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” Elizabeth McQueen sits down with most of the members of  the Austin outlaw country band Crooks. Guitar player Ryan Goebel, Trumpet and percussion player Doug Day, accordion player Anthony Ortiz Junior, drummer Joey Bybee and songwriter/guitar player Josh Mazor all talk about all the various influences they bring to their raucous […]

In this Episode of “This Song,” host Elizabeth McQueen sits down with singer-songwriter Laura Marling and photographer Todd Wolfson to talk about songs that gave them a greater understanding of freedom and transcendence. You can hear Laura Marling’s Studio 1A performance here. You can download Laura Marling’s cover of Towne’s Van Zandt’s “For the Sake of the […]

In this episode of “This Song” host Elizabeth McQueen sits down with Max Frost and Nakia to talk about songs that helped them find their artistic voices. You can hear Max Frost’s studio 1A Performance from June 6, 2015 here You can see the video of Nakia singing with Sharon Jones here Subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher to get […]

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” Elizabeth McQueen sits down with the members of Moving Panoramas. Leslie Sisson, Karen Skloss and Rozie Castoe all talk about songs that changed them and contributed to the sound of Moving Panoramas. You can here the Moving Panorama’s My KUTX DJ set here.   Subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher to get the new […]

In this episode of “This Song” host Elizabeth McQueen sits down with  Glen Hansard  to talk about a song and an extraordinary experience around that song that made him know, for sure, that he would be a musician.  She also talks to Gina Chavez about a genre she heard in Argentina that hit her in the center […]

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 […]

Thom Green from Alt-J discusses his musical influences from Nirvana to Yamaneko. And the members of the band Ume each talk about a musical experience that helped them figure out what they wanted to accomplish with their music.

In this episode of “This Song” Elizabeth McQueen talks to Oddisee about Marvin Gaye’s  “What’s Going On,” a song that taught him that music can serve both the body and the mind.  She also speaks to Mike Harmeier of Mike and the Moonpies  about how hearing records by Ryan Adams and Wilco at the right time in […]

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 […]

Twin Shadow explores the magic of "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," and Michael Ramos explains how Green Onions connects him to the people he loves.

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.

Wilco guitarist Nels Cline describes how John Coltrane's Africa opened a door to an entire world of music he never knew existed and Julian Lage explains his attraction to the authentic interaction between Bill Evans and Jim Hall on "Undercurrent."

The "This Song" podcast Team is taking the holidays off, which means you can finally get caught up on the episodes you missed!

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.

Delta Spirit's Matthew Logan Vasquez explains how Bob Dylan's "To Ramona" helped him grapple with agnosticism, Michael Kingcaid from What Made Milwaukee Famous explains why Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" showed him the importance of the Epic and Kevin Sekhani talks about how hearing Bowie's "Fame" made him feel feelings he hadn't felt before.

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.

Benjamin Booker explains how songs by Nigerian artist William Oneaybor and the Caribbean band The Beginning of the End are all helping him shape the sound of the music he's writing now. Then Laura Patiño of Holiday Mountain describes how a song by M.I.A. helped her find her power as a woman and her voice as a musician.

Jose Gonzalez talks about the many ways Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" inspired his musical style as does drummer Trevor Wiggins of Leopold and his Fiction. Then Daniel James, lead singer and guitar player for Leopold and his Fiction, talks about how the Motown sound helped him find his own sound.

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.

Jonathan Meiburg explains how Vic Chesnutt's "Big Huge Valley" helped him realize there was a whole world of music bubbling beneath the mainstream. Plus, he makes the case that Nina Simone is the "best popular musician of the 20th century, and maybe the 21st century too." Then Emily Cross of Cross Record describes the effect Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek" had on her while her partner Dan Duszynski explains how King Tubby expanded his ideas of what music could be.

What do John Aielli, David Bowie and Caracaras all have in common? Jonathan Meiburg from Shearwater has learned something from all of them. Hear about his many and varied interests in this first ever "This Song" extra!

Delbert McClinton tells the story of the first time he heard Big Joe Turner's "Honey Hush" wafting out of a window. From that moment on, he was driven to give everything he had to the blues. And Carrie Rodriguez tells the story of the first time she heard Bill Frisell and explains how it opened her up to the idea that traditional music need not be played in a traditional way.

Josh Ritter explains how delving into the catalogue of Roger Miller helped him let go of the rules and find his voice for his new record. Then John Carter Cash explains why the music of his grandmother, Mother Maybelle Carter, influenced his musical path even more than the work of his father, Johnny Cash.

Mark Mothersbaugh describes in vivid detail what is was like to see the Beatles for the first time on Ed Sullivan. Then Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen from A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit talk about the the riffs and raw power of Iggy Pop, the songwriting of Regina Spektor how they came to write songs together.

Butch Vig talks about how seeing the Who perform "My Generation" on the Smothers Brothers made him want to be become a drummer, and showed him the kind of energy he would later help others capture in the studio. Along the way talks about what it means to be a producer and about his new documentary "The Smart Studios Story."

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Saintseneca's Zac Little explains how Paul McCartney's "Uncle Albert" showed him what how expansive making a recording could be. Then Sons of Bill explore how songs by Woody Guthrie, John Prine and Bill Evan's Trio blew their minds and describe what it's like to play in a band with your brothers.

Black Pistol Fire Drummer Eric Owen likes the simple grooves but he didn't know it until he heard Nirvana's "In Bloom." Hear about this revelation and how the song lead him to finally learn to play the drums. Then the owners of Austin's Modern Outsider Records, Erin and Chip Adams, talk about how Suede's "Heroine" and The Cure's "Close to Me" set them, in their own ways, on a course to loving songs that were off the beaten path, record collecting and finally starting their own record label.

Robert Delong explains how hearing "Stardust" on a a cassette taped version of Orson Wells "War of the Worlds" got him interested in harmony and songwriting. Then John Chao explains how inadequate record store categorization lead him to his hearing the album “Kiko” by Los Lobos and inspired some his best work.

San Fermin bandleader Ellis Ludwig-Leone first heard Paul Simon's album Graceland when he was five years old. Listen as he describes why he loves the record and how it's stuck with him throughout his musical journey. Then John and Tracy Dell from the Austin band El Tule explain how music by bands like La Sonora Dinamita, Celso Piña, and Fruko y sus Tesos helped them find their sound as a band.

BØRNS talk about Electric Light Orchestra's “Turn To Stone,” Jeff Lynn’s writing style, guilty pleasures and how he approaches the songwriting process. Then Carrie Fussell from Austin’s own Calliope Musicals talks about “Tightrope” and gushes about the entire ELO album “A New World Record. Finally Calliope Musical's co-founder and drummer Josh Bickley explains how the lyrics of a very non drum centric Blind Melon song won over his very drum centric heart.

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."

Bridie Monds-Watson, aka SOAK, explains how how Pink Floyd's "Fearless" helped influence her songwriting and allowed her to envision how expansive recording and production could be. Then songwriting duo Josh King and Jesse Hester from the Austin band Burgess Meredith explore the depth and breadth of their Beatlemania from the early pre-Beatles recordings of the Quarrymen to the good heartbreak of "Yesterday."

Members of Brooklyn-based Sunflower Bean explore the music that inspires them -- from Brian Wilson and Devo to Beach Fossils and Tonstartssbanht -- while also talking about club scenes with a social conscience, what makes a perfect combination of art and commerce, and the attraction of listening to a musical genius’ decent into darkness.

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.

Sean Bonnette from AJJ (formerly Andrew Jackson Jihad) talks Violent Femmes, naturally distorted acoustic guitars and literature as sources of his inspiration. Then Scott Taylor and Tripp Lamkins from Grifters have a little listening party starting with songs by Deep Purple and ranging through 80's alternative music from Skinny Puppy to Black Flag to the Cure.

The members of The Octopus Project explain the impact of how the Guns n Roses' Appetite for Destruction, the theme song from 2001: A Space Oddysey and a live show by The Jesus Lizard. Along the way, the they end up talking about abandoning the trumpet, the connection between music and emotion and the difference between going to a show in 90’s versus today. Then Jane Weaver shares her experience of seeing Kate Bush performing Wuthering Heights on Top of the Pops when she was just five years old, and how Bush's look, dance and singing style still influence her work today.

American rock and roll icon Dion describes how he, one night, heard the soul and rhythm of Hank Williams drifting out of his family radio and was forever changed. Later, Austinite Amanda Cevallos talks country with Elizabeth (who can talk some country) and they bond over their love of Waylon Jennings and Texas dancehalls.