The Andy Social Podcast

I’m a bit of an OCD freak at times. I love order, I love lists and love to document all sorts of information (useful and otherwise) that can be accessed at my fingertips. This is probably why I like Brian Giffin. The human recorder, writer, and archivist of Australian Heavy Metal. For decades, Brian has been obsessively attending metal shows in Australia and documenting the scene through articles and reviews as well as his own database of releases, line-up changes, notable events and much...

Heard of the term 'Death Care Professional'? I hadn't until I met Emma Jane Holmes. Emma has been working in Funeral Homes for the past several years and has taken an unorthodox approach to sharing her experiences in a jovial way with the general public. Heels & Hearses is a blog that Emma started in early 2016 which documented her experiences working in the Funeral industry. Emma knew about a lot of the stigma and wanted to break the perceptions people had not only about the Funeral...

Karl is a Prosthetic Technician who has been creating artificial limbs since the early 90s for a countless number of amputees of all ages and backgrounds. He's built life long friendships with many of his clients often providing new limbs as people grow up, get older and require updates and improvements as time rolls on. Not the most obvious career path to take right? Karl had a keen interest in special effects and had hopes of working in that field. After a 'stroke of luck by great...

Often referred to as Western Australia's power metal sweetheart, Stu McGill is the guitarist and founder of Perth's Silent Knight. Over the past 9 years, Stu and the band have created a loyal following in a local scene that has been heavily dominated by more extreme metal bands. Stu understood that their sound didn't equate to a lot of immediate opportunities, so he decided to create his own. In 2014 Stu launched the Stormrider Festival which is held each year in Perth and showcases...

Shivani Gopal is leading the charge to help women live more a remarkable life through empowerment and opportunity. Through her own experiences of sexual harassment, an arranged marriage as a young woman and continuous inequality stemming from gender, Shivani took action to make a change not only for herself but for others also experiencing the same challenges. Through her own adversity, The Remarkable Woman was created. It's a collective of women from all backgrounds who work together to...

Power metal nerds can skip the introduction, however for the rest of you, Jonas Heidgert is a metal vocalist and best known as the front man for Sweden's Dragonland. He's had guest appearances on a number of releases from bands such as Ancestral Dawn, Aldaria, and even Melbourne's Bane of Winterstorm. Jonas has also been fronting 80s Swedish metal band Destiny since 2012 and works with a number of tribute acts. Exhausted at the thought? You and me both! I have a headache just keeping up...

If you don't recognise the name Steve Balbi immediately, you will quickly join the dots when the songs Touch, Take Me Back, No Lies, Burning Feeling, Simple Man and even Hot Chilli Woman are recalled. Being a key song writer and the bass player in Australian rock band Noiseworks, Steve saw heightened fame in the late 80s/early 90s with hit after hit which many of us will be able to recite word for word. With a highly respected career in music even up to the era of Noiseworks, Steve went on...

Mark Briody of Jag Panzer. The young Andy would have been stoked. I remember listening to Thane to the Throne when I was about 16 and being blown away with what I heard. Jag Panzer was one of the small number of bands who broke me out of my mainstream metal knowledge and set me on a path of absorption of the wider metal world. My eyes had been opened! Mark is someone who I‘ve looked up to and respected for many years. The way he approaches the band and interacts with those who love the...

Sceptic, sceptic, sceptic. That's me. Always quick to jump to my BS meter to call out something. With this in mind I thought it might be good to challenge myself a little and speak to someone who has a very different set of beliefs to my own. Meet Peter Maxwell Slattery. An Author, Rap Artist and an Extraterrestrial Contact Experiencer. Multi-dimensional personality who not only writes books, releases his own music and speaks about his personal E.T. encounters but also runs ECETI Australia...

If you're a New Zealand metal fan, there's a high possibility you'll know who Paul Martin is. Front New Zealand's longest standing metal radio shows, The Axe Attack (since 1987) these days on iHeartRadio, Paul is a household name in local metal scene and is an integral part in pushing NZ original music as well as hosting some of the world's greatest metal heroes through his show. Adding an additional layer to Paul's involvement in music is his two bands Devilskin and World War Four. Both...

Simon Lewis is an International Humanitarian Lifeguard who has saved close to 2,000 refugees fleeing parts of Africa and Syria. These refugees are using ill-equipped vessels that are overloaded and travelling across parts of the Mediterranean sea which are seen as some of the most dangerous migration routes in the world. Simon with the aid of Mission Lifeline, is operating in these areas to assist where he can. The job is not easy and is plagued with legalities which add an extra layer of...

Blasphemy is a word that comes to mind when you think of Hobbs Angel of Death. inverted crucifix’s, satanic themes and sacrilegious lyrics often intimidate the uninitiated or those unfamiliar with metal. Dig beneath the surface and you find a dedicated, genuine and compassionate front man in Peter Hobbs. While it might conflict the image of the band and Peter’s persona for some, Peters true nature is a correct reflection of the achievements, resilience and longevity of Hobbs Angel of...

Philip Nitschke became a household name in the 90s when he became the first doctor in the world to administer a legal, lethal voluntary injection to a patient under the short-lived "Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995". Within a year the law was overturned and Philip went on to commence his campaigning for assisted dying, not only for the terminally ill but for those of sound mind to make their own decisions of when to end their life. Exit International (Previously known as the Voluntary...

Riley Strong is the Max Rockatansky of Australian metal. Patrolling the desolate regions of the globe maintaining heavy metal law and order. Over the past several years alone, Riley and Desecrator have completed extensive touring of Europe, South East Asia, Russia, Mexico and Brazil. The guys are 'do it yourself' champions and have taken action while many others have sat back waiting for the perfect opportunity to come their way. Hard work certainly pays off with the guys getting an...

Simone Dow is the guitarist and resident pocket rocket for Australian band Voyager. Since joining the band in 2006, Simone has clocked up thousands and kilometres of touring around the world, notched a number of critically acclaimed albums under her belt and is one of the more popular Australian metal/rock guitarists with fans far and wide. In this chinwag with Simone we have a gas bag about their 2018 Japan, UK, US, Mexico shows, Simone’s love of food, migrating from Scotland as a child,...

Dave Higgo Higgins. If you're a rock or metal fan in Australia, chances are you'll know who Higgo is. Best known for his stints in mainstream radio, in particular Triple M's distortion. Higgo is deep in the music world and has used his career in radio to celebrate his passion for original and homegrown music. In fact, Higgo has been a big proponent for Australian music for many years, often giving air time and exposure to countless numbers of bands over the years when many others working in...

Douglas Harvey (aka Hayden for those who know him well) is a Perth comedian and musician who also runs his own podcast Hyper Manic Noize Podcast. For the past several years Douglas has been building his stand up show in Perth after relocating from Central Queensland where he spent the majority of his life. Ask Douglas how he got started in comedy and you will be in for one of those most unexpected and surreal stories you'll ever hear. In fact, I did just that so it will save you having to...

"Got a good friend in Sydney who is a sound dude. Lived a really interesting life. Did early tours with Wiggles. Lived in Denmark and became friends with Aqua. Was a dive instructor. Lived in Shanghai for the world expo. Lived in Bali for a year. Had some amazing motorbike crashes. Used to organise a lot of raves in Sydney. Put in lights in pretty much every Sydney nightclub. Want me to hook you up?" Yes, please. Meet Nathan Sidoti. An extremely humble guy who's done an extremely...

Let me introduce you to Freddy Lim. If you don't know Freddy, he's the frontman of Chthonic. Formed in the mid-90s, they are one of Asia's most successful and well known metal bands who has crossed over into the western market and had a lot of success playing some of the biggest stages in the world including Loud Park, Wacken Open Air, Download, OzzFest and more. Chthonic's blends extreme metal (death and black) with a number of different traditional Taiwanese instruments giving them a...

Terra Roam is the first woman to walk around the whole of Australia alone and completely unassisted. No support cars, no friends/companions, just her. Alone. 4 years and 22,000 kilometres. Terra is no stranger to epic expeditions, hiking and exploring throughout the world in her younger years and also enduring long walks across various parts Read More The post Episode 128 - Terra Roam (First Woman to Walk Around Australia alone and Unassisted) appeared first on The Andy Social Podcast.