Song of the Day
Jack Anderson
April 9, 2021
Benny Sings: “Run Right Back” (feat. Cautious Clay)
Having been born in Western Netherlands in the late '70s, singer Tim van Berkestijn grew up with a thorough understanding of what a good time is. Fast forward to the turn of the millennium where Berkestijn began building up his reputation on bass with Dutch hip-hop outfit Abstract Dialect, before popping off his solo career as Benny Sings with 2003's Champagne People. Since then, this ambitious multi-instrumentalist has been fizzing with nothing but fun, earning van Berkestijn collaborations with the likes of Mac DeMarco and Mayer Hawthorne and performances alongside The Free Nationals, Tuxedo, and more, not to overlook the…
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April 8, 2021
Scott Ballew: “Talking to Mountains”
As is the case with many creatives, sometimes you just wanna cross the wires and try something out of your comfort zone. That's how things went for native Austinite Scott Ballew, who, after directing a documentary on Texas legend Terry Allen amidst a lengthy SoCal-based filmmaking stint, hunkered down in a house in Lockhart to record his debut LP of acoustic originals. Talking to Mountains captures the charm of solitude with its cinematic lo-fi and emphasis on conversation with Texas nature, best seen in the album opener's music video and heard most-explicitly on the record's title track, "Talking to Mountains"!
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April 7, 2021
Texas Textbooks: “Hemisfair ’68”
It's officially syllabus day for our 2021 Spring Membership Drive so get ready to receive some rustic, surreal reading material! I'm talking about Austin duo Texas Textbooks, whose love of the Lone Star State is anchored by their outspoken political beliefs, both of which lend themselves to the band's signature sound: "twangcore". The twangcore twosome got started in 2017 and dropped their debut LP Pecos and Matamoros a couple summers back, writing the foreword to Texas Textbooks' latest chapter. Recorded over the past year as the duo's slacker country style evolved, BIRDS has already proven an achievement in psych-folk artistry,…
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About
Through countless emails, personal connections, and the occasional poach in the digital wild, each Song of the Day is hand-picked for sound quality, relevance, and recommendableness. Eclecticism across the week is a must, so expect a blend of several genres. Song of the Day launched in December 2012 and has since been heard on KUTX’s airwaves every weekday at approximately 12:55PM Central Standard Time. Song of the Day’s online iterations exists as permanent streaming links with a free download in the first 24 hours of posting. Song of the Day’s on-air theme is composed by producer Jack Anderson.
Jack Anderson
Jack Anderson is a native Austinite who’s kept his musical network close throughout his time at KUTX. Jack took piano lessons at a young age before transitioning to trumpet in the sixth grade. Though he provided trumpet for Austin collective Sip Sip during his college years, since high school Jack has been primarily focused on hip-hop instrumental production under the handle Back Handerson. As a longtime musician, occasional NPR Music journalist, and lifelong resident, Jack has developed a recondite understanding of what the “Austin music experience” is and attempts to incorporate that into Song of the Day when he can. Former hosts include KUTX Weekend Host Paul Carrubba (2012-2014), KUTX Senior Producer Art Levy (2012-2017), and KUTX Morning Host Taylor Wallace (2016-2018). Jack began co-hosting Song of the Day in 2016 and has been the full-time host since 2018.
