzalez. Before a headlining show at Petersham Bowling Club, she discussed the ins and outs of the Ford family band, sleeping in your car on tour and why her dad still has 800 copies of her first CD. Hachiku's debut album I'll Probably Be Asleep is out now. Stream, download and buy it here: https://hachikumusic.bandcamp.com/album/ill-probably-be-asleep For the curious, Anika's first release as Ani Petite is available here: https://anipetite.bandcamp.com/album/demo Special thanks to Anika Ostendorf, Marcelle Bradbeer, Milk! Records and the Petersham Bowling Club.

There are few intergenerational figures in a music scene that sees bands come and go on a weekly basis. Chief among those that are, however, are Al Grigg and Tom Wallace. Best friends since college, the pair first played together as part of 2000s indie wunderkinds Red Riders, before transferring their guitar-loving and hook-wielding expertise over to the garage-rock world with Palms circa 2011. Here, they lay out their life in music, both on and off the road, on the line in their most in-depth interview to date. Whether you came up circa the Hopetoun or circa the Oxford Art Factory, there's some long lines down these palms well worth tracing. Intensity Sunshine is out now via Ivy League/Mushroom. Stream the EP and purchase a physical copy here: https://palms.bandcamp.com/album/intensity-sunshine Special thanks to Lulu Rae and Brain Drain PR. Produced and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow Palms on Facebook: @palmsmusic Follow Palms on Instagram: @palmsmusic Follow P

It's an increasingly-common modern story. A project born out of a bedroom, a dorm room, a laptop, a loose collection of ideas, shifts from the micro to the macro. Few of these stories, however, have carved out such an intense niche as Dylan Baldi's noise-rock vehicle Cloud Nothings. Initially serving up indie pop with a sunny disposition, the band nosedived into Steve Albini-approved dissonance on 2012's Attack on Memory and never looked back. A prolific outfit and a rough-and-tumble live must-see, Cloud Nothings continue to adapt and evolve as a full-band assault. Following the release of their most recent album, The Shadow I Remember, Baldi spoke to us from his Philadelphia home about the band's ever-continuing and endlessly-intriguing story. The Shadow I Remember is out now via Carpark Records. Download, stream and purchase the band's complete discography - including subscriber exclusives - at Cloud Nothings' Bandcamp: http://cloudnothings.bandcamp.com Special thanks to Rhiannon Cook and Positive Feedba

Huck Hastings is a relatively new name on the Australian music scene, although the Sydney-based singer-songwriter has had his eyes on the stage well before his current solo iteration. Born into a pub-rock heritage, Hastings eventually found a niche within the indie-rock spectrum and has carved that into a heartfelt and endearing debut album, Cheers to Progress. Ahead of its release, he spoke candidly about his progression through high-school rock band to solo troubadour before eventually striking a balance between the two. Cheers to Progress is out now. Stream, download and purchase the album here: https://huckhastings.bandcamp.com/album/cheers-to-progress Huck will launch the album tonight at the Darlinghurst Theatre Company. Produced and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow Huck on Facebook: @huckhastings Follow Huck on Instagram: @huckhastings Follow Huck on Twitter: @huckhastings All My Friends Are in Bar Bands is part of the Not For Print podcast network. Follo

Good Evans, it's a crossover! A week on from David featuring on Kevin Mitchell's Good Evans, It's A Bobcast!, the Jebediah frontman and solo singer-songwriter under the Bob Evans moniker had the tables turned on him. We traverse decades in just under an hour, ranging from high-school dances to the Big Day Out and a myriad of unexpected places in-between. After 25 years in the game, Kev isn't one to settle into the nostalgia market - he still has a lot to prove, and he's happy to talk through the ins and outs of his various performance outlets to explain why that is. Bob Evans' new album Tomorrowland arrives April 6. Preorder the album, and listen to David's episode of Good Evans at the official Bob Evans website: www.bobevans.com.au Recorded by David James Young and Kevin Mitchell. Produced, mixed and edited by David James Young. Follow Bob Evans on Facebook: @bobevansmusic Follow Bob Evans on Instagram: @bobevansmusic Follow Bob Evans on Twitter: @bobevansmusic All My Friends Are in Bar Bands is part o

You all know the story by now. Formed in 1997, megastars by 2000, whatever-happened-tos by 2004, has-beens by 2006, comeback kids by 2016 - and, finally, comeback kids again in 2020. Of course, those are just the touchstones - in truth, there's way more to The Avalanches' story than you might expect. It starts in a fruit shop, it heads up to country Victoria, through to the suburban sharehouses of Melbourne and onto a festival stage in Barcelona. Keyboardist, producer and founding member Tony Di Blasi has seen it all - and he's ready to get into the gory details of how The Avalanches went to hell and back to secure their status as all-time greats. The Avalanches' new album We Will Always Love You is out now. Stream, download and purchase the album here: https://theavalanches.lnk.to/wewillalwaysloveyou Special thanks to Mariam Dib, EMI Australia, Karl Chandler and The Little Dum Dum Club. Recorded by David James Young and Tony Di Blasi. Mixed and edited by David James Young. Follow The Avalanches on Faceb

It's rare to be simultaneously a decade-plus performance veteran and also still under the age of 30, and yet Imogen Clark happily exists within that Venn diagram. This ain't no child-star operation, either - really, this Blue Mountains native is just getting started. Having toured internationally, supported Shania Twain and even navigated a global pandemic to get her unique blend of country, rock and pop out to the world, Clark is a rare firebrand - and if you're not familiar already, make it a priority to rectify that. Imogen Clark's First Annual Holiday Hootenanny takes place at the Factory Theatre on December 9. Tickets available here: https://bit.ly/FAC20_ImogenClark Special thanks to Nicole Stringer, Jeremy Dylan, Chugg Entertainment and Potts Entertainment. Mixed and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow Imogen on Facebook: @imogenclark.music Follow Imogen on Instagram: @imogen__clark Follow Imogen on Twitter: @imogen_clark All My Friends Are in Bar Bands is pa

They're one of the most distinctive figures in the history of Australian rock music - not least of all because their frontman is nearly seven foot tall. They're a platinum-selling Hottest 100 runner-up with decades of sold-out theatres to their name, but they're also one of the more vulnerable and emotively-striking bands this country has produced. There's never been a band quite like Something for Kate before - and it's likely there never will be. From their music room in their suburban Melbourne home, vocalist/guitarist Paul Dempsey and bassist Stephanie Ashworth share the finer details of their lives in music - both together and apart. Something for Kate's new album The Modern Medieval is out now. Stream, purchase and download it here: https://somethingforkate.lnk.to/TheModernMedieval Special thanks to Mariam Dib and EMI Music Australia. Recorded by Paul Dempsey and David James Young. Mixed and edited by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Follow Something for Kate on Facebook: @s

After a super-fun first round, the late crowd shuffled in for a second round of Bar Bands banter. This time around, it was a celebration of some of David's formative years in front of the stage and listening in his bedroom. This included Hurstville's own Patrick Matthews - founding member of The Vines and bassist of Youth Group - as well as Children Collide frontman Johnny Mackay and ARIA-award winning veteran vocalist Sarah Blasko. There's a lot of history here - some well-remembered, others best forgotten. It's all a lot of fun, though. Besides, arguably no other podcast this year will take you from lunch at Warren Ellis' house to The Big Banana to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Special thanks to Kristy Pinder, Betty Fink, Chris Sheppard and Roly Elias. Recorded live at The Vanguard in Sydney on October 25, 2020. Mixed and engineered live by Anieke Robinson. Post-production and editing by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Sarah Blasko appears courtesy of Look Out Kid. Johnny Mack

On the eve of Bar Bands' fifth birthday* (*not really) and David's 30th* (*also not really), a diverse but elite crew of Australian musicians descended upon The Vanguard in Sydney for a night of storytelling, song-sharing and top-tier banter. This is the first of two episodes recorded that night, which sees the inimitable Alex the Astronaut, L-FRESH the LION and Dear Seattle's Brae Fisher coming together for a wholly unique and entertaining panel. Criss-crossing across their entire respective careers, we find plenty of intersections along the way - as well as plenty of laughs. Special thanks to Mel Cheng, Ash Maher, Chris Sheppard and Roly Elias. Recorded live at The Vanguard in Sydney on October 25, 2020. Mixed and engineered live by Anieke Robinson. Post-production and editing by Paul McWhirter. Additional editing by David James Young. Alex the Astronaut appears courtesy of One Louder Entertainment. L-FRESH the LION appears courtesy of Elefant Traks. Brae Fisher appears courtesy of Heavy Legged and Dome

Are you all ready? Are you ready? Get set, let's go. We're heading on a journey through the career of one of Australia's most unique and powerful voices - the kind that can elicit tears as quickly as it can shatter glass. Although physically locked down (at the time) in Melbourne, her stories span across the globe - from bikie bars in Tasmania to behind a golden mask on television. Kate Miller-Heidke has taken on pop charts, festival stages, musical theatre, the opera and just about every dive in the Valley you can think of - and she's not done, either, as her fifth studio album is testament to.  Kate Miller-Heidke's new album Child in Reverse is out now. She will perform at Brisbane's Fortitude Music Hall on November 20 and 24. Thanks to Mariam Dib and EMI Music Australia. Follow Kate on Facebook: @katemillerheidke Follow Kate on Instagram: @katemillerheidke Follow Kate on Twitter: @kmillerheidke All My Friends Are in Bar Bands is part of the Not For Print podcast network. Follow us on Instagram: @notfor

Imagine an island within an island. Pretty isolated, right? That was life for a young Maddy Jane, whose connection to music was her ticket to the world. Now a resident on the mainland - Wollongong, specifically - Maddy's brand of heartfelt jangly indie-rock has afforded her a myriad of unbelievable opportunities. From arena openers, to national tours, to her very own prom night, Maddy has taken it all on - and that was all before her album even came out. Now, with her album out and (at long last) some shows to play, Maddy is ready to share her story - from humble public-school beginnings to chumming it up with Harry Styles. Tickets for All My Friends Are in Bar Bands' Fifth Birthday are almost gone - less than 20 for the early show, less than 30 for the late. Join us at The Vanguard on October 25! Tickets available here: https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/all-my-friends-are-in-bar-bands-5th-birthday-and-davids-30th/122481 Thanks to Madeleine Woolley, Kristie McCarthy, Lemon Tree Music, Iggy and Paul McWhir

Don't let the electric guitar and the sultry singer-songwriter stuff fool you - Lisa Caruso didn't always dream of glamourous indie rock & roll. As a child she was an aspirational pop star, which in turn gave her the confidence needed to pick up the guitar and see where it took her. Where it's taken her is all the way to her debut album, In Feelings, which has been several years in the making across several continents. For now, though, we're grounded in Sydney's inner west on a rainy Friday afternoon - why not talk PJ Harvey, Destiny's Child, headset mics and (literally) shitty situations? Lisa's debut album In Feelings is out now. Tickets for All My Friends Are in Bar Bands' Fifth Birthday are 50% sold for the early show. Join us at The Vanguard on October 25! Tickets available here: https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/all-my-friends-are-in-bar-bands-5th-birthday-and-davids-30th/122481 Thanks to Lisa Caruso, Phil Jamieson and Paul McWhirter. Follow Lisa on Facebook: @lisacarusomusic Follow Lisa on Instag