The Music Show

ABC Australia
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

All kinds of music and all kinds of musicians in conversation with Andrew Ford.

  1. 5d ago

    Robert Forster's Swedish Strawberries and the Red Spirit Singers let their voices ring out

    Recorded (largely) as-live in Sweden, with a group of that country's indie luminaries, Robert Forster's latest album Strawberries shows the singer-songwriter in a playful mood and embracing the role of storyteller. Speaking to Andy for the first time in quite some time, Forster explains why he made the trip and why he refused to tour the album until he could bring the band over to play it with him. With up to thirteen singers and ten drummers, all clustered around a giant communal drum, the Red Spirit Singers produce a huge sound. The group, composed of members of the Ute Nation in Utah, have been performing their music for almost 40 years, with multiple generations involved over that time. Founder AJ Kanip talks about that history and about the importance of the songs, old and new. Music heard in this program: Title: Bear DanceArtist: Red Spirit SingersComposer: Red Spirit SingersAlbum: Land of the SunLabel: Independent release Title: StrawberriesArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records Title: DiamondsArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records Title: All Of The TimeArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records Title: Veteran's SongArtist: Red Spirit SingersComposer: Red Spirit SingersAlbum: Land of the SunLabel: Independent release Title: Meet Me At The Ute PetroleumArtist: Red Spirit SingersComposer: Red Spirit SingersAlbum: Land of the SunLabel: Independent release Title: You're The VoiceArtist: John FarnhamComposer: Andy Qunta, Chris Thompson, Keith Reid, Maggie RyderAlbum: Whispering JackLabel: Wheatley Records The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

  2. 5d ago

    Camp Cope's Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich on the artists rewriting the rules of the Australian music scene

    Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich, or 'Kelso', of the great all-woman Australian rock band Camp Cope, is also a phenomenal writer. Her new book It's Not For You is part memoir, part feminist journalist project, in which she traces her own musical beginnings alongside conversations with a cross section of women and gender diverse musicians. She joins Andy to talk about the book.  Noongar composer, violist, conductor and programmer Aaron Wyatt returns to the show to talk about Decolonising the Bells, a collaborative project with Speak Percussion that looks at the Federation Hand Bells and their complex history.  Plus new music from The Buoys from their upcoming album Concrete Cowboy. Decolonising The Bells is at Monash University's Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts on Saturday 5 September. Music heard in the show: Title: The OpenerArtist: Camp CopeComposer: Maq, GeorgiaAlbum: How To Socialise and Make FriendsLabel: Poison City Records Title: Perfect NowArtist: Sarah BlaskoComposer: Blasko, Sarah; Cranny, Roger FAlbum: The Overture and the UnderscoreLabel: Dew Process Title: SoonArtist: Angie McMahonComposer: McMahon, AngieAlbum: SaltLabel: Dualtone Records Title: Alone in VegasArtist: The BuoysComposer: Catterall, Zoe; Geddes, Hilary; Cunningham, Courtney; Wilkin, Tessa; Matthews, FletcherAlbum: Concrete CowboyLabel: Sony Music Title: Decolonising the BellsArtist: Aaron Wyatt, Speak PercussionComposer: Aaron Wyatt, Eugene UghettiCourtesy of the composers and Speak Percussion Title: Under the CanopyArtist: Melbourne Chamber OrchestraComposer: Aaron WyattCourtesy of ABC Classic Title: Tell It Back To MeArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Forster, RobertAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Technical production by Tegan Nicholls

  3. Aug 29

    Belinda Webster and Tall Poppies Records: a life's work

    Belinda Webster, the producer, engineer and singular force behind Australia's art music label Tall Poppies died this month at the age of 74. Across 278 releases, Webster recorded and released music by many of Australia's best classical and jazz musicians, often playing Australian music. In 2006, Andy visited Belinda at her home in Kangaroo Valley for a wide-ranging conversation about her passion and approach to music.  Music heard in this program: Title: Come, My LoveArtist:  Ian Munro & Jane EdwardsComposer: Katherine ParkerAlbum: CD Sampler Label: Tall Poppies Records Title: The TrystArtist: David StanhopeComposer: Jean Sibelius (arranged by David Stanhope)Album: David Stanhope – A Virtuoso RecitalLabel: Tall Poppies  Title: Heritage Overture Artist: Sydney Symphony Orchestra, David PiperComposer: Sandra FranceAlbum: Sandra France – Fluctuating States Of CalmLabel: Tall Poppies

  4. Aug 28

    A concerto for accordion and orchestra & the Persian tar gets Comfortable with jazz

    With a recent concerto for amplified accordion and orchestra and another for more than 60 recorders Holly Harrison clearly loves a challenge. She shares why she enjoys writing for new instruments, and how she composed a work that will be performed by everyone from virtuosos to second-grade students. Hamed Sadeghi has released two albums this year, each of which fuses his instrument, the Persian tar, with different Western traditions. The latest, Comfortable, features some of Sydney's best jazz musicians, and Hamed talks to Andy about collaboration, improvisation, and poetry. InsideOut, composed by Holly Harrison, will be featured in upcoming concerts by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, and Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, all featuring James Crabb. The world premiere of Harrison's Frog Hollow will be performed at the Sydney Opera House on September 23, as part of the Festival of Instrumental Music. Hamed Sadeghi will be performing Comfortable at the City Recital Hall in Sydney on September 5. Music heard in this program: Title: Slack RopeArtist: Hamed SadeghiComposer: Hamed SadeghiAlbum: ComfortableLabel: Independent release Title: bend/boogie/breakArtist: Offspring Ensemble Composer: Holly HarrisonAlbum: Offspring Bites 3: En MasseLabel: Independent release Title: Balderdash for String QuartetArtist: Goldmund QuartetComposer: Holly HarrisonAlbum: Live Recording Title: Los Ojos Del CondorArtist: Hermanos GutiérrezComposer: Hermanos GutiérrezAlbum: Los Ojos Del CondorLabel: Easy Eye Sound Title: InheritanceArtist: Hamed SadeghiComposer: Hamed SadeghiAlbum: ComfortableLabel: Independent release Title: Before the StormArtist: Hamed SadeghiComposer: Hamed SadeghiAlbum: ComfortableLabel: Independent release Title: StrawberriesArtist: Robert ForsterComposer: Robert ForsterAlbum: StrawberriesLabel: Tapete Records  The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country Technical production by Antonia Gauci

  5. Aug 28

    Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

    Dolly Parton said she wrote over three thousand songs, so we can barely begin to honour her extraordinary songwriting in just one hour. From her early country duets with Porter Wagoner, to the extraordinary purple patch that brought us Jolene and I Will Always Love You (allegedly written on the same day), to lending her voice and country music bona fides to Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter record, her impact on the musical landscape is hard to overstate. Her image was genuinely iconic, modelled after sex workers in her Tennessee hometown, and her impact on literacy, public health, and human rights will be felt far beyond Appalachia for generations to come.  She inspired working class people, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community, and did it all by being herself, on purpose.  Singer songwriter Fanny Lumsden, and musician and broadcaster (and sometimes host of The Music Show) Alice Keath are Andy’s guests to unpack Dolly Parton’s musical and cultural impact. Music heard in the show: Dumb Blonde from Hello, I’m Dolly (1969) Coat of Many Colours from Coat of Many Colours (1971)  Just Someone I Used to Know from Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca (with Porter Wagoner, 1970) Jolene from Jolene (1974) I Will Always Love You from Jolene (1974) 9 to 5 from 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980) Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) from 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs (1980) The Seeker from Dolly (1975) After the Gold Rush from Trio II (1999) Little Sparrow from Little Sparrow (2001) Long As I Can See the Light (feat. John Fogerty) from Rockstar (2023) TYRANT, DOLLY P, JOLENE (Beyonce, featuring Dolly Parton) from COWBOY CARTER (2024) Light of a Clear Blue Morning from New Harvest… First Gathering (1977) The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Technical production by Antonia Gauci, Tim Jenkins, and Tim Traeger

  6. Aug 21

    The poetry of aja monet and Thomas Meadowcroft on composing for sound effects and orchestra

    "I think if we saw every conversation as music, we would drastically shift the course of history."  So says the poet and performer aja monet. For her latest record, the color of rain, monet worked with Meshell Ndegecello, Justin Brown, and a whole host of musical collaborators to create something that spans genre, but has seen her named as one of the early headliners of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. From the quietest footsteps to the loudest explosions, foley artists craft the sounds that shape a movie, but their work usually leaves them behind the scenes. In his latest composition, Hollywood Parsifals, Thomas Meadowcroft is putting 2 foley artists centre stage with the MSO, and exploring what happens when you combine their skill at sound generation with a full orchestra. Rubiks Collective is presenting Thomas Meadowcroft's Love Songs Without Subjects at the Melbourne Recital Centre on August 25. Music heard in this program: Title: Love Songs Without SubjectsArtist:  asamisimasa, Ditte Marie Bræin, and Thomas Meadowcroft Composer: Thomas MeadowcroftAlbum: Love Songs Without SubjectsLabel: Sofa Music Title: say it with your chestArtist: aja monetComposer: Aja Monet, Burniss Earl Travis IIAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr Title: i know that i don't knowArtist: aja monetComposer: aja monet, Justin BrownAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr Title: for the CongoArtist: aja monetComposer: aja monet, Justin Brown, Abe RoundsAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr Title: hollyweirdArtist: aja monetComposer: aja monet, Burniss Earl Travis II, Daniel Mintseris, Josh Johnson, Justin BrownAlbum: the color of rainLabel: Drink Sum Wtr Title: War Western Thriller Horror Romantic Comedy Crime Science Fiction, Hollywood ParsifalsArtist:  MSO, John Simpson, and Eugene UghettiComposer: Thomas MeadowcroftAlbum: Live recording The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country Technical production by Harvey O'Sullivan

  7. Aug 21

    James Ellis Ford made a Mercury Prize nominated record in a chemotherapy ward

    James Ellis Ford is better known as James Ford, producer for artists like Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine and Fontaines D.C. When you add the Ellis, he's a solo artist making his own music and he joins Andy to talk about his latest album Lost In Another World, and the War Child charity album HELP(2) which he made during his time as a 'boy in the bubble' of a quarantined chemotherapy ward.  Cafe of the Gate of Salvation are old friends of The Music Show: a gospel choir celebrating their 40th birthday. They join Andy to sing live in the studio, and look back at their history. And Andy remembers Belinda Webster, the producer, engineer and singular force behind Australia's art music label Tall Poppies. She died last week at the age of 74, and we'll hear her interviewed on The Music Show in 2006. Celebrate Cafe of the Gate of Salvation’s birthday with them (if you can get a ticket!) on Sunday 23 August at the Factory Theatre in Sydney. Music heard in the show: Title: Polonaise for keyboard in F major, BWV Anh. 117aArtist: Geoffrey TozerComposer: Bach, J.S. (maybe)Album: For ChildrenLabel: Tall Poppies Title: The lovely dawnArtist: Aura Go, Ian MunroComposer: Komalkova, EkaterinaAlbum: I was dancing with a gnatLabel: Tall Poppies Title: Did You Ever Want To Go To Your Own Funeral?, OvertonesArtist: James Ellis FordComposer: Ford, James EllisAlbum: Lost in Another WorldLabel: Domino Title: Sunday MorningArtist: Beth GibbonsComposer: Reed, LouAlbum: HELP(2)Label: War Child Records Title: Be ThankfulArtist: Cafe of the Gate of Salvation, Lisa Spence (soloist)Composer: Yancy, Marvin; Jackson, ChuckPerformed live in The Music Show studio Title: One StepArtist: Cafe of the Gate of SalvationComposer: Vails, DonaldPerformed live in The Music Show studio Title: say it with your chestArtist: aja monetComposer: monet, ajaAlbum: the color of rainLabel: drink sum wtr The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Technical production by Harvey O’Sullivan

  8. Aug 14

    Kate Miller-Heidke on Handel and planning for the apocalypse

    Kate Miller-Heidke's new album, the first since 2020's Child In Reverse is a very theatrical and sometimes funny slice of gothic-folk called The Kiss and the Abyss. In between live performances of two new songs, Kate talks about referencing Handel and planning for the end of the world. Pianist Maki Namekawa has an enduring relationship with Philip Glass - performing the world premiere of several of his pieces, including the Piano Etudes. Namekawa is in Australia to perform the first 10 of those Etudes, and shares her experience of working with the renown composer. And selected highlights from a conversation with Philip Glass on-stage at the Perth Festival in 2013, when the Etudes were premiered in their entirety. Kate Miller-Heidke is on tour from Aug 27 - full dates available here Maki Namekawa is performing as part of the Now Or Never festival on August 22nd. Music heard in this program: Title: Etude 9Artist: Maki NamekawaComposer: Philip GlassAlbum: Philip Glass: The Complete Piano EtudesLabel: Orange Mountain Music Title: ButterfliesArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI Title: HolidayArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI Title: Love Sweet LoveArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI Title: Lascia Ch’io PiangaArtist: Emma Matthews & NZ Chamber OrchestraComposer: George Frideric HandelAlbum: Handel AriasLabel: Artworks Title: Little AntsArtist: Kate Miller-HeidkeComposer: Kate Miller-Heidke & Kier NuttallAlbum: The Kiss & The AbyssLabel: EMI Title: Etude 1Artist: Maki NamekawaComposer: Philip GlassAlbum: Philip Glass: The Complete Piano EtudesLabel: Orange Mountain Music Title: Dance VIIIArtist: Philip Glass & Michael RiesmanComposer: Philip GlassAlbum: In The Upper RoomLabel: Orange Mountain Music The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country Country Technical production by Antonia Gauci and Brendan O’Neill

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5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

All kinds of music and all kinds of musicians in conversation with Andrew Ford.

Information

  • Creator
    ABC Australia
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    946
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Music Show

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