Rhythms Magazine

On the latest episode of On The Record, Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie ease into their weekly cultural ramble with the sombre news of Bob Weir’s death—remembering an artist whose band (The Grateful Dead) they half‑followed but wholly respected. Weir, who died on January 10 at 78 (the same date as David Bowie’s passing—coincidence or cosmic scheduling?), becomes the launchpad for a surprisingly a...

If On The Record were a boxing match, Episode 5 would open with the bell ringing and Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie already mid-ring.. The topic? The Golden Globes. The real issue? Whether a film can be called a “musical or comedy” when it is clearly neither, and whether Paul Thomas Anderson should be declared a genius by popular vote or sent to the cinematic sin bin.  Two overly seasoned cultur...

Episode 5 of On The Record, and the conversation has hit its sweet spot: loose, curious, opinionated—and occasionally interrupted by reality. There’s a healthy scepticism about hype, a refusal to confuse longevity with importance, and a shared belief that some things still genuinely matter—even if the algorithm disagrees. Brian Wise brings context and deep musical memory; Michael Mackenzie brings...

Brian Wise talks to Paul Kelly in depth about Paul's latest album Seventy. 

Episode 4 of On The Record opens exactly as listeners now expect: however, the technology relents and the Christmas episode is officially underway. What follows is a warm, rambling, oddly moving conversation about Christmas music, memory, faith, food and survival, with plenty of laughs along the way. Michael Mackenzie declares Christmas music a minefield of bad taste, arguing passionately for caro...

Episode 3 of On The Record once again proves that no matter how long you’ve worked in media, technology will always sense weakness.  Once operational, the episode quickly becomes a rallying cry for the quietly furious demographic known as Grumpy Older Men Who Have Had It With Banks. Michael officially embraces his new identity after discovering his bank changed everything without warning, while Br...

Episode two of On The Record begins exactly where great podcasts are born: with the crushing realisation that nothing has been recorded. After a brief collective sigh (and a generous decision to “power through”), Michael Mackenzie, Brian Wise and guest Nick Corr regroup and press on—braver, wiser, and still dangerously unsupervised. What follows is a gloriously eclectic ramble through: A shameless...

In a gloriously shambolic podcast debut of On The Record, Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie briefly wrestle with technology; however, once the cockpit stops flashing warnings, they settle into a free-wheeling conversation about music, ageing audiences, dodgy voting scandals, Patti Smith, Beatles archaeology, sci-fi mind melds, and why matinee gigs are the greatest invention since the flat white. Wi...

Acclaimed singer songwriter Gregory Porter, who will be touring Australia in October, spoke to Rhythms editor Brian Wise. Porter talks about his recording career and his influences, including Nat King Cole and Donny Hathaway.

This week’s guest is Texas singer songwriting legend James McMurtry, son of the author Larry McMurtry, who has just released his 11th studio album, The Black Dog & The Wandering Boy (via New West Records). Produced by Don Dixon, whom McMurtry worked with on his third album in 1995, the latest album is McMurtry’s first in four years. Rhythms editor Brian Wise met up with McMurtry on Zoom. This...

Pedal steel guitarist Robert Randolph talks about his brand new album Preacher Kids, released as a solo album with a new band and a forthcoming tour. (Produced by Jasmine Griffiths).

Taj Mahal and Keb Mo join Rhythms Editor Brian Wise to talk about their new album together Room On The Porch. 

Allison Russell, multi-award winning singer, songwriter, poet, activist, and multi-instrumentalist will be in Australia this month for concerts in Melbourne (April 15) and Sydney (April 17) as well as appearances at Bluesfest (April 19-20). Rhythms editor Brian Wise spoke to Allison about her recent work, which included an appearance in the Broadway musical Hadestown.

Sly Lives! is a 2025 documentary about the life of Sly Stone and the band Sly and the Family Stone.  The film is also known as The Burden of Black Genius.  It was directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and premiered at Sundance in January 2025. It's the second documentary directed by Questlove, following his Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul. It was released on Hulu and Disney+ on February...

Texas-born and bred singer Leon Bridges has just began his Australian tour in Bowral on Sunday January 19 and he has appearances in Sydney (January 21) and at at the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on Thursday January 23. Brian Wise spoke to Leon about his career and his latest album, simply titled Leon. The interview also contains music from the latest album. Concert details and tickets at: leonbrid...

Brian Wise and Michael Mackenzie discuss A Complete Unknown, James Mangold's biopic on Bob Dylan starring Timothy Chalamet as Bob, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo (Suze Rotolo), Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. Is this the best music biopic of all time?

  Paul Kelly joined Brian Wise in the studio at Triple R in Melbourne to talk about his recent American our, the film How To make Gravy based on his song of the same title and his latest album Fever Longing Still. He also performs two songs from the new album for us: 'All Those Smiling Faces' and 'Down To The River With Dad'. 

Michael Connelly is the American author of thirty-seven novels,  including the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series. They alone have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Michael Connolley was in Australia for the Sydney and Brisbane Writers Festivals and spoke to Rhythms Editor Brian Wise about the use of music, especially jazz, in his Bosch series...

Michael Connelly is the author of thirty-seven novels, including #1 New York Times bestsellers Desert Star, The Dark Hours, and The Law of Innocence. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series, the Lincoln Lawyer series, and the Renée Ballard series, have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and...

Our guest in this Rhythms podcast is Boo Mitchell, the son of legendary Memphis producer Willie Mitchell, whose Royal Studios featured the incredible Hi Rhythm Section playing behind a myriad of hits from the likes of Al Green, Ann Peebles and many more. Boo has his own formidable career working with many high profile musicians at Royal and producing the acclaimed 2014 documentary Take Me to the R...

Martha Wainwright is touring Australia this month and Rhythms Editor Brian Wise caught up with her by Zoom to talk about the tour, her return to touring, writing new songs and a tribute to singer/songwriter Connie Converse. The podcast starts with music from Martha's lates studio album Love Is Reborn.  Songs: Hole In My Heart/Getting Older/Love Will Be Reborn - Martha Wainwright (Love Will Be Rebo...

Jon Cleary is currently touring Australia with his Absolute Monster Gentlemen. Rhythms Editor Brian Wise spoke to him just before he set off for the tour and just after he had played The Bitter End in New York, which is s story in itself.  Jon is also appearing at Blues On Broadbeach this weekend, May 16-19, 2024. You can check out Jon's touring dates here: https://www.joncleary.com/tour

Wilco are touring Australia in March and Rhythms Editor Brian Wise spoke to Jeff Tweedy about the band's latest album Cousin and Jeff's new book World Within A Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music.  This edition of the Rhythms Podcast is sponsored by Love Police Tours. You can find full details of the Wilco tour at lovepolice.com.au/tours .  

Muireann Bradley, 17 year-old singer/guitarist from County Donegal in Ireland, has just released her debut album I Kept These Old Blues (interpretations of blues classics) on the American label Tompkins Square which first spotted her at the age of 13 after seeing her play on YouTube! Brian Wise spoke to Muireann just a week or so prior to her 17th birthday and just as her debut was about to be rel...

Awash in full-throttle fiddle, weeping steel guitar, a sprinkling of heavenly backing vocals, and anchored by her warm, expressive vocals, Leigh’s latest album is an emotion-packed revelation. Rooted in vintage country, Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet is an unapologetically beer-and tear-soaked homage to an era when hard-country weepers burst forth from AM transistor radios. The album’s country ro...