Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Join Cheryl Lee That Radio Chick on Still Rockin' It for news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
What are they up to at the moment? Let's find out .......
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Rai Thistlethwayte been up to lately? OR Rai's Groovy Pedigree
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians
What happens when you gather some of Australia's most celebrated musicians into one supergroup? The Fabulous Caprettos showcase exactly that magic, and founding member Rai Thistlethwayte joins us for an intimate conversation about the band's evolution, creative resilience, and the pure joy of collaboration.
Rai shares exciting updates about the group's changing lineup, including the addition of the incredible Wendy Matthews, whose presence has transformed their performances and given Rai the opportunity to play piano for her iconic hit "The Day You Went Away." We also learn about Joe Camilleri joining the ranks, bringing his extraordinary saxophone skills and vibrant energy to the shows despite recently suffering a devastating theft of his prized guitars and personal effects.
With characteristic thoughtfulness, Rai reflects on his own musical journey spanning over two decades – from his early musical foundations with piano-teacher mother and rock-musician father to the challenges of navigating an ever-changing industry landscape. "I still haven't had to have a real job yet," he jokes, while acknowledging the hard work, creative reinventions, and occasional heartbreak that comes with a lifelong commitment to music. Particularly moving is his candid discussion of the tragic road accident that affected Thirsty Merc, demonstrating how musicians process grief while continuing to create.
Looking forward, Rai teases upcoming international touring plans, potential new solo material, and exclusive merchandise available only at Fabulous Caprettos shows. The conversation culminates with Rai introducing his deeply personal composition "Always Dreamed of You," a contemplative piano ballad exploring childhood connections and lifelong aspirations. This revealing glimpse into Rai's creative process perfectly captures why he remains such a vital force in Australian music.
Don't miss The Fabulous Caprettos on their current Australian tour – check their schedule to experience these legendary performers bringing decades of hits to stages nationwide. As Rai says, these aren't just any musicians – they're truly "the greatest of all time."
What has The Fabulous Caprettos' Rai Thistlethwayte been up to lately? Let's find out!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
that radio chick, cheryl lee here. Welcome to the still rocking it podcast where we'll have music news, reviews and interviews with some of our favorite australian musicians and artists. Rai Thistlethwayte, solo performer and founding member of thirsty merc, he's always one of our favorites to chat to. He is out and about with a bunch of his legend friends, the fabulous Capretos let's Hear or the Goss. To catch up on podcasts from other favourite artists, simply go to that radio chickcomau. How's it going?
Rai Thistlethwayte:Long time no speak.
Cheryl Lee:I know right, it's not even quite six months.
Rai Thistlethwayte:That's right. It's good to be back on the video.
Cheryl Lee:Let's get started, let's get stuck straight into it, shall we?
Rai Thistlethwayte:Sounds good.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah, with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick, and I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today one of the members of the most legendary boy band in Australia, racist Way. Thank you for joining me this morning.
Rai Thistlethwayte:How's it going?
Cheryl Lee:Pretty good, thanks, although I can't really call you a boy band anymore, can I? You've let a female into the ranks.
Rai Thistlethwayte:That's right. There's a female Capretto. Yeah, wendy Matthews has joined us and she's doing tremendously well. We've had a great time. I mean I've always wanted to work. I've done. I've done some gigs where she's been on the bill you know these multi-band things that we do and she's awesome, I mean. I've also it's been given me an opportunity as a keyboard player to play the piano part on the day I went away, which has been an old favorite of mine. So she's great, good value, great hang. She's awesome, just and great vocalist and just a beautiful human being all around so you guys are in the middle of your current tour.
Cheryl Lee:I think I counted you've got 11 dates to go, including here at Hindley street music hall here in adelaide, bringing wendy with you. Because, well, let's start from the. For those that may not have heard us chat before, what exactly is a goat?
Rai Thistlethwayte:Are you asking what is a capretto?
Cheryl Lee:Yeah, great All the time.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Well, look, I don't know whether that was how the name came about, but that's been the joke on stage the goats. Maybe it was old goats, I'm not sure, but the greatest of all time joke comes up quite a lot. Look, I think it's just. Maybe it sounds a little bit like you know one of those Italian music terms if you put it into a context of a music yeah like falsetto, that's right, the fabulous falsettos.
Cheryl Lee:I think we're going to look back on this band and really, really appreciate the quality of boy band members. You started off with Daryl Braithwaite in the mix. He's sort of retired. And then the amazing Russell Morris, who was a founding member as well, is almost retiring. He's joining you for a few more on this tour. Tour, isn't he?
Rai Thistlethwayte:yeah, he's sort of guesting on the ones that I think. Look, when you get to the point where you've done that many shows and that many albums and you've had such a sort of celebrated career, you definitely get to the point where you're picking and choosing what you want to do. You know you're sort of thinking, oh, if I'd like to take a trip to tasmania and see that, but make it a bit of a work trip. You know, get down there, play some shows for my fans down there, you know. So he's sort of picking and choosing certain routing and coming on things that he does. You know he came to Cairns the other night with us, understandably in winter, if anyone would want to go to Cairns. It's quite glorious up there wearing T-shirts and oh, shut up and shirt and shorts.
Cheryl Lee:Well, I've been down here in melbourne, it's cold down here in adelaide as well, you've got dave gleason from the screaming jets and jack jones from southern sons and yourself, of course.
Rai Thistlethwayte:So your new member is joe camilleri yeah, joe camilleri, and he's bringing a lot of energy to it. Just a great performer. And it's great because he plays saxophone. You know sings, got some great hit songs, plays this beautiful guitar and he's just amazing. So he's been really, really, really fun to work with. When he plays that song, you know you Got Me In the Shape I'm In. Everyone gets up, it's time to dance. It's just one of those sort of tempos and feels and you know he brings a lot of high energy to the show. Actually it's really really cool.
Cheryl Lee:I can imagine and I can't wait to see you guys. When you hit our town just on, joe, he did have a bit of bad luck. I just thought I'd ask you if there was an update some big stone nine of his. Look at these fabulous guitars. He must be heartbroken. Any developments there?
Rai Thistlethwayte:I haven't heard any exact developments. I'm sure he's working day and night on trying to, you know, have people get back to him with any news and keeping the vibe going in the industry that you know, if anyone knows or sees anything. Yeah, he did three shows obviously already with us since that all happened. And you know they not only stole all that but even the thing where you know you've lost your passport and all a lot of your credentials and you know having to get go to the births, deaths and marriages registrations, this, and then get this and then you can get your driver's license.
Rai Thistlethwayte:But you know, just to get all the physical stuff and get a new passport, he's like it's going to take three months to even sort of be able to prove that I'm Joe Camilleri, you know. So he says it's just one of those things that knocks the wind out of you. But he's also, he said in another sentence he says, look, despite how tragic it's all been and how violated you feel when someone does this, it's one of those feelings where you have to be able to sort of be prepared to say goodbye to material things. And he says I'm actually quite good at that as a human being. I've had to do that a few times and that's the sort of human thing in anyone's life. If you can't do that, you know. But that said, he's on the hunt, he wants to find the stuff because some of those guitars, you know they were very, very desirable.
Cheryl Lee:Oh, yes, they were beautiful.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah, irreplaceable sentimental value, and not to mention some of the other side of it. But yeah, I was really feeling for him because it's just so much work. You know he has nothing to do with the event and now he's got to go and piece it all together and do all the other stuff and you know it's frustrating. It's been really hard Bloody bastards.
Cheryl Lee:I hope they catch them. What are they going?
Rai Thistlethwayte:to do with.
Cheryl Lee:Joe's passport. Really, what's it going to do for them? I know to do for them. I know how does it benefit anyone. I know it's good that he's got you know as positive attitude about it as you can have. It's like when my daughter wrote off her car like her first car. I said it's a thing you get another one. You're okay, that's the main thing.
Rai Thistlethwayte:It's so much more important to think you've got you know if it was something to do with his health or something like that.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Still the same old Joe get up there and rock it with the best. You wouldn't have known anything negative or anything had gone on in those shows on the weekend. He just absolutely rocked it. If anything, he gave it all his heart and soul and everyone was having a great time. You know, that's the thing. He's a professional musician. He gets up there and he knows what he's got to do. It's a conversation with the audience he was having that it was working well.
Cheryl Lee:I touched on the calibre of the artists that have come through your well, not boy band now, but with your female in Wendy. But you yourself we've touched on this before so we won't go too in depth. But you know your caliber is amazing. Like it's clearly in your dna, mum was a piano teacher and dad was in rock bands. You know your pedigree is pretty groovy well.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Thank you very much. My pedigree is very groovy. Well, that's a nice compliment. I don't know how I'd follow up with that. Yeah, I'm lucky I had my parents be very supportive and you know, as I might have even mentioned to you I've definitely said it to other people A lot of other parents were sort of saying go get a real job. And I still haven't had to have a real job yet.
Rai Thistlethwayte:But you know, it has been a whole lot of hard work, so maybe it has been work in that sense, but it's been gratifying work. It's made me a living quite nicely over the many, many years I've been doing it. It's been unpredictable, it's had some tragic events that have been hard to get through and all of that. But I think that that's any career, if you look at a span of 20-something years, that's going to happen to anyone. I've had to sort of think about ways of reinventing creatively a little bit and do some overseas travel, hook into some other projects to sort of keep things fresh for myself.
Rai Thistlethwayte:All musicians can be very insecure at times and question whether you're worth anything, and you can have a project that sends you into the public eye and then you can be dropped by a label, or you can be dumped by this idea and, you know, go through a change where you made a decision that might have been regretful and all that. You know that's what happens when you're in any career for over a couple of decades. So I'm still doing it. The business has had so many changes but it still hasn't beaten the enthusiasm, yeah, out of me.
Rai Thistlethwayte:So I sort of think that that's been a product and function of my parents introducing me to this creative energy of sonic, kind of uh love in a lot of ways, which is sort of what music ends up being when you look at all aspects of it.
Rai Thistlethwayte:They gave me that love as as parents. So I think that sort of is how I translated it into you know, using my skill set to sort of communicate that with other people as well and also go through my own version of personal development. Music's been like that for me because it's led me to meet people that have been great on the road, and that's often what your work needs to be as well a network of people that are going to keep you afloat as a person. And I think, yeah, it's been all of those things and more definitely because I had my parents' support with it. It was there so early on in my life that I didn't have to bring ideas of how cutthroat it is or how difficult it can be or how lumpy the income can be or how crazy the machinery can be. So, thankfully, I still sort of think back to those days, you know, and that keeps me going.
Cheryl Lee:You've had over the years lots of successes with Thirsty Merc, with your own solo career, but have you got a scoop for us? Is there anything on the horizon for Rai coming up?
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah, I mean I'm doing a few little things around, with some more being cool. I haven't had to sort of drive some of these projects so much, but I've been very lucky to work with a drummer from Perth, ben Vanderwall. I do a lot of. I guess it's like a solo build gig, but really it's a featuring Ben kind of gig. We want to do some more touring and typically we tour through Asia or Southeast Asia. I want to do some more touring and typically we tour through Asia or Southeast Asia. I want to do a bit more traveling in that region.
Rai Thistlethwayte:I've been to America a lot. Europe would be good to do some more traveling too, and if I can tie it in with music, that'd be cool. And I've got I'm talking to a few people about some potential stuff for next year. But I think in terms of my own projects I've got some good material there. I just need to work out how to sort of uh, you know I don't want to like categorize it too much, but I guess in a an album sense you do have to think of some sort of how is this going to have a thread through it? So I'm probably at the stage where I can do that now, you know, previous to that stage of a songwriter's kind of uh cycle of creating work, you need to actually create the work, I think. But think I've got enough there to you know.
Cheryl Lee:So watch this space?
Rai Thistlethwayte:You know the songs of the meat. I think all I need to do is get a kebab skewer to put through the middle of it and work out is this going to sit in the right thing? And then we can fry it up and put it on the hot plate and then make sure it's nice and, you know know, cooked in the right way, and then turn it over a couple of times and mix it and then like, see if we want the sauce, yeah, what will the sauce? Oh, that's, that's reverb and delay and chorus, all sorts of other effects. So maybe we'll do that so watch this space.
Cheryl Lee:Back to the coming up gigs for the caprettos. I noticed on the socials you're talking about some gig-only merch. It's not online. You guys have got a new T-shirt with the five of you on it 40 bucks. This is what I'm really interested in. Bootleg Series live in concert from last year the CD. So you can only get this merch at the moment if we head along to a gig, right.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah, absolutely. It's a gig exclusive. I've got to get a cd player in my current place. I've got one in my car so I'll I'll have a listen to it. But I actually was given one of those by the band and I stuck it in my little suitcase and I brought it home so I'll have a listen to it. Sometimes listening to your own work is, you know, you don't want to do it. It's like it's like an actor who has to look at the back of their neck when there's a camera angle from a certain place.
Cheryl Lee:You're like, oh, I don't want to look at myself that way, my eyes, my eyes, my ears, my ears.
Rai Thistlethwayte:But I'm sure it's a great compendium of stuff, because the good thing about anything Capretto is you're getting a great cross-section of songs from lots of artists, so you know it's always a good listen all the way through. Exactly right.
Cheryl Lee:So get onto the Google-o-meter and find out when the Caprettos the fabulous Caprettos are coming to your town. To finish off, how game are you to do my quick 10?
Rai Thistlethwayte:Let's do the quick 10. I'm happy.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Do I have to answer them as fast as possible? I've got to go as fast. Oh, Someday We'll All Be Free. By Donny Hathaway. As I said, I'm going first thought.
Cheryl Lee:Good on you Favourite live concert you've ever seen.
Rai Thistlethwayte:First thing that came to my mind not my favourite, but I'll tell you it was probably one of the first big bills was a thing called the Big Backyard. Midnight Oil headlined it. Def FX was on the bill, caligula was on the bill. I can't think of the other bands that were on there, but it was in the domain in Sydney. I was about 15 or 16 and it was an absolutely amazing experience. It sort of made me realise what a festival feels like.
Cheryl Lee:An influential artist on your career most influential.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Artist, musically, as a band configuration, I have to say Deep Purple.
Cheryl Lee:Right, yeah.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah.
Cheryl Lee:Now Dead or Alive? Who would you like to most collaborate with?
Rai Thistlethwayte:I'd be shaking in my boots because he just runs rings around. Anyone but Keith Jarrett, the keyboard player, the piano player best improvised music I've ever heard has most likely come from this one person. He's still around. He's not playing live anymore. From this one person. He's still around. He's not playing live anymore. He's one of my favourite musicians. Apart from that, I'd probably say Claude Debussy, the French composer from you know, writing things in the early 1900s. This is going back to my piano roots. I'm a piano player at heart and just to be able to watch someone like that compose and play would just be incredible.
Cheryl Lee:Awesome Piece of advice that you've received. That's been invaluable.
Speaker 3:Oh, piece of advice.
Rai Thistlethwayte:I'll just think of a silly one Don't talk with your mouth open. I think my dad said that when he was trying to give me some different type of advice, but botched it.
Cheryl Lee:Don't talk with your mouth open.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yes, I think he was basically telling me to shut up as long as I don't eat with your mouth open. Yes, I think he was basically telling me to shut up as long as I don't eat with your mouth open.
Cheryl Lee:Close.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah, but I think don't talk with your mouth open is better for me. I love it.
Cheryl Lee:Now, what is your favourite song to perform right now? What are you loving performing right now?
Rai Thistlethwayte:All right, I'm going to go in and I'm going to say Better by the Screaming Jets sung by Dave Gleeson, and I get to play it and I get to rock out on guitar at the Capretto's gigs. I know that's a biased answer, but it is just such a great song.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah, it is, isn't it? What's been your most challenging moment career-wise?
Rai Thistlethwayte:Well, career-wise, I think it might have been having to endure the event that happened when we had a road accident in the band. There was a fatal accident and a good mate, mick, had a horrible time following that. He was, yeah, very banged up, to say the least, but it's been one of those things where knowing that he's okay has been really, really cool and, you know, I have a great rave with him on the phone and it's made him a stronger person emotionally on a lot of levels. Yeah, just a horrible event though, you know, but that's that was hard, you know that, a really really tough time for the band.
Cheryl Lee:Yeah, I bet. And the last one is what is a song possibly maybe a Thirsty Merc song or one of your own solo songs that you wish more people heard and loved and played? I won't say underrated, but you know what I mean.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah, yeah, I know what you're saying. Well, there's a song that I wrote that is actually quite appreciated online. It's had quite a good amount of, you know, views on YouTube, but the thing is I never really released it as a proper thing, so maybe it's in a way that's the reason that it hasn't received. You know the sort of airtime that maybe I think as a songwriter, but I think as a songwriter it's one of my favorite songs. It's a song called Always Dreamed of you and it's one of those weird almost dream scape almost it could be a Disney sort of movie ballad in its own way. But there's something about it that links that song for me to a sort of childhood hope, something to do with a connection with my own parents. You know, something to do with what I wanted to do with my life when I was a kid and kind of a support song for someone else as well. It's got a sort of. It talks about the person I always dreamed of. Maybe Is it to do with a love that you're looking for, or is it to do with actually a meaning that you're looking for in the embodiment of sort of maybe. It's weird to think that my mum and me being a kid and that connection that happens between a child and the mum and she sort of taught me music and there's a connection there that I'm sort of somehow talking about in this song. But I think it's there with every child and their mother and I think there's something in that song that reminds me of the way it was to be even before you were the age of 10, you know, before you've gone through puberty and sort of like thinking what does this all mean? And I think that song's the sort of question mark song of my songs.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Beautiful, yeah, but it's kind of like a hopeful song. So I don't know, always dreamed of you. It's a. I did a live piano and vocal at my uh, my old place in sydney, yeah, on a beautiful stewart and sons piano that was lent to me by wayne stewart, an australian piano manufacturer and complete genius in terms of engineering. He's based in in Tumut these days in South Wales, but yeah, he lent me this piano for a while and I was looking after it and these pianos are huge symphonic things. So, yeah, it's probably that one. Nice of you to ask about that.
Cheryl Lee:That song sounds beautiful, ray. Would you like to introduce it, and I think we'll go out with that song today.
Rai Thistlethwayte:All right, no worries, this is a bit of a softer note sound compared to some of the stuff I've done before, but it's called Always Dreamed of you, live piano vocal recorded at home by yours truly.
Cheryl Lee:I know you guys are pretty busy, so I really appreciate you spending the time and sitting down and having another chat with us. It's always great to catch up. I look forward to seeing you on Friday, the 25th, here in our town and, as I say, get onto the Googleometer and catch these goats, these greatest of all time in your town.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Sounds good, anything else you wanted to mention. No, that's been awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time. Always fun to chat to you and, yeah, hope to see you at the gig.
Cheryl Lee:Oh yeah, I've got my tickets. I'll see you down the front.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Yeah, sounds good. See you then.
Cheryl Lee:Thanks, rai, bye for now.
Rai Thistlethwayte:Bye-bye. You are listening to Still Rocking it the podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Cheryl Lee:As promised and as introduced by Rai himself. Always dreamed of you.
Cheryl Lee:You're with Cheryl Lee that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking it podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can support Aussie music and I'll see you down the front.