Brownbear's Matthew Hickman on songwriting, soul, and ambitious live shows

Kai Reesu's Paul Copeland and Jurnalist on their SAY Award win, Kompromat vol.1, and their new album

Paul Copeland and Jurnalist of Scottish Album of the Year winners Kai Reesu join us to talk about the impact of their SAY win, the process of making their new album, and the ways in which their songs come together. Kai Reesu play Eden Festival [https://edenfestival.co.uk/] in Moffat on Friday 12 June, Glasgow Jazz Festival [https://www.jazzfest.co.uk/gigs/homegrown-showcase-ft-kai-reesu-gaia-pippa-blundell-sekoya/] on Saturday 13 June, the Skinny Stage at Kelburn Garden Party [https://www.kelburngardenparty.com/] on Sunday 5 July, and Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival [https://ejbf.co.uk/products/jazz-party-at-the-pitt-1] on Sunday 26 July Presented by Laurie Presswood; production and editing by Peter Simpson and Laurie Presswood; audio by Brian Pokora [https://brianpokora.bandcamp.com/]. instagram.com/kai_reesu/ [https://www.instagram.com/kai_reesu/]

Brownbear's Matthew Hickman on songwriting, soul, and ambitious live shows

On this episode, we chat to Matthew Hickman of indie-soul outfit Brownbear. We discuss a pair of ambitious upcoming gigs, his songwriting approach, some unexpected inspirations, and the telltale signs of a good song. Brownbear play Queen's Hall, Edinburgh on 27 Mar [https://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/amplifi-brownbear-ria-andrews-nuna] with a full band and string ensemble, and Saint Luke's, Glasgow on 6 Jun [https://www.stlukesglasgow.com/events/indie-soul-presents-brownbear/], performing their albums 'What Is Home?' and 'Demons' in full. Presented by Laurie Presswood; production and editing by Peter Simpson and Laurie Presswood; audio by Brian Pokora [https://brianpokora.bandcamp.com/]. instagram.com/brownbear_official [https://www.instagram.com/brownbear_official]

Brìghde Chaimbeul on folklore, ritual, Sunwise and the small pipes

On our first episode of 2026, we catch up with musician and composer Brìghde Chaimbeul. One of the most exciting pipe players to emerge in recent years, we chat to Brìghde about the inspirations behind her excellent new album Sunwise, the role of mythology and ritual in her songwriting, and her process for playing live. Brìghde plays St Lukes, Glasgow on 21 Jan with Shahzad Ismaily as part of Celtic Connections – tickets here [https://www.celticconnections.com/event/1/brghde-chaimbeul-shahzad-ismaily-and-cahalen-morrison-trio/] CHAPTERS: Celtic Connections, and the Sunwise album (0:30) Community, ritual, archives and development (6:15) The winter folklore and Gaelic mythology behind A’Chailleach (16:55) The significance of Sunwise (22:00) Presented by Laurie Presswood; production and editing by Peter Simpson; audio by Brian Pokora [https://brianpokora.bandcamp.com/]; recorded remotely from The Skinny office in Edinburgh brichaimbeul.com [https://www.brichaimbeul.com] / theskinny.co.uk [https://www.theskinny.co.uk]

Kathryn Joseph on Lomond Campbell, learning to love music, and the making of WE WERE MADE PREY.

For the final Music Now podcast of the year, we hit the road to chat to SAY Award-winning singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph. We met Kathryn in the green room of the Glad Cafe in Glasgow’s Southside to talk about learning to love her music, her work with producer and multi-instrumentalist Lomond Campbell, and the process behind her recent LP WE WERE MADE PREY. Kathryn Joseph plays First Footin' at St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, 1 Jan (tickets here [https://edwinterfest.com/hogmanay/whats-on/first-footin-information]) and Oran Mor, Glasgow on 18 Jan as part of Celtic Connections (tickets here [https://www.celticconnections.com/event/1/kathryn-joseph-lomond-campbell-and-shhe/]) kathrynjoseph.co.uk [https://kathrynjoseph.co.uk/] Recorded at The Glad Cafe, Glasgow; thanks to Kim and the GC team for all their help. Presented by Laurie Presswood; produced and edited by Peter Simpson, with audio by Brian Pokora [https://brianpokora.bandcamp.com/]

Gaelic vocal trio Sian on archives, storytelling, and translation

On our latest episode, we're joined by Ceitlin Lilidh, Eilidh Cormack and Ellen MacDonald, better known as the Gaelic vocal harmony group Sian. Sian are perhaps best known for their work with Niteworks on tracks like Air far an la, and their second album araon, which came out in August, was jointly produced by Niteworks’ Innes Strachan and the prolific producer and composer Innes White. We caught up with the trio to chat about their tour preparations, adapting well-known songs, and mining the archives at The School of Scottish Studies. ---- This episode is sponsored by the Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, where Sian are performing on 4 December as part of the last of their Malin Lewis Presents series with Flook and Malin Lewis – get tickets via thequeenshall.net [https://www.thequeenshall.net/whats-on/flook-malin-lewis-sian] Presented by Laurie Presswood; produced, recorded and edited by Peter Simpson for The Skinny; music by Brian Pokora [https://brianpokora.bandcamp.com/] Follow Sian on Instagram at @sianceol [https://www.instagram.com/sianceol] and get tickets for their upcoming tour at sianmusic.com/tour [https://sianmusic.com/tour]