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.

Jamila Woods describes how Stevie Wonder's "Heaven is 10 Zillion Light Years Away" affected her deeply as a child, and how it influenced the music she made on "HEAVN."

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala describes how hearing Led Zeppelin's "Good Times Bad Times" made him realize that he could meld his love of rock music with his love of dance music.

LouLou Ghelichkhani and John Michael Schoepf of Austin's dreamy synth-pop band Night Glitter talk describe how "Old Man" by Neil Young and "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard changed their lives.

Lizzo delves into her love for Lauryn Hill ‘s “Zion” and Radiohead’s “Subterranean Homesick Alien,” takes the listener on a journey through her musical influences, and explains why Minneapolis made it possible for her to find her musical way. Listen to this episode on Stitcher  Subscribe via the Podcasts App, iTunes or Stitcher to get […]

Austin Artist and podcaster Adam Sultan describes how "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" by Talking Heads changed his life and explains how his life as a musician has informed the making of his podcast "Friends With Deficits."

Tegan and Sara give insight into twin sister dynamic, The Smashing Pumpkins‘ Siamese Dream, Phil Collins melodies, teenage bedrooms, finding self-identity, how to be the change and (for all of you songwriters) the secret to writing a hit pop song.

Alex Scally from the dream pop duo Beach House explains how he learned to love a bad note in Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” and how that experience showed him the beauty of imperfection and errors in music.   Subscribe via the Podcasts App, iTunes or Stitcher to get the new episodes […]

Come to Waterloo Records on Thursday, August 30th at 5pm for a live taping of the This Song podcast with Israel Nash followed by an artist signing.  Israel will talk about a song that changed his life, explore his brand new album, LIFTED, and provide an intimate look at his creative process. Fueled by Lagunitas Brewing Co! […]

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.

Israel Nash describes how hearing the Hollies' "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" inspired him to start writing songs and explains what role inspiration played in the writing and recording his latest record "Lifted."

Chris Dowd, keyboardist, vocalist and founding member of  the iconic ska/punk/funk/rock band Fishbone describes how “I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash changed his life when he was a kid and explores the reasons that Fishbone’s music is as relevant today as it was in the 80’s and 90’s. Fishbone is now touring with […]

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.

Liz Phair describes how The Soft Boys “I Wanna Destroy You” put her in touch with her anger and talks about what it’s been like to revisit the music she wrote for the Girly-Sound tapes and Exile in Guyville. Plus she gives host Elizabeth McQueen insight into motherhood. Liz’s Phair’s Exile in Guyville turned 25 […]

Janelle Monáe talks to host Elizabeth McQueen after her performance at the Austin City Limits Music Festival about music, love and voting.

In this This Song Extra Elvis Costello explains why he wanted to get outside of himself and tell other people's stories in an expansive musical style on his new record Look Now.

The This Song listener episode is finally here! Listen as Emily La Framboise, Lee Miller, Joanna Castillo and Charlie Press talk about their life changing musical experiences.

Superfónicos' Jaime Ospina talks about his love for Gary Clark Jr's song "When My Train Pulls In" and how the Blues Brothers soundtrack pushed him to discover roots music from his own country. Plus, he tells us how African American music can help us all survive and thrive in an increasingly chaotic world.

Matthew Murphy, aka “Murph,” from the British rock band The Wombats describes how hearing Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So” and Radiohead’s “Creep” when he was a teenager set him on an alt-rock path, and describes what it’s like to talk about songwriting with Paul McCartney. Listen to this episode of This Song   Listen to […]

Rapper and songwriter Duckwrth talks about how "If 6 was 9" by Jimi Hendrix opened his mind to the universe, why San Francisco and psychedelia call to him and what the key to finding peace might be.

Jeremy Rogers, of Austin's BUHU descrobes how his band member and wife, Tiffany, along with Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes," inspired him to be more open and vulnerable in his work. Later Tiffany explores how "I Wanna Win" by Jaako Eino Kalevi made her feel safe enough to let loose.

Meggan Carney and Matt Sheffer of Austin's Zettajoule tell us how Kate Bush's "Running Up that Hill (A Deal With God)" and Rufus Wainwright's "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk" helped them expand their ideas about the possibilities of pop music and explain what inspired them to record their new low-fi electronic EP, Always Looking Up, on an iPhone.

Andrew Savage from Parquet Courts loves karaoke. Hear from whence that love springs, how that love led him to Roxy Music and why he love that band's song "Re-Make / Re-Model."

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."

Nik Ewing, leader of the band Chewing and bass player and vocalist for Local Natives, explains why he chose to cover Dennis Wilson's solo album "Pacific Ocean Blue" in it's entirety. This project is part of Turntable Kitchen's Sounds Delicious series.

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."

Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall tells us how seeing Beck's Loser on MTV as a kid pushed her to pursue her own music and how his willingness to experiment with styles and genres continues to inspire her.

Sharon Van Etten explores how how listening to Neil Young's "Harvest" as a kid helped her connect with her father. She also shares how her own experiences with parenthood pushed her to pursue her own music again after a long break working on other projects.

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!

Sahana Srinivasan, host of the popular Netflix science show for kids Brainchild explains how listening to "Where Will I Go" by Sweet Valley helped her find her voice a young artist. She also tells us about the artistic journey that led her to host Brainchild, and what it's like being the kind of role model she never had growing up.

Jackie Venson explains how seeing "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," from the movie Evita, changed the way she listened to music and the way she saw herself.

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.

On this episode, Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland of British electronic pop outfit Jungle, tell us about the Jai Paul's "Jasmine," and how it helped their band get comfortable with sonic experimentation.

Meredith Goldstein is host of the Love Letters podcast, the love advice columnist and entertainment writer for the Boston Globe and one of host Elizabeth McQueen's oldest and dearest friends.  In this episode she explores all the reasons she loves the sexy, pleading desperation of "Father Figure" by George Michael.

Allison Moorer Moorer describes how "Every Breath You Take"  by the Police gave her a window into an entire other world of music, and helped her define herself apart from her family.

Cara Tillman, vocalist and instrumentalist from Moving Panoramas, describes the joy that Elton John's "Burn Down the Mission" brings her, followed by guitarist Rosie Castoe exploring her life long love of Peter Gabriel's "Steam." And lead singer and songwriter Leslie Sisson explains why "Some Song" by Elliot Smith made her feel less alone.

Amanda Palmer explores how seeing Nick Cave's performance of "Magneto" in the documentary "On More Time With Feeling" showed her how powerful inviting an audience into deeply personal experiences could be. "The ability too walk into the dark and carefully take people with you is why we do our jobs."

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.

Cautious Clay explains how the video for Outkast's "B.O.B" blew his mind as a 7 year old and tells us how that experience continues to have a profound impact on his own work, especially on his new project "Table of Context."

Ian Graham,  guitarist, songwriter and singer for the Austin psych metal band The Well, describes how hearing "Ocean Size" by Jane's Addiction when he was a kid showed him how powerfully music could convey a feeling by  transporting him "to somebody else's movie."

Producer and multi-instrumentalist GRiZ explains how seeing Disney's "Fanstasia"as a child helped him understand music's ability to take the listener on an emotional journey and piqued his interest in making music on the computer. The listen as he explains why he wanted to explore his own complex emotional journey on his latest record "Ride Waves."

Citizen Cope details how his emotional connections to legends such as Randy Newman and Trouble Funk aided his understanding of the powerful energy that music can have. Cope then goes on to discusses how his experiences of the last seven years led him to the songs on his latest record "Heroin and Helicopters."

Austin's Pocket Sounds is the solo project of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger Mike St Clair. Listen as he describes how hearing Dionne Warwick's version of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"  at a kiddie pool party inspired him to meld the classical, jazz, pop and rock parts of himself, and influenced his new song "Radio Song."