Talking Notes: The Rig, The Road, The Reckoning

Nick Robinson and Adam Hollier
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  • Music Interviews

First-hand interviews with working musicians about the real life of the job, the part that never makes the highlight reel. We sit down with session players, bandleaders, musical directors, teachers and touring pros, and ask the questions most people skip: how the work comes in, how the money really adds up, what the job does to your body and your head, where AI fits, and what they make of it all looking back. For musicians doing it now, for anyone deciding whether to, and for anyone simply curious what the job involves. New episodes at https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk

Episodes

  1. 6d ago

    Carl Stanbridge: Mavis Staples, Jason Donovan, Young Voices & Why He Never Worries About Work

    Carl Stanbridge wanted to be a drummer. A keyboard player at his church in Felixstowe said they would get a bass first and he could do drums later. That was thirty years ago, and he is still on bass. He has played for Mavis Staples, Candi Staton, Gloria Gaynor, Jason Donovan and Marti Pellow, read West End shows including Blood Brothers, and spent twenty-six years in the band for Young Voices, the touring show that puts thousands of schoolchildren on an arena stage. He also teaches. He is unusually straight about the parts of the job nobody puts in a prospectus. He does his own accounts, and says the most useful thing in his whole music education was not a masterclass, it was an accountant who came into Bass Tech for one afternoon and showed them how to keep books. He talks about the fifty pounds a week he needed to survive in his twenties, the pension he started far too late, mild tinnitus and two sets of earplugs that are never quite the right one, falling asleep at will before a gig, and the flatness of day two at home after seven weeks on the road. And teaching, which he says sometimes turns into a therapy session, because a twenty-minute lesson may be the only time that week a child gets one to one with an adult who is not their parent. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:14 The Craft: the many heads, and the teaching 24:22 The Machine: session work, and why he wants to be in the room 31:33 The Money: his own accounts, the seasons and the fifty-pound years 37:15 The Head: faith, and the weeks the work does not come 40:13 The Body: running, sleeping at will, and coming home 51:24 The Gear: the 1973 Jazz, and the earplug maths 1:01:21 The Reckoning: what he would tell his eighteen-year-old self 1:13:21 The Road In: how a drummer ended up on bass MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Mark King and Level 42: https://www.level42.com Abraham Laboriel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Laboriel Dino Baptiste: https://www.instagram.com/dinobaptiste Matt Schofield: https://www.mattschofield.com Ronnie Scott's: https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk The 606 Club: https://www.606club.co.uk Young Voices: https://www.youngvoices.co.uk Also: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sarah Shaw, Evan Jenkins, Tom Billington and Ricky Wilson, the Jazz Cafe, Kensington Temple, Blood Brothers and Bass Tech. GEAR IN THIS EPISODE Fender: https://www.fender.com Ampeg: https://www.ampeg.com Ashdown: https://ashdownmusic.com Trace Elliot: https://www.traceelliot.com Markbass: https://www.markbass.it Barefaced Audio: https://barefacedaudio.com Electro-Harmonix: https://www.ehx.com Line 6: https://line6.com Also: a 1973 Fender Jazz, a 1971 Fender Mustang, a Precision, a Fender Rumble, an SWR 4x10, an Ampeg SVT, a Big Muff and a Pork and Pickle, ACS earplugs, and the eighty-pound Westone Spectrum that started all of it. OUR GUEST: CARL STANBRIDGE Website: https://www.carlbassplayer.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlbassplayer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-stanbridge-3034a1a THIS EPISODE https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk/carl-stanbridge TALKING NOTES Website: https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wearetalkingnotes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetalkingnotes Threads: https://www.threads.com/@wearetalkingnotes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearetalkingnotes X: https://x.com/talkingnoteshq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetalkingnotes Music by Julian Emery Website: https://www.julianemerymusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianemerymusic

  2. Oct 2

    Alex Toff: 30 Years Behind the Kit: A-ha, Imogen Heap, Belinda Carlisle & the Reality of Session Life

    This week we're in drummer Alex Toff's own studio for a properly honest conversation about life as a session musician. Alex has spent three decades behind the kit for Belinda Carlisle, the late Bonnie Tyler, Imogen Heap, Ed Harcourt, A-ha and many more — on stage, on tour, and increasingly from his own soundproofed garage. We talk about how he actually got the gigs (spoiler: it's never just the playing), the moment he decided to go full-time in October 1996, and what it's really like to lose a decade-long touring gig overnight — recorded just three weeks after Bonnie Tyler's death. Alex is refreshingly candid about the money (mortgages don't pause for gaps in the diary), the physical toll (arthritis, an A-fib scare, and an NHS vs. private healthcare story worth hearing), his favourite bit of gear, and where he genuinely thinks AI is heading for session players. Honest, funny, and a proper insight into the reality behind the glamour. Our Guest: Alex Toff Website: https://www.alextoffdrums.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alextoffdrums Website: https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetalkingnotes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearetalkingnotes X: https://x.com/talkingnoteshq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetalkingnotes Music by Julian Emery Website: https://www.julianemerymusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianemerymusic Mentioned in this episode: Belinda Carlisle, Bonnie Tyler, Imogen Heap, Ed Harcourt, a-ha, AC/DC, Billy Cobham, Jeff Beck, Steve Lukather, Toto, Queen, The Blow Monkeys (Tony Kiley), The Shadows (Brian Bennett), Lionel Richie, Take That, River Phoenix, The Viper Room, James Nisbet, Matt Round (ABBA Voyage), Suno. Gear: Ludwig Black Magic, Ludwig Black Beauty, Premier, Remo Ambassador X, Shure SM57, Hammond, Fender Rhodes.

  3. Oct 2

    Matt Round: Bassist for James Morrison & ABBA Voyage on Life as a Session Musician

    Matt Round has spent three decades as one of the UK's most in-demand touring bassists. He's MD for James Morrison, bass player in the ABBA Voyage band, and a session player whose credits include Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze. We talk about the freelance life most people never see: swapping heads between wildly different gigs, the unglamorous admin that keeps a touring career afloat, and what it's like when avatars are the singers in the band. He also explains why he still takes the odd £150 pub gig, how he stays grounded after decades on the road, and which instrument got away. Honest, funny and a proper look behind the glamour. 🎧 Talking Notes: real conversations with the musicians behind the music. Our Guest: Matt Round https://www.instagram.com/mattroundbass Website: https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetalkingnotes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearetalkingnotes X: https://x.com/talkingnoteshq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetalkingnotes Music by Julian Emery Website: https://www.julianemerymusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianemerymusic Mentioned in this episode: James Morrison, ABBA Voyage, ABBA (Benny Andersson), Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook, Squeeze, Van Morrison, Gary Barlow, Mungo Jerry (Ray Dorset), Adam Ant (Tom Edwards), Neal Wilkinson, Carl Stanbridge, The Cult, Cradle of Filth (Dani Filth), Prince, Funkadelic, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Kiss. Places and bodies: Glastonbury, Indigo at The O2, Goldsmiths, Musicians' Union, Children in Need. Gear: Fender Precision Bass, Fender Vintera, Gibson EB2, Wal Basses, Leslie speaker, Logic Pro.

  4. Oct 2

    Julian Emery: Songwriter and Producer for McFly, a collab with Taylor Swift & Leaving Session Work

    Julian Emery went from session guitarist to one of the UK's busiest songwriter-producers, with early sessions for the likes of Atomic Kitten and Enrique Iglesias behind him and two decades of writing and producing since, from McFly to Nothing But Thieves. He grew up in a musical house - his dad an orchestral percussionist who worked on film scores - and switched from trumpet to guitar around eleven, when AC/DC and Rush flipped the switch. By nineteen he was recording West End show albums in his dad's home studio.This is really the story of the move from player to writer, and it is unusually honest about the inner life of it: why he stopped chasing session work, how a writing room actually works, and how publishing advances, PRS, PPL and production points really add up. He is candid too about managing his own nervous system, with routine, short work stints and a philosophy of enjoying the process. Along the way: the guitar he smashed that became his favourite, and why the best players are almost never the flashy ones. This is The Rig, The Road, The Reckoning - real conversations with the musicians behind the music, from Talking Notes. Our Guest: Julian Emery Website: https://www.julianemerymusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianemerymusic Website: https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetalkingnotes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearetalkingnotes X: https://x.com/talkingnoteshq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetalkingnotes Music by Julian Emery Mentioned in this episode: McFly, Nothing But Thieves, Taylor Swift, Annie Lennox, Atomic Kitten, Enrique Iglesias, Kym Marsh, Matt Willis (Busted), Jason Perry (A), Lissie, Justin Parker, Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, Nick Hodgson (Kaiser Chiefs), Chris Martin (Coldplay), Paul McCartney, Jim Irvin, Miles Copeland, Warner Chappell, AC/DC (Malcolm Young), Rush, Deep Purple (Ian Paice), Whitesnake, Iron Maiden, Chicago, Van Halen, Marcus King, Chick Corea, Mick Fleetwood, Stewart Copeland, Leonard Bernstein, Belinda Carlisle, Tina Turner, James Nisbet, Eckhart Tolle. Abbey Road Studios. Gear: Fender Telecaster, Gibson Gold Top P90, PRS, Silvertone, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Marshall JCM800, Universal Audio OX, Line 6 Helix, MXR, Pro Tools, Mac mini.

  5. Sep 16

    Matt Prior: Talks about 28 Years With Bonnie Tyler, Clapton, and the Truth About Touring

    Matt Prior has spent 28 years as a touring and session guitarist, most notably with Bonnie Tyler, but this conversation goes way beyond the gear and the gigs.In this episode, Matt talks about the Clapton solo that changed the course of his life, the audition he lost because of how he looked, and the phone call in a Tesco queue in Aylesbury that changed everything. He's honest about the highs and lows of life as a working musician, including the reality of streaming royalties (500,000 streams, 17 pence), and shares stories most guitarists only tell each other, from a Jimmy Page name-drop to playing for the head of the Russian mafia. This is The Rig, The Road, The Reckoning - real conversations with the musicians behind the music, from Talking Notes. Mentioned in this episode: Bonnie Tyler, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Van Halen, AC/DC (Malcolm Young), Sam Brown, Elliot Easton, Mac DeMarco, Pink Floyd (Nick Mason), Michael Thompson, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Michael Landau, Keith Scott, Jeff Beck, George Harrison, Dhani Harrison, Simon Le Bon. Places: Abbey Road Studios, British Grove Studios, John Henry's. Gear: James Tyler Guitars, PRS, Martin, Taylor, Olson Guitars, the Klon (Bill Finnegan), Royer Labs, Suno. Our Guest: Matt Prior Website: https://www.mattpriormusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattpgtr Website: https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetalkingnotes Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wearetalkingnotes X: https://x.com/talkingnoteshq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wearetalkingnotes Music by Julian Emery Website: https://www.julianemerymusic.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julianemerymusic

  • 5 Episodes

About

First-hand interviews with working musicians about the real life of the job, the part that never makes the highlight reel. We sit down with session players, bandleaders, musical directors, teachers and touring pros, and ask the questions most people skip: how the work comes in, how the money really adds up, what the job does to your body and your head, where AI fits, and what they make of it all looking back. For musicians doing it now, for anyone deciding whether to, and for anyone simply curious what the job involves. New episodes at https://www.talkingnotes.co.uk

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