The Keyboard Chronicles

Greg Kane is one half of iconic outfit Hue And Cry, which has been producing music for well over 40 years. We chat with Greg on that amazing history, his approach to production and playing, and lots more.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Hue And Cry’s latest album, Everybody

Working with the brilliant Yoad Nevo

Thoughts on Behringer and the Deepmind 12

Hue And Cry – Stronger

Greg’s love for the ASM Hydrasynth and the Moog DFAM

Sam Battle’s museum: This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete

When you connect 27 synths with MIDI clock

The formation of Hue And Cry

Hue And Cry in action live in 2025

Hue And Cry – Here Comes Everybody

Hue And Cry – I Refuse

Hue And Cry’s iconic song Labour of Love

Hue And Cry appear on Top of the Pops

Dealing with a hit and travelling to New York for recording

When you’re in the vicinity of Sam Fox and David Byrne

Breakfast with Petrocelli

The Possible Twenty bar in New York

The joy of custom DX7 and D-50 cartridges from Manny’s Music

A chat on instrumentation and Hue And Cry’s 1995 album ‘Piano & Voice‘

Hue And Cry – Looking for Linda

When Michael Brecker asks you to play in front of McCoy Tyner

Arranging brass/horns and working with Harold Wheeler and Lenny Pickett

Hue And Cry’s Jazz Not Jazz

Greg’s current keyboard rig with Hue And Cry – 100% live, no backing tracks

Desert Island Discs: Do It Yourself – Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Look Sharp! – Joe Jackson, Self-titled – The Specials, Kind of Blue – Miles Davis, I Heard That Noise – quickly, quickly.

Key links:

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Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post Greg Kane, Hue And Cry appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

Erik Deutsch is an American keyboard player currently touring with The Black Crowes. While he is well known for his extensive live and session work—including time spent with Leftover Salmon and Charlie Hunter—Erik is also a dedicated solo artist with a diverse catalogue of original jazz and funk releases. We chat with Erik about his career to date, how he balances major touring commitments with his solo output, and the gear he relies on for the road. A huge thanks to guest co-host Sandy Soon for joining us as well!

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Erik’s website

Erik Deutsch – This Was Then

Erik playing Martha live in 2025

The music scene in Mexico City versus New York York

Erik’s musical upbringing

Erik’s first band Fat Mama

Erik in action with Fat Mama (2000)

Joining County Road X

Working in a trio with the brilliant Art Lande

Joining the Charlie Hunter Trio

Erik in action with the Charlie Hunter Trio 

Charlie Hunter – Baboon Strength

Joining Shooter Jennings

Erik in action with Shooter Jennings in 2011

Working with Citizen Cope

Erik’s keyboard rig with Citizen Cope

Joining Leftover Salmon

Erik playing with Leftover Salmon, 2017

Approach to long touring periods

Erik joins The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks) and perhaps sets the record for the shortest gigging employment with a band

Erik in action on the one and only song he played with The Chicks

Discussion on female instrumentalists and barriers / opportunities

Joining The Black Crowes

Erik in action with The Black Crowes

The level of playing freedom at a Black Crowes gig

Erik’s keyboard rig with The Black Crowes

Erik’s work on The Black Crowes’ album Happiness Bastards

Erik’s ‘front of stage’ train/bus wreck

Erik’s own amazing podcast – Sounds of Brooklyn and Beyond

Desert Island Discs:  Moon Safari – Air, Kind of Blue – Miles Davis, Treasure Island – Keith Jarrett, Illmatic – Nas, Music from Big Pink – The Band

Key links:

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Buy some keyboard related merchandise





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Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post Erik Deutsch, The Black Crowes / Solo Artist appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

J. Willgoose, Esq. is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and producer best known as the founding member of the conceptual electronic rock group Public Service Broadcasting. Blending vintage synthesizers, samplers, and traditional instrumentation with extensive archival audio, he is recognized for constructing thematic musical narratives based around historical events. Known for his focused approach to sequencing and live looping, Willgoose effectively integrates old broadcast samples and public information films into atmospheric electronic and rock textures across albums like The Race for Space and Every Valley. We chat his and PSB’s career to date and get some great insights into what is an incredibly complicated live show.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Night Flight – The Last Flight Remixes

Electra – Late Night Final Remix

J. Willgoose Esq’s musical upbringing

The Manic Street Preachers

The genesis of Public Service Broadcasting

The Yamaha CS6x

Public Service Broadcasting – People Will Always Need Coal

Public Service Broadcasting – The Now Generation

Expanding Public Service Broadcasting to a full band

J’s love for Reaper as a key component of PSB’s live performances

J’s keyboard rig and love of the Roland Fantom series

The challenges (and documentation) involved in a highly complex and integrated rig set-up amomgst multiple musicians

Public Service Broadcasting – Sputnik

Redundancy and backups

Operating a keyboard and guitar rig and level of integration

Public Service Broadcasting – Towards The Dawn

Public Service Broadcasting live at the Royal Albert Hall

Public Service Broadcasting with the London Contemporary Orchestra

A discussion on orchestras and experimentation

Public Service Broadcasting – Bright Magic

The SOMA Labs Ether

The next Public Service Broadcasting album

J. lists some key musical inspirations

Datassette

OMD – Second Thought

J’s train wreck stories

Desert Island Discs: Endtroducing – DJ Shadow, In Rainbows – Radiohead, Blade Runner – Vangelis, Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique” – Tchaikovsky, Intermezzo (Cavalleria Rusticana) – Monleone and Mascagni

Key links:

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Buy some keyboard related merchandise





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Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post J. Willgoose Esq., Public Service Broadcasting appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

In Part 2 of our chat with the brilliant David Hirschfelder, we dive deeper into his time with John Farnham, talk on his numerous other collaborations and his incredible career as a film and TV composer.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Rehearsing for tours with John Farnham

Recording the Age of Reason album

The Fairlight Series 3 and the song Two Strong Hearts

The decision to stop touring

David in action with John Farnham in touring version of Jesus Christ Superstar

David’s keyboard rig for Jesus Christ Superstar

The brilliant Farnham documentary – Finding The Voice

Handing over the baton to the brilliant Chong Lim

David’s solo album: Welcome To The Nighclub Of My Mind

David’performing one of his solo creations: Cool School Rules

David Hirschfelder and David Hobson – Inside This Room

Joesph Campbell – The Hero With A Thousand Faces

The move to film and TV composition

David’s work on Strictly Ballroom

Working on the movie Shine

David’s full roster of creations

A potted history of the Yamaha Disklavier series of pianos

David’s work on the film Elizabeth

A chat on DAWs, plugins and David’s love for the Arturia Polybrute

David’s work on The Dressmaker 

David’s work on Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

David’s work on The Railway Man

David’s work on The Water Diviner

David’s work on Sleeping Dogs

Sam Hirschfelder – musician and composer

Desert Island Discs: The Rite of Spring – Stravinsky (Conducted by Stravinsky), V.S.O.P. (Live) – Herbie Hancock, Heavy Weather – Weather Report, The Planets – Holst, The Mission – Ennio Morricone

Key links:

Become a member of our YouTube channel and receive extra content

Buy some keyboard related merchandise





Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok or LinkedIn

Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post David Hirschfelder, Composer / John Farnham / Little River Band (Part 2) appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

David Hirschfelder is a globally acclaimed Australian keyboardist, composer, and arranger best known for his extensive live and studio work with pop-rock heavyweights like the Little River Band and John Farnham, as well as his distinguished career as a film score composer. His prolific output blends deep classical roots with masterful electronic and orchestral textures. A BAFTA winner and multi-Academy Award nominee, David’s celebrated cinematic repertoire includes the iconic scores for Strictly Ballroom, Shine, and Elizabeth, alongside his own ambitious contemporary art music collaborations. In Part 1 we cover off David’s work with Pyramid, Little River Band, and the early part of his time with John Farnham including the recording and touring of Whispering Jack.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

David and Mindy Meng Wang – Love

Writing 80 minutes of music in 4 weeks for But Also John Clarke

David and Pyramid in a news feature story and performance on the Don Lane Show

Pyramid at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1983

Brian Cadd playing on The Real Thing by Russell Morris

Forming Pyramid

Herbie Hancock – Actual Proof

David’s keyboard rig with Pyramid

The Mu-Tron Bi-Phase

Moving to the Little River Band

Little River Band – The Net

David in action on his first tour with Little River Band in 1983

Buying a Fairlight

The Fairlight Page R Real-Time Composer

Creation of the classic lead sound on the song ‘Playing to Win’

Little River Band – No Reins

Joining John Farnham as a solo artist and creating the bones of Whispering Jack with a MIDI retrofitted Fairlight, and:

The Yamaha QX-1 Sequencer

The E-Mu SP-12 Drum Machine

8 DX7s in a box – the Yamaha TX-816

(with a Prophet-5 for some warmth)

David’s co-write on Whispering Jack – Going, Going Gone

David’s keyboard rig on the Whispering Jack tour and creating a click track before use of in-ear monitors

David in action with John Farnham – Help

David in action live with John Farnham in December 1990  – Playing to Win

Key links:

Become a member of our YouTube channel and receive extra content

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Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok or LinkedIn

Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post David Hirschfelder, Composer / John Farnham / Little River Band (Part 1) appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.