Huge thanks to everyone who attended our special event at the Meltdown Festival with Nile Rodgers and Merck Mercuriadis on August 8, 2019! It was such a pleasure to record the live episode at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, and we’ll release the episode soon so that those who couldn’t attend can hear it.
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We were recently interviewed about Sodajerker On Songwriting by Caroline Crampton and Amanda Litherland of BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Podcast Radio Hour.
Our chat is now available to hear as part of a special Liverpool-based edition of that show. You can also hear it on the BBC Sounds app.
(Our segment starts at 33:40).
Country noir superstar Gretchen Peters explains the process she embarks upon when creating the cinematic and socially conscious songs that have become her calling card. In our in-depth conversation, the Nashville stalwart describes the writing of recent albums like Blackbirds and Dancing With The Beast, her classic hits for the likes of Martina McBride, Bonnie Raitt and Trisha Yearwood, and her collaborative partnership with Bryan Adams.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
The 26th Meltdown, a festival packed full of exclusive collaborations, world-wide one-offs and unmissable nights, takes place at the Southbank Centre, London between August 3-11, 2019. This year, the festival is curated by legendary songwriter, producer and guitarist, Nile Rodgers, and will feature a live podcast recording with Sodajerker.
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Last month, just a couple of days after interviewing Sting at his London home, we were lucky enough to be among the attendees of the 64th Ivor Novello Awards ceremony in London. (Quite a week for us!) The event honours the great and the good of British songwriting and was held at Grosvenor House on London’s Park Lane on 23rd May. If you’d like to hear more about the experience, check out our mini bonus podcast episode here:
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In this very special episode, the one and only Sting talks about approaching his classic hits from a fresh perspective on his new record, My Songs. With his guitar to hand, the singular artist sits down at home in London with Simon and Brian to reveal the creative processes behind one of pop’s most extraordinary catalogues.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens joins us to discuss her new record, There Is No Other, made in collaboration with Francesco Turrisi. During the course of this in-depth conversation, Rhiannon describes the spontaneous process fuelling their work together, the historical resonance attached to songs like ‘Mama’s Cryin’ Long’ and ‘At The Purchaser’s Option’, and how telling these stories informs her mission as an artist.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Singer-songwriter Gaz Coombes discusses the writing of songs from his excellent solo albums, World’s Strongest Man and Matador, as well as hits with his former band, Supergrass. During the conversation, Gaz explains how he develops ideas in the studio and how he has expanded his songwriting palette to include the art of ‘soundwriting’.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Britt Daniel of Spoon sits down with Simon and Brian in Liverpool to talk about the writing of songs like ‘I Turn My Camera On’, ‘The Underdog’, ‘The Ghost of You Lingers’ and ‘New York Kiss’, as well as songs from the band’s addictive recent offering, Hot Thoughts. During the chat, Britt plays us an early voice memo of ‘Can I Sit Next To You’ and explains how he develops his ideas from handheld recorder to the finished article.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash discusses the writing of her stunning record She Remembers Everything and songs from her catalogue including ‘Seven Year Ache’, ‘Seventh Avenue’ and ‘When The Master Calls The Roll’. In this inspiring conversation, Rosanne describes her relationship to prose writing, her collaborations with her husband John Leventhal, and encouragement she received from her father, the late, great, Johnny Cash.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
And you’re wrapped in my memory like chains
For I say that the flowers will always be there in my heart
Like an old fashioned movie with all of you playing the parts
Back in 1993, as fourteen year old schoolboys taking their first faltering steps into the world of making music, we came across an album called Shame. The band’s name was (curiously) Brad. This album would never have entered our orbit but for the fact that amongst Brad’s number was guitarist Stone Gossard, moonlighting from his day job with Pearl Jam, and we were huge Pearl Jam fans. Stone, Eddie and co were (and remain) restless artistic spirits to say the least, and seemed to be constantly plowing their creative energies into a myriad of side projects, of which Brad was one.
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Prefab Sprout’s Paddy McAloon joins Simon and Brian to talk about the writing process behind his orchestral masterpiece I Trawl The Megahertz. In this in-depth conversation, Paddy explains the unusual situation that led to the record, how he experimented with radio dialogue, voiceover narration, and his ancient Atari computer to create its fascinating soundscapes. This episode represents Sodajerker’s first ever repeat guest, with Paddy having appeared originally on episode 53.
Download episode Subscribe in Apple Podcasts Listen to Spotify playlist© 2019 Sodajerker. Some rights reserved.
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Episode 289 – Scissor SistersMay 13, 2025
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Episode 287 – Gary BarlowApril 20, 2025
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