Essential Tremors

Columbus, OH-based composer Brian Harnetty describes himself as an “interdisciplinary artist using sound and listening to foster social change.” While the meaning of such a description may not be immediately apparent, Harnetty’s approach becomes clearer when reading through his CV: he frequently uses archival material such as field and historic recordings to create sound collages, capturing the essence of a subject from the fragments of it he’s collected. Some specific examples of his work in this area are recording projects with the Appalachian Sound Archives in Kentucky, the Sun Ra/El Saturn Creative Audio Archive in Chicago, and the Anne Grimes Collection in the Library of Congress. Harnetty’s work has garnered acclaim from publications ranging from The Wire, to Mojo, to Aquarium Drunkard, all three of which honored his 2022 release Words and Silences, a sonic portrait of the Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton, on their “year-end best” lists. Here how works/performances by Igor Stravinsky, Frederic Rzewski, and Addie Graham informed his creative development.

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Although turntablist Maria Chavez’s work is often performed in contemporary art museums and other rarefied locations, she herself doesn’t come from a place of abstraction or the aloofness that’s sometimes associated with such venues. On paper a deeply experimental artist, her work comes from a place of pure emotion rather than an ideological stance, and embraces the possibilities of the creative accident. A native of Lima, Peru, but raised in the United States, Chavez’s use of broken vinyl and semi-destroyed record needles have set her apart from other practitioners in her field. In addition to her solo work, she is also a member of The Turntable Trio along with Victoria Shen (previous show guest Evicshen) and Mariam Rezaei. Hear how works by Robert Wyatt, Hector Lavoe, and Autechre guided her path. We spoke to her live at the 2026 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN.

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Over a career spanning almost five full decades, Sir Richard Bishop has carved out a lasting legacy for himself as a singular, prolific voice. In the early 1980’s he founded Sun City Girls with his brother, Alan, and subsequently released 50 full length albums, 20 hour-long cassettes and 12 7” records. He’s also a co-founder of the far-reaching Sublime Frequencies label. Hear how songs by Hoyt Curtin, Farid Al-Atrash, and Sandy Bull guided him creatively. His newest record, Hillbilly Ragas, was released by Drag City in 2025.

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In his work with Sons of Kemet, and then in The Smile with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and as a sought after jazz and session drummer, Tom Skinner is very much a known quantity in music circles in the UK and internationally. Also a solo artist, his newest album, Kaleidoscopic Visions, was released by International Anthem in September 2025. Hear how songs by Ornette Coleman, Federico Mompou, and Sam Gendel shaped him. We spoke to him live at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

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To try to list all the projects, both solo and group, that Shahzad Ismaily has been a part of would take much more time than we have available, even in this notoriously long-winded medium. Instead, it might be better to offer a small sampling of those with whom he’s collaborated (Sam Smith, Mike Doughty; Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Marc Ribot), and then offer the description of him as a bass player and multi-instrumentalist who’s equally comfortable in the jazz, pop, and experimental idioms, as well as a soulful, generous player and collaborator. Hear him discuss how pieces by U2, Thomas Koner, and Ida change his creative course. Special guest host and previous guest Fred Frith conducted this interview of Ismaily at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

More on Seventh Stanine here.

More on festival sponsor Art Sound Language here.

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For most of his career, Bonner Kramer has been known in underground music circles by only his surname, as his imprint has been deep and wide enough that only that sobriquet has been necessary. Starting in New York City in the late 70’s and into the 80’s, he was a member of several seminal bands of the era including New York Gong and Bongwater, and played in the Butthole Surfers, Ween, Half Japanese, The Fugs, and with John Zorn. As a producer, he has worked with Galaxie 500 (whose entire catalog he produced), Low, Half Japanese, Gwar, Will Oldham, Daniel Johnston, and Urge Overkill, and founded the Shimmy Disc label. He’ll perform at this year’s Big Ears Festival both by himself, as well as with Thurston Moore and Mark Nelson of Pan-American, respectively, in March of 2026. On this episode, hear how songs sung by Billie Holliday, Gavin Bryars, and Robert Wyatt informed his work.

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A harpist since childhood–as well as the daughter of one–Mary Lattimore’s choice of instrument reveals the simple beauty it contains, transcending the stereotype of it being strictly for use in classical music or as flourishes in movie soundtracks. Her ability to cut straight to the heart in her compositions works the same trick, not relying on the standard glissandos often employed by traditional players, but simply reducing the instrument to its essence. Her most recent release is a duet with Julianna Barwick, Tragic Magic, and came out in January of 2026. The duo will perform at this year’s Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March of 2026. Hear how songs by Debussy, The Cure, and Sonic Youth guided her musical path.

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Listing Joe Boyd’s most significant accomplishments as a producer, label owner, and music historian is a tall order. A short list of artists he’s worked with includes Nick Drake (heard here), Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, The Incredible String Band, R.E.M., Vashti Bunyan, Billy Bragg, and 10,000 Maniacs. Additionally, he was the founder of Hannibal Records, the label responsible for bringing the term “world music” into the lexicon, as well as serving as a music producer for Warner Bros., where he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on the soundtrack of  A Clockwork Orange and 1972’s Deliverance. His most recent work is as the author of White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, as well as And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music, which came out in 2024. On this episode, hear how songs by Fats Domino, Fairport Convention, and Carlos Gardel shaped his sensibilities. Boyd will be a part of this year’s Big Ears Festival taking place in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

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Bristol, UK’s Tara Clerkin Trio first came to our attention last year when they received an invitation from the Big Ears Festival to play its 2025 edition, and, upon listening to their 2023 EP On the Turning Ground as a means of introduction, we were immediately smitten. Members Tara Clerkin, Pat Benjamin, and Sunny-Joe Paradiso have synthesized elements of minimalism, dub, and more traditionally melodic genres to create sounds that are simultaneously patient, intimate, and seductive. Hear how songs by Casino Versus Japan, Frederic Galliano, and Durutti Column were formative for them. They’ll be playing this year’s Big Ears Festival on Friday, March 27, 2026.

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While to the casual observer it might seem as if New Zealand’s The Beths appeared seemingly out of nowhere in or around the summer of 2023, they’ve in fact been making their extremely catchy brand of indie pop for almost ten years now. The Auckland-based quartet’s most recent album, Straight Line is a Lie, was released last year by Anti-. We spoke to founding members Liz Stokes and Jonathan Pearce for this episode in which they talk about how songs by Rilo Kiley, Ben Folds Five, and The Shins--among others--were formative for them.

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Colombia-born singer and musician Lucrecia Dalt began her musical career seemingly suddenly, at least when observed from a distance as a simple biographical factoid: as a civil engineer, she worked in a geotechnical company until giving it up to become a musician. While the exact details of that situation are likely considerably more nuanced, it nevertheless serves as a metaphor for her ambitious and ever-forward artistic inclinations. This is particularly true in her 2021 collaboration with Aaron Dilloway, Lucy & Aaron, which took her work deeper into more fragmented, abstract territory. She continues on this path with her newest release,A Danger to Ourselves, which was released in late 2025. On this episode, she talks about how songs by Rocio Durcal, PJ Harvey, and David Sylvian informed her sensibilities. Dalt will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

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Bassist Melvin Gibbs has played on many seminal records you’re very familiar with, and likely many you aren’t, almost 200 in total. Some of his better-known work includes playing with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, as well as Rollins Band, and Arto Lindsay. Although having played in stylistically varied projects, there is one constant among all them, which is Gibbs’ palpable presence, as he’s not a typical “session” player or one to recede into the background. Regardless of the project, his passion, precision, and distinctive, extremely musical playing stand out. Gibbs will appear as part of the Electrical Field of Love project featuring his group Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow at the 2026 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN. On this episode, he talks about how songs by Undine Smith Moore, Les Tambours de Brazza, and 67 guided his musical course.

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Through his work in Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has played a significant role in the shaping of Americana and alternative rock since the early 90’s. The title of Uncle Tupelo’s highly influential first album, No Depression, both spawned a resurgence in music more widely described as “Americana,” as well as gave it its name. Later in his career, Tweedy and Wilco collaborated with Billy Bragg on the Mermaid Avenue records that featured lost lyrics by Woody Guthrie, released the groundbreaking album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and put a total of 12 band and four solo records, four books, and helped establish the bi-annual Solid Sound Festival in western Massachusetts. Hear how how songs by Meat Puppets, Neil Young, and Blondie charted his musical course. Tweedy’s newest work, a triple record titled Twilight Override, was released on September 26, 2025.

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Adrian Sherwood is known for his work as a producer, and while that term brings to mind those who simply put their often-subtle imprint on the recordings in which they’re involved, Sherwood’s approach is distinctive and heavily informed by the Dub music which he worked to distribute and to play as a DJ in London in the 1970’s. He has brought that sensibility primarily, but not exclusively, to electronic and electronic dance music, as well as many remixes of work by bands ranging from Depeche Mode, Sinead O’Connor, Primal Scream, Coldcut, and Skinny Puppy. His most recent solo record is 2025’s The Collapse of Everything. Sherwood will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026. In this episode, he talks about how songs by Lee Perry, Mark Stewart, and Elvis Presley guided his musical development.

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Brian Weitz, better known as Geologist from Animal Collective, is, like the other members of that band, a voracious listener of music from a huge span of eras, cultures, and geographical locations. As can be heard in both his contributions to that band as well as his solo work, it’s all left a mark, particularly in his live performances on hurdy-gurdy, which has roots in music from multiple cultures and points in history. A Philadelphia native who also has Baltimore roots, Weitz currently resides in Washington, DC, and his newest release with Doug Shaw, A Shaw Deal, is out now on Drag City. On this episode, hear how songs by Sundowners, Fennesz, and Keiji Haino influenced him as an artist.

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As a founding member and lead singer of Galaxie 500, it could be said Dean Wareham was present at the Big Bang of American indie/alternative/college rock in the 80’s. The band spawned both a large fanbase as well as a nascent movement that embraced the same sensibilities of atmospheric-yet-stripped down, heartfelt-but-self-aware, Velvet Underground-inspired music that shaped underground music for the next two-plus decades. He then moved on to found Luna, a slightly more musically accomplished successor to Galaxie 500 that carried those same sensibilities into the 21st century. Dean and Britta, the band he founded with wife and long-time collaborator Britta Phillips, released a Christmas-themed record with former Spaceman 3 frontman Sonic Boom entitled A Peace of Us in late 2024. Hear how songs by Beat Rhythm Fashion, The Feelies, and Francoise Hardy helped shape his sensibilities.

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Born and bred in Dublin, Ireland, Ian Lynch is a founding member of traditional Irish cum modernist folk band Lankum. A passionate player and supporter–as well as a keen historian–of traditional Irish music, Lynch, along with his bandmates in Lankum, bring a passionate and renewed sense of spirit to the idiom with rousing performances in which they employ traditional instruments that serve to both honor and also expand its scope. Lynch is also the creator and host of the monthly Fire Draw Near podcast and radio show which investigates Irish traditional music and song in all of its myriad forms. We spoke to Lynch live at the 2025 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN.

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Victoria Shen (also known by her performance alias Evicshen) is a San Francisco–based sound artist, experimental music performer, and instrument-maker whose work blends tactile audioworks with visceral live performance. Her practice engages deeply with the physicality and spatiality of sound, often through custom-built electronics, analog modular synthesizers, and hybrid sculpture-instruments.

Shen is perhaps best known for pioneering “Needle Nails”—acrylic fingernails fitted with embedded turntable styluses enabling her to play multiple record grooves simultaneously. She’s also created a copper-speaker album sleeve for her debut LP Hair Birth, and hand-poured resin records with embedded found objects.

Rooted in improvisation, her live sets are described as spirited, confrontational, and intensely physical, incorporating elements like whips, saw blades, and combs to shape visceral resonance with her audience.

In this episode, here how songs by Faye Wong, Jimi Hendrix, and Lightning Bolt were formative for her.

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A Norwegian musician, novelist, and interdisciplinary artist whose work defies easy categorization, Jenny Hval has built a reputation for music that blends experimental pop, spoken word, noise, and electronic textures—often paired with provocative lyrics exploring the politics of the body, gender identity, desire, and the intersection of art and intimacy.

Her critically acclaimed solo albums, including Apocalypse, Girl (2015), Blood Bitch (2016), and Classic Objects (2022), are known for their fearless exploration of taboo and vulnerability, often framed through surreal, dreamlike narratives. In parallel with her music, Hval has authored several novels—including Paradise Rot and Girls Against God—which mirror her sonic work in their poetic, sensory, and transgressive style. A frequent collaborator across disciplines, Hval also creates live performances that incorporate theatrical elements, scent, sound installations, and spoken word. Her newest record, Iris Silver Mist, was released by 4AD on May 2, 2025.

In this episode, she discusses how songs by Suzanne Vega, One Dove, and Paul Simon informed her development as an artist.

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Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has built a rich solo sideline as a soundtrack composer and collaborator with other artists.

In this episode, he discusses how pieces by Abdel Halim Hafez, Kraftwerk and Mohamed Abdel Wahab influenced his recent album with Kuwaiti-Israeli musician Dudu Tassa..

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William Tyler is an American guitarist and composer known for his unique blend of fingerstyle guitar, ambient, and post-rock influences. Hailing from Nashville, Tyler's music weaves intricate, melodic soundscapes that are often both introspective and expansive. Critics have praised Tyler for his ability to evoke deep emotion through his instrumental work. Pitchfork described Goes West as "a stunning meditation on the American landscape, both real and imagined. “ Through his work, Tyler has carved a distinctive niche within the instrumental music world, drawing comparisons to guitar greats like John Fahey and Leo Kottke. His newest record, Time Indefinite, was released by Psychic Hotline in spring of 2025. In this episode, recorded live at the Big Ears Festival in March of 2025, he talks about how songs by Scott Joplin, The Troggs, and Popol Vuh were formative for him.

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Haley Fohr, who performs as Circuit des Yeux, is known for her hauntingly powerful voice and immersive, genre-defying sound. As Pitchfork put it, her voice is “a force of nature” that “pulses with raw emotion.” Her album -io, was hailed by The New York Times as “a deeply evocative exploration of loss, identity, and the self.” With a career marked by boundary-pushing work, Haley continues to redefine what it means to create music that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. Her newest record, Halo on the Inside, was commended by The Quietus for its "immaculately crafted" tracks, particularly "Truth," which "recalls the rave from The Matrix in its endearing camp and undeniable swagger." In this episode, she talks about how songs by The Stooges, Sly and the Family Stone, and Joni Mitchell shaped her sensibilities. Halo on the Inside was released by Matador on March 14, 2025.

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As a member of Radiohead since its inception over 30 years ago, Colin Greenwood’s contributions to the group, both through his bass playing and songwriting, have helped them reach ever-higher levels of artistic and commercial prominence. A soulful, clever, and inventive bass player, his parts are always noticeable due to being highly composed and carefully considered, but never intrude on the song or call attention to themselves unnecessarily. While Radiohead’s been on hiatus, Greenwood has toured with Nick Cave and more recently released a book of behind-the-scenes photos of Radiohead over the past several decades entitled How to Disappear: A Portrait of Radiohead. In this episode, he discusses how works performed by Jonas Nordberg, Lal and Mike Waterson, and Vincent Lhermet influenced his own artistic development.

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Critically-acclaimed composer and saxophonist Darius Jones’s playing has been described using adjectives such as “fearless,” “riveting” and “breath-taking” from publications ranging from Pitchfork, to The Wire, to the New York Times, and has received superlatives from many other publications, as well. Currently an Assistant Professor of Music at Wesleyan University, Jones has previously been awarded the Van Lier Fellowship, Jerome Foundation Artist-in-Residence and commission, Western Front residency and commission, French-American Jazz Exchange Award, Robert D. Bielecki Foundation Award, and Fromm Music Foundation commission from Harvard University. Hear how music by Kim Burrell, Max Roach, and MF Doom helped form his artistic viewpoint. His newest album–Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)--was released in December of 2024.

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Japanese musician and composer Ikue Mori is widely known for her innovative work in experimental electronic music. Having initially gained recognition as a drummer for the avant-garde rock band DNA with Arto Lindsay in the late 1970s, she helped define the band's distinct sound. As her career evolved, Mori transitioned to using electronics and computers, exploring sound manipulation and producing intricate soundscapes that blend noise, rhythm, and melody. Her solo projects and collaborations with artists across genres have earned her a reputation as a pioneering force in the world of experimental music. In this episode, she discusses how songs by Ennio Morricone, Les Baxter, and Masuru Sato formed her sensibilities. Mori will perform at this year’s Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March in her project with Zeena Parkins, Phantom Orchard.

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As close to indie rock royalty as may exist, Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo–a band nearing its 40th year in existence that he founded with his partner, drummer Georgia Hubley in the mid-1980’s–has recorded 17 records under that name and influenced more bands than could be named here. Simultaneously considered critics’ darlings but also having established a wide, loyal, and sustaining fanbase, the band–anchored by bass player James McNew–will perform with the Sun Ra Arkestra at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Half Japanese, the Grateful Dead, and The Tremeloes guided his development.

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First coming to international attention after Brian Eno heard him playing in Washington Square Park in New York City in 1979, Laraaji’s calm, meditative, and deeply spiritual work was widely heard for the first time when his Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, record was released by Eno in 1980 as the third in his “Ambient” series. A collection of his early, previously unreleased work, Segue to Infinity, was released by Numero Group in October of 2023. Laraaji will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March of 2025, and in this episode talks about how songs by Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, Frank Sinatra, and Pharrell Williams were formative for him.

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Berlin-based avant-guitarist Jules Reidy is known for creating elaborate, beautiful textures with their instrument, often in large washes of disorienting sound. As evidenced in several collaborations with previous guest of the show Oren Ambarchi, Reidy’s heavily-layered and highly-spiritual work–particularly on their newest release, Ghost/Spirit, which is out soon on Thrill Jockey–is also transfixing, particularly upon close and repeated listens. In this episode, they talk about how compositions by Catherine Lamb, Talk Talk, and Dean Roberts shaped their creative sensibilities. Reidy will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2025.

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Norwegian singer Susanna, whose full name is Susanna Karolina Wallumrød, first grew to fame for her work in her group Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. Her warm, soulful, and at times ethereal voice lends both her original compositions and beautifully-rendered covers a deep source of vulnerability and humanity. First recommended to us by previous guest, and guest host, Will Oldham, Susanna’s album Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos was featured in a deeply moving Selector Series event hosted by Oldham last year here in Baltimore. In this episode, she talks about how songs by Nina Simone, Bjork, and Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru have guided her artistically.

Join us at the Big Ears Festival 2025! 

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Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul has quickly vaulted from the traditional-music scene to an international profile, in part thanks to her recent collaboration with saxophonist/composer Colin Stetson. In this episode, she discusses how music by Allan Macdonald, the Rhodopea Kaba Trio, and Steve Reich guided her own work. She'll appear at the Big Ears Festival in March 2025.

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Gregg Turkington, arguably more widely known from his guise as comedian Neil Hamburger, is possibly best described as a comic himself, but also as a cultural critic and commentator. Having spent his younger years as a zine publisher, a musician in multiple bands, and running a label, he has since risen to greater prominence as a collaborator with Tim Heidecker in On Cinema at the Cinema, a web series put out by Adult Swim, among many other endeavors. Hear how songs by Jimmy Webb, Leonard Cohen, and Frank Sinatra influenced his work, including his newest record, Neil Hamburger Presents: Seasonal Depression Suite, which is out now on Drag City.

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Nate Cross has become a powerful force behind the scenes of contemporary American music, onstage and on record as one of the key members of drone-rock ensemble Water Damage and as the proprietor of the respected creative-music label Astral Spirits. He discusses how music by Oneida, Jim O’Rourke, and The Necks shaped his course. Water Damage will be perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March of 2025.

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A household name for many decades amongst those with an interest in challenging, forward-thinking music, Fred Frith initially gained an audience through his work as the guitarist with 60’s group Henry Cow, and has since had a prolific career as a player on many recordings under his own name as well as collaborations with players ranging from Henry Kaiser, to The Residents, to Richard Thompson, to John Zorn. He has appeared on over 400 recordings and continues to push forward artistically with each new release. We spoke to Frith in front of a live audience at the Big Ears Festival in Kn0xville in March of 2024.

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New York City-based underground hip-hop artist Billy Woods might be best known as half of duo Armand Hammer, but is also well known as a solo artist. His 2024 releaseMaps, in which he worked with beatmaker and producer Kenny Segal, earned a “Best New Music” designation from Pitchfork. On this episode, in which Woods was interviewed before a live audience by guest host and former guest of the show Claire Rousay at the 2024 Big Ears Festival, he talks about how songs by Public Enemy, MF Doom, and Juggaknotts paved his way artistically.

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As one half of influential band Gastr del Sol along with David Grubbs, Jim O’Rourke’s work has reached many through that project alone. However, his additional work as an esteemed solo artist and producer as well as a guitarist in Sonic Youth have extended his reach even further, solidifying him as one of the most prominent artists to emerge from the American underground.

On this episode, he talks about how songs by David Ackles, Genesis and Charles Ives informed his development as a musician.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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David Grubbs, who along with Jim O'Rourke comprised Gastr del Sol, ushered in a new, cerebral strain of post-rock upon their appearance in the 90's. Owing more to modern classical composers than what was being played on college radio, the duo toured extensively and put out eight releases, most of which were on esteemed Chicago label Drag City.

Their newest release is a box set of their work named We Have Dozens of Titles, and was also released by Drag City in May of 2024.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Having co-written many of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' greatest hits as the lead guitarist in the band, Mike Campbell's work has been heard by millions of listeners and still resonates today.

In this episode, hear how songs by Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys shaped his musical perspective.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Electronic-music producer Jlin works in the space where beatmaking and modern composition collide.

In this episode, recorded live at the 2024 Big Ears Festival, she discusses how music by Luther Vandross, Missy Elliott and Al Jarreau shaped her work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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DC indie-scene veterans Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross formed the spine of two of the city's finest pop bands, Unrest and the still-undersung Air Miami.

In this episode, they discuss how '70s dance music, musicals, the Shaggs, the Captain and Tennille, and '80s punk and indie shaped their course.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Our sixth annual Seventh Stanine Festival is taking place Saturday, June 15 from 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. 

This episode previews this year's event and features segments on Water Damage, Geologist of Animal Collective, Tongue Depressor, Susan Alcorn, The Caribbean, Small Sur, Turner Williams, Jr. and Jon Camp.

More information can be found at www.rhizomedc.org or www.essentialpodcast.com.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Los Angeles-based folk troubadour Jessica Pratt's intimate, moody, carefully-crafted songs have helped her reach an ever-growing audience over the course of her four studio albums, the most recent of which is Here in the Pitch, which was released in May of 2024.

In this episode, she talks about how songs by The Slits, Laura Nyro and Sly and the Family Stone helped her forge her musical path.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Singer/songwriter Bruce Hornsby may be best known for his rootsy hits (and a few subsequent hip-hop samples of same), but his restless creativity has kept him experimenting into the 21st century.

In this episode, he discusses how songs by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Paul Brady shaped his own work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Composer Arnold Dreyblatt has carved a unique course through contemporary music, combining just intonation with a vigorous self-devised approach to 20th-century minimalism.

In this episode, he discusses how Mexican folk music, Tony Conrad and Robert Ashley shaped his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Guitarist/singer/songwriter Beth Orton’s work in the mid-1990’s helped usher in a new era for both electronic and folk music by melding electronic sounds with acoustic instruments to achieve a warm and personal, but also boundary-pushing, sound that still feels modern almost 30 years later. 

In this episode she talks about how songs by Sinead O'Connor, Sons of Kemet and Father John Misty shaped her own work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein form the two-voice, two-guitar core of Sleater-Kinney, one of the most revered and long-lived rock bands of the past 30 years.

In this episode, they discuss how music by Sinead O'Connor, the Pointer Sisters, Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Kate Bush and the Wipers influenced their work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Although clearly born out of the folk and Americana tradition, guitarist and singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz brings a modern pop sensibility to her work, while also remaining true to the American songbook that values the tenets of both simple harmonies as well as strong melody.

In this episode, she talks about how songs by Nickel Creek, James McMurtry and Paul Simon shaped her work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Guitarist Marc Ribot possesses one of the most distinctive six-string sounds in American music, audible both in his work with collaborators like Tom Waits and John Zorn and in his own projects, such as his band Ceramic Dog.

In this episode, he discusses pieces by Frantz Casseus, Ornette Coleman and Chocolate Genius.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Drummer Kassa Overall is steeped in jazz and has played with some of the greats, but he also came of age with hip-hop, and his polyglot solo work reflects a mix of those traditions. In this episode, he discusses how music by Ahmad Jamal, Digable Planets, and John Coltrane guided his art.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Kurt Vile's loose, melodic style of indie rock has won him many friends and admirers over the past 15 years.

On this episode, he talks about how tunes by Lou Reed, the Pixies and Thelonious Monk shaped his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Over the course of three decades and 22 studio albums, John Darnielle's band The Mountain Goats have blazed a fiercely independent, lo-fi trail that has since been followed by many indie bands.

In this episode, Darnielle discusses how songs by Stockholm Monsters, Digital Underground and Ava Gabriel shaped his creative process.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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French musician Cécile Schott, who records as Colleen, has spent the past 20 years building a fantastic sound world from samples and loops, with albums on the esteemed Leaf and Thrill Jockey labels.

In this episode, she talks about how music by Lee "Scratch" Perry, the Beatles and This Heat changed her life.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Kim Deal has amassed a staggering body of beguiling pop songs over the past three decades with her bands the Breeders and the Amps.

On this episode, she talks about how songs by Hank Williams, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd shaped her course.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Reeds player Henry Threadgill has capped a storied 50-plus-year career as a bandleader and composer with a superb new memoir of his life and thoughts about music entitled Easily Slip Into Another World.

In this episode, he discusses how music by Howlin' Wolf, Thelonious Monk and James Brown shaped his course.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Kuwaiti-Israeli musician Dudu Tassa's latest record, a collaboration with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, is a love letter of sorts to a variety of favorite, but potentially lost-to-the-ages songs of the Middle East. 

Titled Jarak Qaribak, which translates to "Your neighbors are your friends," the Nigel Godrich-mixed record features guest vocalists from across the region taking on songs dear to Tassa's and their hearts.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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British trio the Clientele make guitar pop as literate as it is melodic.

In this episode, frontman Alasdair MacLean discusses how music by Boards of Canada, Love and Michael Jon Fink influenced him.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Australian experimentalist Oren Ambarchi has charted a course that crosses modern composition, post-rock and electronic music without ever lingering long in any genre.

In this episode, he talks about how music by Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis and Alvin Lucier shaped his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Art-pop duo Water From Your Eyes specializes in a hazy blend of beats, bites, luxe melodies and wry lyrics.

Nate Amos discusses how music by Scott Walker, Jute Gyte and Ben Johnston shaped the group's sound.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Stephen O'Malley is best known as a guitarist for drone-metal band Sunn0))), but his musical practice spans composing, collaborations with a host of contemporary artists and a span of other groups, such as electronic duo KTL and dirge-metal legend Khanate.

In this episode, recorded live at the Big Ears Festival, he discusses how music by Fugazi, Pita and Iancu Dumitrescu influenced his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Harpist Brandee Younger is blazing a trail for her instrument across jazz, soul, and many stops in between.

In this episode, she discusses how music by Alice Coltrane, Tank and the Bangas, and Dorothy Ashby shaped her work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Singer/songwriter and former Essential Tremors guest Will Oldham guest hosts this episode featuring a conversation with June Tabor, whose long career belies the simple label "folk singer."

They discuss Danny Kaye, Anne Briggs, learning to sing, Frank Sinatra and Robert Plant.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Bassist William Parker has spent 50 years at the heart of jazz, as a collaborator with many of the music's greats and as a composer and bandleader in his own right.

In this episode, recorded live at the Big Ears Festival in 2023, he discusses how Duke Ellington, Don Cherry and Cecil Taylor shaped his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Under the name Scritti Politti, Green Gartside has been making smart, cutting-edge pop for decades, on his own terms and his own schedule. On this episode, he discusses how tracks by the Paragons, Robert Wyatt, and the Albion Country Band shaped his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Guitarist Bill Orcutt has gone from noise artist to an iconoclastic solo guitarist who redefined his own relationship with the instrument, deconstructs American standards, and now composes music for larger groups.

In this episode, he discusses how music by Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland, and Joseph Spence shaped his course.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has carved out a career as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and collaborator who has played with a spread of artists within and beyond the jazz world, including instrumental power trio Messthetics.

In this episode, he discusses how tunes by Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp and Abdullah Ibrahim, and Sonny Rollins influenced his playing.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Mary Halvorson is often classified as a jazz guitarist, but her work — fluid, soulful and inventive — pushes boundaries, having been described as "the most future-seeking guitarist working right now" by NPR and "an unflinching original who has revealed new possibilities within the music" by The New York Times.

Hear how songs by Jimi Hendrix, Yusef Lateef and Robert Wyatt guided her musical development.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Outsized British group caroline has grabbed attention with an expansive sound that mixes elements of folk, postpunk, and choral music to create a surging, emotional effect.

In this episode, members Jasper Llewellyn and Mike O’Malley discuss the music that shaped the band’s sound.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even after over four decades-long career, English songwriter and working class provocateur Billy Bragg still stands as one of the most influential artists of the era of U.K. punk.

Hear how songs by Smokey Robinson, Little Feat, and The Who have played significant roles in his life.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Composer Kali Malone transforms the spartan musical language of minimalism through unusual tunings and reframing sacred sounds like pipe organ and choir.

In this episode, she discusses how My Bloody Valentine, Hindustani classical music, and Josquin des Prez shaped her art.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Composer/performer Carl Stone has built a body of work out of reimagining a world of existing sounds and music into sometimes witty, often beautiful electronic music of his own.

In this episode, he discusses how music by Thomas Tallis, Captain Beefheart, and Sheik Chinna Moulana influenced his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Ashley Capps helped reinvent the music festival with Bonnaroo, then did it again with Big Ears, the eclectic annual celebration of jazz, folk, electronic music, and other flavors of music he mounts each spring in Knoxville, TN.

In this episode, he discusses how encounters with the music of Steve Reich, Julius Hemphill, and the Ramones shaped his course.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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As a founding member of New York City's Interpol, guitarist Daniel Kessler has been integral in the shaping of their sound. Hear how songs by Fugazi, Tappa Zukie, and Aphex Twin helped put him on his creative path.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Drummer Brendan Canty powered the seminal D.C. post-punk band Fugazi and continues to blaze a trail in the instrumental trio The Messthetics.

In this episode, he discusses how songs by Parliament, Scritti Politti, and King Crimson shaped his music.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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Claire Rousay's music combines field recordings, Auto-Tuned vocals, conventional instruments, spoken word, and other elements with a subtlety that both attracts and subverts terms like "ambient" and "sound art." In this episode, she discusses how tracks by Ryu Hankil, Elliott Smith, and K. Mulhern shaped her work.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Producer, MC, actor, director—the RZA has expanded his leadership of hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan into a decade-spanning, multi-hyphenate creative career. On this episode, the RZA discusses how Isaac Hayes, the theme from Love Story, and a famous hip-hop break shaped his work.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/songwriter Will Oldham has created a vast and beguiling body of work under his own name, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and Palace and its variations, as well as through numerous collaborations. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Al Jarreau, and the Mekons influenced his music.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geordie Greep's guitar and idiosyncratic vocals have helped make uncategorizable London band Black Midi into an international sensation. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Warren Zevon, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and Frank Zappa influenced his music.

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Electronic musician Jon Hopkins is well-known in certain circles as the creator of numerous thoughtful, yet in many cases danceable, records. He's also had his hand in some enormously commercially successful records, however, as a producer and guest musician, such as Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," as well as in several co-productions with Brian Eno. In this episode, he discusses the effect songs by Eno and Harold Budd, Ozric Tentacles, and Orbital had on him.

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Brooklyn-based jazz trumpeter Jaimie Branch has established a significant following and accumulated many critical accolades, both here in America and abroad.  In this episode, she talks about how songs by Nirvana, Sun Ra, and Eric Dolphy made her the artist she is today.

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As frontman for Sleaford Mods, Jason Williamson has brought working-class anger and surly wit to the duo's bumping minimalist tracks. On this episode, he talks about how second-wave UK punk, Raekwon, and Two Lone Swordsmen shaped his music.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guitarist Steve Gunn has carved out a career as both a singer/songwriter and a six-string explorer. In this episode, he discusses the impact music by Richard Thompson, Mary Margaret O’Hara, and Solange has had on his work.

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Jazz pianist Vijay Iyer is one of the most respected musicians of his generation, as borne out by the accolades he’s received to date, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013, a Doris Duke Performing Artists Award, and a lifetime appointment as a Professor of the Arts at Harvard University.  His work is far from coldly academic, however: soulful, delicate, nuanced, and mesmerizing, it reflects a complex but highly focused mind dedicated with singular purpose to his craft.

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Alan Sparhawk, along with his spouse (and previous Essential Tremors guest) Mimi Parker), have, as Low, managed to not only maintain a collaborative and marital union for the better part of thirty years, but to constantly forge ahead artistically over the course of their 13 studio albums. Somehow managing to sound familiar but also intriguingly new with each release, the band has consistently retained the intimacy of their earliest work while also taking bold risks that continually endear them to new listeners and earn them ever greater critical accolades. Their newest record, HEY WHAT, was released by Sub Pop on September 10, 2021.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Composer Ellen Fullman has spent the past 40 years developing and exploring the Long String Instrument, a sui generis room-sized installation capable of creating a galaxy of tones and overtones. In this episode, she discusses the influence of traditional Ainu music, Central African polyphony, and com
poser Pauline Oliveros.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Thompson is an English singer-songwriter whose work spans over five decades and who has likely influenced many of your favorite bands and musicians with his distinct, virtuosic guitar-playing. Thompson could also be credited with bringing Celtic and other traditional folk influences to bear on mainstream rock music through his work with his first band, Fairport Convention, in the 1960’s. His song choices here reflect this legacy as well as his own family's personal history.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington, DC-based singer/guitarist Mary Timony has built a deeply respected career through a series of bands like Autoclave, Helium, Wild Flag, and Ex Hex, as well as solo music. In this episode, she talks about how the music of Jimi Hendrix, the Velvet Underground, and Moondog shaped her own work.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suzanne Vega has spanned four decades with her deceptively cool singing voice and urbane songwriting. On this episode, she discusses how the music of Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, and Lou Reed guided her path.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Morris drove the shift from punk to postpunk as the drummer for Joy Division and New Order, and helped further open postpunk to new sounds. On this episode, he discusses how the music of Can, Terry Riley, and Grandmaster Flash shaped his course.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tricky has created his own sound world over the past 25 years, built from broken hip-hop beats, forlorn chanteuses, and shadowy mutters. In this episode, he talks about the impact of Nirvana, Billie Holiday, and T. Rex on his life.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer/guitarist Mdou Moctar has blazed a trail for electrified Tuareg music from his native Niger through the music venues of Europe and the U.S. In this episode, he talks about how Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, and Tinariwen shaped his own music.

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Kristin Hersh has built a devoted following with her one-of-a-kind singing and songwriting, as a solo artist and as leader of the bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave. On this episode, she discusses how traditional ballads, Nick Drake, and Vic Chesnutt impacted her own work.

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Brandon Soderberg has worked as a music critic, an altweekly editor, and a reporter on the frontlines of protest. He’s now the co-author ofI Got a Monster, a book about the Baltimore Police Department’s corrupt Gun Trace Task Force. On this episode, he discusses how music from OutKast, Fabio Frizzi, and Jason Isbell shaped his work.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amanda Shires has made her mark on American music as a singer, songwriter, and fiddle player, both solo and a member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit. On this episode, she discusses how songs by Dolly Parton, Leonard Cohen, and Richard Buckner shaped her work.

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Thurston Moore's name and work have been ever-present in the last 40 years of underground culture, from his years in Sonic Youth and his solo career, his many musical collaborations, his record-label and book-publishing activities, and his unofficial boosterism. In this episode, he talks about how the Kingsmen, Patti Smith, and Public Image Ltd. shaped him.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Mould has turned out decades worth of impassioned singing and songwriting as leader of Husker Du and Sugar and a longstanding solo artist. In this episode, he talks about how songs from the Beatles, the Ramones, and My Bloody Valentine shaped his work.

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Music critic Marcus Moore became an author with his new book The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America. On this episode, he discusses what songs by Roberta Flack, Common, and Stevie Wonder have meant to him.

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Drummer Chris Frantz provided the rhythms for two seminal groups, Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club, a career he discusses in his memoir, Remain in Love. In this episode, he discusses how Jimmy Dean, the Beatles, and James Brown shaped his life.

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MC Schmidt and Drew Daniel of the electronic duo Matmos have built their body of work from manipulating unusual sounds. On this episode, recorded live at Fadensonnen in Baltimore, they talk the music that influenced their own.

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Flying Lotus's music has consistently overflowed the barriers that separate electronic music, hip-hop, jazz, and other genres over the course of five albums and many side projects and collaborations. In this episode, he discusses how his work was shaped by Stravinsky, Slum Village, and Queen.

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