Chris Masterson and Eleanor Whitmore spend most of their lives on the road, both as members of Steve Earle’s band, The Dukes, and as the husband and wife duo, The Mastersons. Their discussion with Elizabeth touches on Daniel Lanios’ late night landscapes; the harmonies of Emmylou Harris, The Louvin Brothers and The Jayhawks and how one […]

There’s no denying that St. Paul and the Broken Bones are full of soul, and in this episode you get a little taste of where it all came from. From a cappella versions of “Amazing Grace”, to Otis Redding and Miles Davis, the Alabama-based bands depth of spirit is influenced by passionate, emotional music. “Being able […]

Matthew Sweet has been crafting pop gems since the 90's and his new record "Tomorrow Forever" is no exception. Listen as he explains how John Lennon's songwriting showed the kind of deeply personal yet expansive and experimental artist that he would later strive to be.

Karl Alvarez, bassist for the legendary punk rock band Descendents, describes how the Beach Boys "Help Me Rhonda" and L.A. Power Pop band The Last guided the band's early sound, and continues to influence them on their latest record "Hypercaffium Spazzinate."

Hear how Leonard Cohen’s measured and thoughtful poetry, the stream of consciousness lyrical prowess of Bob Dylan, and the rollicking tunes found on The Basement Tapes caused Nathaniel Rateliff and his longtime friend Joseph Pope III to find the balance between sharing songs of meaning and significance and just having a good time with friends.

Reggae Artist Collie Buddz explores the impact that Garnet Silk's Song "Watch Over Your Shoulders" had on his life and gives host Elizabeth McQueen a crash course in Soundclash, Dubplate & Conscious Reggae.

Hannah Joy, lead singer and songwriter of the Australian trio Middle Kids, talks about how Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac inspires her as a female artist and describes why she decided to transition from a solo piano based artist to a guitar playing leader of a band.

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

It's This Song's 100th Episode!!!! Host Elizabeth McQueen gets interviewed by her 8 year old daughter Lisel about how Rebecca Sugar's "Here Comes a Thought" from Steven Universe expanded her idea of what songs can do. Then Lisel explains to Elizabeth how "Peace and Love on the Planet Earth," also from Steven Universe, blows her mind and is helping her process big ideas like, Peace, War, Death and Birth.

Austin singer-songwriter Suzanna Choffel describes the vibe behind Reggae music and shares how Bob Marley exposed her to the magic of chasing suffering with love.

Sam Beam, aka Iron and Wine, has been testing the boundaries of folk music since the early 2000's. Hear how Big Star's "Take Care" helped him to evolve his ideas of what he could do with musical arrangements.

Fleet Foxes have just released their third full length record, "Crack Up," after a six year break. Listen to lead singer and songwriter Robin Pecknold as he explores the effect Glen Campbell's recording of Brian Wilson penned "Guess I'm Dumb" had on his songwriting.

In this This Song rerun from 2016, you’ll hear Benjamin Booker in the time between his first self titled record  and his new album Witness.  The artists explains the profound influence William Onyeabor’s “Why Go to War” had on him, and why he’s  ready to weave politics into his work. Photo: Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon/KUTX Subscribe via the Podcasts […]

Vickie Howell just released her new web series “The Knit Show with Vickie Howell.”  The project, which Howell conceived and developed, was funded through a successful crowdfunding campaign.  Hear how the So-Cal punk scene inspired her life as a DIY entrepreneur, and how she’s working to inspire us all to “DIY your dreams.” Subscribe via […]

Austin's A Giant Dog just released their third record Toy on Merge records. Listen as Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen, the songwriting duo behind the band, talk about the power of Iggy Pop's "Search and Destroy", Regina Spektor's songwriting and the origins of their partnership.

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.

Hamilton Leithauser is the former lead singer of the Walkmen and as well as a talented solo artist. Last year, he teamed up with former Vampire Weekend member Rostam for I Had A Dream That You Were Mine, and he also just released a duet with Angel Olsen called "Heartstruck (Wild Hunger)." Listen as Leithauser talks about how Fleet Foxes' "Ragged Wood" helped shake him out of a creative rut.

Singer and Songwriter Angel Olsen's latest record "Phases" is a collection of B-sides and rarities that chronicles her musical journey. Listen as she describes how the The Velvet Underground influenced her on that journey, and how Lou Reed's "Coney Island Baby" is helping her in the current moment.

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.

This Song postcards are here! Now you can download a blank postcard and make it your own by coloring in the front however you please. Then, fill out the back with a song that changed your life and pass the music on by sending your postcard to family and friends. Don’t forget to also share […]

Night Drive's self titled debut album is full of dark yet catchy sci-fi inspired synth pop. Listen as Brandon Duhon and Rodney Connell, the creative duo behind the band, explore how Abba's "Gimme Gimme Gimme" and Radiohead's Kid A led them to this sound.

This year, Austin's Walker Lukens released his second album Tell It To The Judge, produced by Spoon's Jim Eno. It's a hook-laden mix of pop, rock, electronic, and obtuse lyrics, music that you can emotionally understand without necessarily literally understanding. Listen as Lukens describes how Fleetwood Mac's "Sara" works in a similar way for him, and hear how it's gotten him through some tough times.

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.

Composer and Conductor Benjamin Wallfisch has scored music for over 60 feature films including Hidden Figures and the remake of Steven King’s IT. He also collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the soundtrack for Blade Runner 2049.  Listen as he describes how hearing John William’s score for E.T.  as a young boy set him on the path of making music […]

Portland rockers Blitzen Trapper just released a new record called Wild and Reckless. They’re also headlining the first show in KUTX’s 5th Birthday Concert Series at Antones on February 22nd. In this rerun singer, songwriter and guitar player Eric Early describes how the darker realms of R.E.M.’s music inspired him as a teenager. Then drummer Brian […]

Lukas Nelson describes how Neil Young's album Tonight's the Night inspired him to pursue a career in music, and how it has helped him live his bliss.

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.

Daniele Luppi describes the impact that The Buggles MTV hit “Video Killed the Radio Star” had on him as a kid and explains why Parquet Courts and Karen O were the perfect collaborators for his new project.

John Gourley and Eric Howk from the band Portugal. The Man explain how "I'm Only Sleeping" by the Beatles and the Woodstock documentary and soundtrack changed the way they saw music and inspired the making of their latest record Woodstock.

Norwegian singer and songwriter Sondre Lerche explores why listening to Fiona Apple’s “I Know” as a teenager brought him to tears and explains how the that song has influenced his work throughout his career. Lerche is releasing his latest record, Solo Pleasure, on Valentines Day! The  record is an acoustic reworking of his 2017 synth pop gym Pleasure. Listen to the new […]

Austin based R&B artist Mélat explains how two very different songs --Ella Fitzgerald's version of "Misty" and Mariah Carey's version of "Always Be My Baby" -- helped her understand the deep connection between music and emotion.

Born Ruffians' Luke Lalonde explores why he loves John Prine's "Far From Me" and describes the deep impact his father has had on his musical journey.

Beth Ditto, former lead singer of the band Gossip, explains how Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn" helped her grapple with her complex feelings about her home state of Arkansas after she had left for Olympia Washington.

Rapper and writer Dessa’s latest record Chime finds her exploring everything from feminism to death to her complex feelings about free will. Listen as she describes all the reasons why hearing Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” as a twelve hear old exploded her preconceived notions about race and gender and gave voice to her feelings of restlessness.  And you don’t […]

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!

Austin artist and self described Southern-Gothic Psycho-Blues Revival-Punk One-Man-Band Lincoln Durham describes how the music of Nick Cave allowed him to embrace his own darkness and make the music he needed to make.

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.

Sydney Wayser, aka Clara Nova, talks about the impact Rufus Wainwright's song "Oh What A World" had on her own music and how her feeling of connection with artists, both visual and musical,  continues to inspire her creative process.

Chase Weinach, of the band Austin band Marmalakes, describes how hearing Rilo Kiley's "A Better Son/Daughter" when he was going through a tough time in his mid-twenties helped him realize he was not alone.

KUTX presents John Prine “This Song” Live Interview and In-Store Appearance Monday, June 4th at 2pm. Come celebrate the release of John Prine‘s brand new album, Tree of Forgiveness with this special event. The interview and performance will be from 2pm-3pm. John Prine will be signing records from 3-4pm Purchase a copy of Tree of […]

Greg Gonzalez, bass player for Austin's premiere Latin funk outfit Brownout describes how Anthrax's version of "Bring the Noise" introduced him to Public Enemy, which in turn introduced him to the music of James Brown and ignited a lifelong love affair with funk music.

John Cusack how listening to The Clash's "Armagideon Time" as a teenager opened him up both politically and musically and how he knew which songs to put in the movie "High Fidelity."

Miles Francis describes how two very different songs, Prince's "Let's Pretend We're Married" and The Beach Boys "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)," showed him how music can convey a range of feelings, and helped serve as a template for his own work.

John Prine describes what Bob Dylan's "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," taught him about songwriting and empathy, and explains why he had to sequester himself in a hotel to write for the new record, "The Tree of Forgiveness."

On this episode, Austin singer/songwriter Ali Holder tells us how an Arcade Fire song helped her through a challenging medical diagnosis

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.