Electronic-music producer Jlin works in the space where beatmaking and modern composition collide. In this episode, recorded live at the 2024 Big Ears Festival, she discusses how music by Luther Vandross, Missy Elliott and Al Jarreau shaped her work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.…

DC indie-scene veterans Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross formed the spine of two of the city's finest pop bands, Unrest and the still-undersung Air Miami. In this episode, they discuss how '70s dance music, musicals, the Shaggs, the Captain and Tennille, and '80s punk and indie shaped their course. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee…

Our sixth annual Seventh Stanine Festival is taking place Saturday, June 15 from 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. This episode previews this year's event and features segments on Water Damage, Geologist of Animal Collective, Tongue Depressor, Susan Alcorn, The Caribbean, Small Sur, Turner Williams, Jr. and Jon Camp. More information can be found at www.rhizomed…

Los Angeles-based folk troubadour Jessica Pratt's intimate, moody, carefully-crafted songs have helped her reach an ever-growing audience over the course of her four studio albums, the most recent of which is Here in the Pitch, which was released in May of 2024. In this episode, she talks about how songs by The Slits, Laura Nyro and Sly and the Fam…

Singer/songwriter Bruce Hornsby may be best known for his rootsy hits (and a few subsequent hip-hop samples of same), but his restless creativity has kept him experimenting into the 21st century. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Paul Brady shaped his own work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Le…

As the CEO of Happy Vibes LLC, Kathy Mou empowers clients to achieve wellness and vitality though science-backed and holistic practices. Uniquely qualified after her own journey with endometriosis and infertility, Kathy knows first hand what it takes to heal and achieve one’s goals. Now, as the proud mom of a little girl, and the host of the Ignite…

Composer Arnold Dreyblatt has carved a unique course through contemporary music, combining just intonation with a vigorous self-devised approach to 20th-century minimalism. In this episode, he discusses how Mexican folk music, Tony Conrad and Robert Ashley shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed …

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Beth Orton’s work in the mid-1990’s helped usher in a new era for both electronic and folk music by melding electronic sounds with acoustic instruments to achieve a warm and personal, but also boundary-pushing, sound that still feels modern almost 30 years later. In this episode she talks about how songs by Sinead O'Conn…

Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein form the two-voice, two-guitar core of Sleater-Kinney, one of the most revered and long-lived rock bands of the past 30 years. In this episode, they discuss how music by Sinead O'Connor, the Pointer Sisters, Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Kate Bush and the Wipers influenced their work. Essential Tremors is produced by …

Although clearly born out of the folk and Americana tradition, guitarist and singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz brings a modern pop sensibility to her work, while also remaining true to the American songbook that values the tenets of both simple harmonies as well as strong melody. In this episode, she talks about how songs by Nickel Creek, James McMurt…

Guitarist Marc Ribot possesses one of the most distinctive six-string sounds in American music, audible both in his work with collaborators like Tom Waits and John Zorn and in his own projects, such as his band Ceramic Dog. In this episode, he discusses pieces by Frantz Casseus, Ornette Coleman and Chocolate Genius. Essential Tremors is produced by…

Drummer Kassa Overall is steeped in jazz and has played with some of the greats, but he also came of age with hip-hop, and his polyglot solo work reflects a mix of those traditions. In this episode, he discusses how music by Ahmad Jamal, Digable Planets, and John Coltrane guided his art. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner a…

Kurt Vile's loose, melodic style of indie rock has won him many friends and admirers over the past 15 years. On this episode, he talks about how tunes by Lou Reed, the Pixies and Thelonious Monk shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac…

Over the course of three decades and 22 studio albums, John Darnielle's band The Mountain Goats have blazed a fiercely independent, lo-fi trail that has since been followed by many indie bands. In this episode, Darnielle discusses how songs by Stockholm Monsters, Digital Underground and Ava Gabriel shaped his creative process. Essential Tremors is …

French musician Cécile Schott, who records as Colleen, has spent the past 20 years building a fantastic sound world from samples and loops, with albums on the esteemed Leaf and Thrill Jockey labels. In this episode, she talks about how music by Lee "Scratch" Perry, the Beatles and This Heat changed her life. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt By…

Kim Deal has amassed a staggering body of beguiling pop songs over the past three decades with her bands the Breeders and the Amps. On this episode, she talks about how songs by Hank Williams, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd shaped her course. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnys…

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has built a rich solo sideline as a soundtrack composer and collaborator with other artists. In this episode, he discusses how pieces by Abdel Halim Hafez, Kraftwerk and Mohamed Abdel Wahab influenced his recent album with Kuwaiti-Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Ga…

Reeds player Henry Threadgill has capped a storied 50-plus-year career as a bandleader and composer with a superb new memoir of his life and thoughts about music entitled Easily Slip Into Another World. In this episode, he discusses how music by Howlin' Wolf, Thelonious Monk and James Brown shaped his course. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt B…

Kuwaiti-Israeli musician Dudu Tassa's latest record, a collaboration with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, is a love letter of sorts to a variety of favorite, but potentially lost-to-the-ages songs of the Middle East. Titled Jarak Qaribak, which translates to "Your neighbors are your friends," the Nigel Godrich-mixed record features guest vocalists fro…

British trio the Clientele make guitar pop as literate as it is melodic. In this episode, frontman Alasdair MacLean discusses how music by Boards of Canada, Love and Michael Jon Fink influenced him. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information…

Australian experimentalist Oren Ambarchi has charted a course that crosses modern composition, post-rock and electronic music without ever lingering long in any genre. In this episode, he talks about how music by Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis and Alvin Lucier shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed …

Art-pop duo Water From Your Eyes specializes in a hazy blend of beats, bites, luxe melodies and wry lyrics. Nate Amos discusses how music by Scott Walker, Jute Gyte and Ben Johnston shaped the group's sound. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in…

Stephen O'Malley is best known as a guitarist for drone-metal band Sunn0))), but his musical practice spans composing, collaborations with a host of contemporary artists and a span of other groups, such as electronic duo KTL and dirge-metal legend Khanate. In this episode, recorded live at the Big Ears Festival, he discusses how music by Fugazi, Pi…

Harpist Brandee Younger is blazing a trail for her instrument across jazz, soul, and many stops in between. In this episode, she discusses how music by Alice Coltrane, Tank and the Bangas, and Dorothy Ashby shaped her work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listene…

Singer/songwriter and former Essential Tremors guest Will Oldham guest hosts this episode featuring a conversation with June Tabor, whose long career belies the simple label "folk singer." They discuss Danny Kaye, Anne Briggs, learning to sing, Frank Sinatra and Robert Plant. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distribut…

Bassist William Parker has spent 50 years at the heart of jazz, as a collaborator with many of the music's greats and as a composer and bandleader in his own right. In this episode, recorded live at the Big Ears Festival in 2023, he discusses how Duke Ellington, Don Cherry and Cecil Taylor shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byar…

Sydnei Kaplan is a mom, wife, blogger, freelance writer and author of the children's book, The Heaven Phone. The Heaven Phone, beautifully illustrated by Vanessa Alexandre, is a comforting and poignant story about love and loss, and helps children forge a connection to our loved ones who have passed by using a device that can bridge the two worlds …

Under the name Scritti Politti, Green Gartside has been making smart, cutting-edge pop for decades, on his own terms and his own schedule. On this episode, he discusses how tracks by the Paragons, Robert Wyatt, and the Albion Country Band shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Stu…

Guitarist Bill Orcutt has gone from noise artist to an iconoclastic solo guitarist who redefined his own relationship with the instrument, deconstructs American standards, and now composes music for larger groups. In this episode, he discusses how music by Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland, and Joseph Spence shaped his course. Essential Tremors is produce…

Saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has carved out a career as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and collaborator who has played with a spread of artists within and beyond the jazz world, including instrumental power trio Messthetics. In this episode, he discusses how tunes by Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp and Abdullah Ibrahim, and Sonny Rollin…

Mary Halvorson is often classified as a jazz guitarist, but her work — fluid, soulful and inventive — pushes boundaries, having been described as "the most future-seeking guitarist working right now" by NPR and "an unflinching original who has revealed new possibilities within the music" by The New York Times. Hear how songs by Jimi Hendrix, Yusef …

Outsized British group caroline has grabbed attention with an expansive sound that mixes elements of folk, postpunk, and choral music to create a surging, emotional effect. In this episode, members Jasper Llewellyn and Mike O’Malley discuss the music that shaped the band’s sound. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distr…

Even after over four decades-long career, English songwriter and working class provocateur Billy Bragg still stands as one of the most influential artists of the era of U.K. punk. Hear how songs by Smokey Robinson, Little Feat, and The Who have played significant roles in his life. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and dis…

ORIGINALLY AIRED on IGTV on July 26, 2021 There was a time in Washington, DC in the late 80s/early 90s when author Jeannie Zokan was a girl about town reading palms at high end hotels and parties. In her second novel, Courage Without Grace, main character Josie Wales, a palm reader in DC, finds the courage to face her future, and to face a secret f…

ORIGINALLY AIRED on IGTV on June 1, 2021 In 2006, Jennifer Anton’s life changed. She went into heart failure, after giving birth to her daughter, and her beloved grandmother passed away. A series of life-altering events that set into motion a journey: Jennifer started to ask the questions she meant to ask her grandmother while she was alive and she…

Composer Kali Malone transforms the spartan musical language of minimalism through unusual tunings and reframing sacred sounds like pipe organ and choir. In this episode, she discusses how My Bloody Valentine, Hindustani classical music, and Josquin des Prez shaped her art. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed…

ORIGINALLY AIRED on IGTV on March 7, 2021 Chatting with Debby Kruszewski (@debbykrusz), Diane Michael (@universenudge) and Sabrina Palazzo (@selfhealingwithsabs) about Surviving Death and our own experiences with signs (of course), mediums, near death experiences, end of life experiences and reincarnation. So grateful to this series for helping to …

Dr. Catherine Andrews is a practicing psychotherapist who specializes in working with families who are experiencing illness, death or other losses. She holds a doctorate from George Washington University and is a member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling and the American Academy of Bereavement as well as the American Counseling A…

ORIGINALLY AIRED on IGTV on February 8, 2021 Who wouldn’t want to be trained by my cousin? She has all of the certificates and is getting more - never stops learning! - but she has something else too - she’s been there, and she is so open about it and willing to share her journey with grief and where she was even just last year at this time. She pu…

Composer/performer Carl Stone has built a body of work out of reimagining a world of existing sounds and music into sometimes witty, often beautiful electronic music of his own. In this episode, he discusses how music by Thomas Tallis, Captain Beefheart, and Sheik Chinna Moulana influenced his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and L…

Ashley Capps helped reinvent the music festival with Bonnaroo, then did it again with Big Ears, the eclectic annual celebration of jazz, folk, electronic music, and other flavors of music he mounts each spring in Knoxville, TN. In this episode, he discusses how encounters with the music of Steve Reich, Julius Hemphill, and the Ramones shaped his co…

ORIGINALLY AIRED on FACEBOOK LIVE on 9/24/22. Laura Chapman is an award-winning and best-selling author of over 100 works of fiction, under both the name Laura Chapman and Kate Tilney. She is a lover of Jane Austen, cats and baking shows, and her Instagram stories always make Fern laugh! Listen to Laura tell the story of how her two boy cats found …

As a founding member of New York City's Interpol, guitarist Daniel Kessler has been integral in the shaping of their sound. Hear how songs by Fugazi, Tappa Zukie, and Aphex Twin helped put him on his creative path. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri…

Drummer Brendan Canty powered the seminal D.C. post-punk band Fugazi and continues to blaze a trail in the instrumental trio The Messthetics. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Parliament, Scritti Politti, and King Crimson shaped his music. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. S…

Claire Rousay's music combines field recordings, Auto-Tuned vocals, conventional instruments, spoken word, and other elements with a subtlety that both attracts and subverts terms like "ambient" and "sound art." In this episode, she discusses how tracks by Ryu Hankil, Elliott Smith, and K. Mulhern shaped her work. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr…

Producer, MC, actor, director—the RZA has expanded his leadership of hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan into a decade-spanning, multi-hyphenate creative career. On this episode, the RZA discusses how Isaac Hayes, the theme from Love Story, and a famous hip-hop break shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distribu…

Singer/songwriter Will Oldham has created a vast and beguiling body of work under his own name, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and Palace and its variations, as well as through numerous collaborations. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Al Jarreau, and the Mekons influenced his music. See omnystudio.com/listener f…

Geordie Greep's guitar and idiosyncratic vocals have helped make uncategorizable London band Black Midi into an international sensation. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Warren Zevon, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and Frank Zappa influenced his music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

Electronic musician Jon Hopkins is well-known in certain circles as the creator of numerous thoughtful, yet in many cases danceable, records. He's also had his hand in some enormously commercially successful records, however, as a producer and guest musician, such as Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," as well as in several co-productions with Brian Eno. In…

Brooklyn-based jazz trumpeter Jaimie Branch has established a significant following and accumulated many critical accolades, both here in America and abroad. In this episode, she talks about how songs by Nirvana, Sun Ra, and Eric Dolphy made her the artist she is today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…