KUTX

This Song: Blitzen Trapper — Rerun!

Portland rockers Blitzen Trapper just released a new record called Wild and Reckless. They’re also headlining the first show in KUTX’s 5th Birthday Concert Series at Antones on February 22nd. In this rerun singer, songwriter and guitar player Eric Early describes how the darker realms of R.E.M.’s music inspired him as a teenager. Then drummer Brian Koch explains how his high school peers led him to realize he too could play music.

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Buy tickets to see Blitzen Trapper February 22nd at Antones

Check out Blitzen Trapper’s tour dates

This Song: Benjamin Wallfisch (Blade Runner 2049, IT)

Composer and Conductor Benjamin Wallfisch has scored music for over 60 feature films including Hidden Figures and the remake of Steven King’s IT. He also collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack for Blade Runner 2049. Listen as he describes how hearing John William’s score for E.T. as a young boy set him on the path of making music for movies.

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Listen to Songs from Episode 111 of This Song

This Song: Yoke Lore

It’s the Hanukkah edition of This Song! Adrian Galvin, aka Yoke Lore, plays his own brand of blissed out folk pop. Listen as he explores how singing “In the Window” with his family as a child during Hanukkah opened his eyes to the deeply connective possibilities of music. And you’ll definitely want to hear his theory about music and magic.

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Check out Yoke Lore’s tour dates

Check out Yoke Lore’s Studio 1A performance

Listen to Songs from Episode 110 of This Song

This Song: Walker Lukens

This year, Austin’s Walker Lukens released his second album Tell It To The Judge, produced by Spoon’s Jim Eno. It’s a hook-laden mix of pop, rock, electronic, and obtuse lyrics, music that you can emotionally understand without necessarily literally understanding. Listen as Lukens describes how Fleetwood Mac’s “Sara” works in a similar way for him, and hear how it’s gotten him through some tough times.

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Listen to Walker Lukens new record Tell it to the Judge

Kelcey Ayer of Local Natives also chose to talk about Sara for the podcast. Check out that episode.

Listen to Songs from Episode 109 of This Song

This Song: Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes have just released their third full length record, “Crack Up,” after a six year break. Listen to lead singer and songwriter Robin Pecknold as he explores the effect Glen Campbell’s recording of Brian Wilson penned “Guess I’m Dumb” had on his songwriting. And you’re definitely going to dig his theory as to why music is such an effective emotion transmitter.

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Listen to Songs from Episode 103 of This Song

This Song: Iron and Wine

Sam Beam, aka Iron and Wine, has been testing the boundaries of folk music since the early 2000’s. Hear how Big Star’s “Take Care” helped him to evolve his ideas of what he could do with musical arrangements, and listen as he proposes a theory as to why music moves emotion. Warning: his theory may give you the good chills.

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Check out Iron and Wine’s Tour Dates

Listen to Andrew Bird’s This Song interview

Listen to Songs from Episode 102 of This Song

This Song: Suzanna Choffel

Austin singer-songwriter Suzanna Choffel describes the vibe behind Reggae music and shares how Bob Marley exposed her to the magic of chasing suffering with love. While she grew up hearing hints of this sound from Sublime and The Police, it wasn’t until Bob Marley that the voice and vibe of reggae taught her how to express the jarring truth in a beautiful, poetic, and gentle way. Step out of the world of chaos, and for a moment be reminded by reggae that, while so much is happening, there is also so much space; every little piece has it’s part.

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Listen to Collie Buddz on This Song

Listen to Songs from Episode 101 of This Song

This Song’s 100th Episode! Elizabeth and Lisel McQueen

It’s This Song’s 100th Episode!!!! To celebrate we’ve made it a family affair. Host Elizabeth McQueen gets interviewed by her 8 year old daughter Lisel about how Rebecca Sugar’s “Here Comes a Thought” from Steven Universe expanded her idea of what songs can do. Then Lisel explains to Elizabeth how “Peace and Love on the Planet Earth,” also from Steven Universe, blows her mind and is helping her process big ideas like, Peace, War, Death and Birth and the fact that the earth may explode some day.

And Antonette Masando, creator of the She’s the Boss podcast and former This Song intern, explains how Nicki Minaj’s “Fly” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” changed her life.

Photo Credit: Willow McQueen

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Check out the Full Archive of This Song of KUTX.org

Subscribe to She’s the Boss here

Listen to Songs from Episode 100 of This Song

This Song: Ty Segall

Psychedelic garage-rocker Ty Segall tells KUTX host Taylor Wallace how The Band’s “The Weight” inspired the name of his new puppy, how much he loves The Grateful Dead, and how both bands helped him wrap his head around lyrical storytelling.

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Check out Ty Segall’s Tour Dates

Listen to the This Song Episode Featuring Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo here

Listen to Songs from Episode 99 of This Song

This Song: Middle Kids

Hannah Joy, lead singer and songwriter of the Australian trio Middle Kids, talks about how Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac inspires her as a female artist and describes why she decided to transition from a solo piano based artist to a guitar playing leader of a band.

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Check out Middle Kids Tour Dates

Christine McVie is on Tour with Lindsey Buckingham! Check out their Tour Dates

Check out Jen Wasner from Wye Oak and Flock of Dimes “This Song” Episode

Listen to Songs from Episode 98 of This Song

This Song: The Mastersons

Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore spend most of their lives on the road, both as members of Steve Earle’s band, The Dukes, and as the husband and wife duo, The Mastersons. Their discussion with Elizabeth touches on Daniel Lanios’ late night landscapes; the harmonies of Emmylou Harris, The Louvin Brothers and The Jayhawks and how one Johnny Gimble fiddle solo changed their lives and shaped the sound of their latest record “Transient Lullaby.”

Photo: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez/KUTX

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Check out the Mastersons’ Tour Dates

Check out the Masterson’s Studio 1A performance

Listen to Songs from Episode 92 of This Song

This Song: Brett Dennen

Singer-Songwriter Brett Dennen describes the first time he heard Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want,” explains how it revealed the kind of artist he would later strive to be, and describes the process he went through making his new record “Por Favor.” Then listener Joanna Castillo tells us why Kathy Mattea’s song “Where’ve You Been” always makes her want to cry.

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Check out Brett Dennen’s Tour Dates

Listen to Songs from Episode 91 of This Song

This Song: JR JR

JR JR has been making catchy indie pop music for the better part of the decade. But where did this hook-laden infectious music come from? Listen in as the band members recount how their experiences with live shows by The Grateful Dead, a mysterious glow at a Tonic concert, a case of Led Zeppelin misidentification, the love of Mars Volta noise and playing jazz at a nursing home helped the band find their musical selves. It all wraps up with Josh, Daniel, Bryan and Mike having a moment talking about the real reasons they make music. Protip — listen all the way to the end. It’s worth it.

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Check out JR JR’s fall tour dates

Listen to JR JR’s new song “Same Dark Places.”

Listen to Songs from Episode 87 of This Song

This Song: Palo Duro

When a young Michael Winningham (of Palo Duro) got into the back of a Land Rover going to the Gourds show he had no idea the song he was about to hear would change his life. The song, “A Mihna Menina” by Os Mutantes, blew his mind open to a whole world of new influences and showed him that when you’re making music, you can do whatever you want.

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Listen to Benjamin Booker talk about how he’s influenced by William Onyeabor (Thanks Sam Cohen!)

Check out Palo Duro’s Bandcamp Page

Listen to Michael’s My KUTX Guest DJ Set

Listen to Songs from Episode 85 of This Song

This Song: The Strumbellas

The Strumbellas aren’t afraid to make music that pulls from folk, rock, pop and country. Hear singer Simon Ward, guitar player Jon Hembrey and drummer Jeremy Drury explain how a Ryan Adams’ song, an Offspring record and a sped up version of Twisted Sisters’ “Burn in Hell” led to the band’s creation and sound.

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Check out the Strumbella’s Tour Dates

Listen to Songs from Episode 84 of This Song

This Song: Conor Oberst

Conor Oberst is having a hard time reconciling his conflicting emotions about America. Luckily his friends and frequent collaborators the Felice Brothers make music that helps him cope. Listen as he tells you why he thinks the Felices are “the best American sounding band” out there and explains how their song “Jack at the Asylum” soothes him during these troubled times.

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Check out Conor Oberst’s Tour Dates

Listen to Jim Jame’s This Song Episode

Listen to M. Ward’s This Song Episode

Listen to Songs from Episode 83 of This Song

This Song: The Black Angels

When Alex Maas from The Black Angels heard avant garde electronic pop band Silver Apples’ first record in a bar in Cincinnati he had what he describes as a spiritual experience. Listen as he describes the effect that Silvers Apples had on The Black Angels music and how their new record “Death Song” has been an exercise in trying to understand the world we live in now.

Do you have a song or a record by an obscure band that you want to let the world know about? Give us a call at 512-766-9066, send us an email at ThisSong@kutx.org or tweet us @ThisSongKUTX. We’d love to share your favorite, but maybe not so well known band with the world!

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Check out The Black Angels new record “Death Song”

Check out The Black Angels Tour Dates

Check out Silver Apples Tour Dates

Watch the video of Kayla Harrison winning the Gold Medal in Judo

Listen to Songs from Episode 80 of This Song

This Song: Spoon

Spoon pretty much owned the SXSW Music Festival this year and during that week Britt Daniel and Alex Fischel stopped by and talked with Elizabeth McQueen about from where they drew their inspiration for their new release “Hot Thoughts.” During the conversation they touched on Bruce Springsteen’s elevating sax solos, the guitar energy of The Wipers, Dr. Dre’s synth sounds and how audio — and not necessarily lyrics — can transmit powerful emotions.

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Listen to Songs from Episode 75 of This Song

Team This Song’s SXSW Wrap-Up

Team This Song is still processing SXSW, and we’ve decided to process with you. Listen as the interviewers, editors, audio engineers and interns who make this show happen bring you their favorite sparkly festival moments from artists like Lizzo, Spoon, OJR, Temples, Cool Kids, Otis the Destroyer and 6lack.

Listen to KUTX On Air Host Jody Denberg’s SXSW Wrap Up with Rolling Stone’s David Frick and Robyn Hitchcock

Check out Music and Videos from KUTX Live at the Four Seasons 2017

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Listen to Songs from Episode 74 of This Song

SXSW This Song Artist Spotlight

There are a lot of amazing things about being in the music industry here in Austin, Texas; getting to interview fantastic artists that live here and some that are just passing through is great, but seeing them all in one place for a week of music-making magic (and madness) has got to be one of the best. Here’s a list of our This Song artists that played 2017 SXSW official,so even if you can’t see them, you can hear them talk about music that changed their lives!

Benjamin Booker // SXSW

Big Thief // SXSW

Calliope Musicals // SXSW

Gary Clark Jr. // SXSW

Hard Proof // SXSW

Jane Ellen Bryant // SXSW

Kevin Morby // SXSW

Leopold and His Fiction // SXSW

Lizzo // SXSW

Misimplicity // SXSW

Mobley // SXSW

Molly Burch // SXSW