The Loudest Bird Call on Earth
This week: Colin Blunstone, Bellbird, Sibyl, Mike Watt joins Galecstasy for some jams, and Mary Lattimore joins Julianna Barwick for our podcast. Plus David Harrington of Kronos Quartet on Mahalia Jackson.
Galecstasy & Mike Watt Trio — We Jam Wattzotica
Bassist Mike Watt joins Galecstasy's Raquel Bell and Jared Marshall in a desert mountain studio above Joshua Tree on 'Wattzotica,' a fully improvised debut where free jazz drums and exotica-inspired synth pulled something new out of Watt's bass.
Bellbird Answer the Wild
Claire Devlin and Eli Davidovici of Montréal jazz combo Bellbird discuss how the quartet turned the loudest bird call on earth into compositional raw material for 'The Call,' with political conviction and collective authorship shaping everything that follows.
The Unpredictable Feedback of the Natural World
This week: Green-House, Sam Wenc, Nubiyan Twist, Juanma Trujillo, Isabel Pine, and Bellbird. Plus: our man about town checks in from Big Ears 2026.
Friction, Overtones, and the Fluent Pedal Steel of Sam Wenc
Sam Wenc spent thirteen years recording as Post Moves before putting his own name on 'Language at an Angle,' an eight-part tone poem for pedal steel and piano that reflects his extended techniques, his meditation practice, and the defiant spirit of the late Susan Alcorn.
The Tonearm's Guide to Big Ears
The 2026 edition of the Big Ears Festival commences this Thursday, March 27. Here are our suggestions for the artists you should check out once the music kicks off in downtown Knoxville.
A Deliberate Case of Serendipity
This week: Zeena Parkins, Sam Wenc, Kodomo, Momoko Gill, and more. Plus a newsletter-exclusive interview with New York band Amiture and a bevy of links and recommendations.
Zeena Parkins, Under Constant Revision
The experimental harpist discusses the hand-built electric instrument at the center of her practice, the spatial approach to composition she developed through decades of work with choreographers, and the grief behind 'Lament for the Maker,' her first solo record since Mills College closed.
The Ethics of Serving the Archive
This week: Bette A., The Raincoats, Zeena Parkins, Lost Noises Office, Modha, and more. Plus oodles of recommendations and links filled with adventure.
Putting the Performance First — Michael Graves on Archival Audio
The five-time Grammy winner discusses the daily tension between preservation and intervention, his analog-first approach to archival audio, and what his restoration of unreleased Stax songwriter demos revealed about the ethics of serving the archive.
Spring Forward, Breakdance
This week: Loula Yorke, Erik Hall, Rachel Beetz, Fågelle, Aukai, and much more. Plus captivating recommendations out the ying-yang.
The Solitary Ensemble of Erik Hall's Minimalist Trilogy
Erik Hall's 'Solo Three' closes his minimalist trilogy with works by Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and Steve Reich, each part performed and layered entirely by Hall alone in his Michigan home studio.