In this episode of “This Song” Elizabeth sits down with Chaz Bundick, aka Toro y Moi aka Les Sins,  and  Gordon Moakes, who played bass with Bloc Party and now plays with Young Legionnaire. He also has a podcast called Exploded Drawing, where artists talk about one of their favorite 90’s records. Both musicians spoke about […]

This week guest interviewer Bill Childs, host of Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child,  sits down with John Flansburgh and John Linnell from They Might Be Giants to hear about the impact of the Batman theme and a evolving charm of a song from a record inspired by the Pogo cartoon. Along the way they also chat about kid record […]

In this episode of “This Song” Elizabeth McQueen sits down with country music collaborators Brennen Leigh and Noel McKay to talk about musical experiences they had as kids that are still influencing their lives today. And she talks to drummer Lisa Pankratz about a classic song that inspires the way she approaches her music. You […]

In this episode of “This Song,” Taylor Wallace sits down with Holly Miranda to talk about how a song she heard as a teenager opened her up to being open. Elizabeth McQueen sits down with musician and “how did I get here”  host Johnny Goudie to hear about a song from his teens that made him long for […]

In this Episode of “This Song”  host Elizabeth McQueen sits down with Kelsey Wilson from Wild Child to talk about how a Nina Simone song taught her about the power of emotion and freedom in music. Then she talks with Qi and Chaka from Riders Against the Storm about the thematic power of Ibeyi’s “River,” […]

In this episode of “This Song” Elizabeth McQueen sits down with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala to talk about how a Led Zeppelin song helped him see that rock and dance music weren’t necessarily separate from one another.  And Mark Creaney of Sounds del Mar explains how a live version of a song by the Band opened him […]

In this episode of “This Song” Elizabeth McQueen sits down with Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn of  Sylvan Esso to talk about the joys of Soul Coughing.  Then, Taylor Wallace talks to Jack Anderson, Isaac Winburne and Andrew Fontenot of the band SIP SIP about their influences, which range from Kool and the Gang and Stevie Wonder, to […]

Gary Clark Jr. explains how Tupac's "Krazy" inspired him musically and lyrically. Along the way he gives some insight into his own writing process. Tameca Jones explains how seeing Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" in the context of "Pretty in Pink" helped her set the tone for the way she wanted to approach music.

Shawnee Kilgore and Joss Whedon explain how they're inspired by Ani DiFranco, the Grateful Dead and each other. And Daisy O'connor recalls how grudgingly going to see Gregory Alan Isakov perform in a friend's living room changed the entire course of her life.

Leon Bridges explains how hearing Gary Clark Jr's "Bright Lights" changed everything for him. Then Cory Reinisch and Dustin Meyer from Harvest Thieves talk about the power of Uncle Tupelo, Led Zeppelin and the Weary Boys.

Ian Astbury of The Cult explains the powerful effect that David Bowie's "Life on Mars" had on him when he was 10 years old and P.T. Banks talks about how Paul Simon's "Everything Put Together Falls Apart," helped him understand life, substance abuse and death.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

On this edition we talk with Austin's own Adrian Quesada about 90s hip hop and Django Django's Tommy Grace tells us about his first experience with Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness".

Andra Day begins her This Song conversation by extolling the virtues of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit," Then Nashville-based singer-songwriter Adia Victoria talks of how her journey from a stifling small-town life to a life in the arts was inspired by Fiona Apple's "Fast As You Can."

We’ve taken two previously-aired interviews from Leon Bridges and Gary Clark Jr. and put them together to draw a direct line of influence from one artist to another. Leon Bridges explains how hearing a Gary Clark Jr. song inspired him to pursue music, and then Gary Clark Jr. describes the impact of Tupac's "Krazy." Expect an “epic flow chart of inspiration” sometime in the future.

Kevin Morby expounds on how the raw beauty of the Mountain Goats made making folk music seem both accessible and punk. Then Margaret Glaspy explains how Vic Chestnut's unflinching take on life and and Elliot Smith's use of metaphor influence her as a writer.

Lake Street Dive's Mark Olson found that Willie Nelson's version of "Song for You" helped him deal with these complexities of being a musician on the road and helped his art along the way. And Austin newcomer Jane Ellen Bryant describes how Shawn Colvin's "I Want It Back" is the perfect example of how to write, arrange and produce a song.

Thor Harris takes Elizabeth on a brief tour of progressive rock and gives a shout out to Yes and other stalwarts of the genre and describes what music inspired his new, hypnotic project, Thor And Friends. Then Grace London and Zoe Czarnecki from the Austin band Misimplicity describe how Elliot Smith and a bass concerto by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf have helped them find their musical ways and climb musical mountains.

Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Early describes how his musical trajectory was permanently altered by R.E.M. and their breakout album “Out Of Time.” Then bandmate/drummer/actor Brian Koch tells a tale of his family who did very little to encourage his music and how he was inspired by hidden radios, friends with guitars and a young singer-songwriter with whom he now shares a stage.

Jenn Wasner of Flock of Dimes and Wye Oak takes you through why Joni Mitchell's "Amelia" both comforts and terrifies her. And Lucy Dacus explains how the Cure's "Just Like Heaven" is a friendly ghost in her life, and how Prince's "I Would Die 4 You," helped expand her idea of how cool a song about God could be.

Ray describes how "My World" by Kid Cudi saved his life as a young teenager. The young artist then sends his own message of support and love to his hero, who has recently experienced some dark days.

Molly Burch always knew she wanted to sing, but she just needed to find the right song. Hear how Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" has helped her find her way as a singer from the first time she heard it in middle school.

Tycho's Scott Hansen describes how Boards of Canada's "ROYGBIV" helped him understand that his most effective form of expression was instrumental electronic music.

Shinyrib's Kevin Russell describes how "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas got him into soul music as a kid and explains his musical mission -- to dance and get the world to dance with him.

Psychedelic garage-rocker Ty Segall tells KUTX host Taylor Wallace how The Band’s “The Weight” influenced his songwriting and inspired the name of his new puppy

On"Nat King Cole and Me," Grammy winning jazz vocalist and songwriter Gregory Porter pays tribute to one of the greatest jazz artists of the 20th century. Listen as he describes the profound effect that Nat King Cole's music had on him as a young child, and how his relationship to that music has inspired him throughout his career.

Cut/Copy founder Dan Whitford explains how hearing The Avalanches "A Different Feeling" when he first started his career helped open his eyes to how creative and expansive dance music could be.

Adrian Galvin, aka Yoke Lore, explores how singing "In the Window" with his family as a child during Hanukkah opened his eyes to the deeply connective possibilities of music. And you'll definitely want to hear his theory about music and magic.

Demar Gayle from Jamaica's Raging Fyah describes how Bob Marley's "One Love" changed his life, and explains why it took traveling to a different continent and experiencing race based hate for the first time to actually understand the lyrics of the song.

Philipp Dausch and Clemens Rehbein from the German indie folk group Milky Chance explain how Red Hot Chili Pepper guitarist John Frusciante's "A Name" and the unreleased Bob Marley demo "Rumors" helped them clarify how direct and raw they wanted their own music to be.

Austin songwriter, producer and one and band Mobley has a new project coming out on April 27th called Fresh Lies Vol. 1.  In it he explores his relationship, as a black man, with the United States through the metaphor of a romantic relationship. This is the first volume in a career spanning song cycle. Listen […]

The Breeders guitar player and singer Kelley Deal describes how watching Jimmy Page play guitar in Led Zeppelin's concert film The Song Remains the Same exploded her mind and gave her a template for the kind of sonically adventurous musician she would later become.

Alicia Bognanno, lead singer, songwriter and guitar player for the Nashville based band Bully explains how the imperfect beauty of the Breeder's "Pod" showed her that she could make music the way she wanted to make it.

Lisa-Kaindé Diaz of Ibeyi explains how Nina Simone's version of "I Put a Spell on You" helped her understand what singing was really about and how music helped heal the relationship with her sister Naomi. Oh yeah, and what it was like to be a part of Beyonce's Lemonade!

On this episode, Austin's Shakey Graves talks about his childhood love of the "Overture" from Phantom of the Opera and how it helped him explore his own theatricality on his latest album, Can't Wake Up.

Austin Artist Jake Lloyd describes how hearing Tony! Toni! Tone!'s "Let's Get Down" as a kid made him realize that he wanted to be a musician and describes what it's like to be working as an artist in Austin's burgeoning hip-hop and R&B scene.

The new movie, BLAZE, about legendary singer and songwriter Blaze Foley, comes out on September 21st. Listen as Ethan Hawke and Ben Dickey describe why they love the music of Blaze Foley and what led them to make a movie about his life.

Thomas Ross Turner from Ghostland Observatory explains how hearing "White Horse" by Laid Back piqued his interest in electronic music and started him on his journey as a musician.

Austin based singer and songwriter Charlie Faye describes how her childhood love of "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes helped her find her musical way and how it inspired the band's new single "I Don't Need No Baby."

Hrishikesh Hirway describes how hearing Asha Bhosle’s “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. Then Thao Nguyen explains how Lucinda Williams helped her understand the power of "the good hurt."

Shy Beast front woman Mariclaire Glaeser describes how the music of the Cardigans helped her navigate a difficult childhood, bond with her older brother and find her musical way.

Dana Falconberry talks about the profound impact being in the band "Peter and the Wolf" when she first moved to Austin. It's two Austin musicians, talking how Austin Music changed their lives. Enjoy!

Bayonne, KUTX's Artist of the Month, explains how "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys taught him the power of vulnerability and openness and how to embrace it in his own music.

Warren Hood describes how hearing the song "High Hill" gave him a deep appreciation for the music of Uncle Walt's band while helping him process his grief around the loss of his father.

Jenny Lewis' describes the effect that hearing  "Govinda Jai Jai" by Alice Coltrane while on a road trip across California with Jim James and Gary Burden had on her spirit and on her approach to her new record "On the Line."

Patty Griffin latest record "Patty Griffin" is a gorgeous acoustic exercise in vulnerability.  Listen as she explores all the ways that Peter Gabriel's  "Secret World" impacted her life and her music.