This Song

May 18, 2016

This Song: Hrishikesh Hirway // Basia Bulat

“Song Exploder’s” Hrishikesh Hirway explains how hearing “Yeh Hai Reshmi Zulfon Ka Andhera,” at the age of 6 helped him understand a feeling that he would be able to draw inspiration from for his entire life. Basia Bulat explains why a live version of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me,” changed her life.

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May 3, 2016

This Song: Alessia Cara // OSHUN

Hear Alessia Cara explain how she’s inspired by the music of Amy Winehouse and Drake and what her current creative life is like. Then lThandiwe and Niambi Sala of the New York based hip hop duo Oshun explain how songs by Outkast and Billie Holiday helped them realize what it was they wanted to do with their own music.

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April 26, 2016

This Song: John Doe // Jeff Klein

John Doe talks about how hearing Lead Belly gave him a glimpse of the weirdness and darkness that lay beyond the mainstream. Then Jeff Klein from My Jerusalem talks about how a song by The Replacements took him from Neil Diamond and hair bands into the world of music that he genuinely loved and that would eventually inspire him to make music of his own.

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April 19, 2016

This Song: Thao Nguyen // BUHU

Thao Nguyen from Thao and the Get Down Stay Down talks about her love for Lucinda Williams’ “Drunken Angel” and the power of the “good hurt.” Then the members of the Austin band BUHU talk about everything from the importance of good headphones to the placement of Dave Grohl’s drumming to the necessity of love in music.

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April 12, 2016

This Song: Bob Boilen // Mobley

Bob Boilen, host of NPR’s All Songs Considered, talks about the Beatles “A Day in the Life” which totally opened his mind up to the expansive capabilities of music and art. Then Austin artist Mobley explores how Kanye West’s “808’s and Heartbreak” showed him how important emotion and vulnerability in music could be.

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April 5, 2016

This Song: M. Ward // Dana Falconberry

M. Ward explores how John Fahey’s record “The Yellow Princess” showed him that an artist could say everything he wanted using only one acoustic guitar. Then Dana Falconberry explains how the songs she learned while playing with Redding Hunter in the band “Peter and the Wolf” changed her approach to music.

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March 29, 2016

This Song: James Petralli of White Denim // Bayonne

White Denim’s James Petralli explains how the Grateful Dead’s “That’s It For the Other One” helped him realize how he wanted to approach both the guitar and the recording studio. Then Bayonne explores how The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” showed him how powerful openness and vulnerability in music could be.

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March 22, 2016

This Song: Eugene Mirman // Ringo Deathstarr

Eugene Mirman explains why he chose to incorporate music into his latest release and stage show and talks about the music that inspires him…or doesn’t. Then Elliot Frazier and Daniel Corborn of Ringo Deathstarr talk about how hearing Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine when they were kids helped them see that they could make music that was discordant, distorted and totally satisfying.

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