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

R&B

Schmiddy: “Nebula” (ft. Andyah)

Austin beatmaker Blake Schmidt has released a string of instrumental mixtapes under the moniker Schmiddy for the last three years, all the while working towards something more comprehensive. Schmiddy’s background in composing for short films in college for grades to composing hip-hop tracks for fun has led him to last Friday: the release of Schmiddy’s debut album Lightning In A Bottle. The album is not only a showcase of Schmiddy’s brand of beatmaking and production, but of his talent for sourcing and matching the right vocal talent for each track and creating something true to his background: cinematic.

“Nebula” features Nairobi-based artist Andyah as vocalist and co-writer. Her vocals are light but rich, working in tandem to the movement of Schmiddy’s groove. Think of a camera slowly panning down a bolt of layered red velvet with an intoxicating fire burning in the background. And it’s that right kind of spicy that makes you want to sensually slow dance, even if just to yourself in the mirror.

2024 Year-in-Review

Don’t worry, it’s not a clip show! Confucius and Fresh recap moments from The Breaks that made this year one for the books.

Is Drake going to be okay?

Confucius and Fresh talk about the implications of Drake’s latest lawsuit, what to expect from Austin hip-hop and R&B going into 2025, and an Unpopular Opinion on the status of regional hip-hop.

Muzeke: “New Man”

Like it or not, we are in the home stretch for 2024. So don’t be too surprised when you start hearing everyone talk about their lofty New Year’s resolutions in the coming weeks. But if you yourself need some extra solidarity to help turn a new leaf and hit the ground running in 2025, we’ve got just the thing for you.

We’re talking about Austin’s Muzeke – the La Fayette-born-and-boiled singer-songwriter (and former Uncommon People frontman) that’s full of R&B, soul, rap, and alternative flavors. Beginning on a couple of collaborations with MILD Inconveniencé and continuing with another two pairs of solo tracks across last year and 2024, Muzeke’s mashup of melodic vocal lines and confessional lyrics always makes for a smooth (albeit, often poignant) listen.

So, while Muzeke will most likely spend part of this Thanksgiving week showing his usual gratitude to music as an expressive platform (duh; it’s right there in the moniker), we may bear witness to a slightly altered, more matured person on Muzeke’s debut EP next Spring. How do we know? Well, last Friday Muzeke shared his second single of the year (and the lead off the EP), “New Man”. Chronicling a recent big shift and closing a chapter of past romances, “New Man” also marks the introduction of a more determined individual whose unafraid to get a little aggressive. Not to mention, this Caribbean-inspired instant cuffing season classic might be the hottest ménage à trois of riddim, sensual electric guitar, and vocal seduction this side of the holiday season.

Do celebrities respect Austin?

Inspired by a recent visit from T.I., Confucius and Fresh talk about how celebrities treat Austin before moving onto the role of Black celebrities in politics and an Unpopular Opinion on 50 Cent.

Honey Made: “Pass Me By”

It’s finally starting to get chilly ’round these parts…at least at night. You know what that means: cuffing season is upon us. So if your slow jams playlist is starting to feel a bit stale, we’ve got great news for you.

Austin soul-funk nine-piece Honey Made just unfurled a sensual five-minute inferno – “Pass Me By”. Is it a departure from their historically uptempo sound? Undeniably. But does it also echo the hot-and-heavy energy of golden age quiet storm, not too far from Between the Sheets-era Isley Brothers? Absolutely.

Even if your evening plans don’t include staying in bed with your boo, you’re in luck too. Honey Made plays a free show 8PM tonight at Drinks Backyard. Either way, for those feeling like their world’s quickly spinning out of control, slow things down a notch or two on your way out of the workweek with this expertly crafted, violin spiced reminder to always love the one you’re with, something that’s sure to wrap you up like a warm, snug blanket throughout the upcoming winter.

Been There 3 Interview

Confucius and Fresh are joined by DAWA/Riders Against the Storm’s Chaka and Been There cofounder Aaron Brown to discuss Been There 3: A Party to Support Our Unhoused Neighbors happening November 2nd at Radio East to benefit The Other Ones Foundation. Hear that, a chat on the relationship between hip-hop and Halloween, and an Unpopular Opinion on Kendrick Lamar’s recent choice of media outlets.

The Gumbo SmackDown!

Confucius and Fresh cover both sides of the upcoming Gumbo SmackDown on October 26th through interviews with WWE Hall-of-Famer Mark Henry and Whip My Soul co-founders Antonio & Tia Echols. Hear that and an Unpopular Opinion on BET Hip-Hop Awards choice of venue in this episode.

Does Hip-Hop beget violence?

Confucius and Fresh follow up their Rap Beef series with discussions on hip-hop and violence, Jaguar Wright’s allegations against Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and Logic’s intrinsic objective merits as a lyricist.

Suzanna Choffel: “Get Out”

Austin-based singer-songwriter Suzanna Choffel brings relateable emotion and vibrant energy to her latest single, “Get Out,” off her upcoming album Bird By Bird. Known for her genre-blending sound and raw lyricism, Choffel uses this track to dive into the pressures of her modern life—parenthood, relationships, and career struggles—all while trying to maintain a sense of self.

But, “Get Out” doesn’t stray away from what Suzanna Choffel has always aimed to emulate. In fact, like any insightfully charged musician, her journey as an artist has always been tied to her personal life. Since her last album, Hello Goodbye, recorded while she was pregnant with her first daughter, Choffel’s experiences now as a mother of two have reshaped her perspective on songwriting. Balancing family, a music career, and hosting her own radio show on Sun Radio in Austin, she brings a matured yet still playful sound to Bird By Bird.

And often with big changes like these, sometimes a break from routine is needed. Knowing this, Choffel reached out to longtime collaborator Davíd Garza to help produce the record, who recruited a dynamic rhythm section featuring drummer Amy Wood and bassist Sebastian Steinberg, known for his work on Fiona Apple’s GRAMMY award-winning album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters.  Not to mention, the album also features a dash of Austin with guest performances from local friends Adrian Quesada, Carrie Rodriguez, and Elias Haslanger.

The collaboration brings a driving, percussive intensity to “Get Out” while somehow still maintaining a graceful balance with her folksy highs and lows. To bring more of a personal touch to the album, Garza, who’s also a new father, suggested turning the song’s final chorus into more of a celebratory moment capturing the cathartic release that “Get Out” represents.

Inesse: “On My Way”

Outside of theater, choir’s typically stereotyped as the vehicle for churning out stars of the next generation. Which makes sense, since it gives you all the essentials to become a singing sensation: allowing harmony to become a natural instinct, blending your voice convincingly alongside others (even in chorus), and most importantly for future potential, maximizing those big solo moments.

So we don’t exactly need to digress when introducing y’all to Austin-based vocalist Inesse Chichou, better known by her mononym Inesse (and that’s “E-ness” for uninitiated). Inesse began climbing the creative ladder through choir, and following a pivotal performance at Carnegie Hall under choral legend John Rutter, broke that focus to recenter on her solo prospects. In that realm, Inesse’s full-bodied, effervescent, and inherently feminine style falls somewhere between Jazmine Sullivan and Alicia Keys, all the while differentiating her voice from the rest by leaning on the exotic, traditional, and often dark Arabic elements of her Moroccan upbringing.

And after her October 2023 debut, Inesse has been putting the work in for 2024; following up four luscious standalone singles, Inesse dropped her freshman collection It Was Good…While It Lasted just a couple weeks back. Revolving through six cylinders of seductive originals (each produced by a different collaborator), It Was Good…tears down the gate between turn-of-the-millennium megastars and modern era heavyweights for a thoroughly unrestricted R&B-soul experience. Yeah, even though Latin R&B is a Goliath of the industry right now, the acoustic guitar-coated EP ender “On My Way” is a little less Latin American and a lot more south of the Mediterranean. “On My Way” instills a certain sense of sultry urgency, all anchored by GRAHAM.‘s gripping beat that drips with swagger, co-writer Elijah Ford‘s cohesive contributions, and of course, Inesse’s immaculate vocal intervals.

Thee Phantom Interview

Confucius and Fresh talk with Jeffrey McNeill of Thee Phanton and Illharmonic Orchestra ahead of an Austin appearance, do a little more prep leading up to the series on beefs, and unwrap an Unpopular Opinion on Vivica A. Fox’s stardom.

Kelly Finnigan: “Be Your Own Shelter”

We’re starting to sound like a broken record over here…but the retro soul renaissance? Not only is it verifiable; it just keeps getting better and better. And one of the movement’s biggest players is back at it again.

We’re talking about Kelly Finnigan, the chief songwriter and class act frontman of psychedelic soul giants Monophonics who’s also found plenty of success on the solo tip. When you hear Kelly sing, you might assume that his pipes are his strongest skillset outside of piano. But even when he’s not behind the mic or the ivories, Finnigan’s become a prized producer and engineer for other soul outfits thanks to his careful flirtations with pretty much anything you could categorize as “classic R&B-soul”, including a deep understanding of old school mixing. Seriously, it’s almost unnecessary to liken Kelly’s compositions and arrangements to specific artists, since his expansive discography offers so much ’60s-and-’70s-inspired variety.

And although we were anticipating the instrumental version of 2022’s Sage Motel for the next installment of Kelly Finnigan’s incredibly consistent release schedule, this year we’re getting something completely fresh: A Lover Was Born, out October 18th. Kelly hasn’t missed yet, and we’re not expecting him to on this near-dozen batch of new tunes. Because where some of the most creative beatmakers have breathed new life into dusty sounds through sample flips, Kelly once again internalizes and rejuvenates those R&B-soul rarities that exist within and enhance said genres.

Hear for yourself on the LP’s second lead single, “Be Your Own Shelter”, and try not to imagine Isaac Hayes and co. nodding their heads in approval.

LARA’ Interview

Austin R&B singer LARA’ joins Confucius and Fresh in conversation on her new album Luvology and her upcoming tour with Rapsody. Then the fellas weigh why R&B isn’t as profitable as hip-hop and Meek Mill’s status as a top tier rapper.

Motenko: “Free Yourself”

Here at Song of the Day, we’ve observed a resurgence of classic-style soul in recent years, and reported plenty on it too. As a matter of fact, when Sir Woman’s Kelsey Wilson came by KUTX a couple months back, we had to ask the genre authority whether or not she’s picked up on a retro-soul renaissance. The verdict? A resounding “yes”.

So it totally checks out that one of Kelsey’s Wild Child chums, keyboardist-singer Micah Motenko, is savant of Motown mimicry himself. Well, we should say Micah and his namesake Austin-based quartet Motenko, who’ve been masterfully sourcing inspiration from soul’s golden era for nearly half a decade now. Between their eponymous debut early on in the pandemic and last November’s What You Want, Motenko’s scored some pretty respectable streaming numbers, a trend we expect to continue with yet another fall release – that of their third EP To Grow, out next month.

This extended play foray finds Motenko further embracing the magic of modern production: emphasizing digitally layered multi-instrumentalism on one track before stripping down to an intimate keyboard-vocal duet the next. But the one that takes the biggest advantage of Micah’s vintage variety is the embodiment of a beautiful exchange with his late mother, the EP’s lead single “Free Yourself”. Butter-smooth singing, sultry guitar chords, slick bass work, and air tight drumming make the verses enough to get you feeling emotional, and the addition of falsetto vocal harmonies, soaring orchestral swells, and well-placed pizzicato plucks propel “Free Yourself” to a wholly empowering experience without overstaying its welcome past three fleeting minutes.

And before hitting the road for a Wild Child tour a couple months from now, Motenko makes an appearance 10PM this Saturday at Far Out Lounge in between openers Égaux sells at 9PM and closers Uncle Roy & Spice at 11PM and again Thursday, September 19th at Antone’s alongside Toubab Krewe.

BLK ODYSSY Interview

Confucius and Fresh sit down with August 2021 KUTX Artist of the Month BLK ODYSSY to talk about their newly released album 1-800 Fantasy before setting the stage for an upcoming series on beefs.

Marlei: “No Matter”

Ah, Bossa Nova. That jazzy genre so emblematic of playful times na praia, sandy sensuality, intimate sunsets, and overall just good ol’ fashioned summer fun. But whereas in the ’60s Bossa was the genre every pop artist had to try their hands at, these days you rarely get the fresh stuff outside of Brazil. So when you do hear that distinct South American shuffle, no matter what category it’s camouflaged against, it inspires something extra special.

And speaking of “extra special”, let’s make our way back north of the equator to Marlei. Having only introduced herself to the masses in late 2021, the tides are still rising for Houston-born, Austin-based singer Marlei Dismuke. But even with only four singles to her mononymous handle, Marlei’s eclectic respect for all kinds of sounds, infectiously bubbly personality that instantly translates over her recordings, and engrossingly gorgeous vocals, Marlei’s hooked listeners not just in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, but way down in Santiago and Buenos Aires. Clearly she’s doing something right to engage international audiences…

Which brings us to Marlei’s latest. Like a pisces leading a full school towards an ocean of infatuation, “No Matter” casts an Ariana Grande-esque trap-pop net over that classic Bossa guitar rhythm for a modern masterpiece of musical migrations. Rain or shine, “No Matter” sounds good in any circumstance. And concerning Marlei’s laughter through a cautious affirmation of that last take at the song’s final sunset? Yeah, girl. “That was it”, for sure.

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