The Music Show

As one-half of A.B. Original, Trials was responsible for one of the key moments in Australian hip-hop over the last decade with the album Reclaim Australia. Away from that collaboration he’s worked with everyone from Paul Kelly to the Hilltop Hoods. His latest work though marks a debut of sorts - his first solo release, called Hendle.Shadow puppetry, dance theatre, and music are all part of a new show called In Shadows, featuring a live composition by Hantu. Isobel D’Cruz Barnes explores the myths and traditions behind her latest work.Music heard in this program:Title: Tree of LIfeArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live RecordingTitle: run to the riverArtist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music AustraliaTitle: whistle while I walkArtist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music AustraliaTitle: what’s the colour of love?Artist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music AustraliaTitle: That's How I PrayArtist: Vika & LindaComposer: Vika Bull, Francesca De Valence, Karen Jacobsen, Mark SholtezAlbum: Where Do You Come From?Label: MushroomTitle: PartyArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live RecordingTitle: Tree of LIfeArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live RecordingTitle: WonderwallArtist: OasisComposer: Noel GallagherAlbum: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?Label: EpicThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Antonia Gauci

Comedian David Mills takes his acerbic humour into the world of cabaret for this year's Adelaide Cabaret Festival. He joins Andy to talk about pessimism, storytelling, and picking the right song for the moment.Violist Lawrence Power joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra this month for a program wending its way through the rolling hills of English music, from Thomas Tallis and Henry Purcell to Jonny Greenwood and Kate Bush. Music heard in this program:Title: The Man With The Child In His EyesArtist: Kate BushComposer: Kate BushAlbum: The Kick InsideLabel: EMITitle: The SnakeArtist: Oscar Brown JrComposer: Oscar Brown JrAlbum: Tells It Like It Is!Label: ColumbiaTitle: Pirate JennyArtist: David MillsComposer: Kurt Weill & Bertolt BrechtAlbum: Live RecordingLabel: Supplied by artistTitle: MothersongArtist: Leah SeniorComposer: Leah Senior and Jesse WilliamsAlbum: Pt. RoadknightLabel: Third Eye StimuliTitle: Flos Campi - Moderato alla marciaArtist: BBC National Orchestra of Wales ft. Lawrence PowerComposer: Ralph Vaughan WilliamsAlbum: Ralph Vaughan Williams/McEwen: Flos Campi & Viola ConcertoLabel: HyperionTitle: Flos Campi - Andante quasi lentoArtist: BBC National Orchestra of Wales ft. Lawrence PowerComposer: Ralph Vaughan WilliamsAlbum: Vaughan Williams/McEwen: Flos Campi & Viola ConcertoLabel: HyperionTitle: Symphony, for double string orchestra - Allegro moltoArtist: London Symphony Orchestra/Vernon HandleyComposer: Elizabeth MaconchyAlbum: Elizabeth Maconchy: Selected worksLabel: LyritaThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Tegan Nicholls

Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?According to some Dolly Apocrypha, Dolly Parton wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day: a lifetime's worth of goosebump production in a single day. And whilst I Will Always Love You is best known by its Whitney Houston cover, Jolene is Dolly's most covered song. And the variety is stunning. Join Andy and his guests - Adelaide Cabaret Festival's Reuben Kaye and Gillian Cosgriff - to paint a picture of a beauty beyond compare. Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs until 21 JuneJolene – Dolly PartonComposed and performed by Dolly PartonReleased as a single, January 1974Versions heard in this episode:Olivia Newton John - Come On Over, 1976Beyonce - COWBOY CARTER, 2024Dami Im - Jolene (Acoustic) single, 2018Nicola Zuraitis, Dan Pugach and his Big Band - single, 2025Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade, 1985Darcy Clay - Jesus I Was Evil (EP), 1997Miley Cyrus - Attention (Live), 2022andReuben Kaye and Gillian Cosgriff - live in The Music Show studio, 2026Next time on Cover Story: Carole King's Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Technical production by Isabella Tropiano and Angela GrantThe show this week was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country.

We pay tribute to Sonny Rollins, who died this week at the age of 95. Rollins played with many of the greats of jazz, but was himself something of loner. Driven by ideas of perfection, Rollins played into his 80s, but spent years away the music industry, including a famous three-year sabbatical where he played for no one other than himself on the Williamsburg Bridge in NYC. Andy spoke to Rollins in 2008, and we revisit that conversation here. For some, performing a show taking on the work of Bette Midler could be a little intimidating; Janis Joplin even more so. Mahalia Barnes is doing both at once, performing songs from The Rose as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She shares what those greats mean to her and what she looks for when she covers a song. Live in the Music Show studio, Cass McCombs performs songs from his latest album Interior Live Oak, and talks about his place in the folk tradition and his time writing folk songs for childrenMahalia Barnes performs The Rose is on at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on the 14th of JuneCass McCombs is performing at the Sydney Opera House for Vivid on the 31st of MayMusic heard in this program:Title: The RoseArtist: Bette MidlerComposer: Amanda McBroomAlbum: The Rose (The Original Soundtrack Recording)Label: AtlanticTitle: The BridgeArtist: Sonny RollinsComposer: Sonny RollinsAlbum: The BridgeLabel: RCATitle: Whose Side Are You OnArtist: Bette MidlerComposer: Charley Williams & Kenny HopkinsAlbum: The Rose (The Original Soundtrack Recording)Label: AtlanticTitle: Stay With MeArtist: Lorraine EllisonComposer: George David Weiss & Jerry RagovoyAlbum: Stay With MeLabel: Warner Bros. - Seven Arts Records Title: I'm On FireArtist: Mahalia Barnes and the Soul MatesComposer: Bruce SpringsteenAlbum: I'm On Fire singleLabel: Independent releaseTitle: PriestessArtist: Cass McCombsComposer: Cass McCombsAlbum: Interior Live OakLabel: DominoTitle: Missionary BellArtist: Cass McCombsComposer: Cass McCombsAlbum: Interior Live OakLabel: DominoThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Harvey O'Sullivan, Angela Grant, and Brendan O'Neill

Barry Conyngham’s piece Ice Carving isn’t performed very often, and almost never in its intended configuration - a solo violinist surrounded by an audience, who are then surrounded by 4 string orchestras. It’s finally getting its proper form at The Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne and Barry takes us back to the inspiration, at The Imperial Palace in Tokyo.It's been 30 years since Mogwai released their debut single, Tuner/Lower, and the band have gone from one of the young teams of rock to one of post-rock's longest running groups. Stuart Braithwaite, the band's guitarist and occasional singer, looks back on the band's three decades.Tortoise, another central figure in post-rock, are also celebrating 30 years since one of their biggest albums, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. John McEntire explains how the band decides which drummer will play on a given track, why they're drawn to unusual time-signatures, and why it took 10 years for them to complete their latest record. Ice Carving has three shows on May 29. Details hereTour dates for Mogwai, beginning on May 23 at Vivid in Sydney, are available hereTour dates for Tortoise, beginning May 27 in Sydney, are available hereMusic heard in this program:Title: Mogwai Fear SatanArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: Young TeamLabel: SpunkTitle: Ice CarvingArtist: Sydney Symphony Orchestra & Wilfred LehmannComposer: Barry ConynghamAlbum: Live performanceLabel: ABC MusicTitle: What Kind of Mix Is ThisArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: The Bad FireLabel: Rock Action RecordsTitle: Yes! I Am A Long Way From HomeArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: Young TeamLabel: SpunkTitle: OganessonArtist: TortoiseComposer: TortoiseAlbum: TouchLabel: International Anthem Recording CompanyTitle: Glass MuseumArtist: TortoiseComposer: TortoiseAlbum: Millions Now Living Will Never DieLabel: Thrill JockeyTitle: After RainArtist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift MusicThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

Xiu Xiu has been a leading figure in American avant-pop for more than two decades: combining abrasive noise and extremely dark subject matter with a catchy pop sensibility. It’s perhaps no surprise then that they’ve been drawn to the work of David Lynch, releasing their version of the music of Twin Peaks, and now, appearing at Dark Mofo in Tasmania to present their take on Eraserhead. Jamie Stewart talks passion, performance, and Dolly Parton. in 1707 Alessandro Scarlatti wrote an oratorio called il primo omicidio - The First Murder. It features Cain, Abel, their parents Adam and Eve, and (naturally) God and Satan providing a bit of sung commentary too. Ashlyn Tymms, Madison Nonoa, and Erin Helyard share Pinchgut Opera's approach, which uses a distinctly Australian setting.Pinchgut Opera are performing The First Murder at Roslyn Packer Theatre from May 23Music heard in this program:Title: JoleneArtist: Xiu XiuComposer: Dolly PartonAlbum: Xiu MF'n XiuLabel: Polyvinyl Record Company Title: Common LoonArtist: Xiu XiuComposer: Xiu XIuAlbum: 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn GripsLabel: Polyvinyl Record Company Title: Il primo omicidio, Parte prima; 'La fraterna amica pace'Artist: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and René JacobsComposer: Alessandro Scarlatti Album: Scarlatti: Il primo omicidioLabel: Harmonia MundiTitle: La Fraterna amica paceArtist: Erin Helyard, Ashlyn Tymms, Madison NonoaComposer: Alessandro Scarlatti Album: Live PerformanceTitle: The White Bay paper sellerArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Judy SmallAlbum: Ladies & GemsLabel: Crafty MaidThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Emrys Cronin and Timothy Jenkins

Voiceless Mass, by Raven Chacon, can be performed in 'any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe organ' and plays with the amplifying power of a church's architecture, while commenting on the silencing of voices and languages that churches have been active in throughout their history. It won the composer the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2022 and is heading to the Rising Festival in Melbourne.Raven talks to Andy about the intersection of politics and music, his role as a mentor, and what he wants to add to John Cage's understanding of silence.The huge sound of the Melbourne Town Hall grand organ might seem like an unusual choice for the composer and guitarist Cam Butler, but for his latest album, he had a chance to take over the hall - and brought along a rock band and a string orchestra to complete the mix. Cam’s project is a cinematic album of guitar-organ-strings-rock maximalism, called World Forever and he shares how he approached this latest challenge, and how he gets the most from his normal instrument, the guitar.Cam Butler will be performing World Forever live at the Melbourne Town Hall on May 22. Join us for The Music Show at Sydney Writers' Festival on 21 May with Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior and Kate FaganMusic heard in this program:Title: Haunted RuinsArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery RecordsTitle: Voicless MassArtist: Present MusicComposer: Raven ChaconAlbum: Raven Chacon: Voiceless MassLabel: New World RecordsTitle: Don't Cry (Your Father & Grandfather Are GoodArtist: Himba Hymn CollectiveComposer: Himba Hymn CollectiveAlbum: Himba Hymn: Ghosts Of Namibia's Skeleton CoastLabel: Sublime FrequenciesTitle: World ForeverArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery RecordsTitle: Clear InfinityArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery RecordsTitle: RottenArtist: Gia MargaretComposer: Gia MargaretAlbum: SingingLabel: JagjaguwarThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

Scottish composer Anna Meredith creates a meeting place between the concert platform and the rave in her music. Her piece for electronics and string quartet, Tuggemo, takes its name from an archaic English word for a swarm of bees, and demands to be heard loud. It's being given its Australian premiere by Omega Ensemble as part of their Howl concert season.Sophia Brous is an Australian composer based in the US, and she creates semi-improvised song cycles from selections by 20th century writers. Her new collaborator of sorts is the late Dorothy Porter, with her partner Andrea Goldsmith acting as a guide through the poetry Porter wrote in the last years of her life. Andrea and Sophia join Andy to talk about Porter's impact on music and music's impact on her. Sophia Brous and Paul Grabowsky are performing Life Lines: A Song Cycle of Dorothy Porter at the Melbourne Writers FestivalMusic heard in this program:Title: BlackfriarsArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: VarmintsLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: TuggemoArtist: Ligeti QuartetComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: NucLabel: Mercury KXTitle: Lil WaltzerArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: Bumps Per MinuteLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: NautilusArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: VarmintsLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: NautilusArtist: Ligeti QuartetComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: NucLabel: Mercury KXTitle: MoonmoonsArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: FIBSLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: If Snakes Could FlyArtist: Paul Grabowsky and Katie NoonanComposer: Dorothy Porter and Paul GrabowskyAlbum: Before Time Could Change UsLabel: SBS WeatherwatchTitle: Set PIecesArtist: Sophia Brous and Kit DownesComposer: Sophia Brous and Alejandra PizarnikAlbum: Set Pieces live at The Lincoln CenterTitle: 10 Preludes, Op. 23; No. 6 AndanteArtist: Ruth SlenczynskaComposer: Sergei RachmaninovAlbum: Complete American Decca RecordingsLabel: EloquenceThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

ZÖJ, the collaboration between Gelareh Pour and Brian O'Dwyer perform the opening track from their new album, May The Devil’s Ear Be Deaf, live in the music show studios. The album was recorded at an artists retreat in Banff, Canada, and features music “built on fragility and on the fear of its own erasure." They also talk about performing a live score to a remarkable 1925 silent film, Grass: A Nation’s Battle for Life.The Three Seas have been coming together and then flying apart again for years, and they're back together for a live session in the Music Show studio. With band members living in both Australia and West Bengal, the music is an amalgam of Himalayan folk, Baul spiritual music, rock, dub, and jazz. Their latest album is called Antahkarana and it was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World studio, a high-tech idyll in the south west of England.And we remember two giants of the classical world, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, who has died at the age of 81, and Ruth Slenczynska, who has died at the age of 102. Tilson Thomas was known for his advocacy of modern American repertoire, and his life-long embrace of Mahler's titanic symphonies. In an archive interview, he tells Andy how he thinks about classical music as a whole, and Mahler in particular. We'll hear more from Andy's long conversation with Ruth Slenczynska, a child-prodigy concert pianist who learned with Rachmaninov and duetted with President Truman, next time on The Music Show. The Three Seas are currently on tour, dates available hereZÖJ are performing Grass at The Capitol Theatre on May 1Music heard in this program:Title: Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue in D minor, BWV903 Artist: Ruth Slenczynska Composer: J. S. BachAlbum: Ruth Slenczynska - Complete American Decca RecordingsLabel: DeccaTitle: Symphony No. 4; iii. Fugue (Andante moderato) Artist: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Michael Tilson ThomasComposer: Charles IvesAlbum: Ives - Symphony Nos. 3 & 4, Selected American HymnsLabel: SFS MediaTitle: Symphony No. 1 in D major, 'Titan'; iv. Stürmisch bewegtArtist: San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson ThomasComposer: Gustav MahlerAlbum: Mahler - Symphony No. 1Label: SFS MediaTitle: TermitesArtist: ZÖJComposer: Gelareh Pour & Brian O'DwyerAlbum: May The Devil’s Ear Be DeafLabel: Bleeemo MusicTitle: Real WorldArtist: The Three SeasComposer: The Three SeasAlbum: AntaḥkaraṇaLabel: Earshift MusicTitle: RongmoholeArtist: The Three SeasComposer: The Three SeasAlbum: AntaḥkaraṇaLabel: Earshift MusicThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Antonia Gauci, AJ Bradford, and Tim Jenkins

Robert Finley's first album was called Age Don't Mean A Thing, which was fitting because he released it in his 60s. Before that, he was a military man and then a carpenter. When he began to go blind he sat down his tools and returned to music - initially the blues - but his latest album Hallelujah! Don't Let the Devil Fool Ya is a gospel album, and a very special one. Robert is on tour in Australia 16-19 May. Jake Mason's new album with the Jake Mason Trio is called The Modern Ark and it's got the hammond organ at its core. Jake joins Andy to talk about working with vocalists Kate Cebrano and Kurt Elling, why the trio is the perfect unit of music for him, and going ham(mond).

There aren’t many bands that are still going after 50 years, but Sparks, who had their first big hit back in 1974 with This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us, have seen a renaissance of sorts in the last few years - they wrote a film, starred in a documentary, collaborated with Cate Blanchett, and have released some of their best work. The brothers, Ron and Russell Mael, talk about their shifting style, creative use of repetition, and the work of Bernard Herrmann. After performing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Mo'Ju has swapped the stage for the library - as one of the musicians commissioned by the State Library of Victoria to write a song for their Rebel Heart exhibition, works inspired by letters that reveal tales of love, and of rebellion.Sparks tour dates available here.Music heard in this program:Title: Far Too LateArtist: Mo'juComposer: Mojo Ruiz de LuzuriagaAlbum: Native TongueLabel: ABC MusicTitle: Do Things My Own WayArtist: SparksComposer: Ron Mael & Russell MaelAlbum: MAD!Label: Transgressive RecordsTitle: This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of UsArtist: SparksComposer: Ron MaelAlbum: Kimono My HouseLabel: Island RecordsTitle: Tryouts for the Human RaceArtist: SparksComposer: Ron Mael & Giorgio MoroderAlbum: No. 1 In HeavenLabel: Virgin MusicTitle: My Baby's Taking Me HomeArtist: SparksComposer: Ron Mael & Russell MaelAlbum: Lil' BeethovenLabel: Lil' Beethoven RecordsTitle: The Girl Is Crying In Her LatteArtist: SparksComposer: Ron Mael & Russell MaelAlbum: The Girl Is Crying In Her LatteLabel: Island RecordsTitle: AgapitoArtist: Mo'JuComposer: Mojo Ruiz de LuzuriagaAlbum: State Library of Victoria Exhibition Label: Independent Title: I Just Wanna KnowArtist: Mo'juComposer: Mojo Ruiz de LuzuriagaAlbum: Native TongueLabel: ABC MusicTitle: Music from Psycho - The MurderArtist: National Philharmonic OrchestraComposer: Bernard HerrmannAlbum: PsychoLabel: UnicornThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Antonia Gauci

Alan Menken’s name is synonymous with Disney’s 1990s purple patch: a so called ‘renaissance’ of the animation empire’s fortunes, where a run of films starting with 1989’s The Little Mermaid cut through to a new generation. Ahead of a series of solo performances in Australia, he talks to Andy about how he's brought characters to life through songs. And from the archives, conversations with three musicians inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia for 2026: Marcia Hines, Joe Dolce, and Missy Higgins.A Whole New World Of Alan Menken is in Melbourne on 6 May and Sydney 8 May.