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Game of Life with Dan and Harman
Episode #298 with Lucas Banim
Dan is joined by Lucas Banim from NTH RD!! This chat really set the tone and raised the bar for the rest of the year!
We chat about how NTH RD's Asian tour came about, the ever expanding fan base, being in control of your own fate, the importance of getting just one yes, taking appreciation at face value, the non gig related highlights of the Asian tour, putting faith in people you've never met, realising the band could achieve anything, persistence, needing to go through the challenges to find success, letting go of your ego, starting as a high school band, the origin story of NTH RD's name, the gradual process of figuring it all out, sacrifices, working out what you can bring to the table, upskilling, embracing your character, future planning, reminding yourself that the industry is non-linear, focusing on the now, taking breaks, not taking anything for free, teaching guitar, being good at getting things done, understanding yourself better starting from scratch, relaying knowledge, valuing the impact of what it means to have a mentor, sustaining a fanbase, the merchandise, taking risks, the upcoming tour, capturing how you've changed as an artist, the song that means the most to him, his dream tour lineup, and a whole lot more!
Cover Photo: Matty Parker
Get tickets for NTH RD's 3 cities in 3 days tour, supporting The Rasmus. Link below.
https://thephoenix.au/rasmus-2026/
Follow Lucas and NTH RD on all the socials! Links below.
https://www.instagram.com/lucasbanim/
https://guitarandbasslessons.com.au/
https://www.instagram.com/nth_rd/
https://nthrd.band/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/73UZc0Keik8oWph7AvLIQD
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300. Episode #300 with Michael Paynter
59:44||Season 1, Ep. 300The 300th episode is here! Dan is joined by the incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and musician, Michael Paynter! We chat about the busy year he has had, multitasking, the Great Australian Songbook tour, taking risks, the profile lift of Jesus Christ Superstar, the naivety going into music theatre, leading a company, the viral video moment of Jesus Christ Superstar, planning and organization, being a failed lawyer, getting a record deal at a young age, having a passion and following it, finding the balance, meeting and performing with Jimmy Barnes, not taking anything for granted, staying in the moment, having a good instinct of what's good, being a man of faith, getting lost in moments, when he's at his worst, working with Reuben Kaye, the connections he made on JCS, compartmentalizing his energy, giving yourself grace, being a bit better than yesterday, being confident with the gifts you share with the world, bringing your best, a bicep injury, giving it everything, and a whole lot more! Cover Photo (background): Matty ParkerCatch Michael on tour! Michael is a performer you HAVE to see live! All the relevant links to find Michael below.https://michaelpaynter.com/https://www.instagram.com/michaelpaynterhttps://www.facebook.com/michaelpayntermusichttps://open.spotify.com/artist/0mCK5i2RVWTwvL9ZXbzUP0?si=-aZDNUnvQoWaw-BzFuO4kQ&nd=1&dlsi=3e9d771baedf414ehttps://www.youtube.com/MichaelPaynterTVhttps://music.apple.com/au/artist/michael-paynter/204866000
299. Episode #299 with Ryan Bondy & Hilary Cole
57:17||Season 1, Ep. 299Dan is joined by husband and wife music duo Ryan Bondy (in person this time) AND Hilary Cole AKA Casino People!We chat about the move back to Australia, Ryan being a secret Australian, Hilary's culture shock moving to the US, standing up for the tipping culture, living in the epicenter of the pandemic, the origin story of Casino People, learning how to collaborate, the moment they decided to perform and release the music, recording the album, the unreal experience working with a band, the fun of singing with each other, being vulnerable at a Speakeasy, making inspiring connections, their first Australian open mic, learning curves, the process behind writing their songs, the long wait of getting Ryan's guitar across the ocean, the purge of material goods in preparing the move to another country, breakfast baseball, coming up with the name of Casino People, vintage costuming, the streaming & social media world, having a body of work, merch, not taking themselves too seriously, being a little less hungry for approval, finding the hunger for theatre again, the shift of perspective once they had their son Otis, having an inner circle, the difficulty of leaving behind close friends in America, hard resets, building great communities, the songs that mean the most to them, and a whole lot more!Ryan and Hilary were even kind enough to take the episode out on one of their songs! A podcast first!Cover Photo: Matty ParkerGo check out Casino People! Links below.https://casinopeoplemusic.com/https://www.instagram.com/casinopeople_/https://open.spotify.com/artist/3APOs2MKt7ZAO4uEhQHtoJ
297. Episode #297 with Dave Hughes
44:51||Season 1, Ep. 297Dan is joined by comedy legend, Dave Hughes!We chat about what it's like being a comedy legend, keeping a journal, writing something down everyday, comedy being all around us, his unused podcasting van, the first instances in which fame started to hit, putting Centrelink on the map, the cathartic experience of sharing embarrassing stories, failure becoming success, knowing he made the right call to become a comedian at a young age, being in the moment on stage, not getting nervous anymore, presenting at the Logies, overseas work, meeting fans after shows, meeting Brad Pitt, the injury that went viral, documenting his life to the end, converting the haters, not caring what people think, reviewers, sensitivity, ego, working in radio, loving the crowd, not needing an audience to go through your material, never cancelling shows, not holding grudges, and a whole lot more!Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
296. Episode #296 with Spencer Garrett
59:59||Season 1, Ep. 296Kicking off 2026!Dan is joined by actor, Spencer Garrett!We chat about what people recongnise him for as a character actor, his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation, keeping it simple, not being able to sleep the night before a job, the anxiety of the drive home, being a third generation actor, not having a plan to be an actor, teaching, the lightbulb moment he fell in love with acting, the no brainer of becoming an actor, the drive to create, moments of doubt, loving the 'act' of it, going all in with your passion and heart, thinking about how lucky he is every time he arrives on a set, the sting of rejection never going away, not taking anything for granted, taking what works for you, starting the infamous character actor dining society, constantly teaching yourself, playing real life people, surrounding himself with wise people, no shame in good honest work, the current state of the industry, working on Air Force One, creating fleeting families, priding himself on his work ethic, the cancellation of The Residence, and a whole lot more!Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
295. Episode #295 with Luke Heggie
01:02:18||Season 1, Ep. 295Kicking off 2026!Dan is joined by comedian, Luke Heggie!We chat about organization, having regular jobs before comedy, starting comedy later in life, becoming comfortable in stand up comedy, not wanting to conquer the world, connecting with other comedians, admin, being accountable to deadlines, not having a choice, remaining busy, never being perfect, finding new things, the first gig, progressing as a comedian, bits that don't work, ditching material, not knowing he could repeat material, relevance, reviewing comedy, working with other comedians, being hesitant taking on other creative work, the upside of having mindless jobs, corporate gigs, the science behind putting on a good comedy gig, not wanting to do radio, the difficulty of generating new hours each year, flyering, and a whole lot more!Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
294. Episode #294 with James Hibble
01:00:29||Season 1, Ep. 294Dan is joined by vocalist of Cordiform and the man behind Bright Eyed Bookings, James Hibble!James answers questions left behind by former guest of the show, Dan Charlton from NTH RD!We then go on to chat about refining skills, planning ahead, the decision to become a band booker, the logistics of being a booking agent, putting money back into band's pockets, blowing people's minds, budgets, the importance of being on your own as an independent band for a while, being the guy with the outside perspective, managing bands, cutting hours in his day job to focus more on Bright Eyed Bookings, becoming more clear-eyed, the development of Cordiform, the process of finding members of a band, the first Cordiform performance, the growth as a performer, band meetings, the songwriting process for Cordiform, unreleased songs, the near death experience, not looking back with regret, the untrodden path of musical theatre, walking on stilts, following the dream, enjoying a spreadsheet, travelling, when things go wrong, acting on your feet, being more grounded, bands to look out for, the reward of helping out, and a whole lot more!Go and follow James on all the socials. Links below.https://www.instagram.com/jameshibblehimself/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/brighteyedbookings/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/cordiformband/?hl=enhttps://cordiform-band.square.site/Cover Photo: Matty Parker
293. Episode #293 with Bobby Fox
01:00:34||Season 1, Ep. 293Dan is joined by actor, singer, dancer, and the OG Franki Valli in the Australian production of Jersey Boys, Bobby Fox!We chat about the ever diluting Irish accent, the decision to move to Australia, the different facets of singing, being a great mimic, getting into the musical theatre world, Mamma Mia!, growing as an actor, being allowed to dream, settling into the natural rhythm of a day working in a musical theatre show, doing the best job he can that matches his personality, needing to be fantastic for the audience, opening night parties, Jersey Boys, the sheer fun of Spamalot, competency, reviews, getting back to zero quicker, creating futures for yourself during the audition process, working with Rob Mills, being highly logical, having fun first, reminding himself to feel things, Riverdance, having grace for other people, learning lessons the hard way, performing on the Sydney Harbour for Guys and Dolls, growing with variety as a performer, managing risk, bringing Jersey Forever to life, and a whole lot more!Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker
292. Episode #292 with Sam Ludeman
47:04||Season 1, Ep. 292Dan is joined by actor, singer, songwriter and all round one of the best entertainers in Australia, Sam Ludeman! We chat about Sam's injury he sustained while working on Grease, the initial intention of wanting to step away from musical theatre before the injury, setting up a corporate band, performing and working with his best mate, going onto The Voice, the hesitation stepping into a reality television show, not getting along with Seal, the support felt by the music theatre industry, the nerve-wracking experience performing for live television, getting a branding 'look' after The Voice, still getting recognised from The Voice, putting out the first original song, writing about friendship, livestreaming during COVID, not having a chance to stop and smell the roses, gigging between musical theatre breaks, balancing a friendship with a collaborative working relationship, getting the fighting out of the way, working better with a deadline, getting back to the side hustle, thoughts of going back into musical theatre, being obsessed with Rage, always wanting to perform, self sabotage, presentence, and a whole lot more!Really one of my favourite chats!Cover Photo (background): Matty Parker