How do you balance change and tradition? In this Sidetrack, we talk about either the geekiest cool thing, or the coolest geeky thing in the world: barbershop quartet music! Mark shares some music and stories, and brings up a confusing tension he has seen within the music. This one gets surprisingly “real.” Catch us next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Rockapella - “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?”, The Buffalo Bills - “Sweet Adeline”, Boyz II Men - “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”, The Be Sharps - “Baby on Board” - The Buffalo Bills - “It’s You”, American Quartet - “Denver Town”, Bluegrass Student Union - “Swanee”, Bluegrass Student Union - “Stardust”

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Without love, where would you be now?Join us as we inhale some of that 1973 classic “Long Train Runnin’” by The Doobie Brothers. Mark draws our attention to a chord that finds a powerful new meaning in this song, which reminds Nichole of how our strongest memories are very much dependent on the context. But seriously, everyone, Tom Johnston or Michael McDonald?

Other music heard in this episode: The Doobie Brothers - “Listen to the Music”, The Doobie Brothers - “Minute By Minute”, Chuck Berry - “Johnny B. Goode”, Soul Brother Six - “Some Kind of Wonderful”, Bluegrass Student Union - “Goodbye My Coney Island Baby/We All Fall”, Bonnie Raitt - “I Can’t Make You Love Me”, Muse - “Big Freeze”, fun. - “We Are Young”

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Einstein on the what? Follow Mark and Nichole down the rabbit hole (or up to the loft apartment in Manhattan) as we talk about musical minimalism, a quirky and surprising style that still influences music today. Join us next week for another full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Steve Reich - "Piano Phase", Steve Reich - "Electric Counterpoint", The Who - "Baba O'Reilly", Terry Riley - "A Rainbow in Curved Air", Philip Glass - "Einstein on the Beach", Arvo Part - "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten"

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What better excuse for a bonus episode than the great new SNL documentary? David from The Lorehounds joins Mark and Nichole for a deep dive on Questlove's documentary chronicling Saturday Night Live's extraordinary musical history. The hosts break down the documentary's remarkable opening medley, discuss how SNL transformed live television music performances, and explore the show's role in launching countless musical careers. From iconic impersonations to controversial live moments, they examine how SNL became a premier showcase for musical innovation and artistic expression over five decades. Tune in tomorrow for our regularly scheduled Sidetrack (and next week for a full episode!)

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Are we shining just the way we are? Here we piece apart Dua Lipa’s 2020 dance-pop gem “Levitating” and see how much the writing process matters. Mark stacks up the idea that this song’s melody seems to be built of tiny lego bricks rearranged in an infectious pattern. Meanwhile, Nichole relates this way of looking at things to personality trait theory - can Mark accurately self-diagnose his personality type or is it just wishful thinking?

Other music heard in this episode: Dua Lipa - "Don't Start Now", Devo - "Whip It", Nirvana - "On a Plain", Philip Glass - “Dance 1” from "Einstein on the Beach", Cory Day - "Wiggle and Giggle All Night", Artikal Sound System - "Live Your Life"

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Should we share our opinions with our students? Here we finally talk through those tricky and controversial conversations that sometimes come up in class - and our role in them. Join us next week for a full episode!

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Why was anybody surprised that T-Pain was a great singer? We shouldn’t have been. In this episode we tune to T-Pain’s debut single, 2005’s “I’m Sprung.” We deep dive on auto-tune and how this song shows how much music culture underestimated T-Pain back when he first came on to the scene. Also: shawty!

Other music heard in this episode: T-Pain - “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')”, Billie Holiday - “Strange Fruit”, Kanye West - “Love Lockdown”, The Velvet Underground - “I’m Waiting For the Man”, fun. - “Some Nights”, Toadies - “Possum Kingdom”, Billie Eilish - “Bad Guy”

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Is Taylor going to grab #5? In this sidetrack, we go deep on the eight records nominated for “Album of the Year” at the 2025 Grammys. Listen with us as Mark and Nichole choose their champions and guess which artists will come away with the top honors in this year’s music industry love-fest. Check us out next week for a normal episode!

Music Heard in this episode: André 3000 - “BuyPoloDisorder's Daughter Wears a 3000® Shirt Embroidered”, Chappell Roan - “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”, Chappell Roan - “My Kink is Karma”, Jacob Collier - “Summer Rain”, Jacob Collier - “Wellll”, Beyoncé - “Riiverdance”, Beyoncé - “Alligator Tears”, Beyoncé - “II Hands II Heaven”, Sabrina Carpenter - “Espresso”, Sabrina Carpenter - “Juno”, Billie Eilish - “Birds of a Feather”, Billie Eilish - “The Greatest”, Charli XCX - “So I”, Charli XCX - “I Think About it All the Time”, Taylor Swift - “Clara Bow”, Taylor Swift - “thanK you aIMee”

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Why does Mama always gotta back-track? We nose our way into Neon Trees’ 2011 banger “Everybody Talks.” While Nichole ponders the subconscious id, Mark breaks down how this song has a tremendously tense build up to its explosive hook. 

Other music heard in this episode: Temple of the Dog - "Hunger Strike," Temple of the Dog - "Say Hello 2 Heaven," The Left Banke - "Walk Away Rene", The Left Banke - "Pretty Ballerina," Another Bad Creation - "Iesha," Another Bad Creation - "Playground," The Beatles - "Across the Universe", Beyonce - "Ego", The Police - "Message in a Bottle", MGMT - "Electric Feel"

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What makes us hate a particular song? What’s the best possible beginning to a mixtape? In this episode, we finally dive in and answer listener questions! Come back next week for a full episode!

Music heard in this episode: Gracie Abrams - “That’s So True”, Linkin Park - “Casualty”

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