In this edition of The Secret Ingredient we talk with Fred Bahnson, author of Soil & Sacrament: A Spiritual Memoir of Food and Faith, about his spiritual journey through agriculture and how some faith-based organizations are re-energizing the conversation around hunger and poverty. About The Hosts: Raj Patel is an award winning food writer, activist and...

The Secret Ingredient is “Prison Labor on Farms.” You might not expect where prison-produced food may show up! Listen back as agriculture farmer and former inmate Jahi Ellis guides the conversation on food production in prison along with Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy.

Season 3 of The Secret Ingredient will focus on The Green New Deal (GND). Listen this season as Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy discuss the future of agriculture, climate change, economic inequality and what it will take to create The Green New Deal in an effort to save the planet!

On this installment of The Write Up host Owen Egerton interviews and the co-creator, writer and director of the Intergalactic Nemesis, Jason Neulander. Neulander’s story is one to inspire adventurers everywhere to take just one more climb up the mountain or trip out to sea. He bravely fought the forces of rationality to go on...

This Song — Mojo Nixon, Kat Edmonson, Aaron Behrens Welcome to the first ever “This Song” podcast! This week we have three amazing artists! Mojo Nixon:  The rock musician, DJ, lover of Elvis and natural born iconoclast talks about why “Sweet Soul Music” by Arthur Conley is the song that still makes him feel like […]

In  this episode of “This Song” we hear Brian Beattie talk about a song that blew him away and made a shelf in his brain, Kathy McCarty talks about a song that opened her up to the possibility that songwriting wasn’t just for people from the olden times, and Ray Benson explores a song that […]

On this episode of This Song, Elizabeth McQueen sits down with the members of Magna Carda and hears about each of their important songs--everything from the Soulquarians to Sir Duke.

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” 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 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,” […]

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

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.

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.

The new season of This Song starts Wednesday, November 16th and it’s going to be a good one! Tegan and Sara, Andrew Bird, Paul Banks and RZA, Nathaniel Ratliff, Andrew WK and lots of other artists will talk about the songs that changed their lives and give you insight into their artistic process.

Paul Banks and RZA, aka Banks and Steelz, describe their shared love of the music of Leonard Cohen. Then Lizzo explains the powerful impact Lauryn Hill’s “Zion”, Radiohead’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” and the city of Minneapolis had on her music.

Alex Trimble of the Irish indie rock trio Two Door Cinema Club explains how Beck's “Midnight Vultures” album illustrated the concept of music-making without rules. Then Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek of the Brooklyn-based band Big Thief describe how “The Leanover” from Life Without Buildings and the work of Michael Hurley inspired them and lead them to approach their songwriting and musical performances from completely new directions.

El-P and Killer Mike from Run the Jewels start out talking about early influences (Prince's "Beautiful Ones" and Ice-T's "6 In The Morning”) and end up expressing their love and respect for Southern Rock, The Clash, Outlaw Country and early hip hop and rap. Then Sarah Castro and Matt Parmenter of the Austin-based Belcurve explain how Kathleen Edwards, PJ Harvey and Tom Waits helped them create their shared musical vocabulary.