Uncle Funkenstein, Zerfas, and Hamilton Movement may be unfamiliar names to most Hoosier music fans, but record collectors around the world pay thousands of dollars for these rare Indiana discs. 

Listen to the top 10 most valuable Indiana LPs and 45 RPM singles of all time. Also, hear interviews with the musicians and record labels behind the music.

Listen to an interview with the experimental Indiana hip-hop group 81355. Also hear music from their new album Bad Dogs.

81355 was formed in 2021 as a trio, featuring Oreo Jones, Sirius Black and David Moose Adamson. Each member brought a rich and varied history to the project, leading some to label the band an Indianapolis super-group. Their debut album This Time I’ll Be of Use was issued that same year on 37d03d, a label founded by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National. The album received national attention, earning praise from Pitchfork, Consequence and Flood.

Bad Dogs is the group’s second album and it finds the trio expanding into a full band, with Sharlene Birdsong on bass, Dimitri Morris on guitar, and Pat Okerson on drums.

Listen to an interview with the vocalist and lute player Joel Frederiksen. He’ll be performing in Indiana with the Ensemble Phoenix Munich on July 11th and 13th as part of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival.

Joel Frederiksen is internationally recognized for his interpretations of early music. For over 30 years, Frederiksen has dedicated his career to reviving and reimagining this repertoire. He has collaborated with many of the world’s great early music artists, including Dame Emma Kirkby and Jordi Savall. Frederiksen has toured extensively throughout Europe, and North America. He’s also the founder and artistic director of Ensemble Phoenix Munich, a group acclaimed for its historically informed interpretations of early music

But Frederiksen isn’t a strict traditionalist. In 2012, he gained notoriety for his album “Requiem for a Pink Moon: An Elizabethan Tribute to Nick Drake,” a project that blended the music of the British singer-songwriter Nick Drake, with the music from the English Renaissance. During his upcoming visit to Indianapolis, Frederiksen will perform music from his 2023 album “A Day with Suzanne, A Tribute to Leonard Cohen,” which features songs from the Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen fused with music of the French Renaissance.

Listen to new summer releases from essential Indiana musicians, along with interviews with them. Enjoy new tracks from Durand Jones & The Indications, Jlin, Wishy, Hanna Benn and Deantoni Parks, Los Aptos, Oltanie, Kristin Newborn, Dwani Phiri, Wife Patrol, and more.

The Indiana Brothers are a Carnatic music duo from Central Indiana, featuring twin brothers Sarvagh Shrianandh and Suragh Shrianandh. Though they’re just 20 years old, the Indiana Brothers have been studying and performing Carnatic music for several years. The Indiana Brothers have performed frequently across the Midwest United States. The duo has also played dates on the West Coast and India. Carnatic music is a traditional form, of South Indian classical music characterized by intricate melodies, complex rhythmic patterns and devotional lyrics. Both Sarvagh and Suragh attend Purdue University. WFYI’s Kyle Long recently caught up with the brothers during a break from their studies.

includes animation, painting, sound design, and interactive installations. In her hometown Indianapolis, Jessica is perhaps best known for her work with Brain Twins, a creative studio she co-leads with Justin Shimp, specializing in animation and design. Jessica also teaches at the Herron School of Art + Design, where she’s an Associate Faculty member in Drawing and Illustration. 

In recent years, Jessica has gained notoriety for her work in music, creating experimental electronic soundscapes under the name Eeeka. Along with Michael Moskaliuk, she’s also part of the minimal synth-pop duo Gümmi.

For over 50 years, the Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering has attracted old-time music fans to Battle Ground, Indiana, for a weekend of concerts, workshops and jam sessions. This week on Cultural Manifesto, listen to interviews with musicians and organizers connected to the festival, including Dave Samuelson, Cliff Harrison, and fiddle player Stephanie Coleman. 

Coleman began performing at the Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering as a child. Along with her musical partner Nora Brown, she’s one of the headliners at this year’s festival. You might have seen their recent performance for NPR’s Tiny Desk. 

The Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering began in 1972. Back then, it wasn’t a festival, just a loose circle of musicians and friends gathering under the trees at the Tippecanoe Battlefield, to share their love of old-time fiddle music. What began as a casual gathering of local fiddlers has grown into a nationally respected festival featuring a wide range of American roots music and international fiddle styles, including bluegrass, jazz, Creole, Irish, Mexican, and Scandinavian fiddlers. 

Over the years, the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering has hosted celebrated names in traditional music, including Mike Seeger, John Hartford, Johnny Gimble, Jethro Burns and many others. It also gave early exposure to future stars like Alison Krauss and Chris Thile, who performed at the festival as teenagers.

Listen to a 2017 interview WFYI’s Kyle Long recorded with Brian Wilson, the visionary composer and producer behind the Beach Boys. He died on June 11, 2025, at the age of 82.

The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records and charting 37 songs in the U.S. Top 40. Much of that success was due to Wilson’s visionary production style. which included unorthodox instrumentation, innovative recording techniques, and most notably the band’s iconic vocal harmonies. Those trademark vocal harmonies were directly inspired by the Indianapolis group The Four Freshmen. The Four Freshmen were formed on the campus of Butler University in 1948. Wilson credited the Four Freshmen as his main influence in crafting the Beach Boys’ sound. Wilson was such a big fan, he even recruited Four Freshmen arranger Dick Reynolds to work on several Beach Boys projects. During his conversation with WFYI, Wilson discussed his deep appreciation for The Four Freshmen.

This June, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will premiere a new work from the Indianapolis composer, vocalist and musician Hanna Benn. Benn’s piece is a double concerto for oboe and bassoon titled "A Through Line." Listen to an interview with Hanna Benn, along with ISO’s principal oboe Jennifer Christen and principal bassoon Ivy Ringel.

Benn’s solo work defies classification, featuring intricate vocal layering with refined electronic production. She’s contributed to high profile projects across the modern music landscape. As a vocalist, she can be heard on Meshell Ndegeocello’s Grammy winning album "The Omnichord Real Book" and the Academy Award nominated soundtrack for "Everything Everywhere All at Once." As a composer, her work has been performed at Carnegie Hall.

Listen to an interview with Fort Wayne, Indiana-based musician, composer, arranger and producer Nitish Kulkarni. His latest album Indigo blends traditional Indian music with contemporary electronic sounds. 

Kulkarni began his musical journey as a tabla player, later expanding to keyboards and production. He released his debut album Synesthetic in 2015, and since then he’s released a steady stream of recordings. In addition to his solo work, Kulkarni has performed alongside legendary artists like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Shridhar Phadke.