Although turntablist Maria Chavez’s work is often performed in contemporary art museums and other rarefied locations, she herself doesn’t come from a place of abstraction or the aloofness that’s sometimes associated with such venues. On paper a deeply experimental artist, her work comes from a place of pure emotion rather than an ideological stance, and embraces the possibilities of the creative accident. A native of Lima, Peru, but raised in the United States, Chavez’s use of broken vinyl and semi-destroyed record needles have set her apart from other practitioners in her field. In addition to her solo work, she is also a member of The Turntable Trio along with Victoria Shen (previous show guest Evicshen) and Mariam Rezaei. Hear how works by Robert Wyatt, Hector Lavoe, and Autechre guided her path. We spoke to her live at the 2026 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN.

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Over a career spanning almost five full decades, Sir Richard Bishop has carved out a lasting legacy for himself as a singular, prolific voice. In the early 1980’s he founded Sun City Girls with his brother, Alan, and subsequently released 50 full length albums, 20 hour-long cassettes and 12 7” records. He’s also a co-founder of the far-reaching Sublime Frequencies label. Hear how songs by Hoyt Curtin, Farid Al-Atrash, and Sandy Bull guided him creatively. His newest record, Hillbilly Ragas, was released by Drag City in 2025.

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In his work with Sons of Kemet, and then in The Smile with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and as a sought after jazz and session drummer, Tom Skinner is very much a known quantity in music circles in the UK and internationally. Also a solo artist, his newest album, Kaleidoscopic Visions, was released by International Anthem in September 2025. Hear how songs by Ornette Coleman, Federico Mompou, and Sam Gendel shaped him. We spoke to him live at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

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To try to list all the projects, both solo and group, that Shahzad Ismaily has been a part of would take much more time than we have available, even in this notoriously long-winded medium. Instead, it might be better to offer a small sampling of those with whom he’s collaborated (Sam Smith, Mike Doughty; Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, and Marc Ribot), and then offer the description of him as a bass player and multi-instrumentalist who’s equally comfortable in the jazz, pop, and experimental idioms, as well as a soulful, generous player and collaborator. Hear him discuss how pieces by U2, Thomas Koner, and Ida change his creative course. Special guest host and previous guest Fred Frith conducted this interview of Ismaily at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

More on Seventh Stanine here.

More on festival sponsor Art Sound Language here.

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For most of his career, Bonner Kramer has been known in underground music circles by only his surname, as his imprint has been deep and wide enough that only that sobriquet has been necessary. Starting in New York City in the late 70’s and into the 80’s, he was a member of several seminal bands of the era including New York Gong and Bongwater, and played in the Butthole Surfers, Ween, Half Japanese, The Fugs, and with John Zorn. As a producer, he has worked with Galaxie 500 (whose entire catalog he produced), Low, Half Japanese, Gwar, Will Oldham, Daniel Johnston, and Urge Overkill, and founded the Shimmy Disc label. He’ll perform at this year’s Big Ears Festival both by himself, as well as with Thurston Moore and Mark Nelson of Pan-American, respectively, in March of 2026. On this episode, hear how songs sung by Billie Holliday, Gavin Bryars, and Robert Wyatt informed his work.

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A harpist since childhood–as well as the daughter of one–Mary Lattimore’s choice of instrument reveals the simple beauty it contains, transcending the stereotype of it being strictly for use in classical music or as flourishes in movie soundtracks. Her ability to cut straight to the heart in her compositions works the same trick, not relying on the standard glissandos often employed by traditional players, but simply reducing the instrument to its essence. Her most recent release is a duet with Julianna Barwick, Tragic Magic, and came out in January of 2026. The duo will perform at this year’s Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March of 2026. Hear how songs by Debussy, The Cure, and Sonic Youth guided her musical path.

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Listing Joe Boyd’s most significant accomplishments as a producer, label owner, and music historian is a tall order. A short list of artists he’s worked with includes Nick Drake (heard here), Pink Floyd, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, The Incredible String Band, R.E.M., Vashti Bunyan, Billy Bragg, and 10,000 Maniacs. Additionally, he was the founder of Hannibal Records, the label responsible for bringing the term “world music” into the lexicon, as well as serving as a music producer for Warner Bros., where he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick on the soundtrack of  A Clockwork Orange and 1972’s Deliverance. His most recent work is as the author of White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, as well as And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music, which came out in 2024. On this episode, hear how songs by Fats Domino, Fairport Convention, and Carlos Gardel shaped his sensibilities. Boyd will be a part of this year’s Big Ears Festival taking place in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

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Bristol, UK’s Tara Clerkin Trio first came to our attention last year when they received an invitation from the Big Ears Festival to play its 2025 edition, and, upon listening to their 2023 EP On the Turning Ground as a means of introduction, we were immediately smitten. Members Tara Clerkin, Pat Benjamin, and Sunny-Joe Paradiso have synthesized elements of minimalism, dub, and more traditionally melodic genres to create sounds that are simultaneously patient, intimate, and seductive. Hear how songs by Casino Versus Japan, Frederic Galliano, and Durutti Column were formative for them. They’ll be playing this year’s Big Ears Festival on Friday, March 27, 2026.

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While to the casual observer it might seem as if New Zealand’s The Beths appeared seemingly out of nowhere in or around the summer of 2023, they’ve in fact been making their extremely catchy brand of indie pop for almost ten years now. The Auckland-based quartet’s most recent album, Straight Line is a Lie, was released last year by Anti-. We spoke to founding members Liz Stokes and Jonathan Pearce for this episode in which they talk about how songs by Rilo Kiley, Ben Folds Five, and The Shins--among others--were formative for them.

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Colombia-born singer and musician Lucrecia Dalt began her musical career seemingly suddenly, at least when observed from a distance as a simple biographical factoid: as a civil engineer, she worked in a geotechnical company until giving it up to become a musician. While the exact details of that situation are likely considerably more nuanced, it nevertheless serves as a metaphor for her ambitious and ever-forward artistic inclinations. This is particularly true in her 2021 collaboration with Aaron Dilloway, Lucy & Aaron, which took her work deeper into more fragmented, abstract territory. She continues on this path with her newest release, A Danger to Ourselves, which was released in late 2025. On this episode, she talks about how songs by Rocio Durcal, PJ Harvey, and David Sylvian informed her sensibilities. Dalt will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026.

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