The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded

Billy Sherwood discusses the upcoming YES UK tour featuring the complete Fragile album. He traces his path from drummer to bassist, learning the instrument by playing along to YES records, and development in groups Lodgic and World Trade. Sherwood details his first collaboration with Chris Squire in 1989, writing ‘The More We Live – Let Go,’ and his refusal to become YES’s lead singer during the Union era. The conversation centres on Squire’s final weeks, and Squire making Sherwood promise to stay with YES and keep the band moving forward. He also reflects on his extensive tribute album work, and YES’s current recording process for albums The Quest and Mirror to the Sky.

Further information

yesworld.com

billysherwood.com

Billy Sherwood podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Steve Howe (2025), Steve Howe (2023), Steve Howe (2019), Bill Bruford, Alan White, Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes, Tony Kaye, Rick Wakeman, Chester Thompson, Colin Moulding – part 2

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Google apps and all usual platforms

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The post Billy Sherwood – YES appeared first on The Strange Brew .

The guitar player who helped define pub rock in the 1970s is still making records. Brinsley Schwarz’s latest album, Shouting at the Moon, asks the same question that runs through much of his recent work: why can’t we get it together before it’s too late? The podcast then moves back to when his eponymous band became accidental pioneers of a movement they never quite intended to lead. There’s the infamous 1970 trip to New York’s Fillmore East that went spectacularly wrong, the moment Van Morrison left him “completely dumbstruck”, and the five years that followed when the band decided to simply get good. Between stories about Dave Edmunds’ backhanded compliments and 45-minute versions of ‘Niki Hoeky’, Schwarz reveals a musician who found his sound early and never saw much reason to abandon it. He remembers Bob Andrews with genuine affection and admits he didn’t write much during the Brinsleys because Nick Lowe was better at it.

Further information

Brinsley Schwarz – Shouting At The Moon

Brinsley Schwarz podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Graham Parker, Mark Wirtz, Pub rock and the birth of new wave, Bruce Thomas – Elvis Costello and The Attractions

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Brinsley Schwarz appeared first on The Strange Brew .

Across Big Big Train’s shifting line-ups, Greg Spawton’s songs connect the earliest records to their latest album, Woodcut. Greg selects eight tracks from Big Big Train’s catalogue that help tell their story; songs about Winchester Cathedral’s medieval foundations, record-breaking steam locomotives, and stories plucked from newspaper headlines, transforming historical curiosities into explorations of human endeavour.

Further information

bigbigtrain.com

Greg Spawton podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Bruce Soord – The Pineapple Thief, Roine Stolt – The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett on Genesis Revisited and Hackett Highlights, Tony Banks, Steve Howe

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

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Mike Garson traces his extraordinary creative relationship with David Bowie from the Ziggy Stardust era through to his final live dates. Garson reflects on how his classical and jazz background allowed him to follow Bowie’s restless stylistic shifts, and how reinvention sat at the heart of their collaboration. Along the way, he revisits key moments including working on Aladdin Sane, Young Americans, The Buddha of Suburbia, Outside, Heathen and Toy, plus stories of Mick Ronson and the Bowie Band alumni.

Further information

Dublin Bowie Festival 2026 – 24 February to 1 March

mikegarson.com

Mike Garson podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Gerry Leonard, Mark Plati, Earl Slick, Carlos Alomar, Kevin Armstrong, Tony Fox Sales, Ken Scott, Woody Woodmansey, John Cambridge, John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Mike Garson remembers David Bowie appeared first on The Strange Brew .

Ric Sanders, the fiddle player who has been an integral part of Fairport Convention for 40 years, takes us on a journey through his extraordinary musical life. From his early days discovering electric violin, to his simultaneous membership in both Soft Machine and the Albion Band, Sanders’ career reads like a who’s who of British jazz-fusion and folk-rock. Speaking with characteristic warmth, Sanders discusses the upcoming Fairport Spring 2026 UK Tour and provides insights into life on the road.

Beyond Fairport, Sanders reveals the rich tapestry of collaborations that have shaped his musical journey: moments following Indian violin legend L. Shankar on stage, late-night jam sessions with Nigel Kennedy in Malvern pubs, and the influence of Ashley Hutchings. He also discusses his ongoing projects, from the Ric Sanders Trio to his recent work with Rosalie Cunningham. While Ric considers himself “a very lucky little fellow” it’s clear that luck has been matched by extraordinary talent and a passion for making music.

Further information

Fairport Convention Spring Tour 2026

Ric Sanders podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Ashley Hutchings, Rosalie Cunningham, Gordon Giltrap, Dave Mattacks, Chris Leslie, Simon Nicol (2023), Dave Pegg

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Ric Sanders – Fairport Convention appeared first on The Strange Brew .