What Do We Know?
One of them makes music for a living. The other just really loves it. What Do We Know? is hosted by professional musician and producer Danny McCrum and hobby guitarist Mike Harrington. Each week they dig into the albums, artists, gear, history, and big debates that make music worth talking about. Expect strong opinions, genuine curiosity, and more laughs than they probably intended. Join the conversation.
Episodes
181 episodes
15. Fav Guitarists vs Fav Drummers
Mike's off chasing moose and drinking maple syrup in Canada, eh? So this week, drummer Rooney brings in some of his favourite guitarists, while guitarist Danny returns the favour with some of his favourite drummers. Together they dig into what ...
14. Blame Canada?
It's crude, it's offensive, and it's far more carefully crafted than it has any right to be. Our two hosts revisit South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and talk about its incredible soundtrack. Could it be that beneath the juvenile exterior o...
12. Pick Me Up Mr Glyn
BuzzsproutIf a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does it make a sound? Not if it doesn't have pickups! But how do those little magnets turn string vibrations into ear-piercing rock 'n' roll riffs? Pickup buil...
11. Show Me The Money
Andrew Rooney and Danny McCrum are weird. Breaking a variety of stereotypes, these two are both musicians with a mind for business. In today's episode, cohost Mike puts on the interviewing hat to find out how they've both sustained careers in m...
10. Mike's Melted Face: Tommy Emmanuel Concert Review
I warned him. I told him there would be repercussions, no matter how much Botox he used in preparation. Watching Tommy Emmanuel on YouTube is one thing, but seeing him live is another. Mike was excited but didn't take the warning seriously, and...
9. WTF is Yacht Rock?
What exactly is Yacht Rock and why is it called that? Mike, Danny and Rooney each bring their chosen Yacht Rock tracks to enjoy, analyse and debate. Are these songs gloriously cheesy, pure genius, or secretly both? And should we even be calling...
8. What's the Rush?
Is Rush a legendary rock band or just a Canadian addiction? In this week's episode Mike (our resident Canadian and Rush evangelist) attempts to convert his sceptical co-host from Rush ignoramus into a genuine appreciator, if not a fully signed-...
7. Why Do People Love Steven Adler?
Was Steven Adler the greatest drummer in 1980s rock 'n' roll? Maybe not the flashiest. But listen to Appetite for Destruction and you'll hear something no technically perfect player could replicate: a groove that breathes, swaggers, and feels l...
6. Was 1991 the best year in music?
Danny has a theory. Was 1991 actually the greatest year in music history? Mike's not convinced. So the two pseudo-scientists did what any reasonable person would do: built a scoring system, applied it to the evidence, and let the results speak ...
5. Why do people hate Lars Ulrich?
He helped build one of the greatest rock bands of all time, so why does everyone seem to hate him? This week, drummer extraordinaire Andrew Rooney joins us to dig into the Lars Ulrich debate. Great drummer or overrated? Visionary leader o...
4. Playing With Dynamics
This week Danny and Mike dig into one of the most powerful and often overlooked tools in music: dynamics. Not just in how you play, but in your songs, your band, how a record is made and how a live show breathes. They pick up the guitar and wor...
3. Tommy Emmanuel: Re-Release
Back in 2017, Danny and former cohost Bobby Kennedy sat down with the legendary Tommy Emmanuel. With Tommy returning to New Zealand next month, we're re-releasing the episode. Since Mike is hearing it for the first time, we discuss his reaction...
2. What Is a Musician, Really?
In a world of ever advancing tech, who gets to call themselves a musician? We dig into the technology quietly reshaping music, why new tech always gets a rough reception, DJs, AI, and the big question: can a machine ever really make art? Spoile...
1. A Clean Slate
Danny & new co-host Mike kick off their revamped podcast by talking about reinvention and why sometimes you just have to burn it all down and start again. New name, new show, new attitude.
168. Bonus Episode: Stephen Gallagher Returns
On this special bonus episode, Stephen Gallagher returns to the show to discuss his work on Peter Jacksons Beatles documentary Get Back, and his recent gig scoring the soundtrack for the new animated Lord Of The Rings entry, The War of the Rohi...
167. Ben Jurisich
Next year, Danny and Ben will have known each other for forty years. Their friendship as has been quite the adventure, that’s included the Masters Of The Universe, G.I. Joe, skateboarding, fist fights, forming their first band together at...
166. Chris Bourke
Twenty-six years ago, Danny bought Chris Bourke’s book Something So Strong, which tells the highly entertaining and informative story of Crowded House. So much about the book stayed with Danny and gave him some very important tips about h...
165. Chris Melville
Danny met Chris Melville twenty five years ago when they were both regularly performing at The Temple Bar in Auckland’s CBD. Chris didn’t realise he was playing an important role in Danny’s career, giving Danny lots of great advice about ...
164. Thabani Gapara
Saxophonist Thabani Gapara grew up Zimbabwe and eventually moved to South Africa to further his studies. While he was studying, his parents had been living and working in the UK, but despite much effort, Thabani was unable to secure a vis...
163. Jenni Smith
Danny first met Jenni Smith when he was tutoring guitar at Auckland University. Jenni was a first-year student on the Popular Music course and years later, Jenni is now celebrating a recent chart placement and is working hard promoting he...
162. Mike Baker
Mike Baker is a songwriter who was involved with the Flying Nun scene in the late 80s (primarily with the band Not Really Anything) before relocating to Sydney to manage bands and create a career as a chef, including cooking for White Stripes, ...
161. Joanne Cole
Originally from Canada, Joanne currently holds the position of Director, Artistic Planning & Participation, at New Zealand Opera in Auckland, New Zealand where she has been a department head since 2014. On this episode the two musicia...
160. Graham Reid
Graham Reid has been an important part of the fabric of the New Zealand music scene for several decades. He’s a journalist, an author, a writer and a music reviewer who has consistently delivered intelligent and well-considered perspectiv...
