The Keyboard Chronicles

In Part 2 of our chat with the brilliant David Hirschfelder, we dive deeper into his time with John Farnham, talk on his numerous other collaborations and his incredible career as a film and TV composer.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Rehearsing for tours with John Farnham

Recording the Age of Reason album

The Fairlight Series 3 and the song Two Strong Hearts

The decision to stop touring

David in action with John Farnham in touring version of Jesus Christ Superstar

David’s keyboard rig for Jesus Christ Superstar

The brilliant Farnham documentary – Finding The Voice

Handing over the baton to the brilliant Chong Lim

David’s solo album: Welcome To The Nighclub Of My Mind

David’performing one of his solo creations: Cool School Rules

David Hirschfelder and David Hobson – Inside This Room

Joesph Campbell – The Hero With A Thousand Faces

The move to film and TV composition

David’s work on Strictly Ballroom

Working on the movie Shine

David’s full roster of creations

A potted history of the Yamaha Disklavier series of pianos

David’s work on the film Elizabeth

A chat on DAWs, plugins and David’s love for the Arturia Polybrute

David’s work on The Dressmaker 

David’s work on Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

David’s work on The Railway Man

David’s work on The Water Diviner

David’s work on Sleeping Dogs

Sam Hirschfelder – musician and composer

Desert Island Discs: The Rite of Spring – Stravinsky (Conducted by Stravinsky), V.S.O.P. (Live) – Herbie Hancock, Heavy Weather – Weather Report, The Planets – Holst, The Mission – Ennio Morricone

Key links:

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Buy some keyboard related merchandise





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Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post David Hirschfelder, Composer / John Farnham / Little River Band (Part 2) appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

David Hirschfelder is a globally acclaimed Australian keyboardist, composer, and arranger best known for his extensive live and studio work with pop-rock heavyweights like the Little River Band and John Farnham, as well as his distinguished career as a film score composer. His prolific output blends deep classical roots with masterful electronic and orchestral textures. A BAFTA winner and multi-Academy Award nominee, David’s celebrated cinematic repertoire includes the iconic scores for Strictly Ballroom, Shine, and Elizabeth, alongside his own ambitious contemporary art music collaborations. In Part 1 we cover off David’s work with Pyramid, Little River Band, and the early part of his time with John Farnham including the recording and touring of Whispering Jack.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

David and Mindy Meng Wang – Love

Writing 80 minutes of music in 4 weeks for But Also John Clarke

David and Pyramid in a news feature story and performance on the Don Lane Show

Pyramid at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1983

Brian Cadd playing on The Real Thing by Russell Morris

Forming Pyramid

Herbie Hancock – Actual Proof

David’s keyboard rig with Pyramid

The Mu-Tron Bi-Phase

Moving to the Little River Band

Little River Band – The Net

David in action on his first tour with Little River Band in 1983

Buying a Fairlight

The Fairlight Page R Real-Time Composer

Creation of the classic lead sound on the song ‘Playing to Win’

Little River Band – No Reins

Joining John Farnham as a solo artist and creating the bones of Whispering Jack with a MIDI retrofitted Fairlight, and:

The Yamaha QX-1 Sequencer

The E-Mu SP-12 Drum Machine

8 DX7s in a box – the Yamaha TX-816

(with a Prophet-5 for some warmth)

David’s co-write on Whispering Jack – Going, Going Gone

David’s keyboard rig on the Whispering Jack tour and creating a click track before use of in-ear monitors

David in action with John Farnham – Help

David in action live with John Farnham in December 1990  – Playing to Win

Key links:

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Buy some keyboard related merchandise





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Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post David Hirschfelder, Composer / John Farnham / Little River Band (Part 1) appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

Hazel Mills is a incredibly versatile keyboard player, vocalist, and songwriter whose impressive resume includes touring the globe with artists like Kylie Minogue, Florence + The Machine, Goldfrapp, Birdy, and The Will Gregory Moog Ensemble. We delve into everything from Hazel’s early classical roots and passion for 1960s minimalism, to her transition into the pop genre and her deep love for analogue synthesis. Hazel provides some great insights into her creative process, including recreating studio sounds for massive live pop tours, her go-to gear, and lots more.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Hazel’s past 12 months

The differences in energy / stamina for a large versus more intimate gig

Steve Anderson

Joining Kylie Minogue’s band

Hazel in action with Kylie Minogue 2025

Eventide H90

UDO Super 6

Hazel’s own look at the Super 6

Mainstage and side-chain setup

Hazel in action with Christine and the Queens in 2023

Hannah Peel and Hazel Mills at King’s Place

Working with Dave Rowntree

Joining the Will Gregory Moog Ensemble

Hazel’s solo creative output

Hazel’s Patreon channel

A discussion on musique concrete

Joining Florence + The Machine as a touring member 

Auditioning process for Florence

Hazel performing with Florence + The Machine, 2018

Working with Birdy

Hazel performing live with Birdy 2016

Joining Goldfrapp

Hazel performing with The Paper Cinema

Joining Goldfrapp 

Hazel performing live with Alison Goldfrapp, 2022

The intricacies of playing a Goldfrapp show

Hazel in action with Goldfrapp at Glastonbury 2014

Adding Machine – Ships to Sink

Desert Island Discs: Thriller – Michael Jackson, Self-Titled – Crosby, Stills & Nash, DEACON – serpentwithfeet, Diviner – Hayden Thorpe, Ambient 1: Music for Airports – Brian Eno.

For those watching on video: apologies for the gridlines, it was a glitch not picked up by us at time of recording.

Key links:

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Buy some keyboard related merchandise





Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok or LinkedIn

Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post Hazel Mills, Kylie Minogue / Florence + The Machine / Goldfrapp appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

In Part 2 of our interview with Adam Holzman, we cover his longstanding work with Steven Wilson, his bands Brave New World and Trifecta, Jane Getter Premonition, Adam’s amazing solo works, his Creative Synthesizer Technique book and some amazing stories of playing with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea (amongst many others). There’s also a great train wreck story and a funny Miles Davis anecdote to round things out. Part 1 of the interview can be found here.

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Adam in action with Mona Lisa Overdrive in 1994

Adam and Brave New World at Progstock 2022

The brilliant William ‘Ju Ju’ House

Adam Holzman & Brave New World – Spork

Adam Holzman – Truth Decay

Adam Holzman & Brave New World – The Last Gig

Adam Holzman – Zombie Apocalypse

The Moog DFAM

Steven Wilson – Beautiful Scarecrow

Forming Trifecta

Trifecta – Clean Up on Aisle Five

John Pritchard, Adam Holzman and Rich Damone – The Dawn (Of a New Age) 

Joining Steven Wilson’s band (and being nervous about it)

Steven Wilson – Raider II

The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories)

Discussion of Adam’s approach live and in the studio to his solo on Regret #9

Adam playing his iconic solo live on the song Regret #9

Adam’s co-write with Steven Wilson – Economies of Scale (from the album The Harmony Codex)

Steven Wilson – Impossible Tightrope

Adam’s keyboard rig with Steven Wilson

Adam’s book – Creative Synthesizer Technique

Avoiding ‘Preset Purgatory’

Getting to play with hero Jan Hammer

Adam playing live with Herbie Hancock, 1988

The non-musical skills required for musical success

The Fents – Back in the Saddle

Brief chat on Cruise to the Edge and Jane Getter Premonition 

Adam jumps into a Tony Levin-less Stick Men gig on Cruise To The Edge 2024

Desert Island Discs (Rock/Pop): Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder, Starless and Bible Black – King Crimson, Relayer – Yes, Us – Peter Gabriel, Rubber Soul – The Beatles

Desert Island Discs (Jazz): Spectrum – Billy Cobham, Birds of Fire – Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tale Spinnin’ – Weather Report, Thrust – Herbie Hancock, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy – Chick Corea / Return to Forever

Key links:

Become a member of our YouTube channel and receive extra content

Buy some keyboard related merchandise





Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok or LinkedIn

Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post Adam Holzman, Steven Wilson / Miles Davis / Solo Artist (Part 2) appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.

Adam Holzman is an innovative keyboardist, composer, and musical director best known for his extensive work with jazz legend Miles Davis and progressive rock icon Steven Wilson. Blending his deep understanding of jazz harmonies with heavy progressive rock and electronic textures, Adam has become a highly sought-after sonic architect, renowned for his cutting-edge synthesizer solos and dynamic soundscapes. Beyond his high-profile touring work—which includes a pivotal tenure as Miles Davis’s musical director —Adam has released numerous acclaimed solo albums, fronts his own jazz-rock group Brave New World, and is a founding member of the prog-fusion supergroup Trifecta. In Part 1, we sit down with Adam to discuss his incredible journey from growing up around the music industry to shaping the live and studio sounds of some of modern music’s most influential artists. 

To listen / watch:


Audio-only: click on the play button in the audio player above, or:

Video: watch the embedded video below or check it and previous episodes out on our YouTube Channel




Discussion topics covered during the show (links will open in new tab):  

Adam’s past year touring with Steve Wilson as part of The Overview Tour

Adam in action with Trifecta on Cruise to the Edge 2025

Adam playing live with Steven Wilson 2025 (also don’t forget our rig tour with Adam from that same tour)

Impossible Tightrope: Live in Madrid

Adam in action with Big Bang Theory 2024

Adam’s musical upbringing including seeing Elektra Records in action in real time

Watching The Doors rehearse, record and hit major success as an 11-12 year old

When Jim Morrison brings you a birthday present

Observations on Ray Manzarek

The Fents – The Other Side

Playing on Ray Manzarek’s album Carmina Burana

Meeting Randy Hall

The Linn 9000

Randy’s introduction of Adam to Mile Davis

The Rubberband recording session

Touring with Miles Davis with a couple of days notice

Making a second keyboard player role work in a jazz context

The role of a  Musical Director with Miles Davis 

Miles Davis – Intruder (Live)

Keyboard rig for recording and peforming with Miles Davis

Meeting and working with Michel Petrucciani

Adam playing with Michel Petrucciani in 1991

Working with Chaka Khan

Adam in action with Chaka Khan in 1994

Rachel Z

Performing with Wayne Shorter in 1995 in Paris

Adam recording with Grover Washington Jr on the Breath of Heaven album

Adam performing with Wallace Roney

Learning from band leaders and the decision to leave Miles Davis

Key links:

Become a member of our YouTube channel and receive extra content

Buy some keyboard related merchandise





Drop us a line via the website, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Threads, BlueSky, TikTok or LinkedIn

Complete our audience survey to help us improve!





Check out our podcast guest playlist on Spotify to get a taste of each guest’s creations.
The post Adam Holzman, Steven Wilson / Miles Davis / Solo Artist (Part 1) appeared first on The Keyboard Chronicles.