The Chatterbox Redux Podcast

Dr. Robert (Robert Howard) of the Blow Monkeys

Today's episode is brought to you in association with the Strong Coffee Company. Please scroll down to the bottom for your exclusive 20% discount. Listen out for more from the Strong Coffee Company on today's podcast. In this edition we are joined in the Chatterbox studio by Dr Robert AKA Robert Howard, front man of The Blow Monkeys, in an excellent interview that was recorded during the first lockdown. The Blow Monkeys were formed in London in 1981 when lead singer Dr. Robert returned to the UK after having spent five years in Australia. Dr. Robert is thought to be named after the Beatles song "Doctor Robert [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Robert]". The other band members are Mick Anker on bass guitar, Neville Henry on saxophone and Tony Kiley or Crispin Taylor on drums. In 1984 the group released their debut album Limping for a Generation [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limping_for_a_Generation], but their first hit single came in 1986 with "Digging Your Scene [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digging_Your_Scene]", from their second album Animal Magic [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Magic_(The_Blow_Monkeys_album)] (which reached #21 in the UK Albums Chart [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Albums_Chart]). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blow_Monkeys#cite_note-13It peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and # 7 on the Hot Dance Club Play [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Dance_Club_Play] chart. In addition, it reached #12 in the UK Singles Chart, #24 in Italy, and #25 in Germany. A third album, She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/She_Was_Only_a_Grocer%27s_Daughter] , released in January 1987. reached #20 in the UK, thanks to its biggest hit, "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way," The song "You Don't Own Me [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Don%27t_Own_Me]" appears on the Dirty Dancing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Dancing_(soundtrack)] soundtrack. Outside the group, Robert Howard released a single, "Wait", which featured early Chicago house [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_house] singer Kym Mazelle [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kym_Mazelle] on female lead vocals. It reached #7 on the UK chart and was included on The Blow Monkeys' fourth album, Whoops! There Goes the Neighbourhood [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whoops!_There_Goes_the_Neighbourhood]), Elevate your coffee routine with Strong Coffee Company's "Black" instant blend and lattes. Both feature organic coffee, protein, MCTs, and adaptogens for sustained energy and mental clarity. The Strong Coffee Company makes quality coffee to everyone's taste Enjoy an exclusive discount of 20% with my promo code CBUKRDUX at the checkout at strongcoffeecompany.com [http://strongcoffeecompany.com]

Sola Akingbola of Jamiroquai

Today's episode is brought to you in association with the Strong Coffee Company. Please scroll down to the bottom for your exclusive 20% discount. Listen out for more from the Strong Coffee Company on today's podcast. We are joined in the Chatterbox studio by Sola Akingbola of Jamiroquai. Every now and again we come across a rather outstanding artist and I think we have just found a new one...by the name of SOLA AKINGBOLA (his first name is pronounced 'Shola'). If his name is familiar, that might be because he is also the longtime percussionist with Jamiroquai. Part 1 of Sola's new album, entitled 'How Should I', will be released this Friday and the plan is to promote his music via a succession of planned single releases taken from the album, 'Touch My Soul' being the first and current one (listening and download link below). Part 2 of the album will be released in 2025 and as with Part 1, it has been recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Sola recently received the Best Film & TV Score BMI Award for the second year running, for his work on Bob Hearts Abishola which attracted over 5 million viewers for its most recent season five. In between his work with Jamiroquai, Sola has been writing scores for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre’s production of Othello in 2023. Sola Akingbola Percussionist for Jamiroquai.Back-to-back MBI Award Winner for Best Television Music Score in 2023 & 2024 (US hit TV comedy ‘Bob Hearts Abishola).Co-Composer of The National Theatre’s production of Othello in 2023.Composer and performer in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet in 2016/2017 featuring a young Paapa Esiedu.Met Diego Maradona in Argentina at an amazing restaurant in Buenos Aires that sold the best chocolate cakes he’d ever tasted! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How Should I, is an album that has three sources or rivers if you like and album speaks and asks questions of the ideas of Family, Identity and Spirit. Each track can be heard and visualised as a vista, inner and outer. Once we have entered that inner space and pushed through the realms of darkness and difficulty, coming back into the connected outer world, for most of us, we cannot be in or see the world in the same way, hence the title ‘How Should I’. These ideas are universal, all cultures have their modes of expressing this tension and awareness and the many interpretations as to how to express it. We recorded most of this album live. I felt that it was important to capture the way we played together in the various studios we recorded in. Each recording space had its own atmosphere, which brought something to the sound and songs. The compositions are a homage to the great songwriters of the past and the way music was played and performed. It is hard to beat that feeling of being in a room with great musicians and getting ready to laydown something that felt special. Elevate your coffee routine with Strong Coffee Company's "Black" instant blend and lattes. Both feature organic coffee, protein, MCTs, and adaptogens for sustained energy and mental clarity. The Strong Coffee Company makes quality coffee to everyone's taste Enjoy an exclusive discount of 20% with my promo code CBUKRDUX at the checkout at strongcoffeecompany.com [http://strongcoffeecompany.com]

Rob Reynolds of Lake

This edition is brought to you in association with Old Glory Tee-Shirts and fan merch. Please scroll down to find the link in order to get your 15% listener discount. In this edition, we are joined by Rob Reynolds, English lead-singer of the 1970's Anglo-German Rock band Lake. LAKE are back – and even after 50 years, they prove that their energy remains unbroken! The legendary German rock band release their new single Wish I Was A Sailor, which, following Boy On A Mission, offers another preview of the anniversary album set to be released later this year. With Scottish singer Ian Cussick on vocals, the track gains emotional depth, while classic LAKE elements subtly merge with modern accents. Under the direction of mastermind Detlef Petersen, the band once again showcases their unmistakable blend of powerful lead and harmony vocals and characteristic musical elegance since their reunion – clear proof that LAKE have lost none of their shine over the decades. Fans are given a direct glimpse into the band’s creative process and the unique atmosphere surrounding the creation of their new music. LAKE is one of the few German rock bands with an international history. Founded in the early 1970s between Husum and Hamburg, the band quickly developed a Westcoast rock sound with complex choral arrangements and musical elegance. Their breakthrough came in the mid-1970s: the debut album sold 400,000 copies, entered the Billboard charts and opened the doors for an extensive US tour in 1977. The crowning achievement followed in the same year with the German “Schallplattenpreis” – a knighthood for a German formation with international ambitions. With LAKE (1976), LAKE II (1978) and Paradise Island (1979), the band released the albums that are still considered their core work today. Towards the end of the 1970s, the original lineup parted ways, consisting of Detlef Petersen (Keyboards, Composition, Production, Backing Vocals), Martin Tiefensee (Bass, Backing Vocals), Geoffrey Peacey (Keyboards, Backing Vocals), Alex Conti (Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals), Dieter Ahrendt (Drums, Percussion), and James Hopkins-Harrison (Vocals). After years of individual projects and the death of singer James Hopkins-Harrison in 1991, LAKE’s story initially seemed to have come to an end. Since 2018, Detlef Petersen has once again been working on new material together with Martin Tiefensee, Geoffrey Peacey and Alex Conti, joined by Rob Reynolds and Ian Cussick on vocals. For the new album, the band brought in further prominent support: drummer Kenny Aronoff recorded the drum tracks in Los Angeles. With the current lineup, LAKE shows that they are not relying on nostalgic retrospection but are creating music for the present. In addition to the single, further releases and concerts are planned. This edition of the Chatterbox Redux podcast is brought to you in association with Old Glory, who offer over 300,000 items for music, sports, entertainment, and pop culture fans, featuring officially licensed merch from iconic bands and top sports teams. Discover your perfect fan gear and save with my exclusive discount! https://oldglory.com/ [https://oldglory.com/] (Just add the code CBUKRDUX at the checkout) To get an EXCLUSIVE LISTENER Discount % 15% OFF any product in this exclusive deal. Remember (Just add the code CBUKRDUX at the checkout) https://oldglory.com/ [https://oldglory.com/]croll down for further details and how you can get a very generous listener discount.

Louise Aubrie

Today's episode is brought to you in association with the Strong Coffee Company. Please scroll down to the bottom for your exclusive 20% discount. Listen out for more from the Strong Coffee Company on today's podcast. Sue, Nick and Twinkle the Tuxedo Cat are joined in the Chatterbox Studio by Louise Aubrie. Louise Aubrie is a London-born, indie rock artist who splits her time between the UK and the US. Having started her career writing and recording in London, she then went on to hone her sound on the stages of downtown New York, building a transatlantic career defined by sharp songwriting and a punchy, guitar-driven edge. Over the years, she has had the privilege to record at legendary studios including Abbey Road in London and East West Studios in Hollywood, carving out a sound shaped by the energy of the cities she calls home. Her new single Midnight Calls is the first release from her sixth studio album, LFA, and marks the first record she has written and recorded in Los Angeles. Written during her time living on the West Coast and tracked at East West Studios on Sunset Boulevard, the album was produced and mixed by Ken Sluiter. At its heart, LFA is a love letter from London to LA, shaped by the experience of relocating and absorbing the mythology of Hollywood. Driving through the city at all hours, inspired by the Hollywood Hills and the legacy of those who built the industry, the song captures that sense of being on the brink of change. Lines like “I’m on the edge and you’ve got the looks that kill” reflect both the emotional shift of moving home and the heightened drama of Los Angeles itself. The songwriter shares, “It’s always interesting when you have a life in both the UK and US as I find I am awake at all times of the day and night catching up with people, which can trick your brain into new areas of creativity.” Tight and punchy, it sets the tone for a record that draws from personal experience and classic film history alike. Across her career, Aubrie has worked with an impressive roster of musicians including Keith Scott, Solomon Walker, Charlie Paxson and Roger Joseph Manning Jr, and has performed at renowned venues such as The 100 Club in London and The Bowery Electric in New York. Her debut album Fingers Crossed…, produced by Boz Boorer, received critical acclaim in both the UK and US, earning national radio airplay and praise from Billboard. She has since secured airplay across BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, Kerrang and BBC Radio London, steadily building an international audience. With LFA on the horizon, Midnight Calls signals a confident new chapter, one that bridges London grit with Los Angeles scale. www.louiseaubrie.com [http://www.louiseaubrie.com] Elevate your coffee routine with Strong Coffee Company's "Black" instant blend and lattes. Both feature organic coffee, protein, MCTs, and adaptogens for sustained energy and mental clarity. The Strong Coffee Company makes quality coffee to everyone's taste Enjoy an exclusive discount of 20% with my promo code CBUKRDUX at the checkout at strongcoffeecompany.com [http://strongcoffeecompany.com]

Ian Wills (Wills & the Willing)

This edition is brought to you in association with Old Glory Tee-Shirts and fan merch. Please scroll down for further details and how you can get a very generous listener discount In this edition of the podcast we welcome back Ian Wills of Wills & the Willing. 20 years ago, Wills & The Willing released their debut album Kerbside, following a string of UK dates including a run at the Edinburgh Festival which saw them collect the prestigious award of ‘Pick of The Fringe’. Janice Long began championing the band on BBC Radio 2, regularly playing the highly acclaimed single 21st Century Love Song. By the summer of 2006 the band had enjoyed strong national radio and media support across the board, playing festivals throughout the UK including the much loved and highly respected Guilfest. The highlight came whilst on a second series of gigs in New York when Ian Wills had the great privilege of sharing a radio show with the legendary Les Paul who, live on air, said the lyrics to 21st Century Love Song were among his favorite in recent times. Later this year the sixth Wills & The Willing album Thats Why I Wrote This Song will be released. The first single Newtons Law is out on April 24th 2026. Newtons Law delves into the balance of believing, disbelieving, redemption and sense of no matter how hard you try to live a righteous life you cannot alter destiny. Ian Wills continues to push his songwriting and joining the Willing for album number six are, Simon Hanson (Squeeze) – Drums; Donnie Little (Paulo Nutini, Imelda May) – Guitars; Mo Pleasure (Ray Charles, Earth Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Bette Midler) – Bass; Andy May (Marriane Faithful, Albert Hammond) - Piano , Hammond , Organ. This edition of the Chatterbox Redux podcast is brought to you in association with Old Glory, who offer over 300,000 items for music, sports, entertainment, and pop culture fans, featuring officially licensed merch from iconic bands and top sports teams. Discover your perfect fan gear and save with my exclusive discount! https://oldglory.com/ [https://oldglory.com/] (Just add the code CBUKRDUX at the checkout) To get an EXCLUSIVE LISTENER Discount % 15% OFF any product in this exclusive deal. Remember (Just add the code CBUKRDUX at the checkout) https://oldglory.com/ [https://oldglory.com/]