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 Lateef and Robert Wyatt guided her musical development.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 distributed by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 distributed by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 course.

Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 privacy information.

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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 distributed by Your Public Studios.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.