KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts

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

festival

Live from ACL Fest a special Austin Signal broadcast

It’s Weekend 2 of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and Austin Signal is capping off our first week on the air by broadcasting a special hour from Zilker Park.

We’re talking with local trio Next of Kin, who are playing the festival this year. And KUTX’s Deidre Gott joins with a retrospective on how ACL has changed over the years – and she would know, because she’s never missed a festival.

Plus: What happens to Zilker’s grass after two weekends of packed crowds? KUT’s Luz Moreno-Lozano has the details.

Going to SXSW? How to get good tacos and avoid ‘taco traps’

Chances are if you’re going to South By Southwest this year, you’re gonna need to grab a bite on the fly. In this bonus episode of the Tacos of Texas podcast, Mando Rayo gives you the scoop on where to find the best tacos during SXSW and just as importantly, where not to!

Bonus Taco Tip! Bookmark the 2024 SXSW Austin Taco Map before hitting the streets this SouthBy season!

The programming in this bonus episode of the Tacos of Texas podcast was originally aired live on the Texas Standard in March, 2024. 

Still reading? We appreciate you! And as we gear up for season CINCO of the Tacos of Texas podcast, we want to hear from dedicated listeners like you! Please tell us what you want to hear on the show by taking our listener survey at kut.org/tacosurvey

Thank you.

¡Vamos!

Auto workers’ strike hits Arlington plant

A plan to boost payments to retired teachers will be up to Texas voters next month. We’ll have the backstory and details on Proposition 9.

Five thousand union workers walked off the job at the Arlington General Motors plant, which builds some of GM’s most profitable vehicles.
College football pay to play? Not OK, says the NCAA. Yet an investigation of recruitment shows how officials look the other way – and it’s happening a lot in Texas.

And just in time for Halloween, something wicked is coming to Garland: A celebration of Texas’ role in the horror film genre.

Music Festivals

With temperatures (finally) cooling down, music festival season is ramping up across Texas. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Plans to dredge Matagorda Bay Superfund site proceed, over environmental worries

A Supreme Court ruling on redistricting in Alabama surprises critics – and raises hopes for Texans challenging political maps closer to home.

Why a plan to expand shipping in Matagorda Bay has many in the community sounding alarms.

An effort to lift the borrowing cap for graduate student loans raised hopes – and costs – but not the sort of opportunities expected, according to a new report using Texas data.

Also, a bit of sweetness in Uvalde as a favorite hometown festival makes a return.

Texas Extra: Austin’s Oblivion Access fest curates the ‘weird end’ of the underground music spectrum

This Texas Standard podcast bonus features an extended Q&A with Oblivion Access festival co-founders Dusty Brooks and Dorian Domi. Oblivion Access is a four-day music and arts festival taking place June 15-18 in downtown Austin focused on dark, experimental and underground music. This musically-rich interview includes songs from festival headliners TR/ST, Have a Nice Life, Chat Pile, Drab Majesty, Godflesh, RXK Nephew, Earth, and Tim Hecker.

Wright Bacon: A Texas Original

A lot of people love bacon. Maybe no one more-so than comedian Jim Gaffigan. Texas Standard commentator WF Strong says Gaffigan’s bacon commitment might make him a good candidate for a honor this weekend in a Texas city you’ve likely never heard of.

Texas Standard: April 22, 2022

Ukranian refugees at the southern border being told do not enter as of Monday. A change in policy from the Biden administration. Dallas morning news D.C. bureau chief Todd Gilman with more on U.S. plans to change the policy for Ukrainians feeling the war in their home country. Also, you’ve heard of Iowa’s early role in picking presidential nominees? Maybe not much longer. Texas expected to make a bid to move into the top slot. We’ll look at why and what it means for picking presidential candidates. And the father daughter duo that became an international sensation with a twist on one of Texas’ favorite foods. The story of the travel taco and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 16, 2020

Despite less money and name recognition than the incumbent, some think MJ Hegar has a strong chance of making political history in November. Many political analysts think air force veteran and teacher M.J. Hegar has the best chance of reclaiming a seat in the US senate for Texas democrats for the first time in two decades. Also what losing a newspaper means for a Texas town, a teachers’ struggle to wear a Black Lives Matter mask at school, and 80 million unrequested ballots sent to voters? A Politifact check of that claim by the president and more today on the Texas Standard:

Trailer: Pause/Play on the Austin music scene

“Pause/Play” will tell the pandemic stories of artists, venues, venue staff, festivals, sound technicians, music non-profits and more. What has the shutdown been like for them so far? What help have they received in order to survive? What adaptations have they been making, and what do they see as the future for Austin Music?

Small Town Festivals

Almost every Texas town has at least one — and they happen almost any time of the year. So, really, it’s always “festival season” in the Lone Star State. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: May 2, 2019

Reading, writing, and a rush to judgement? Some Texas lawmakers seem somewhat unsettled by a school finance bill racing to the floor of the Senate, we’ll have details. Also, the white puts in a multi billion dollar request for emergency border funds. This time, it’s not about a wall but humanitarian relief. Some in congress are unconvinced. Also the future of ugly food, why your next pet might be virtual, and actor and filmmaker Edward James Olmos is in the studio. All of that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 1, 2018

A deal between the U.S. Mexico and Canada goes down to the wire with agreement reached at the eleventh hour, and yet it’s NAFTA no more. What used to be called the North American Free Trade Agreement has a new name and some new rules. We’ll walk thru the changes in what’s now being called the USMCA. Also, did you catch the Texas gubernatorial debate Friday night? Don’t worry, we’ve gotcha covered. And two years after a new law and protests over the concealed carry of firearms on Texas college campuses, what’s happened and what hasn’t? We’ll take a look at that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Medieval Festivals

Many weekends in Texas, revelers with a penchant for a certain time in history can find a place to celebrate. That was the inspiration for this poem.

Texas Standard: June 8, 2017

Comey over everything. Texans glued to their radios and TVs as the former FBI director appears before senate investigators. We’ll take a look at reaction and more. Also, in the style of William Travis, a Texas mayor makes not-so-tongue in cheek plea, a call for people of good will to come to the defense of his city. Is he serious? You bet. And it’s all because of a new state law. We’ll hear about it. Also Harris county opening the jailhouse doors for scores of inmates–by court order. The county files an emergency appeal to the supreme court. We’ll have the latest. Also, the shopping habits of millennials drive a revolution in retail. It’s not just where and what they’re buying…but what they aren’t. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: June 5, 2017

After another terrorist attack in Britain, middle eastern nations take dramatic steps to cut off Qatar. How closely are the two connected? We’ll explore. Also last year, he tried to distance himself from Donald trump. This weekend, he was elected head of the Texas GOP. His message may raise eyebrows among democrats. We’ll meet him. Plus file under unfinished business: lawmakers leave austin without renewing state aid for some 300 school districts across Texas. What happens in the fall? We’ll talk to a superintendent caught in the crunch. And as the Golden State Warriors take another game in the finals, a question: what’s a coach worth anyway? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Music Festivals

Today, thousands of fans from all over will pile into Austin’s Zilker Park for the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. And while the locals love to hate the event, deep down, we’re proud to host one of the best events for music lovers. We’ll still complain about traffic, though.

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