KUTX

Proposed school curriculum with Bible stories nears vote

A possible government shutdown looming with an Oct. 1 deadline. With the backdrop of elections, how might this story unfold? UT-Austin political science professor Sean Theriault talks about a perennial issue of government funding and where its headed.


Bible stories in the classroom? The Texas Education Agency is getting a lot of feedback and blowback over a new curriculum.


Mando Rayo of the Tacos of Texas podcast introduces us to a James Beard award winner in the Rio Grande Valley named the best chef in Texas.


This Hispanic Heritage Month, a look at some of the artists shaping the sounds of Texas.


Also, the week in politics, Typewriter Rodeo and more.

An Austin Artist’s Guide to Success: Part 2

The latest episode of Pause/Play is part two of an Austin Artist’s Guide to Success. You’ll hear from many people in the everchanging Austin music scene about their tips and tricks for making it here.

You’ll hear about the role of streaming in an artist’s career, what makes a great artist and advice from people within the industry.

Featuring advice from:

An Austin Artist’s Guide to Success: Part 1

The latest episode of Pause/Play is an Austin Artist’s Guide to Success. You’ll hear from many people in the everchanging Austin music scene about their tips and tricks for making here. 

You’ll hear about what people within the industry are looking for in an artist, what role authenticity plays, and how social media can impact a musician’s career.

Featuring advice from:

Confession Response #3

GOOD GOLLY! we asked and we received TWENTY FIVE SONG SUBMISSIONS!! In this episode, you’ll hear new songs by Chris Robeson, Con Davison, We Sell Shirts, Brittany Banowsky, and Bu Gee, as well as clips from several more. You can hear all 25 songs on a playlist we made for you to listen to all in one spot.

Join the Song Confessional mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest episode, news, and the whereabouts of our confessional booth: https://songconfessional.com/connect.

Help us out! Rate the show and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

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Confession Call #3

Do you write songs? If you do, we want you to write a song based on the confession in this episode!! If we love it, it may become the KUTX Song of the Day.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Listen to the latest episode of the Song Confessional podcast. You’ll hear an anonymous confession that we collected back in March at the KUTX Live at Scholz Garten series.
  2. Write a song inspired by that confession and record it. Anything from an iPhone memo to a full-on bedroom production, whatever puts you in the zone.
  3. Submit it to kutx.org/confession by Sunday, May 12th
  4. Some of the songs will be featured on the May 15th episode of the Song Confessional podcast

Plus the Song Confessional Team will choose their favorite song and give the winner a day in the studio with Walker Lukens to professionally record your song! That song will be featured on the KUTX Song of the Day.

Join the Song Confessional mailing list to stay up to date on all of our latest episode, news, and the whereabouts of our confessional booth: https://songconfessional.com/connect.

Help us out! Rate the show and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts & Spotify.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Subs

A&M researchers are working to bring ocelots back

After a swift and historic vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, we’ll hear more about the role of the Texas delegation and what comes next on Capitol Hill.

Will climate change alter Texas’ coastal community landscape? It already appears to be doing just that, says Erin Douglas of the Texas Tribune.

Texan Simone Biles has pulled off a gymnastics move so remarkable that it now carries her name.

After overhunting and creeping development, the number of breeding ocelots in the wild has tumbled to under 100 – with very few in South Texas, where they used to be plentiful. Now, researchers are working on a plan to bring the cats back.

Plus, a conversation with James C. Watkins, the 3D state artist of the year.

Fall is finally here. What does that mean for Texas’ drought?

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has faced increasing pressure to resign since Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial – and a special session of the Legislature starts next week.

El Paso, a city with a reputation as welcoming to migrants, is now at a breaking point, according to its mayor. Angela Kocherga of KTEP El Paso has details.

About 24 million Texans are living through some level of drought right now, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. What’s on the horizon as fall weather moves in?

The former Texas Memorial Museum on UT Austin’s campus, shuttered in March due to COVID and cutbacks, returns in grand style with a new name and focus.

Texas voting restrictions challenged in court

The trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton continues, but not for long. We’ll have details on the latest testimony from the Senate floor.

State senators could start deliberations in Paxton’s impeachment trial as soon as Thursday.

Texas voting laws go on trial in San Antonio. We’ll have details about a case challenging state bans on 24-hour polls and drive-thru voting.

All that, and how to keep your trees fungus-free, the best bean and cheese taco in Texas, and the latest headlines from across the state. It’s coming up today on the Texas Standard.

Historic heat makes Texas’ ailing water infrastructure even harder to fix

A plan for state officials to take over special education in the Austin Independent School District is being reconsidered. Becky Fogel of KUT in Austin shares more.

Record heat this summer statewide has led to widespread water leaks amid an already pressing need for repairs – but will a fund earmarked for fixes be enough?

With five deaths from fentanyl on average in Texas each day, a growing number of those deaths is among young people. The Dallas Morning news turns a monthlong spotlight on a growing crisis.

Advice for Austin Artists

This week Fresh and Confucius get real about what they think artists in the city should do career-wise. They talk about the importance of music videos, and when artists should try to start performing outside of Austin.

Plus, they celebrate Love Austin Music Month by playing an interview with J Soulja from ACLfest.

Fresh states the Unpopular Opinion that paying for features by bigger artists isn’t always the best way to get your music out there.

Confucius talks about the recent involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin, the debate over the debt ceiling, and Dr. Dre’s $200 million catalog sale in Confucius Reads the News

Remembering John Aielli

If you knew John personally, you knew he was an avid thrifter. Both his home and his desk at work were covered with secondhand art and knickknacks, as eclectic as his taste in music. John spent more than 50 years sharing stories and his thoughts through the music he played on his radio show Eklektikos. Inspired by that eclecticism, we present to you a collage of songs, sounds and remembrances of an Austin legend, from longtime colleagues, friends, Austin musicians, and listeners all over the world.

This is “Remembering John Aielli.”

Ode to an Austin Icon

John Aielli is one of those people who truly made Austin weird. He was known for his genre-defying show and meandering conversations. Aielli wasn’t just an icon of the music scene but a companion in kitchens and on commutes for decades. He died on Sunday at age 76 and was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: June 28, 2022

An horrific discovery outside of San Antonio where investigators describe one of the deadliest human smuggling incidents in years. The bodies of at least 50 people, all suspected migrants, found in and around an unair-conditioned abandoned tractor trailer truck. We’ll have the latest. Also the continued repercussions of the Dobbs decision. How the fall of Roe factors into Texas politics: specifically the race for governor. Plus post Roe privacy concerns and the intersection with technology, including the smartphone. And the push for truancy reforms after the shooting in Uvalde and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: March 15, 2022

The Texas National Guard has a new leader. Will that mean a new direction for its operation on the border? Operation Lone Star continues under new leadership. We dig into what’s next for the border security mission backed by Governor Abbott. Also make sure to shake out your piggy bank, your nickels may be worth more than five cents, thanks to a shortage. Plus a decline in heritage tourism in Mexico. We’ll tell you why spring break hasn’t brought back the expats like it once did. All that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Jane Ellen Bryant & Terra Lightfoot – Somebody Was Gonna Find Out

This week’s episode deals with intense topics that may be difficult for some of you to hear. A very resilient young woman shares how she discovered her fathers affair only to be blamed by him for the fallout.

Austin’s Jane Ellen Bryant and the award winning Ontario songwriter Terra Lightfoot collaborate, writing a beautiful and appropriately haunting ballad that peers into our confessor’s bravery.

Listen to Song Confessional every Thursday at KUTX.org and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

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Alesia Lani – Fool For You

This week we hear a woman’s nationally newsworthy proposal gone just a bit awry.

Austin based R&B powerhouse Alesia Lani turns this romantic mishap into a soulful pop anthem reminding us what it feels like to fall in love.

You’ll hear Walker and Alesia talk about their love lives and how she mixed in her own experiences to create this bop!

Don’t miss Song Confessional every Thursday at KUTX.org and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.

5 Years of The Breaks

This week on The Breaks:

You can hear the latest full broadcast of The Breaks Saturday night show.