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

soul

John Splithoff: “WGYG”

Born and raised just outside of Chicago, singer-guitarist John Splithoff caught a lot of the soul, R&B, jazz, funk, and pop that blew over from the Windy City, and he’s kept those tones close at hand ever since. Splithoff’s been supplying us with singles dating back to his 2013 independently-released EP but after nearly a full decade, the songwriter’s understandably wanted something a bit more filling to sate his artistic appetite.

Well you can go ahead and gesture “ante up” all you want, but you’ll still have to wait ’til tomorrow to unlock John Splithoff’s debut LP, All In, in its entirety. True to its name, this inaugural full-length gives you an unfettered examination of John Splithoff, whose slick chord progressions and masterful vocal performances wrap up the moody-yet-upbeat record, and will keep your foot tapping with standouts like “WGYG”!

Chris Pierce: “It’s Been Burning for a While”

L.A. multi-instrumentalist Chris Pierce began losing his hearing at the formative age of fifteen. But instead of hindering his progress, Pierce let it push him to new levels of awareness and musicianship. Fast forward to 2021, where Pierce’s performance passport has grown to include supporting spots for the likes of Aaron Neville, B.B. King, Seal, Al Green, Blind Boys of Alabama and more.

The latest expansion on Pierce’s folksy brand of acoustic soul came with last Friday’s American Silence LP, ten tracks of poignant political observations and reactions drawn together by Pierce’s guitar, harmonica, and vocals. It’s a powerful full-length to say the least, and has all the elements of prime-era Bob Dylan and Richie Havens, especially on “It’s Been Burning for a While”!

The Watters: “Déjà Vu”

Partners in marriage, parenthood, and music, Daniel and Jenna Watters’ shared energy seems to keep pushing the quality of their songwriting higher and higher. With each new release, The Watters submerge themselves deeper into the soul sound, and you can definitely hear that over the two short years between their 2016 debut LP Great Unknown and their 2018 eponymous full-length. But as we all know, good things come in threes…

After adjusting to their newfound life as parents, The Watters recruited some top notch players including a four-piece horn section for their latest album, recorded back in 2019. Intuition drops this weekend and The Watters perform 8:30pm Saturday night at Far Out Lounge along with Curtis Lee. That prospect of leaving your home to go see live music might bring some memories flooding back, which is actually fairly appropriate given the title of today’s feature (on Jenna’s birthday, no less), “Déjà Vu”!

This Song: Citizen Cope

Clarence Greenwood is Citizen Cope,  an American singer-songwriter who has been making entrancing blends of rock and soul music since the early 2000’s.

In this episode Citizen Cope details how his emotional connections to legends such as Randy Newman and Trouble Funk aided his understanding of the powerful energy that music can have. Cope then goes on to discusses how his experiences of the last seven years — which include reconciling with his estranged father and becoming a parent himself —  led him to the songs on his latest record “Heroin and Helicopters.”

Listen to this episode of This Song

Check out Citizen Cope’s Tour Dates

Check out Citizen Cope’s new record Heroin and Helicopters

Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song

This Song: Cautious Clay On “B.O.B” by Outkast

When Cautious Clay saw the video for Outkast’s “B.O.B” for the first time, the combination of the duo’s rapid fire rap style, techno influenced production and hyper-saturated psychedelic visuals blew his 7-year-old mind. On this episode, he tells us how that experience continues to have a profound impact on his own work, especially on his new project “Table of Context.” Plus, he explores how Outkast, along with his beat-boxing flute teacher,  taught him to approach creativity without boundaries.

 Cautious Clay just released a new EP called Table of Context

Listen to this episode of This Song

Listen to Cautious Clay’s new EP Table of Context

Check out Cautious Clay’s Tour Dates

Listen to Songs from this episode of This Song

Swangin’ and Bangin’ (Ep. 2)

The history of Southern Hip-hop and the women missing in it is discussed with Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow Dr. Regina N. Bradley. Jackie and DaLyah also speak with up-and-coming Houston hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion.​​

Will Downing (Ep. 50, 2017)

In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with recording artist Will Downing, “The Prince of Sophisticated Soul,” about his three-facade recording career, and his recovery from a debilitating illness that threatened his career.

Herbie Hancock (4.12.15)

Herbie Hancock is an American pianist, and composer who’s musical collaborations span the breadth of everyone from Clark Terry and Miles Davis, to Joni Mitchell and Kanye West. In this edition of Liner Notes, Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe, talks about what the life and work of Herbie Hancock can teach us about dedication, inspiration and the power of change.

King Curtis (2.15.15)

King Curtis was an American saxophonist, who played not only jazz, but R&B, rock n’ roll, and funk as well. His style was powerful and poignant, allowing moments to fully expand and develop. Unfortunately Curtis died young, murdered at the age of 37. In this installment of Liner Notes, Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about what the life and legacy of King Curtis can teach us today.

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