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PODCAST

Surprise Cast

What does quality art mean to you? Hello. My name is Dubya, host of this special channel. Enjoy my conversations with online artists and musicians via a show called Surprise Cast. Their creative work influences how we view their world while giving us fresh and new perspectives on our lives. In addition, I host a feature called P.C.E.! (Post Concert Energy). We have exciting conversations about concerts and the way they impact us. Get ready to be entertained and educated! Thanks for your support -

music performing arts

All Episodes

92:05

Surprise Cast #205 Minaxi

Surprise Cast ·

2025/10/14

Dear Minaxi, What a great time I had speaking with all of you on Surprise Cast. I really enjoyed our conversation about technology, collaboration, and the making of your superb album, 'Z of A'. I loved how we opened up our discussion about artificial intelligence, its creative limitations, and accountability. It was interesting to hear the varying opinions. Thank you for allowing me to use the educational framework to pose questions. You all handled them with great precision and aplomb. Diving

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88:04

Surprise Cast #204 Jem Kelly

Surprise Cast ·

2025/10/09

Dear Jem,I'm elated that we had the opportunity to chat. I really enjoyed hearing your reflections on so many interesting topics! We covered your experience of fatherhood and the important relationship with your son, which included how parenting reshaped priorities, lessons about supporting a sensitive teenager, navigating education, "failure" as a learning milestone, and how to balance encouragement with letting a child find their own path. I greatly respect this approach :). It was fascinating

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84:48

Surprise Cast #203 Ian Bickerton (Balloon)

Surprise Cast ·

2025/10/02

Dear Ian,Thank you for coming back to Surprise Cast! I truly enjoyed our chat about music, family, and the creative process behind your magnificent work. It was wonderful to hear about your sharp reflections on journalism and songwriting. I also appreciated hearing your perspective on the significance of Robert Redford's work. I didn't realize All the President's Men had such an impact on you, but that makes complete sense considering your love for journalism. Our conversation about fatherhood

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88:17

Surprise Cast #202 Tim Keegan

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/29

Dear Tim, I'm glad we finally connected and had a conversation about music and life on Surprise Cast. The discussion covered Jeff Tweedy's (Wilco) ideas about focusing on verbs rather than nouns, the importance of process, and the creative “lightning bolt” moments that happen when inspiration meets preparation. You shared your past struggles as a young musician, how parenthood and teaching influenced your work, and why you prioritize being a decent person over fame. Very admirable. I enjoyed

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75:37

Surprise Cast #201 Chris Bigg

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/25

Dear Chris,It was an exhilarating experience to have you on Surprise Cast! I loved learning about your upbringing in Brighton, family life, deep musical influences, and how dyslexia affected your life in both positive and negative ways. We discussed your formative years at art college and your extraordinary friendship with Vaughan Oliver and 4AD, along with behind-the-scenes stories from key album cover projects (Wolfgang Press, Throwing Music, Modern English, Kim Deal, Unrest, and Lush). I

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66:33

Surprise Cast #200 Vox (Chameleons)

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/22

Dear Vox, Thank you for participating in the Surprise Cast show. Our intimate conversation about life on the road, creative rebirth that manifested during Covid, and your sharp perspective on self-awareness/personal growth was such an honor to hear. I loved listening to your musical influences, including T-Rex, The Fall, and The Beatles. Hearing your relationship to Manchester and how other cities shaped you was quite interesting. Thank you for opening up about family influences, including your

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80:43

Surprise Cast #199 Highspire

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/12

Dear Highspire,Our episode did a solid job discussing the band's arc--from your Philly roots and many-year hiatus to the creation of your awesome new album, 'Crushed'. A must own! I enjoyed learning about your cinematic influences, including Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick. Our talk delved into music influences such as My Bloody Valentine, Stone Roses, The Charlatans, and more. You spoke candidly about tremendous personal obstacles that reshaped your vision for your craft: lineup changes,

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79:00

Surprise Cast #198 David Calkins

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/08

Dear David,I had such a wonderful time connecting with you. We explored many important topics such as cultural trauma, family history (what a story), and of course, your everlasting love for music and business. Hearing your personal reflections on how 9/11 affected you in both a positive and negative manner was quite interesting. Listening to your vulnerable story about being adopted and how it informed your approach to fatherhood was spellbinding. I know the listeners will get a kick about your

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72:00

Surprise Cast #197 Marina Yozora

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/05

Dear Marina, I'm grateful for our conversation. Thank you for joining me on Surprise Cast. I had a great time discussing topics with you. It was fun learning about how you were raised across multiple countries and the story behind your name. All of these things inform your artistic perspective. I enjoyed listening to your early musical memories, chanting along in your father's car and finding your energy by listening to musicians such as Vanessa Carlton and Britney Spears. It was interesting to

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86:25

Surprise Cast #196 A Tribute to James Part 2 w/ Laura...

Surprise Cast ·

2025/09/02

Dear Laura and Liam, Thank you for joining me for Part 2. I had a blast deep diving into the band James: their B-sides, priceless live moments, upcoming North America tour, and James Fanzone. Listening to your numerous concert experiences, it's clear that their shows never feel the same twice, with different setlists each night, and spontaneous actions by band members on stage, which was amusing to hear. The heartbeat of our conversation was a guided tour through favourite B-sides. I won't

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01:30:58

Surprise Cast #195 Ben O'Brien

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/29

What a wonderful conversation! Thank you so much for sharing about your life and artistry. I love learning how family and great music influence your creative work. I appreciate how our discussion flows smoothly between music culture, visual art, and personal stories. And I truly value hearing your honest memories of your parents and how your father's work ethic and independence have impacted you. Your art is lively, innovative, and healing, as I've seen in your collaboration with Tim Burgess,

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59:58

Surprise Cast #194 Miki Berenyi Trio

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/26

Dear Miki and Ollie,Thank you for a wide-ranging and entertaining conversation! I enjoyed our discussion on your magnificent new album, Tripla, your upcoming North America tour, friendship, and of course, the creative collaboration. You brought wonderful and belly-tickling laughter, sharing candid stories and behind the scenes insight into life on the road and in the studio. It was fun hearing about van rides and late-night driving playlists, indelible concert moments. Many thanks for digging

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01:08:31

Surprise Cast #193 Ryli

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/22

Dear Ryli,Thank you — Rob Good (guitar, harmony, recordist), Yea-Ming Chen(lead vocals, songwriter), and Luke Robbins (bass, backing vocals) — for celebrating the release of your shimmering new album 'Come and Get Me' and for reliving a standout release show at the Four Star Theater in San Francisco. What a performance! I appreciate that our conversation covers quite a bit of territory, including the way your band writes and arranges songs, the challenges of putting together an album, and the

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01:34:51

Surprise Cast #192 Ryan Lescure (Devoted...

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/19

Dear Ryan,You're a talented songwriter, musician, and educator. I love exploring the unique energy of Berkeley and college-town life, the importance of community for creative work, and how place shapes artistic expression. Articulated beautifully! You discuss the duality of emotion using the "two wolves" metaphor, explaining how music helps you navigate joy, fear, anger, and longing. You describe songwriting as a space where opposing emotions coexist and where vulnerability and humility become

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01:21:12

Surprise Cast #191 Susanne Darre

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/15

Dear Susanne,Your openness and generosity of words brought tremendous warmth to our conversation. You're a talented Norwegian composer, pianist, and public health nurse that provides many gifts to our dark world. I'm impressed how you juggle a career as a nurse, wife, mother, and a recording artist. It was fun exploring your ep, Travel Back, and full album, 'Fragile'. I learned quite a bit on what inspires you and the creative process. Hearing your music influences and contemporary pianists was

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01:30:46

Surprise Cast #190 Bret Miller (Eardrum Buzz Radio)

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/11

Dear Bret,Thank you for being on Surprise Cast. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation about life experiences, music, movies, Eardrum Buzz Radio and Cruel World Festival, 2025. The way you unfolded story after story offers the listeners a rich blend of deep wisdom and podcast entertainment. I feel confident the audience will appreciate the important themes of connection, personal growth, and resilience. Because of your wonderful sense of cinematic humor, I'll leave you with another great quote

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01:20:02

Surprise Cast #189 Robert Sekula (14 Iced Bears)

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/07

What impresses me about Robert's commitment to evolving as a musician? I sit down with musician Robert Sekula, known for his involvement with the indie band 14 Iced Bears, to discuss his life, inspirations, and new EP 'Asyd Mouse.' He takes listeners on a journey through his life in Camberwell, South London and Brighton. He reflects on his early days of being inspired by The Beatles, The Monkees, Marc Bolan, and John Peel's impactful role in his musical career. Wait til you hear some great stories

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54:57

Surprise Cast #188 Peter Kember (Sonic Boom)

Surprise Cast ·

2025/08/02

What makes Peter's insights and musings on music and life quite fascinating? I engage in a profound conversation with the renowned musician and producer Peter Kember, also known as Sonic Boom. He passionately articulates how complex interactions within vocals and melodies create profound harmony. Pete delves into his political views and challenges listeners to question political norms and educational practices. He also reflects on his upbringing, musical influences, and collaborations with iconic

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57:54

Surprise Cast #187 Ken Sweeney

Surprise Cast ·

2025/07/29

How do we unravel the magic of music and the arts with Ken Sweeney? Surprise Cast welcomes back Ken, a multifaceted creative who is an entertainment writer, playwright, radio documentarian, and musician. He shares his experiences as a writer in Ireland, reflecting on the vibrant Irish culture and his unique role in covering events, theater, and movies, offering an insider's perspective on what's buzzing in the Irish arts. A major episode highlight is Ken's nostalgic and insightful look back at his

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01:01:45

Surprise Cast #186 Heavenly

Surprise Cast ·

2025/07/25

What makes this dynamic duo such a fabulous team?We delve into the lives and minds of two influential musicians, Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey, members of bands like Heavenly, Swansea Sound, and The Catenary Wires. They provide a personal reflection on historical events, political perspectives, the Heavenly reformation, and concerns about A.I. Rounding off with exciting updates, the duo talks about their recent and upcoming releases, including the reissue of Heavenly's 'Operation Heavenly' and

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249 results

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