Bracken Interview With...
- Andy Bracken
- Sep 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 1
I caught up with Mike Kennedy - stalwart of the south Wales music scene, and someone who has become a very supportive and trusted friend.
He’s co-owner of The Second 45, a record shop in Llanelli, that stocks Bracken Records’ releases, as well as Andy Bracken’s novels.
Mike’s dedication to music and arts generally, particularly in his native south Wales, is remarkable. There’s his DJ work on Welsh Coast Radio (106.5 FM), TIWN Magazine, Welsh Connections, in addition to the shop.
You’re so involved, Mike! Why and how and when did it all come about?
My parents brought me up to work, and work hard. It was important to them that I got a good job. The problem was, I didn’t know what I wanted to do or be, and so fell into full-time employment with Tesco when I turned eighteen
(I’d been working part-time with them for a year by then).
I ended up staying there for the next thirty-eight years, working my way up the ladder, before I could take early retirement. But I was always involved in music in some way.
I’d played drums in a few local cover bands over the years, and the opportunity came up to volunteer at a local radio station through this. Scheduled around my day job, I did a weekly show shouting out about local bands on Oystermouth Radio, before moving to the FM station at Tircoed.
Whilst I was there, I started organising local charity gigs, and released two compilation CDs which were well received. I linked up with a few like-minded people to launch the SWND (Sound) record label, which still holds the record for most nominated albums from one label in the Welsh Music Prize!
We attracted the attention of PRS Wales, Focus Wales and the Forté Project during this time, and I still work occasionally with some of them.
TIWN (Tune) followed on from this and the acclaimed TIWN Magazine - now in its second year and featuring artists such as The Stereophonics and Will Young as well as up and coming local talent.
Since opening The Second 45 record shop, though, I’ve taken more of a back seat, and Kaysha Louvain is at the helm - and doing very well with it all. I’ve also joined the recently launched radio station, Welsh Coast Radio, with ex-Radio 1 DJ Shaun Tilley, and a host of former Swansea Sound and Wave presenters.
But where did it all start? With a Talking Heads 7” called ‘Once In A Lifetime’ and that’s a cool first record to own!
Was it always an ambition of yours to open a record shop?
Not at all ! I used to sell on-line as a hobby years ago, but I’d stopped all that at the turn of the century (21st - Ed.).
I was coming up to retirement, and a good radio presenter friend of mine, Mike Savory, told me that he was thinking of opening up a record shop. It’s not as mad as it seems, because he was heavily involved with Record Fairs Cymru.
So, I had spare time and he had the stock. We both put in the cash, and that was it. We were off, and The Second 45 was born!
Music’s such a big part of your life - why is that, do you think?
I can’t imagine life without it. Songs transport you back to a place in time - good, bad, happy, sad. They can lift you up, comfort you, give you advice. It can be very emotional. You feel music, not just listen to it.
You do find time to read, of course. What endears a book to you?
I’ve been an avid reader since primary school. I love getting stuck into a book, and probably read around fifty books a year. I read in every spare moment. My wife, Teresa, will tell you that I have been known to sneak a paperback into the shower with me.
Like music, books can transport you and entertain you, affect your emotions but, most importantly, they educate you and teach you to be a better person by living through the characters lives and their experiences.
It doesn’t matter whether you read Dickens (one of my favourites) or Agatha Christie or Lee Child or……..Andy Bracken. Just read!!
Mike's favourite ever book...
BUY IT NOW... Get it from Mike at the shop, or:-
You support so much of the local scene. Which bit of your involvement do you find most enjoyable and fulfilling?
After promoting live events for so long, with very little return, I get more satisfaction and success through the magazine. Through that, we can reach a larger audience for musicians. Plus, of course, when you’re writing, interviewing, and editing, you can hold it back until you’re sure it’s as good as you can get it.
It also means I can work from home, or the shop, and be back home for Eastenders!
That Talking Heads 7” - do you still have it? What’s your favourite record? Artist?
I have a copy, but it’s not the one I bought all those years ago!
No brainier, this one - The Beatles. All four of them, together and apart. That will never change.
But as for my favourite song…. well that can change each day, and will depend on my mood. The stock answer is ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, but it’s not that simple, is it?
What’s next, Mike? I don’t think you’re capable of resting on your laurels…
Well, we’re thinking about shop number two in Wales (watch this space), and we’re about to revamp and relaunch the magazine under a new title!
Kaysha Louvain and I are teaming up with Damian Carruthers of WYOS Media, to get it into every HMV shop in the UK, as well as any independents who choose to stock it. It won’t just focus on Wales though, it’ll have a more national and international feel this time.
And then of course there’s Welsh Coast Radio!
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