Matty J Erskine

Aaron Duff (Hector Gannet)

Aaron Duff is the singer, songwriter and the driving force behind one of the North East’s most successful bands, Hector Gannet. He has sold out Hexham’s The Vault three times in a row. Aaron’s work is strongly identified with his hometown of North Shields and he writes about aspects of his life there and the area’s history. But his songs are far deeper than those words suggest – carefully written, dealing with personal issues that we all experience and filled with melodic twists. Add to that Aaron’s continuing urge to evolve the arrangements of the songs and the instrumentation of the band, and you begin to appreciate the quality of his music. I spoke to Aaron at the Engine House, a small venue in North Shields that is highly valued by grass roots musicians, shortly after his return from performing at the prestigious South by Southwest festival in Texas. We spoke about how the band came to be, how important it is for a performer to be true to himself, the inspiration for and challenges of songwriting, and the forthcoming Hector Gannet album The Great Shakedown. This episode includes three singles from the album – The Jetty’s End, A Stitch in the Fold and Seven Signs. You can find Aaron’s music on Hector Gannet’s Bandcamp page and there is information about the band and tour dates on its web site https://hectorgannet.com I’d like to thank Mark Elliott of noredindian artist management [https://noredindian.co.uk] for his help with putting this episode together. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com [https://3tynespodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Bonus episode: Andy J Fraser introduces his new album White Feather

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com [https://3tynespodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Rupert Hughes and The Often Herd

My guest today is Rupert Hughes, guitarist, singer and songwriter with the bluegrass band The Often Herd, and also a guitar tutor, sideman for the likes of Martin Stephenson, and someone who has been known to knock out the occasional classic in his other band Rupert Hughes and the Old News. The Often Herd are one of the North East’s most successful bands. They’ve taken their brand of bluegrass all over the country and toured Europe. In 2025, their talent was recognised with an award from the International Bluegrass Music Association that will take them to the United States this year to play in Nashville, Kentucky and at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Rupert suggested three songs to include in this episode. They are: Cool Summer Rain, Sycamore Gap and Remember my Name. You can find these and the band’s album Where The Big Lamp Shines, on their Bandcamp page, and there some excellent videos of live performances on their YouTube channel. https://theoftenherd.bandcamp.com/music [https://theoftenherd.bandcamp.com/music] https://www.youtube.com/@TheOftenHerd [https://www.youtube.com/@TheOftenHerd] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com [https://3tynespodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Bonus episode: Alston Live Festival preview

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com [https://3tynespodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Bonus bonus episode: Hexham Bandstand Sessions

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 3tynespodcast.substack.com [https://3tynespodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]