In this first part of our conversation with Richard Ploog, legendary drummer for The Church, we trace his journey from early musical beginnings to the band’s breakout years in the 1980s.

Richard shares stories of his Scottish pipes and drums roots, his early punk days with The Name Droppers, The Brats, and Exhibit A, and his transition into the shimmering, atmospheric sound that defined The Church. We explore his first recordings with the band, the evolution through The Blurred Crusade, Seance, and Starfish, and his reflections on collaboration, creativity, and departure during Gold Afternoon Fix.

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like behind the kit during the making of The Church’s classic era—or how Richard’s musical curiosity led him toward later projects like Iboga Gazebo and Groom Epoch—this episode dives deep into the rhythms, inspirations, and evolution of one of post-punk’s most distinctive drummers.

🕰️ Topics & Highlights
• Early fascination with bagpipes and marching drums
• Joining his first punk band, The Brats / Exhibit “A”, and “Life on the Dole”
• Auditioning for The Church and recording “Too Fast For You”
• Reflections on The Blurred Crusade as the band’s first masterpiece
• The “fashion clash” behind Seance’s production
• Collaborations on Heyday and Starfish
• Insight into the creative process and learning “by osmosis”
• The Gold Afternoon Fix sessions and his departure
• Post-Church work with Iboga Gazebo and the album Dose Age

🎧 Songs Featured
“Fraulein” – The Church (Too Fast For You)
“Life on the Dole” – The Brats
“Almost With You” – The Church (The Blurred Crusade)
“Electric” – The Church (Seance)
“Monday Morning” – The Church (Gold Afternoon Fix)
“Visualize” – Iboga Gazebo (Dose Age)

🔗 Connect & Explore More
Richard Ploog – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Ploog
The Church – https://thechurchband.net
Groom Epoch – https://groomepoch.bandcamp.com
Iboga Gazebo – https://ibogagazebo.bandcamp.com

👉 Follow Post-punk Heartstrings
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/postpunkheartstrings
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@postpunkheartstrings
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/3kngtZ8HsbDL0YFt4m6otZ?si=203dac51c4f84f9b

In this episode, we sit down with brothers Chris and Pat Bradley of June Cleaver and the Steak Knives—a band whose music hovers between tongue-in-cheek satire and fearless experimentation. With roots in post-punk, art-rock, and a love of found sounds, their sound pulls from an eclectic range of influences: Wall of Voodoo, They Might Be Giants, Devo, The Residents, The Cure, and beyond.

✨ We talk about:
🎵 The evolution from early instrumental records ➡️ albums with more vocals
🎚️ How they craft an album’s flow despite genre-hopping tracks
🥁 The use of unusual instrumentation, sampling, and found sounds
🎨 Their love of album artwork & immersive vinyl listening
📀 The concept and storytelling behind Short Tales of Science Fiction and Family Dissonance (2024)

🔥 Song Spotlights:
• ⚡ Completely Lose All Self Control – machine-gun vocals, sharp guitar licks
• 🎻 Infantile Dreams – Radiohead textures + violin layers
• 🎸 This Mess – raw early post-punk, in the spirit of Wire & Magazine
• 👁️ With Her Eyes – quirky Devo-like satire (“brass knuckles on her lashes” 🔥)
• ⏳ Multitasking – ominous choruses on tech’s speed & distraction
• 🎹 Quarantined – layered vocals, pandemic reflections, haunting piano & synths
• 🚫 Xenophobia + John – no subject matter is off-limits

💡 From 2003’s Cleavage to 2024’s Short Tales of Science Fiction and Family Dissonance, June Cleaver and the Steak Knives prove that every track can be a strange, satirical, and cinematic experience—like a little David Lynch movie in song form.

🎧 Explore more music from June Cleaver & the Steak Knives:

• Spotify

• Apple Music

• Bandcamp

• Official Website

• YouTube Channel

👉 Follow Post-punk Heartstrings for more deep dives into the sounds that move us:

• Facebook

• YouTube

• Spotify

In this episode, we sit down with Peter Koppes, founding guitarist of The Church, to explore the deep currents of his musical life—from early influences to legendary albums, solo works, and new collaborations.

What we cover in this conversation:
• 🎹 Early beginnings: Why Peter’s first love was the Hammond Organ, how he wound up on drums, and the Beatles’ surprising link to bossa nova.
• 🎸 Forming The Church: The transition from Precious Little → Baby Grande → The Church, and setting the record straight on Steve Kilbey’s “firing” from Baby Grande.
• 🌌 The Church’s legacy: Recording Starfish, the happy accidents behind “Under the Milky Way,” and Peter’s reflections on key tracks like Almost With You, Reptile, and A New Season.
• 🥁 Behind the music: Richard Ploog’s contributions, producers pushing drummers to click tracks, and what changed between Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix.
• 🎼 Solo artistry: Manchild & Myth and From the Well—his painterly approach to songwriting and the role of collaborators.
• 🌀 Syncretism project: A creative partnership with Dave Scotland, the track “I Live,” and weaving cultural/ambient elements into new soundscapes.
• 🌱 Family & future: Reflections on boxing lessons as a child, the spirit in music, and his daughters’ project Rain Party.

A candid, wide-ranging conversation with one of alternative rock’s great sonic architects.

👉 Follow Peter’s music:
Website: https://peterkoppes.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdn2kYdQR2yQJ6YcU0QluJQ/featured
X: https://x.com/peterkoppes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peter.koppes.3
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ENOFSRHD8RnVWRp4gQJha?si=pU-8kinsTBiteH-ciPTG8g

👉 The Church:
Shadow Cabinet: https://shadowcabi.net/

👉 Snow Koppes:
Bandcamp: https://snowkoppes.bandcamp.com/album/supastar

👉 O and Shea:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2vw6GFtH8CBLQmXATwArqW?si=rny5tquYQ2qkmlBzFGQMkg
Bandcamp: https://oandshea.bandcamp.com/

👉 Follow Post-punk Heartstrings for more deep dives into the sounds that move us:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PostpunkHeartstrings
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjKWsuzqWiSY0vln1Py5ahg
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3kngtZ8HsbDL0YFt4m6otZ?si=8c5782e8d30e4258