Maria Chavez

Although turntablist Maria Chavez’s work is often performed in contemporary art museums and other rarefied locations, she herself doesn’t come from a place of abstraction or the aloofness that’s sometimes associated with such venues. On paper a deeply experimental artist, her work comes from a place of pure emotion rather than an ideological stance, and embraces the possibilities of the creative accident. A native of Lima, Peru, but raised in the United States, Chavez’s use of broken vinyl and… READ MORE

Sir Richard Bishop

Over a career spanning almost five full decades, Sir Richard Bishop has carved out a lasting legacy for himself as a singular, prolific voice. In the early 1980’s he founded Sun City Girls with his brother, Alan, and subsequently released 50 full length albums, 20 hour-long cassettes and 12 7” records. He’s also a co-founder of the far-reaching Sublime Frequencies label. Hear how songs by Hoyt Curtin, Farid Al-Atrash, and Sandy Bull guided him creatively. His newest record, Hillbilly Ragas, was released by Drag City in 2025.

Tom Skinner

In his work with Sons of Kemet, and then in The Smile with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and as a sought after jazz and session drummer, Tom Skinner is very much a known quantity in music circles in the UK and internationally. Also a solo artist, his newest album, Kaleidoscopic Visions, was released by International Anthem in September 2025. Hear how songs by Ornette Coleman, Federico Mompou, and Sam Gendel shaped him. We spoke to him live at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

Shahzad Ismaily

To try to list all the projects, both solo and group, that Shahzad Ismaily has been a part of would take much more time than we have available, even in this notoriously long-winded medium. Instead, it might be better to offer a small sampling of those with whom he’s collaborated (Sam Smith, Mike Doughty; Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Marc Ribot), and then offer the description of him as a bass player and multi-instrumentalist who’s equally comfortable in the jazz, pop, and experimental idioms… READ MORE

Kramer

For most of his career, Bonner Kramer has been known in underground music circles by only his surname, as his imprint has been deep and wide enough that only that sobriquet has been necessary. Starting in New York City in the late 70’s and into the 80’s, he was a member of several seminal bands of the era including New York Gong and Bongwater, and played in the Butthole Surfers, Ween, Half Japanese, The Fugs, and with John Zorn. As a producer, he has worked with Galaxie 500 (whose entire… READ MORE

Mary Lattimore

A harpist since childhood–as well as the daughter of one–Mary Lattimore’s choice of instrument reveals the simple beauty it contains, transcending the stereotype of it being strictly for use in classical music or as flourishes in movie soundtracks. Her ability to cut straight to the heart in her compositions works the same trick, not relying on the standard glissandos often employed by traditional players, but simply reducing the instrument to its essence. Her most recent release is a duet with… READ MORE

Joe Boyd

Listing Joe Boyd’s most significant accomplishments as a producer, label owner, and music historian is a tall order. A short list of artists he’s worked with includes Nick Drake (heard here), Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, The Incredible String Band, R.E.M., Vashti Bunyan, Billy Bragg, and 10,000 Maniacs. Additionally, he was the founder of Hannibal Records, the label responsible for bringing the term “world music” into the lexicon, as well as serving as a music… READ MORE

Tara Clerkin Trio

Bristol, UK’s Tara Clerkin Trio first came to our attention last year when they received an invitation from the Big Ears Festival to play its 2025 edition, and, upon listening to their 2023 EP On the Turning Ground as a means of introduction, we were immediately smitten. Members Tara Clerkin, Pat Benjamin, and Sunny-Joe Paradiso have synthesized elements of minimalism, dub, and more traditionally melodic genres to create sounds that are simultaneously patient, intimate, and seductive. Hear how… READ MORE

The Beths

While to the casual observer it might seem as if New Zealand’s The Beths appeared seemingly out of nowhere in or around the summer of 2023, they’ve in fact been making their extremely catchy brand of indie pop for almost ten years now. The Auckland-based quartet’s most recent album, Straight Line is a Lie, was released last year by Anti-. We spoke to founding members Liz Stokes and Jonathan Pearce for this episode in which they talk about how songs by Rilo Kiley, Ben Folds Five, and The Shins--among others--were formative for them.

Lucrecia Dalt

Colombia-born singer and musician Lucrecia Dalt began her musical career seemingly suddenly, at least when observed from a distance as a simple biographical factoid: as a civil engineer, she worked in a geotechnical company until giving it up to become a musician. While the exact details of that situation are likely considerably more nuanced, it nevertheless serves as a metaphor for her ambitious and ever-forward artistic inclinations. This is particularly true in her 2021 collaboration with… READ MORE

Melvin Gibbs

Bassist Melvin Gibbs has played on many seminal records you’re very familiar with, and likely many you aren’t, almost 200 in total. Some of his better-known work includes playing with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, as well as Rollins Band, and Arto Lindsay. Although having played in stylistically varied projects, there is one constant among all them, which is Gibbs’ palpable presence, as he’s not a typical “session” player or one to recede into the background.… READ MORE

Jeff Tweedy

Through his work in Uncle Tupelo and Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has played a significant role in the shaping of Americana and alternative rock since the early 90’s. The title of Uncle Tupelo’s highly influential first album, No Depression, both spawned a resurgence in music more widely described as “Americana,” as well as gave it its name. Later in his career, Tweedy and Wilco collaborated with Billy Bragg on the Mermaid Avenue records that featured lost lyrics by Woody Guthrie, released the… READ MORE