150 – Rob Brens (Hadal Maw, I Built The…

Rob Brens is what I would like to call a real hot commodity. Like many of us musicians trying to find and hold onto a drummer is freaking hard, so when we discover world class drummers like Rob, many of us are fighting for a piece of the action.

Rob has taken full advantage of the demand by working with a wide range of artists from different genres, crafting his skills and expertise. He is continuously building his profile in Australia and now beyond as a versatile, highly experienced weapon on the skins.

Most people will know Rob as the drummer in Hadal Maw and I Built the Sky, however also has a long history with bands such as Alarum, Teramaze, King Parrot, Dreadnaught, Descrator and many more.

One of the coolest things about this podcast is the opportunity that I get to spend time and surround myself with positively driven, highly motivated people. Many of those who have been on Andy Social to date are consistently challenging themselves and always wanting to improve. As you will hear in this episode, Rob’s focus is not only to be a world class musician, but a world class human.

In our chat we cover a wide range of topics from his career to date as a drummer, approaching session work and being able to work effectively on the hundreds of different songs (often quite complex) that he would now have under his belt. We also talk about physical and mental health, productivity, experiencing growth through adversity with his Jiu Jitsu and heaps more.

Looking to get pumped up and inspired? Look no further. I think we all need a Rob Brens in our life who sets the standard that we can all strive toward. I hope you get as much from this as I did.

To learn more about Rob and the bands he’s working with, check out all of the links and resources below.

Show notes

Follow Rob via Main Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter |
Follow Hadal Maw via Main Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |
Follow I Built The Sky via Main Website | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |

 

149 – Aaron Chen (Comedian)

Aaron Chen is a comedian from Sydney who you may have seen on ABC Comedy, SBS or one of his many videos circulating online which are racking up hundreds of thousands of views.

Aaron has been doing comedy since his mid teens, starting out in local competitions and slowly building himself up to national fame having already accumulating a number of awards and achievements.

Most notably he’s starred in his own TV late show titled ‘Aaron Chen Tonight’ on ABC TV and also amassed viral level attention in 2017 with his sideline live reporting at the Liverpool vs Sydney FC game. Aaron’s coverage stirred up both positive and negative reactions from people all over the country, introducing many to him for the first time.

I met up with Aaron at The Factory Theatre in Marrickville (Sydney) and embarked on an awkwardly funny and chaotic conversation covering all sorts of topics from buying apartments in Vaucluse, top fast food restaurants, bogan comedy fans (ie: me) and much more.

Be sure to follow Aaron via all of his social media pages to keep up to date with his shows and projects.

Show notes

Follow Aaron on Facebook here and here | Instagram | Twitter |

 

 

148 – Tim Gauci (Primitive, ESP Guitars Australia)

How many people can say that they are working their dream job? Tim Gauci would no doubt have to be one of those who can stake the claim.

Tim is the Product Specialist for ESP Guitars Australia. Not a bad gig to have, especially when you’re already a big fan of the brand to begin with.

Tim not only pushes the brand as his day gig, but also puts them into action as the front man for Melbourne metal band Primitive. In a short space of time, the band has released a world class sounding EP and stirred the attention of the wider metal community.  This has opened up a number of big opportunities, most notably at the time of releasing this episode, the band has just finished a tour of Japan with The Crown, Origin and Descent.

Not bad for a band that’s only been around for just over a year.

We covered a heap of topics in this chat ranging from visiting Japan, his relationship with the ESP brand, endorsement talk (what not to do and what brands are looking for), his YouTube channel and heaps more.

When it comes to ESP Guitars, Mark, LT and I in LORD are huge advocates. We’ve been endorsed for over a decade, we have our own signature series axes and have long standing relationships with the brand here in Australia but also in Japan and other parts of the world. We know how well metal and ESP compliment each other, so it’s awesome to have a fellow metal musician in Tim pushing the brand here in Australia. Lots of great things to come.

If you want to have a peak into Tim’s world, check out all of the links to Primitive, his YouTube channel, ESP Guitars and more below.

Show notes

Follow Tim on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube |
Check out Primitive via Main Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube |
Check out ESP Guitars Australia via Facebook | Instagram |

Tim with Parkway Drive

 

 

147 – Doug Dalton (Killrazer, Hardline Media)

Patience can pay in dividends and Doug Dalton is certainly no stranger of playing the long game to reap the rewards.

Killrazer are set to shortly release their first full length album since forming in 2005. A long time coming right? With almost 15 years of loyal fans supporting the band through thick and thin, Doug is ready to throw fuel onto the fire and give these tried and tested live songs the spotlight they deserve.

The upcoming new album will be a culmination of songs forged through years of touring, line up changes, personal adversity and no doubt some inspiration from Doug’s earlier days in the classic Australian metal band Grungeon.

As you can see, this has taken a hell of a long time and while Killrazer went through a number of twists and turns over the years, Doug has kept busy with forming his touring and merchandise company Hardline Media.

Hardline Media have been bringing touring artists to Australia and New Zealand since 2009. First starting with Paul Dianno and Malevolent Creation and with this year alone already adding Venom Inc, Destruction, Sabbat, Pain and Therion to his list of successful tours.

No matter what has happened over the years, Doug has continuously contributed and slugged his guts out for Australian metal fans either through his own song writing, helping bands with merchandise or bringing out some of the worlds best bands in the genre.

When one project slows down, there’s always another to jump onto. No rest for the wicked!

Doug has been consistently requested by you, the Andy Social listeners, all as a guest for the podcast. I was excited to get the chance to talk about everything from Killrazer, playing in a metal band and the challenges of personnel changes, Hardline Media and heaps more. A great guy with great work ethic.

To check out more of Killrazer, chat to Doug or head out to any of the upcoming Hardline Media tours, check out the links below.

Show notes

Follow Killrazer via Main Website | Facebook | YouTube |
Follow Hardline Media via Main Website | Facebook | Instagram |  YouTube |
Buy tickets for upcoming Hardline Media tours as well as old tour merchandise HERE.

Photo by MickG Photography

Doug with Nuclear Assault in Sydney – Photo by MickG Photography

 

Photo by the late and great Mick Burke

146 – Brian Giffin (Author, Writer, Music Critic, Metal…

I’m a bit of an OCD freak at times. I love order, I love lists and love to document all sorts of information (useful and otherwise) that can be accessed at my fingertips.

This is probably why I like Brian Giffin. The human recorder, writer, and archivist of Australian Heavy Metal.

For decades, Brian has been obsessively attending metal shows in Australia and documenting the scene through articles and reviews as well as his own database of releases, line-up changes, notable events and much more.

In the earlier days before the internet (soooooooo long ago), it was often difficult to know which bands existed and what music was available. Decades of piecing together hundreds of both forgotten and notable bands, Brian released the most revised edition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Heavy Metal in 2015. An almost 350 paged reference guide that gives insight to our rich and talented history of Australian Metal, which no doubt sits proudly in the homes of many metal fans next to their music collections.

The only way Brian has been able to collate so much over the years is by physically being there and interacting with bands and their fans. Through the encyclopedia as well as his Loud Online webzine, editorials, reviews and also hosting The Annex on Blue Mountains Community Radio, many of us are either great friends or know Brian extremely well. His reputation and deep level of knowledge has earned him deserved respect amongst several generations of heavy music appreciators and continues to bring awareness to new fans discovering this music for the first time.

These days, priorities have certainly changed for Brian and the documentation of our continued evolution of music in Australia has had to take a bit of a back seat. We touch on this in our chat as well as reflecting on how much he has placed into his love for music over the years.

While he still continues to write and make previous works available, the question needs to be asked – Who will carry the torch?

In addition to the bands themselves, I hope that we will see more people step up and ensure that the hard work of Australian musicians is documented, written about, and fact checked to ensure that more people can discover and enjoy for years to come.

As a musician myself, I believe we need more independent commentary. Passionate writing and documentation can be a real art form that should be celebrated and encouraged more by both listeners and musicians.

Brian’s work has been a critical element in bringing awareness, legitimacy and respect to many hard working musicians.

I can say with confidence that without Brian Giffin, Australian music and in particular metal would certainly be worse off.

Show notes

Follow Brian on Facebook |
Check out the Aus Metal Guide and order a copy of The Encyclopedia of Australia Heavy Metal
Order all of Brian’s books HERE.
Discover Loud Online via Main Website | Facebook | Twitter |
Check out The Annex on RBM 89.1 (Radio Blue Mountains) HERE.

 

Shot taken from the Metal Down Under Documentary

 

Photo by MickG Photography

Photo by Andrew Pittman

145 – Emma Jane Holmes (Death Care Professional)

Heard of the term ‘Death Care Professional’? I hadn’t until I met Emma Jane Holmes. Emma has been working in Funeral Homes for the past several years and has taken an unorthodox approach to sharing her experiences in a jovial way with the general public.

Heels & Hearses is a blog that Emma started in early 2016 which documented her experiences working in the Funeral industry. Emma knew about a lot of the stigma and wanted to break the perceptions people had not only about the Funeral business but more about death itself.

We all fear death in one way or another and it has always been viewed as a tragic end to someone’s life. Fortunately we all have to experience it and with that awareness, Emma is showing people that the end of life should be a celebration where possible of that person’s life and allow their memory to remain with those who are still here to share their stories.

It’s a given that we have all known someone near to us that has passed on. Our experiences with this are all different and as such as we view death in a multitude of ways. Yes, this quite an entertaining chat and Emma is certainly one of a kind with her approach but I hope that you all gain a slightly tweaked perspective on a necessary part of existence. We are all going to die at some point but the knowledge of our existence and our mortality should hopefully fuel us all to life meaningful and fulfilling lives.

2021 update – Emma’s new book “One Last Dance” is out 3 March 2021 via Harper Collins Australia. Grab your copy HERE.

Show notes

Article – Heels and hearses: Australia’s most outrageous mortician (News.com.au)
Slightly related but I love this concept – Recompose – Gently Converting Human Remains Into Soil

 

 

 

144 – Karl Hüttenmeister (Prosthetic Technician, Musician, Artist)

Karl is a Prosthetic Technician who has been creating artificial limbs since the early 90s for a countless number of amputees of all ages and backgrounds. He’s built life long friendships with many of his clients often providing new limbs as people grow up, get older and require updates and improvements as time rolls on.

Not the most obvious career path to take right? Karl had a keen interest in special effects and had hopes of working in that field. After a ‘stroke of luck by great misfortune’, where his neighbour was involved in a motorcycle accident which required him to receive prosthetic work, curiosity found Karl getting a tour around a local business in Brisbane, specialising in artificial limbs. Karl’s curiosity landed him an apprenticeship.

As he puts it, once he started his apprenticeship, there was no looking back. He had found what he wanted to do.

So how on earth did I come across Karl? Well, when you see James Straker (see episode 82) ‘liking’ a Facebook page called ‘I Make Prosthetics‘, you would be crazy to ignore it! After having a snoop around, there was no way that I could pass up an opportunity to get him on for a chat.

When Karl isn’t immersed in the busy world of artificial limb creation, he is playing in multiple bands, writing and performing his own solo work and also creates art which is inspired by the weird and absurd. It’s amazing how Karl is able to juggle all parts of his life and he sheds a bit of light on how he structures his weeks in our chat. Perfect for you time management freaks out there!

Many of us are always searching for purpose in life and specifically finding a job that brings fulfilment. Karl has landed that and has directly impacted a large number of lives of the years. Many of these often overlooked (or simply unaware) jobs don’t come with a lot of public praise, however Karl gets instant and in-your-face feedback from the people he is helping. Inspiring and heart warming to put it lightly!

There’s lots of cool stories in this and many silly questions surrounding prosthetic limbs (I’m always going in to bat for you all!) which uncovers some really cool insights into how it all works. His multi-world existence shows that you can dip into a number of interests and never be pigeon-holed in one interest, job, etc.

Do you want you love and respect the time which you have for each one. Karl has certainly has injected some extra inspiration in what I do.

Support Karl by checking out his Facebook pages for his Prosthetic work, music and arts. Lots to have a squiz at!

Show notes

Follow Karl on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube |
Follow Karl’s Prosthetic work on Facebook – I Make Prosthetics
Follow Karl’s Art on Facebook – Karl Huttenmeister Art
Check out Karlashnick on Facebook
Check out Tumble Turn on Facebook
Check out John Doe and the Shallow Graves on Facebook

Article – Amputees with decorated prosthetic limbs strut their stuff (The Age)
Interview – Limbs 4 Kids

143 – Stu McGill (Silent Knight, Stormrider Touring, Adbandtage)

Often referred to as Western Australia’s power metal sweetheart, Stu McGill is the guitarist and founder of Perth’s Silent Knight. Over the past 9 years, Stu and the band have created a loyal following in a local scene that has been heavily dominated by more extreme metal bands. Stu understood that their sound didn’t equate to a lot of immediate opportunities, so he decided to create his own.

In 2014 Stu launched the Stormrider Festival which is held each year in Perth and showcases Australia’s best melodic and thrash metal bands. This has given his own band a deserved platform to play with their national peers but to also build a more dedicated following in Perth, where a growing appreciation for their music has continued year on year.

Stu’s ‘do it yourself’ approach also lead to the launch of a band blog called Adbantage (get it?) where Stu shares a number of tips that he’s learnt himself over the past decade of building and running his own band. Now that we live in an era of opportunity and almost every resource at our fingertip, many of us including Stu are sharing the tools and secrets to create our own opportunities rather than relying solely on old pathways of a record label, mainstream media or even large scale tour agents.

Speaking of touring, Stu took the jump and announced his first ever international tour booking under Stormrider Touring for Sweden’s Dragonland in September. The decision to run an international tour was not a long planned out goal but rather an opportunity that arose from Stu’s ongoing networking and love for melodic metal. You’ll also get a laugh out of how Stu was accidentally connected with the band for the first time.

Lot’s of great music talk for anyone who’s a fan of what Stu’s involved with or anyone playing in their own bands. If you want to say hi to Stu and see the guys from Dragonland on tour here in Australia, all dates and ticket information can be found below.

Dragonland 2018 Australia Tour presented by Stormrider Touring

4 September – Sydney – Utopia Records Meet n Greet only (FREE EVENT)
5 September – Canberra – The Basement with Darker Half, Immorium & Mattersphere – TICKETS | EVENT |
6 September – Sydney – The Bald Faced Stag with Darker Half, Envenomed & Saralisse – TICKETS | EVENT |
7 September – Brisbane – Crowbar with Envenomed, Espionage & Valhalore – TICKETS | EVENT |
8 September – Melbourne – The Croxton Bandroom with Black Majesty, Eyefear, Darker Half, Envenomed & Espionage – TICKETS | EVENT |

Show notes

Follow Stu via Facebook | Instagram |
Follow Silent Knight via Main Website | Facebook| YouTube | Twitter |
Follow Stormrider Touring via Main Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify Playlist |
Follow Adbandtage via Main Website | Facebook |

 

Photo by MickG Photography

 

142 – Shivani Gopal (CEO & Founder – The…

Shivani Gopal is leading the charge to help women live more a remarkable life through empowerment and opportunity. Through her own experiences of sexual harassment, an arranged marriage as a young woman and continuous inequality stemming from gender, Shivani took action to make a change not only for herself but for others also experiencing the same challenges.

Through her own adversity, The Remarkable Woman was created. It’s a collective of women from all backgrounds who work together to empower each other to reach their goals, whether it be personally, professionally or financially. The Remarkable Woman has become a resource of mentors, community and financial rewards to help accelerate opportunity and inspiration.

As a guy I’m always worried that I’m going to put my foot in it. Having good intentions but possible poor execution at times has me hesitant in approach, as society goes through an era of dramatic change pushing for better rights for those who have been disadvantaged. With this in mind, I asked Shivani how guys should approach the topic and what we can do to help women be empowered. As Shivani notes on The Remarkable Woman website “achieving equality means including men to help the cause”.

Yes, this is a bit of a different one for The Andy Social Podcast and this is why I love podcasting. Speaking with Shivani was another great experience for me where I broke out of my own comfort zone to take on a topic where my knowledge was quite limited.

I learnt a lot from our chat and as we all have our own remarkable women in our lives whether it be a wife, friend, mother, daughter, aunt, grandmother etc, I would hope that you all get something as well from Shivani’s story and fantastic work.

To learn more about Shivani Gopal and The Remarkable Woman (remember, we all know someone!), please follow the links below.

Show notes

Follow Shivani on Linkedin
Learn more about The Remarkable Woman via Main Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter |
Article – The Remarkable Woman founder Shivani Gopal wants to close the gender gap (Sydney Morning Herald)
Article – How Shivani Gopal is aiming to change the game for women (Women’s Agenda)
Article – How to be a financially independent woman (9 Now | Today Show)
Article – A Woman Who Escaped An Arranged Marriage Explains Why Financial Independence Is The Key To Freedom (Elle Australia)

 

 

Photo by Daily Telegraph

Yahoo7 News

141 – Jonas Heidgert (Dragonland, Destiny, Made In Iron)

Power metal nerds can skip the introduction, however for the rest of you, Jonas Heidgert is a metal vocalist and best known as the front man for Sweden’s Dragonland. He’s had guest appearances on a number of releases from bands such as Ancestral Dawn, Aldaria, and even Melbourne’s Bane of Winterstorm. Jonas has also been fronting 80s Swedish metal band Destiny since 2012 and works with a number of tribute acts.

Exhausted at the thought? You and me both! I have a headache just keeping up with one band however Jonas seems to make it all work with ease. In fact, my perception of how time intensive Dragonland would be is quickly dispelled, where despite having formed in 1999 and being based in Scandinavia (a bit of a metal haven!), the band has rarely played live which frees up a lot of time for everyone to be involved in other bands and projects.

To my surprise, Jonas tells me that their upcoming Japan/Australia tour will be the longest string of shows in a row that the band will have ever played. It will be their first time in Japan since 2003 playing with Dungeon* and their first ever time in Australia.

In other words, if you ever get to see Dragonland live – Count yourself lucky!

*Some heavy metal trivia – For the old school Dungeon/LORD fans, you may recall Jonas and Dragonland being featured in the Under the Rising Sun DVD when both Dungeon and Dragonland toured Japan together in 2003

Keeping in theme, Jonas and I spoke about the sporadic nature of the band, the common juggles of life and priorities which have impacted him as a musician (which I could certainly relate to). We also go deep on two of Jonas’ favourite bands Dream Theater and Iron Maiden. We talk about our favourite albums and in particular how many Maiden shows we have been to over the years (Jonas wins).

Speaking of Maiden, we spoke about his Iron Maiden cover band Made in Iron which at the time of recording they were preparing to play at Cart & Horses in London where Iron Maiden played their first ever shows. To make it even better these shows were straight after Maiden’s final two UK tour dates (August 10 and 11) of their Legacy of the Beast 2018 tour. If you check out the Made in Iron page you’ll see some cool photos and video from the shows. Certainly a bucket list moment for any dedicated Maiden fan!

Jonas and the guys in Dragonland will be touring Australia for the first time ever in September from the 4th until the 8th. All dates are below and tickets can be purchased via Stormrider Touring. For Andy Social listeners, you will already know of the exclusive souvenir you can get if you buy a ticket, so make sure you contact Stormrider Touring if you’re keen. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Listen to the episode!

Dragonland 2018 Australia Tour presented by Stormrider Touring

4 September – Sydney – Utopia Records Meet n Greet only (FREE EVENT)
5 September – Canberra – The Basement with Darker Half, Immorium & Mattersphere – TICKETS | EVENT |
6 September – Sydney – The Bald Faced Stag with Darker Half, Envenomed & Saralisse – TICKETS | EVENT |
7 September – Brisbane – Crowbar with Envenomed, Espionage & Valhalore – TICKETS | EVENT |
8 September – Melbourne – The Croxton Bandroom with Black Majesty, Eyefear, Darker Half, Envenomed & Espionage – TICKETS | EVENT |

Show notes

Follow Jonas via Facebook |
Follow Dragonland via Facebook | Spotify | Shop
Buy tickets to the Australian Dragonland tour (Sept 5 to 8) HERE | Tour Event Page |
Follow Destiny via Main Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube
Follow Made in Iron via Facebook

 

 

 

Photo by Carl Frederick