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MyMusic Podcast: Casii Stephan – Finding Happiness, Grief and the Freedom to Make Music Your Own What does it really mean to be happy? And can a song sound full of sunshine while hiding some much deeper questions beneath the surface? In this episode of MyMusic, host Graham Coath talks to award-winning American singer-songwriter Casii Stephan about her new single Happy, the stories behind her songs, and an upcoming debut album that explores grief, love and what it means to keep living after losing someone close to you. Born in Minnesota and now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Casii refuses to be boxed into a single musical genre. Blending pop, soul, rock and folk influences, she puts storytelling and emotional honesty at the heart of her music. With recognition from Billboard, NPR, SPIN and American Songwriter, she's building a reputation as an artist who isn't afraid to ask difficult questions or challenge expectations. Graham and Casii explore the thinking behind Happy, a deceptively upbeat track that asks whether we sometimes get in our own way when it comes to finding happiness. They discuss the fine line between a joyful melody and melancholy lyrics, the creative process, working with producer Chad Copelin, and why collaboration can help songwriters move beyond their usual boundaries. The conversation also takes a more personal turn as Casii talks about Let Her Have Her Flowers, her forthcoming debut album, written in the wake of her father's death. It's a deeply human exploration of grief, love, mortality and learning how to keep living while carrying the people we've lost with us. Along the way, Graham and Casii discuss musical influences, the limitations of genre labels, the realities of social media for musicians, and the importance of staying true to your creative instincts rather than simply following the algorithm. It's an honest, funny and thoughtful conversation about music, life and the questions that don't always have easy answers. In this episode: The story behind Casii Stephan's new single Happy, released on 23 October. Why a song can sound happy even when its lyrics tell a different story. The inspiration behind Let Her Have Her Flowers, due for release on 5 March 2027. Writing about grief, love and the experience of losing a parent. Collaborating with producer Chad Copelin and knowing when to ask for help. Why Casii resists being confined to one musical genre. The influence of artists including Alabama Shakes, Florence + The Machine, Fiona Apple and Carole King. Staying creatively authentic in a world driven by algorithms, likes and streaming numbers. Listen to Casii Stephan's new single, Happy: Find Casii Stephan online and discover more about her music, upcoming releases and live performances. MyMusic is hosted by Graham Coath, bringing you conversations with the artists behind the music, the stories behind the songs, and the ideas that make music matter. Listen, discover and support independent music with MyMusic sponsored by 13th Floor Sound.

What do Karl Marx, Liam Gallagher, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, social media, cover bands and a four-hour Bruce tribute set have in common? Apparently, quite a lot. In this episode of MyMusic, Graham Coath talks to Nick and CJ from Triers — The band don't pronounce it that way! ...We get into the story behind the band, how they came together and why their latest single Common Goal is about something much bigger than music. Triers take their name from Trier, the oldest city in Germany and birthplace of Karl Marx. They talk about their unusual route into the band, including a Liam Gallagher tribute band, a wedding gig, finding the rest of the line-up and the moment they realised that the chemistry worked. The conversation then turns to Common Goal, a song born out of frustration with the division and disconnection that seems to dominate so much of modern life. Why are we so quick to attack each other? Has social media disconnected us from real human interaction? And can music help bring people back together? Graham and the band also get into the complicated relationship musicians have with social media — including Triers' refreshing reluctance to spend their lives filming themselves eating sandwiches just to promote their latest release. There is plenty of talk about gigging, festivals, supporting other bands, gig swaps, the importance of getting out there and doing things rather than constantly trying to manufacture online content, and why musicians might need to be a little more playful and creative with social media. And then there's the future: new songs, a possible EP, the hope of an album, and a band who are still together with the same line-up three years in. At the heart of it all is a simple idea: Find your common goal. And maybe, just maybe, put the phone down and go and do something. Listen to the episode and then go and check out Common Goal by Triers. MyMusic is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound

How do you sing Tom Waits without trying to sound like Tom Waits? Eddie Skuller joins Graham Coath to talk about Blind Love, his four-song EP exploring Waits’ songwriting through his own voice. From slowing down “Downtown Train” to finding a different feel for the title track, Eddie explains how he chose the songs and made room to tell their stories. Recorded live to tape at The Chicken Shack in Upstate New York with producer Nick Kinsey, the sessions came together with remarkably little fuss. The vocals intended as temporary guides became the finished performances. Sometimes the feeling is already there, and another take won’t make it better. Eddie shares what it meant to record alongside his son, why “House Where Nobody Lives” has stayed with him, and how experience has changed his understanding of performing. The conversation also turns to the beauty in sad songs, the connection between a singer and an audience, and using social media to actually talk to people. Give Eddie’s music a proper listen. And if a song means something to you, tell him. That conversation is part of the music too. MyMusic is proudly sponsored by 13th Floor Sound

Jenny Jam: Finding Her Voice and Making Music That Means Something Jenny Jam grew up surrounded by music, but it took time to discover the sound that felt like hers. Trained in musical theatre, she found herself drawn to soul and jazz, and a chance karaoke session helped her hear what her voice could do. In this episode of MyMusic, Graham Coath talks to Jenny from Los Angeles about finding that voice, staying true to it when the industry wanted something else, and the work involved in releasing music as an independent artist. Jenny also talks about balancing music with film production and running a business, and why the glamorous version people see online leaves out rather a lot. They get into the stories behind songs including Toy Proof, Drag You Down, Free Bird and Disco Ain’t Dead. Some came from painful experiences; others came from friendship, freedom and the simple pleasure of dancing. For Jenny, the best response is hearing that a song has helped someone through something of their own. There’s room for Pink Floyd, football, vinyl and a possible future song title from Graham, too. But the question running through the conversation is a simple one: how do you make music that reaches people while keeping hold of what you wanted to say? MyMusic is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound.

What happens when a song comes to you in a dream? And what happens when another one ends up painted across a listener’s wall? Graham Coath talks to Los Angeles singer-songwriter Sam Lapides about the stories behind Kisses in My Pocket and Tonight, writing more than 100 songs, and the strange places those songs can take you. Sam tells Graham why his 94-year-old mum finally called him a poet, and how coming home from a European tour helped inspire Tonight. They also get into first records, worn-out cassettes, home recording and whether sending someone a link can ever feel quite like sharing a piece of music you love. TMyMusic is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound.

MyMusic: Graham Coath talks to Lydia Reddy What happens when an artist known for bigger pop and rock productions strips everything back to a voice, a guitar and a vintage tape recorder? Lydia Reddy returns to MyMusic to talk about her new single, “This Is How…” Recorded live in one take, the song takes a darker route through comparison and self-doubt before arriving at a more hopeful thought: you don’t have to live up to somebody else’s life to value your own. Graham and Lydia discuss why she chose to leave the first take untouched, the nerves of singing and playing guitar at the same time, and how a song she wrote at 15 reflects the artist she is becoming now. They also look ahead to her next EP, her move to Lancaster University and the creative work of finding an audience for independent music. It’s a conversation about trusting your voice, on tape and beyond it. MyMusic is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound.

What happens when three siblings, three distinctive voices and a lifetime of shared musical experience come together? In this episode of MyMusic, Graham Coath talks to Miccoli, the British-Italian alternative folk-pop band formed by twin brothers Alessio and Adriano Miccoli and their sister Francesca. They discuss the close harmonies at the heart of Miccoli’s sound, growing up surrounded by music and the creative disagreements that inevitably arise when three siblings make records together. The conversation follows their journey from the UK and southern Italy to California, Japan and Malaysia, including appearances at legendary Los Angeles venues, recording their debut album Arrhythmia in Penang and performing on stages at London’s Olympia and Wembley. Miccoli also talk about making authentic music in an attention economy, why audiences are beginning to gravitate back towards real voices and organic musicianship, and the importance of creating music they genuinely believe in rather than chasing the next algorithm-friendly hit. There are stories of videos filmed in a deserted St Mark’s Square, guitar played on an Icelandic iceberg, and the near-disasters that happened behind the finished footage. The band also reveal what is coming next, including their new song “Words”, which brings Miccoli’s signature sound into more uptempo territory. It is a warm, funny, wide-ranging conversation about family, creativity, authenticity, and three voices that have spent a lifetime learning how to become one. MyMusic is hosted by Graham Coath and proudly sponsored by 13th Floor Sound, the independent Las Vegas record label dedicated to keeping real music alive

Graham Coath talks to Dave Jackson from The Room Dave Jackson returns to MyMusic for round two, this time talking about The Room's brand new album, Doom Pop — a collection of tight, narrative-driven pop songs threaded together by an "end times" theme, following on from their more conceptual previous record. Graham and Dave get into what's actually eating away at the modern psyche: AI-written songs, social media as a necessary evil for independent bands, and whether there might soon be too many musicians as every other job gets automated out of existence. There's a properly funny detour into billboard advertising campaigns, misremembered lyrics, and why getting a line wrong on purpose might be the most honest thing an artist can do these days. Dave also talks about turning his novel Violet City into a low-budget feature film, adapting an old screenplay into the album's track "Trespassing," and The Room's upcoming gigs in Liverpool, Edinburgh, Preston and London. A warm, wide-ranging chat between two people who clearly enjoy each other's company. My Music Is Sponsored By 13th Floor Sound

Graham Coath talks to Cody from 13th Floor Sound This week, Graham sits down with Cody, the man behind 13th Floor Sound, an independent Las Vegas record label blending vintage analogue recording with modern production, pressing everything from soulful records to psychedelic blues straight to vinyl. They swap stories about the records that changed their lives (Cream's Disraeli Gears gets a well-deserved mention), the strange love-hate relationship musicians have with social media, and why boredom might be the most underrated songwriting tool ever invented. Cody talks about growing up around his musician father's record collection, why physical vinyl still matters in an AI-flooded world, and what's coming next from the label, including a new single dropping tonight and a run of releases stretching into next year. A brilliant, freewheeling chat between two people who genuinely love music.

Trauma might sound like the title of a dark album and there is darkness in there, but what Geoff Downes and Chris Braide have created is ultimately filled with beauty, melody and hope. In this episode of MyMusic, host Graham Coath talks to Geoff and Chris of the Downes Braide Association about the experiences behind their new album, Trauma, and why the difficult moments life throws at us do not have to define what comes next. They explore the album’s themes of isolation, loss and not quite fitting in, including the alien at the heart of the video for Hello, Hello. They also discuss the making of Wherever You Are, the collaboration behind Love and Loss, and why memorable melodies remain at the emotional centre of everything DBA creates. The conversation also takes in the strange intensity of touring, the changing mystique of musicians, the importance of dynamics in progressive music, Kate Bush and the Fairlight, Roger Dean’s artwork and why buying music in a physical format still matters. Trauma is released on 25 September. MyMusic is hosted by Graham Coath and proudly sponsored by 13th Floor Sound, the independent Las Vegas record label dedicated to keeping real music alive.

Nobody expects a conversation about investment banking to end in tears over a piano. That's exactly what happens on this episode. Stephen Ridley walked out of a top investment bank at 11 am on a Thursday, having had no plan to quit that morning. Thirty minutes later he bought a £100 piano from a bloke in a thrift shop on Brick Lane, dragged it onto the street, and started playing. Over a decade on, he's performed in more than 70 countries, played for royalty, sheikhs and A-listers, built a piano academy with over 40,000 students, and still can't quite explain why he does it, except that it's about connection. We get into what happens when you strip away the performance and just have a proper conversation. Why phones are exhausting an entire generation. What military torture and hypnotism have in common with doomscrolling. The three minutes Stephen spent holding his dying father, and the lesson that changed the rest of his life. A story about jumping onto a table at the Monaco Grand Prix in a £5,500 tuxedo and throwing it on the floor. And a message from one of his students, a woman called Faye, that will stop you in your tracks. This one goes deep. Grab a cuppa and give it the time it deserves.

Graham Coath talks to Mark Hamilton from Ash as the band celebrates the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut album, 1977. Mark looks back at how the album was written and recorded at Rockfield Studios, the last-minute decision that gave it its title and the stories hidden inside one of the defining records of the 1990s. They discuss the newly completed track “Bittersweet Blue,” originally recorded during the 1977 sessions, the band’s Star Wars obsession, secret tracks hidden at the beginning of the original CD and the unusual ways producer Owen Morris created the right atmosphere in the studio. Mark also talks about returning to the old stone cottage where Ash first rehearsed as teenagers, nearly 30 years after they were last there, to film the video for “Bittersweet Blue.” A warm, funny and nostalgic conversation about teenage ambition, musical mistakes, forgotten memories and an album that still means an enormous amount to Ash and their fans three decades later. My Music is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound

In Part II of Graham Coath’s conversation with Dream Delay, Sam returns—and this time Anna joins him to tell her side of the band’s story. Anna reveals how a chance connection on a musicians’ app changed the direction of her music, why building confidence as a singer takes more than believing in yourself, and how she learned to deliver emotion on stage without becoming overwhelmed. The conversation explores vulnerability, the pressure to be performative, writing from experience without becoming trapped in anger, and why the best songs often need time before they are ready to be written. Anna and Sam also discuss their forthcoming song, “Spare You”—a powerful reflection on a destructive relationship, finding wisdom in the darkness and choosing not to seek revenge. There is also a glimpse of an unfinished Dream Delay song, “The Next Three Quarters of a Century”, unexpected T-shirt design advice from Graham, and a wider conversation about how live music creates connection, community, and a sense of belonging between complete strangers. This is MyMusic with Graham Coath: conversations about the people, experiences and ideas behind the music. My Music is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound

Graham Coath talks to Helsinki-based musician Tuomas Ahva about growing up with copied cassettes, rediscovering music on vinyl and creating music somewhere between technology, art and culture. Tuomas explains how experimenting with an iPad led to his solo project, Ahva, and the creation of Padworks an EP he describes as “experimental play” rather than simply extended play. They also discuss The Bike Song, the growing confidence behind Tuomas’s vocals, the influence of Daft Punk, his track Trapped in Freedom and the long-awaited arrival of his new album on vinyl. Along the way, Graham and Tuomas explore whether computer-perfect music is losing its soul, the impact of AI music generators and an idea for a festival with no predetermined line-up. And what is the one song Tuomas still wants to write? The song his friends ask him to play whenever he picks up an acoustic guitar. MyMusic is hosted by Graham Coath and sponsored by 13th Floor Sound.

Graham Coath talks to Olly (Oliver) Forget Them Wendy What happens when music is allowed to be beautiful, catchy and accessible — but still has something slightly uncomfortable going on underneath? In this episode of MyMusic, Graham Coath talks to Edinburgh-born producer and guitarist Oliver Price of Forget Them Wendy, the project he created with songwriter Laura James. Forget Them Wendy brings together Laura and Oliver to make music that draws on the sounds they grew up with while exploring something much more current: growing up, finding your place in the world and trying not to lose the creativity and magic of childhood. And that idea is right there in the name. Forget Them Wendy comes from Peter Pan and that tension between growing up and wanting to hold onto the part of ourselves that still wants to play, explore and create. As Oliver explains, when Laura suggested the name, it seemed to capture what they were already making almost perfectly. The conversation goes far beyond the story of the band. Oliver talks about the reality of being a working songwriter and producer and why creativity isn't necessarily about waiting for inspiration. Some days you walk into the studio feeling inspired and make something terrible. Other days you drag yourself in when you don't feel creative at all — and something brilliant happens. There isn't a formula. You turn up. You make things. And occasionally something good happens. Graham and Oliver also explore how much the music world has changed. Technology has lowered the barriers to making and releasing music, giving more people the opportunity to create than ever before. But that creates another problem: an enormous amount of music is now released that almost nobody ever hears. Which leads to one of the big ideas in this conversation: If a song falls in the forest and nobody hears it, does it really exist? Oliver describes music as a social language — something that gains its power when it reaches another human being. Creating may be rewarding in itself, but music is also about connection, sharing, understanding and creating ripples of human expression. Stories also lie behind the songs. Wise Guy grew out of an argument involving Oliver — with Laura turning his behaviour into a song. Apple Pie takes something apparently simple and summery and puts something darker underneath it: enjoying the warmth and apparent permanence of summer while knowing that eventually it has to end. Then there is AI. Forget Them Wendy aren't particularly interested in becoming influencers. Their online identity is built largely around their music and distinctive painted artwork rather than endless photographs of themselves. The unexpected consequence? Some people have assumed Forget Them Wendy must be an AI band. That takes Graham and Oliver into a much bigger conversation about authenticity. If AI can create convincing people, voices, images, and even online personalities, does seeing someone's face online still prove they're human? And could the growth of AI ultimately make genuinely human experiences more valuable? Along the way there is surfing, Scotland, Hackney, tape machines, The Cranberries, Garbage, The Sundays, the disappearance of the old-fashioned music legend and the importance of having something outside your creative obsession that allows you to come back to your work with fresh energy. Forget Them Wendy haven't played live yet, but the album is nearly finished. Oliver's request is wonderfully straightforward: Go and listen. Love it or hate it, have an opinion. And if you love it, share it. Because perhaps music really is a social language. And a song nobody hears really is a little like a tree falling in a forest. MyMusic with Graham Coath — talking to Oliver Price from Forget Them Wendy. This episode is sponsored by 13th Floor Sound, an independent record label based in Las Vegas dedicated to keeping real music alive.