KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond

Culture

KUT announces community festival in May

A long-running storytelling event in Austin’s Hyde Park neighborhood is pairing personal stories with curated musical selections. We’ll have more about the shows and how you can find them.

And KUT announced today that it is launching a festival of its own that’ll bring together the best of Austin’s music, arts, food and more. We’ll speak with KUT/KUTX General Manger Debbie Hiott to talk more about how the festival will build on the community that has powered the station for decades.

Plus, the Tacos of Texas podcast is nearing the completion of its fifth season – “El Cinco.” The team behind the podcast join us to talk about the work that’s gone into this season and their upcoming Taco Party.

How much would Prop Q cost homeowners in Austin?

Prop Q has brought out early voters in numbers that are higher than usual for an off-year election. The proposed tax rate increase, Austin officials say, would raise money to improve local parks, safety and homelessness. How much would that cost that homeowners? KUT government accountability reporter Andrew Weber breaks it down ahead of Election Day.

Meanwhile, the city is facing a deadline to remove painted crosswalks and street murals or risk losing state and federal money for future transportation projects. KUT’s Nathan Bernier has an update on which artwork could be affected.

Plus, ATXplained Live is tomorrow! Get into the spirit with a story about the man who used to recite poetry before Austin concerts.

Bring out those fancy dresses, quinceañera season is upon us

Tacos of Texas podcast host Mando Rayo talks about what to expect at one of these celebrations – and, of course, what might be on the menu.

This episode of the Tacos of Texas podcast was originally aired live on the Texas Standard on May 8, 2025.

It’s the time of year for fancy dresses, limo rides, and all the photos. Yes, it’s prom season, but in Texas, that also coincides with another tradition: quinceañera season.

These celebrations of young women are prominent across all parts of Texas and typically include a big party and, of course, lots of food.

Is that Freddy Fender on my tortilla?

Let’s talk about folklore in Mexican cooking from apparitions of La Virgen or Freddie Fender on a tortilla, good and bad omens to ofrendas for our loved ones. Guest is Ayden Castellanos from the podcast, SUSTO.

All about Texas cryptids

Most Texans have heard their names, and quite a few grew up hearing their stories: Bigfoot, jackalope, goatman, La Lechuza, chupacabra, just for starters. Scientists question whether they’re real, but the space they occupy in Texas folklore is very real indeed.

Today we’re sharing the results of a month-long effort to track down the origin stories of Texas cryptids – and discover why they have such a hold on Texas mythology and imagination.

The best of the year in arts & culture

Today we’re turning our attention to the world of arts and culture, from a riveting film featuring the audio diaries of Lady Bird Johnson, to the startling impact of a singer named Taylor Swift.

What if it is your first rodeo? We’ve got you covered there with what to do – and what not to.

And Austin-born actor Gabriel Luna talks about his role in the hit HBO series “The Last of Us.”

What was on the menu this year

It’s been said that food is one of the best ways to understand a culture, and today, we’ve got quite the feast prepared. From migas to pecan pie, kolaches to Tex-mex, fried okra, cowboy cuisine, and everything in between; we review the year that was, in food and drink, in the Lone Star State. From a great Texas cookbook, to a cannabis cuisine trend, the invention of the “travel taco”, and secrets from the kitchen of a celebrated El Paso Chef. We’ve cooked up a special batch of Texas flavors for you today on the Texas Standard:

Decolonizing Maíz

Corn is the most important crop of the Americas. It sustained the Western Hemisphere for centuries, and with the colonization of its lands, came the colonization of corn. In the past century, corn went from maíz production to mass production, with companies modifying it and depleting it of its natural riches. In this episode we rally with masa makers on a journey to reconnect our comunidades with the nutrients and flavors of the superfood in a more pure form than the mass-produced maseca, with which many of us are familiar. We talk to Andres Garza, now Nixta Taqueria’s Director of Masa Development and Fermentation, Olivia Lopez, chef and co-owner of Molino Olōyō in Dallas, Texas, and Julian Maltby of Mercado Sin Nombre in Austin, TX about decolonizing the once magical maiz and the many shapes of tacos being made with their corn tortillas.

Vitamina T

Don’t forget to take your Vitamin T! That’s T for Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales. In this episode, taco journalist Mando Rayo and bilingual educator Suzanne Garcia-Mateus sit down and browse through the spanglish children’s book that they co-wrote called Vitamina T for Tacos. They connect over their shared experiences of growing up bilingual and speaking spanglish and how that motivated them to write a book that represented the complex culture that they didn’t see in children’s books when they were growing up.

The Filipino Guey

They say that Filipinos are the Mexicans of Asia. From the adobo and the chicharrones, to cultural traditions, we share an overlap in our identities. In this episode, we bond with our Filipino primos Isabel Protomartir (host of Identity Productions show Até) and Ralph Xavier Degala (Master Chef Season 9). We discuss how Filipino culture is thriving in Texas and the tasty tacos that come with it.

Taco Identity

Latino culture isn’t exactly known to be LGTBQia+ friendly. We’ve seen this through some of our biggest cultural icons, who remained closeted their entire lives. Much of the intolerance is driven by machismo in our culture, which can be prevalent in spaces like taquerias. We connect with Angel Cabrera, owner of Tacos Doña Lena in Houston, and Kristen Martinez, owner of MB Foodhouse in Minneapolis, about their experience in the taco community. They share with us how they have persevered and risen above the odds… even during a pandemic.

Culture Wars

This Typewriter Rodeo poem came to us via listener request. Matthew Koontz suggested the topic “no governing, just culture wars.” This is the result.

DYOR Part II: Motivated Reasoning and Expertise

DYOR stands for Do Your Own Research. It is a common acronym used throughout the internet due to how fast and easily misinformation can spread. It is encouraging people to research things and become informed before making a decision. However, it turns out it’s not so easy to do your own research for a variety of reasons that have to do with human psychology and culture.

In the second in a two-part series on the psychology of doing your own research Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk about motivated reasoning and expertise.

 

DYOR Part I: Psychology and Culture

DYOR stands for Do Your Own Research. It is a common acronym used throughout the internet due to how fast and easily misinformation can spread. It is encouraging people to research things and become informed before making a decision. However, it turns out it’s not so easy to do your own research for a variety of reasons that have to do with human psychology and culture.

In our first in a two-part series on the psychology of doing your own research Two Guys on Your Head,  Dr. Art Markman, and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the role different dimensions of American culture play in how we orient ourselves to problems even before we start researching solutions.

 

Trailer: Black Austin Matters

Black Austin Matters is a podcast that highlights the Black community and Black culture in Central Texas. Each month, hosts Richard J. Reddick and Lisa B. Thompson talk with other Black Austinites about their perspectives on what’s happening in their city. We’ll hear from the well-known and the not-so-well-known in Austin’s Black community to find out what matters to them. New episodes each first Wednesday of the month.

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