What Do We Know?

Nathan Haines is back on the podcast, and he’s brought his fantastic new album The Soft Chaos with him. It’s been exactly ten years since Nathan’s first appearance on the show, and what a decade. He’s beaten cancer, ridden out a pandemic and leant into his new role as a dad, all while touring the world, working as a producer and releasing a string of albums and EPs. The Soft Chaos was recorded in...

Mike’s never written a song. Danny’s written many. Danny thinks it’s easy. Mike feels totally out of his depth. The two sit down to write a complete song from scratch in 30 minutes. No edits, no cuts: it’s all in real time, so you’re right there with them for every idea, dead end and breakthrough. Is songwriting really as easy as Danny says? You be the judge. (By the way, we’re not saying it’s a g...

Great band or true to the name? Drummer Logan Wedgwood casually claimed that Limp Bizkit wrote great songs. Once Danny had finished spitting out his coffee in shock, he promptly invited Logan onto the podcast to duke it out. Is there more to Limp Bizkit than just a juvenile party band? Is there artistry underneath that red hat? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbbPrlR_BhU  whatdoweknow.co.nz https:...

Because the world doesn't have enough recordings of Danny talking, our host recently swapped chairs and sat in the guest seat on K'sha Nova Media, a new YouTube show about artists building creative careers. Host Gaby asked Danny about his beginnings, how he put his career together, and a variety of other subjects, including his experience navigating dyslexia and why the music industry do...

“Music isn’t what it used to be!” Every generation says this. But is this just the fading battle cry of each generation as they lose their grip on relevance, or is this actually a legitimate change in mainstream music? If it’s real, why is it happening, and can we prove it? We’re joined by drummer Glen Child to see if we can untangle this highly charged debate. whatdoweknow.co.nz https://buymeacof...

On today's bonus episode, we've got a podcast update. What could it be about? Has Mike started a new band? Has Danny been invited to Antarctica? Has Mike finally left the Rush cult? Has Danny become a Swiftie? Click on the buttons to find out. whatdoweknow.co.nz https://buymeacoffee.com/whatdoweknowshow FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/whatdoweknowshow/ FaceBook Group: https://www...

Mark Baynes and Danny McCrum used to play in bands together, until a handful of misunderstandings and a disagreement about a hat ended it. No bad blood, just a parting of ways that's lasted exactly twenty years. Since then, both of them coincidentally became obsessed with the same artist: Brad Mehldau. Mark's interest runs deeper than most: he's seen Mehldau live nineteen times and...

Loosely nicknamed 'Mike's Revenge', the guys return for round two of Music Trivia. This is the game that reveals just how unqualified our two hosts are to run a music podcast. Listen to them hesitate and struggle to find incredibly obvious answers, and stick around to the end to find out if Mike can even the score after his previous defeat. whatdoweknow.co.nz https://buymeacoffee.co...

Is metal just classical music in a leather jacket?  Danny and Mike have been asking a simple question: does genre actually describe the music, or just everything wrapped around it? Strip a metal riff back to its bones and could it just as easily sit next to a Baroque string passage? Swap a rock breakdown's distortion for an orchestra and does pop still sound all that different from classical...

What's wrong with Danny? When he first floated the idea for this podcast, Mike thought, yeah, sounds like fun. He figured it'd unfold at the usual glacial pace most creative projects do. What he didn't realise is that Danny has spent a lifetime launching projects and actually finishing them, fast. This got Mike thinking. Most creatives struggle to start, to finish, or both. So what...

He's one of the biggest rock stars of our time. He's talented, influential, he works tirelessly to help people in need, and he and his band U2 had the audacity to give one of their albums away for free. Out of all the famous icons in the world, Bono has to be one of the worst right? Wait, why's that again? We are joined by Danny's original podcast cohost Bobby Kennedy to dig in...

Come one, come all, for the very first What Do We Know? Music Trivia episode! This is our opportunity to show just how unqualified we are to host a music podcast. The cards are hard to read, the rules don't make sense, and the outcome is of no consequence. Let's go! whatdoweknow.co.nz https://buymeacoffee.com/whatdoweknowshow FaceBook Page: https://www.facebook.com/whatdoweknowshow/ Face...

Back in 1996, working in a sheet metal factory, Danny heard a new song on the radio and was sure it was the new Supergroove single. It wasn't. It was "Too Much" by Dave Matthews Band, a band he'd never heard of. When his then-drummer handed him the full album, Crash, Danny's entire concept of music changed on the spot. Not only did Crash turn him into a lifelong fan, it sh...

Most of us would agree that music might just be the best time machine we have. It has the ability to take us right back to a specific point in time, a specific place, a specific memory, and one of the best examples of this is TV soundtracks. That short opening sequence of melody and rhythm has the uncanny ability of staying in our heads, attaching itself to the memories and emotions we have from t...

You'd be forgiven for thinking a professional musician's life is made up entirely of inspiration, joy, fun and adventure. But is that true, or is it a little romanticised? And why should something as simple and as awesome as playing music be so challenging? Rooney and Danny sit down for a quick fire back and forth, sharing their most ridiculous worst gig stories. Tune in and let their fr...

Mike's off chasing moose and drinking maple syrup in Canada, eh? So this week, drummer Rooney brings in some of his favourite guitarists, while guitarist Danny returns the favour with some of his favourite drummers. Together they dig into what actually makes a great drummer, and a great guitarist, while spinning some of their favourite tracks along the way. whatdoweknow.co.nz https://buymeaco...

It's crude, it's offensive, and it's far more carefully crafted than it has any right to be. Our two hosts revisit South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and talk about its incredible soundtrack. Could it be that beneath the juvenile exterior of this crass movie lies true craft, talent and sophistication? And did this ridiculous movie predict the world we're living in now?   wh...

Buzzsprout If a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does it make a sound? Not if it doesn't have pickups! But how do those little magnets turn string vibrations into ear-piercing rock 'n' roll riffs? Pickup builder Mr Glyn is here to explain everything.    whatdoweknow.co.nz mrglynspickups.com https://buymeacoffee.com/whatdoweknowshow FaceBook Page: https://...

Andrew Rooney and Danny McCrum are weird. Breaking a variety of stereotypes, these two are both musicians with a mind for business. In today's episode, cohost Mike puts on the interviewing hat to find out how they've both sustained careers in music for over two decades, without living on the bones of their asses. Send us Fan Mail Support the show

I warned him. I told him there would be repercussions, no matter how much Botox he used in preparation. Watching Tommy Emmanuel on YouTube is one thing, but seeing him live is another. Mike was excited but didn't take the warning seriously, and now he is permanently disfigured. On today's episode we relive Mike's first time seeing Tommy Emmanuel live, the moment he met the man himse...

What exactly is Yacht Rock and why is it called that? Mike, Danny and Rooney each bring their chosen Yacht Rock tracks to enjoy, analyse and debate. Are these songs gloriously cheesy, pure genius, or secretly both? And should we even be calling it Yacht Rock at all? Send us Fan Mail Support the show

Is Rush a legendary rock band or just a Canadian addiction? In this week's episode Mike (our resident Canadian and Rush evangelist) attempts to convert his sceptical co-host from Rush ignoramus into a genuine appreciator, if not a fully signed-up cult member. Join us as Mike takes us through the Rush story and plays some of their 'iconic' tunes. Allegedly. Send us Fan Mail Support t...

Was Steven Adler the greatest drummer in 1980s rock 'n' roll? Maybe not the flashiest. But listen to Appetite for Destruction and you'll hear something no technically perfect player could replicate: a groove that breathes, swaggers, and feels like it's one beat away from flying off the rails. When Adler left, something walked out that never came back. Drummer Andrew Rooney join...

Danny has a theory. Was 1991 actually the greatest year in music history? Mike's not convinced. So the two pseudo-scientists did what any reasonable person would do: built a scoring system, applied it to the evidence, and let the results speak for themselves. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers. 1991 had everything. But does having everything actually make it the best? It's clo...

He helped build one of the greatest rock bands of all time, so why does everyone seem to hate him?  This week, drummer extraordinaire Andrew Rooney joins us to dig into the Lars Ulrich debate. Great drummer or overrated? Visionary leader or certified jerk? And does he actually deserve the hate he gets?  Send us Fan Mail Support the show