The founding member of Kronos Quartet discusses the origins of "Hard Rain," a reimagining of Dylan's nuclear anthem that unites nearly fifty artists across generations and continents, and reflects on five decades of using the string quartet to address the crises that define our moment.
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Ten years after 'The New Breed' merged his love of J Dilla with his background in jazz composition, the Tortoise guitarist discusses mentorship, the practical realities of a music career, and why he makes the records he wants to hear.
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The Canadian composers discuss 'Dreaming In Gamelan,' an album twenty-five years in the making that honors West Javanese traditions while exploring ambient textures, electronic processing, and the emotional ambiguity of hand-forged bronze instruments.
Chris Hemer and Sam Mishos discuss their latest release, 'Mountains Turned to Dust,' how revisionist westerns and Willie Dunn's counter-narratives inform their music, and why they remain committed to the album as an organizing principle.
The banjoist discusses his three-year recording process, the Pacific Northwest landscapes that still inform his writing, and why assembling players like Sam Bush, Darol Anger, and Bryan Sutton meant working with musicians who make him play his best.
Flaming Lips members Tommy McKenzie and Matt Kirksey spent fifteen years building the trust required to make '39 Lightyears from Heaven,' a trip-hop-influenced debut that refuses to let ego dictate the creative process.
The Toronto saxophonist spent five years unlearning his technique, studying contemporary dance, and writing music for Valley Voice that balances chamber precision with jazz's requirement for breathing room—all of which led to 'Stars, Engines', his debut album as band leader.
The legendary guitarist explores Shakti's unique synthesis of Western harmony and Indian improvisation, from their groundbreaking early albums to their poignant final statement honoring Zakir Hussain's musical genius.
The Paris-based organist's album 'Brace for Impact' pairs the seventy-eight-stop pipe organ at St. Antonius Church with Stephen O'Malley's metal riffs, Xenakis-inspired glissandos, and iPad-based composition software.
The Portland-based musician discusses his debut 'Beneath the Sand', recorded at a solar-powered Mojave studio where years of grief found release through bilingual songs written during motorcycle trips across Mexico and Central America.
The Norwegian sibling duo behind 'Dreams and Conjurations' discusses their Sámi roots, their growing collection of foreign instruments, and what it's like to conduct a two-hundred-dog choir in Greenland.
Stacey Hine and Neil Kleiner explain how their debut 'We Weren't Programmed for This' treats guitar as a delicate interruption, electronic glitch as meditation, and degraded tape loops as the perfect metaphor for fragile memory.
The comedian born Richard Davy invented a Southern alter ego, landed a Columbia Records deal with producer John Hammond, and played the Apollo Theatre before abandoning his act in 1968—his story nearly lost until archivist Jason Klamm recovered recordings from his brief, peculiar career.
The author of 'Rebel Rebel' discusses his revised deep dive into David Bowie's formative years, the organic growth of his song-by-song blog, and why he fears the resources that supported his research may not exist for future music writers.
Five years after releasing 'Conservatory of Flowers', Maria Teriaeva revisits her Buchla-driven sophomore album with fresh perspective, explaining how anxiety and hope remain constants even as her circumstances shift from abundance to constraint.
The composer behind Chicago's Lynyn project reflects on 'Ixona', absorbing UK electronic music, his collaboration with visual artist Owen Blodgett, and the mature process of whittling down excess.
Five years into their Mutual Mentorship for Musicians project, experimental vocalists Serpa and Shyu discuss replacing traditional hierarchies with structures where support moves in multiple directions and every voice counts.
The saxophonist discusses his latest album 'Lullaby for the Lost,' the ongoing evolution of the Blackstar Symphony, and why he's stopped listening to the voice that once told him his music wasn't "hip enough" for the jazz crowd.
The New York-based composer discusses her debut album 'Simultaneous Contrast,' how Josef Albers's color theory shapes her music, and why she views composition as discovery rather than self-expression.
The former Chicago resident discusses his move to a Colorado farm, the challenges of balancing parenthood with creative work, and how his latest album 'Tender / Wading' benefits from letting art sit longer before sharing it with the world.
The Lebanese sextet's second album 'Sametou Sawtan' transforms twelfth-century poetry and contemporary texts into experimental rock that captures both the intensity of their cult-like recording sessions and the existential weight of living under constant threat.
McLuhan's Paul Cohn reflects on creating one of the early seventies' strangest records, the band's improbable reunion after fifty years, and how a philosophical foundation—"the medium is the message"—allowed them to break every musical rule in the book.
The Paisley Underground guitarist discusses the deluxe reissue that finally presents Rain Parade's 1985 album as intended, the supportive Los Angeles scene that shaped them, and how collaborative art remains "the beautiful puzzle" that keeps him creating.
The multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter discusses his move from polished production to intimate minimalism, the power of limitations in creativity, and why he records his most personal songs in the early morning hours of his Idaho living room.
After years of touring with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and SUMAC, Patrick Shiroishi unveils his two-suite composition 'Forgetting is Violent,' his saxophone tones carrying the weight of Japanese American internment camps and contemporary racist violence.
Jon Fadem's latest album 'Thankful' strips away vocals from songs he'd been singing for years, trusting his guitar to convey emotions and concepts learned from listening deeply to Miles Davis and Jerry Garcia.
A celebration of the late Portland-based label owner John Whitson's uniquely eclectic vision. Dave Segal acts as our psychedelic explorer, guiding us through highlights from Holy Mountain's catalog.
After twenty years of performances and one shelved recording, the pianist-songwriter and cellist finally capture their unique blend of contemporary classical, avant-jazz, and American folk on 'Reno'.
The experimental musician splits her time between soldering synthesizers at Buchla and touring the country with wearable instruments that let her move freely through audiences. Her intimate new album, 'My Inner Rest,' offers a glimpse.
The Ethiopian nun and pianist transformed heartbreak into transcendence, creating music that fused European classical training with sacred Ethiopian traditions across ninety-nine years of exile, prayer, and resilience.
British-born pedal steel player Spencer Cullum discusses his move to Music City, the organic formation of his ambient-adjacent trio Shrunken Elvis, and why staying true to his musical identity matters more than fitting the Nashville mold.
The Canadian composer's JADE technology transforms EEG data into sound, turning six dancers into living instruments for his spatial audio album 'The Laws of Nature.'
In his latest book, 'The Jazzmen,' Tye examines how Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie fought racial injustice offstage, using their fame to push America toward a more equitable future.
The versatile percussionist opens up about his formative years under Betty Carter's mentorship, his Grammy-winning work with Brittany Howard, and how creative constraints led to his most liberated album yet.