Essential Tremors Music Podcast

31/01/2025

The collaboration between Big Ears and Essential Tremors Music Podcast released a new episode featuring Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo! He spoke to them about how tracks by Half Japanese, Grateful Dead, and the Tremeloes influenced him.

Yo La Tengo performs a solo show on Thursday, March 27, and then joins forces with the interstellar jazz pioneers of the Sun Ra Arkestra for a cosmic journey unlike any other on Friday, March 28.

🔗 https://omny.fm/shows/essential-tremors-1/ira-kaplan-yo-la-tengo-big-ears-festival-performer

📸 Cheryl Dunn

28/01/2025

NEW EPISODE: Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo spoke to us about how tracks by Half Japanese, the Grateful Dead, and the Tremeloes influenced him. Listen at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Yo La Tengo performs at Big Ears Festival March 27-30. This Stupid World, their most recent album, is out on Matador Records, and the Big Ears date is part of a spring US tour probably coming to a city near you.

31/12/2024

NEW EPISODE: Sui generis instrumentalist Laraaji spoke to us about how songs by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Frank Sinatra, and Pharrell Williams nfluenced him. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Laraaji will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville March 27-30. 📸 Liam Ricketts. Listen at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts.

18/11/2024

NEW EPISODE: Susanna Wallumrød of Susanna and the Magical Orchestra spoke to us about how songs by Nina Simone, Björk, and Ethiopian composer Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guébro shaped her work. Listen at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Meditations on Love, her latest album, is out now.

30/10/2024

NEW EPISODE: Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul spoke to us about how music by piper Allan Macdonald, Bulgarian group the Rhodopea Kaba Trio, and composer Steve Reich shaped her own work. Listen at the in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Chaimbeul performs at the Big Ears Festival March 20-24 in Knoxville. Carry Them With Us, her most recent album, is out now on Glitterbeat Records.

04/10/2024

NEW EPISODE: Comedian/actor/writer Gregg Turkington aka Neil Hamburger spoke to us about how tunes by Jimmy Webb, Leonard Cohen, and Frank Sinatra influenced him. Listen at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Seasonal Depression Suite, his most recent album as Neil Hamburger, is out now on Drag City.

26/09/2024

NEW EPISODE: Nate Cross of drone-rock massive Water Damage and esteemed creative-music label Astral Spirits spoke to us about how music by Oneida, Jim O’Rourke, and the Necks shaped his course. Listen at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Water Damage will be performing at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tenn., March 27-30, 2025, and we’re excited to announce that we’re once again partnering with the festival for a third year to preview performers through episodes like this one as well as host live events on site. Watch this space for more updates.

18/09/2024

NEW EPISODE: Legendary guitarist/improviser/composer Fred Frith sat down with us in front of a live audience at last spring’s Big Ears Festival to chat about his folky roots, his Balkan influences, the politics of music, composing soundtracks, and much, much more. Listen at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts. Via WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville. Guitar Solos/Fifty, an expanded anniversary reissue of his seminal 1974 solo-guitar release, is out now via Week-End Records.

10/09/2024

What better way to celebrate the announcement of the 2025 Big Ears Festival lineup than by dropping the episode we recorded at last year’s festival with MC billy woods of Armand Hammer and gracious guest host Claire Rousay? Woods went deep on his own history and a trio of tracks and MCs that shaped his path, and they had a lot to chat about regarding the creative process. And it’s our first episode on our new home station WUOT 91.9 FM, Knoxville! Check it out at the link in the comments.

10/09/2024

And the Big News is . . . we’re moving the show from our longtime home at WYPR to WUOT in Knoxville, Tenn.! What does this mean for our longtime listeners? Not that much at the moment, tbh. We’re a podcast, so we live on the internet and will continue to publish new episodes in the usual places, including the NPR mothership. We’ll continue to do live events around our homebase of Baltimore/DC and may expand down South when bandwidth allows. What this means for us is a chance to work with folks who are super excited about the show and helping build it, and a chance to expand our listenership so we can share what we do more widely. And we’re stoked about all of it. Huge, huge thanks to Aaron Henkin, Kyle Leslie, Jamyla Kremple, and Maddie Bristow for getting us here, and to Todd Steed for his faith and hard work. And thanks to you all, always, for your attention and support.

05/08/2024

NEW EPISODE: Experimental-scene linchpin Jim O’Rourke spoke to us about music by David Ackles, Genesis, and Charles Ives shaped his course. Via WYPR-FM. We’ve Got Dozens of Titles, a retrospective compilation from Gastr del Sol, O’Rourke’s heralded duo with David Grubbs, is out now on Drag City Records.

Jim O’Rourke of Gastr del Sol talks about how songs by David Ackles, Genesis and Charles Ives informed his development as a musician.

29/07/2024

NEW EPISODE: Guitarist/composer/author David Grubbs spoke to us about how music by the Babylon Dance Band, Sun Ra, and Luc Ferrari shaped his work. Via WYPR-FM. We Have Dozens of Titles, a retrospective collection of tracks from Gastr del Sol, his longtime duo with Jim O’Rourke, is out now on Drag City Records.

The newest release from Gastr del Sol is a box set of their work named We Have Dozens of Titles, and was also released by Drag City in May of 2024.

17/07/2024

NEW EPISODE: Guitarist, songwriter, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers stalwart Mike Campbell discussed how songs by Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, and The Beach Boys shaped his music. Via WYPR-FM. Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits, his latest album with his band the Dirty K***s, is out now.

Hear how songs by Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys shaped his musical perspective.

08/07/2024

NEW EPISODE: Electronic-music composer/producer Jlin spoke to us in front of a live audience at the Big Ears Festival about how music by Luther Vandross, Missy Elliott, and Al Jarreau inspired her work. Via WYPR-FM. Akoma, her latest album, is out now on Planet Mu.

Electronic-music producer Jlin discusses how music by Luther Vandross, Missy Elliott and Al Jarreau shaped her work.

28/06/2024

NEW EPISODE: Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross of Air Miami and Unrest spoke to us about ‘70s dance music, musicals, the Shaggs, the Captain and Tennille, ‘80s indie and punk, and so much more. Via WYPR-FM. Air Miami’s Me. Me. Me. album is out now in a 30th-anniversary reissue edition on 4AD

DC indie-scene veterans Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross of Unrest and Air Miami discuss how '70s dance music, musicals, the Shaggs, the Captain and Tennille, and '80s punk and indie shaped their course.

20/05/2024

NEW EPISODE: Beguiling singer/songwriter Jessica Pratt spoke to us about how songs by the Slits, Laura Nyro, and Sly and the Family Stone shaped her music. Via WYPR-FM. Here Is the Pitch, her latest album, is out now on Mexican Summer.

Los Angeles-based folk troubadour Jessica Pratt talks about how songs by The Slits, Laura Nyro and Sly and the Family Stone helped her forge her musical path.

19/05/2024

Los Angeles-based folk troubadour Jessica Pratt talks about how songs by The Slits, Laura Nyro and Sly and the Family Stone helped her forge her musical path.