Alexander 23’s path to this point has been anything but a straight line. He was studying mechanical engineering at university before he quit to pursue music full time with the band The Heydaze, which signed a deal with Island Records.

When they split he decided to focus on songwriting and producing, but when he found that unfulfilling he returned to playing music and building his solo career.

It’s all worked out well – not only is his solo career flying off the back of songs likes "IDK You Yet" and his debut album Aftershock, but he was also nominated for a GRAMMY for co-producing Olivia Rodrigo’s "good 4 u", all of which we talk about in this interview.

Dropkick Murphys' 11th studio album is called This Machine Still Kills Fascists.

The record features a collection of Woody Guthrie’s unpublished lyrics set to music.

The seeds of the project were sown some years ago when the band befriended Woody’s daughter, Nora. Her son was a fan of the Dropkick Murphys and saw in the band a group of kindred spirits who embodied Woody’s everyman working class ethic.

We talk about that whole journey in this interview, as well as going deep into Ken’s life and career with the Dropkick Murphys, from fighting Nazis at punk shows to the DIY spirit that’s driven them from the day they formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1996.

There aren't many artists touring the world right now who can say they were once part of the Obama administration. Bartees Strange can, thanks to his time as the Deputy Press Secretary for the Federal Communications Commission.

He also worked in the labour and climate movements, but before that he was an active member of the music scene in and around Oklahoma, where he was raised.

He admits he strayed from music for a few years after he moved to DC to pursue politics, but playing and performing kept calling him back. Little by little he started to refocus his energies on his music career.

In the years since he’s enjoyed a steady climb up the indie ladder, and he’s now two albums deep into his career, with his latest, Farm To Table, drawing on influences as diverse as country, pop, hip-hop and hardcore to make a sound that is uniquely his own.

We talk about it all in this interview!