Tell Craig Your Story

🎙️ Tell Craig Your Story – Episode 197: Scare the Children are one of Beijing's most intense horror metal bands. I talked to the band after the opening show of their Chinese tour at YYT Shanghai.

With their new EP, Forsaken, and a powerful new line-up, they're delivering crushing live performances that combine heavy metal with theatrical horror. Inspired by horror movies, dark stories, costumes, and stage visuals, Scare the ...

Please welcome today's guest, 李彦漪Yanyi Li, also known as Jenny Li. Born in Shanghai, she studied in Vancouver, Canada, before postgraduate studies in Japan. She is the President of the Aijia Group and the founder and CEO of the White Tea Plain (Bai Cha Yuan) project in Anji, Zhejiang. Under her leadership, White Tea Plain has become one of China's most innovative rural revitalization projects, combining tourism, culture, design, en...

⚽The wait is over—the 2026 FIFA World Cup is finally here! On the eve of kick-off in Mexico, USA and Canada, I sit down with hardcore Leeds United and England fan Josh Pemberton to preview the biggest tournament in world football. We break down all 12 groups, discuss the main contenders and dark horses, and reveal our predictions for who will make it to the knockout stages. We also talk Italy's shock ...

🎙️ Part 2 – Josh Pemberton | Full Throttle – It's What The Fans Want

In Part 2, Josh Pemberton joins me as we continue our track-by-track deep dive into the second half of Full Throttle's debut album, It's What The Fans Want.

We discuss: 🎵 Josh's favourite song on the album 😂 The story behind All My Friends Have Slept With Ray and Ray's reaction to hearing it live for the first 🎸 Playing the songs live and deciding ...

🎙️ Part 1 – Josh Pemberton (Full Throttle)

The voice of Full Throttle, Josh Pemberton, joins me to celebrate the release of our band's debut album, It's What The Fans Want. We take a deep dive track-by-track into how the album was made, including:

🔥 Why it took so long to finally release the album 🎸 Previous attempts to record it 🎚️ Working with new producer Reed 😂 Hilarious studio stories and discovering who Ray and JoJ...

Part 2 – John Shanghai Singer, Author, Entrepreneur John moved to China in 2005 and became the Official MC and part of the management team at Shanghai's iconic Bar Rouge. In 2006, he launched Johnjamsession, a live music concept that became a key part of Shanghai's music scene and later partnered with the French Consulate's La Fête de la Musique. Beyond music, John managed Anar restaurant and co-founded Karma cocktail bar. In...

Part 1 – John Shanghai Singer: Author-Composer, Entertainer & Entrepreneur Born in Paris, John built an international music career before becoming a well-known figure in Shanghai’s nightlife and live music scene. From signing with major labels like Polygram/Universal and BMG-EMI to performing, producing music in New York, and launching the legendary “Johnjamsession” in Shanghai, John has lived an incredi...

🎙️ Episode 190 – Part 2: Alejandra Mendoza

Welcome back to Tell Craig Your Story. In Part 2 of my conversation with Mexican entrepreneur Alejandra Mendoza, we dive into her bold decision to move to China and explore the powerful cultural exchange between Mexico and China.

Alejandra shares insights into building her language business, her passion for c...

🎙️ Tell Craig Your Story — Episode 189 In Part 1 of this episode, we’re joined by Mexican entrepreneur Alejandra Mendoza, exploring her journey between Mexico and China — from her humble upbringing in Guadalajara to building a life abroad and navigating the real struggles of living in a foreign country, including language barriers, cultural differences, and starting over in a new environm...

🎙️ Donut Larsen — In Part 2 of Tell Craig Your Story, we continue our conversation with one of the most compelling new voices in American roots music Donut Larsen — rose from street performances to global attention through viral videos. His 2025 album Maybe blends Americana, blues, folk-punk, and modern country, delivering raw storytelling and deeply personal reflections.

In this episode, we explore the stories and cre...

🎙️ Donut Larsen — (Part 1)

Today on Tell Craig Your Story, we meet one of the most raw and authentic new voices in American roots music

Donut Larsen — is an Americana, blues, and folk-punk artist from Birmingham, Alabama. After years of hitchhiking, riding freight trains, and performing on street corners across the country, his powerful voice and deeply personal songs have captured the attention of millions online.

Fro...

Today on Tell Craig Your Story, I’m joined by Fiony — a professional wrestler from Thailand who’s making serious waves across Asia.

After building her reputation on the Thai wrestling scene, Fiony took a major step forward by signing with the China Wrestling Alliance (CWA) and stepping onto the international stage.

We caught up backstage before her match at the Fight VGM Fight show at Phase Live House in Shanghai,...

With the NRL 2026 season about to kick off in Las Vegas next month, I couldn’t think of a better person to welcome onto the podcast than Dean Smith.

Born in Maitland, Australia, Dean is the host of the KTP Podcast, recorded live every Tuesday night from their studio, where they break down all things Rugby League. I was lucky enough to jump on the show last year and had an absolute blast.

Beyond the mic, Dean is the founder of...

🎉 Happy New Year and welcome to a new season of the Tell Craig Your Story podcast! Let’s kick off 2026 with our first guest, Chloe Trujillo.

Chloe is a multidisciplinary artist, vocalist, and designer, best known as the frontwoman of the heavy alternative band BLVD OF EYES. She recently released her new single “Lies,”, showcasing her powerful vocals and emotionally driven song writing. Known for her striking stag...

It’s an absolute honour to welcome Bernard (Barney) Haas from the Blue Man Group to the podcast. Barney was in Shanghai for a four-month residency, and I was lucky enough to attend one of the shows. I went in not knowing what to expect and came away completely blown away by the talent of the Blue Man Group performers — from drumming on bongos to create exploding paint, to catching marshmallows in their mouths, to creati...

Today on Tell Craig Your Story, I’m joined by Thomas Cleary — a writer, poet, comic creator, and radio storyteller whose journey has taken him from hospital radio and community airwaves in the UK to a creative life here in Shanghai. After losing his father during lockdown, Thomas began revaluating his life, which led him to write and self-publish a deeply personal short book titled Kelsey Left A Mark — a reflectiv...

🎙️ Tell Craig Your Story – Episode 181 (Part 2)

In Part 2 of my chat with Clint Lovering — front man of Damage Inc. (@damageincmetallica) — we get into the roots of Australia’s ultimate Metallica tribute band.

Clint talks about how Damage Inc. was formed, the ups and downs of booking shows in the early days, and what it really takes to step into the shoes of James Hetfield. We dive into how the band carved ...

🎙️ Episode 180 – Part 1

“Today on Tell Craig Your Story, I’m thrilled to welcome Clint Lovering — front man of Damage Inc, Australia’s ultimate Metallica tribute band.

For over 20 years, Clint and the band have brought Metallica’s music to life with passion and precision. Along the way, they’ve shared the stage with the Sydney Symphony, performed the Last Post on ANZAC Day, and even receiv...

Episode 179 – Tell Craig Your Story Podcast | Billie Blue Blackstone

In this episode, I sit down with the incredibly talented Billie Blue Blackstone, a Malaysian-American singer-songwriter who first rose to prominence as the frontwoman of Billie Blue & The Nowhere Men before stepping out on her own as a solo artist.

We talk about her brand-new single “Persimmon Tree,” the creative process of recording in the s...