KGNU Music

Jocie Adams and Zach Tenorio Miller of Arc Iris speak with KGNU’s Doug Gertner. They explain the band's shift towards a fresh sound with their latest album, We Found Home. The duo also revisits their reinterpretation of Joni Mitchell's Blue, titled Foggy Lullaby, and iTMRW, a collaborative dance-music project with HDC Dance Ensemble (Interview date: 11/4/2024)

Denver musician Buudrow joined KGNU’s Doug Gertner for a studio session. Buudrow discussed his musical journey, and how he uses music as a way to preserve optimism through struggle. He played a few songs and previewed his performance at Swallow Hill (Interview date: 11/4/2024)

Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Dom Flemons joins KGNU’s Pete Miesel in the studio. Flemons discusses his KGNU Presents performance “The Bronze Buckaroo Film and Songster Show”. He also talks about the process of making his most recent album, Black Cowboys, and the deep and vast history of African American music in the early 20th century (Interview date: 11/10/2024).

KGNU’s Dan Willging interviews blues and soul artist ZZ Ward, diving into her career and upcoming tour. Ward discusses releasing her new EP "Mother" through Sun Records, an honor that connects her to the label’s rich legacy (Interview date: 11/1/2024)

KGNU’s Dave McIntyre interviews Chris and Kyle from Foggy Mountain Spaceship ahead of their performance at Oskar Blues in Lyons. They explain how they wanted to reimagine the banjo's sound by combining it with electric bass and drums, avoiding traditional string band setups. Their music combines elements of bluegrass, jazz, and rock, creating a unique sound (Interview date: 11/1/2024)

Kelsey from Wild Child and Sir Woman speaks with KGNU’s DJ Jules. Kelsey discusses the recent release of "Heaven", Sir Woman’s new album, and how her two projects express different musical identities. She also mentions her excitement about her North America tour with Wild Child (Interview date: 10/30/2024)

KGNU’s Joanne Cole chats with Ivan Strunin to discuss his new album, The First Day of December, featuring collaborations with Dirk Powell and Michael Doucet. Strunin shares his journey from classical violin to country and zydeco fiddle, inspired by legends like Stephane Grappelli, Sugar Cane Harris, and Django Reinhardt (Interview date: 10/22/2024)

KGNU’s Iris Berkeley speaks with composer Caroline Shaw ahead of her Denver performances with Gabriel Kahane and vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. They will perform Friday, November 8th, and Saturday, November 9th at the Newman Center.

Shaw, known for her Grammy and Pulitzer-winning work, discusses her love for music’s diversity, inspired equally by classical composers and contemporary artists. Shaw and Kahane collaborated on a new piece called Hexagons, inspired by Borges' The Library of Babel. The work uses a blend of viola, piano, electronics, and vocals to evoke the fantastical, boundless library described by Borges (Interview date: 11/04/2024)

KGNU’s Joanne Cole hosts musician Jon Ridnell of New Family Dog. They talk about the band’s upcoming release, "New Family Dog NOLA Sessions", recorded in New Orleans at Rhythm Shack Studios. Two singles are already available online, and the full album will be released on November 29th. Jon highlights the upcoming release show at Boulder’s Roots Music Project, and plays a few tracks with his band (Interview date: 10/22/2024)

Americana duo Mama’s Broke performs live on air, hosted by KGNU’s Kooter Jones. The duo, composed of Amy Lou Keeler and Lisa Maria, discusses their music journey, influences, and creative process. Mama's Broke has been playing together for over a decade, drawing inspiration from traditional bluegrass and roots music (Interview date: 10/10/2024).