This Must Be the Gig

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Ólafur Arnalds.

Across his impressive career, the Icelandic composer's work has scored ballet, TV, and film, in addition to a stunning discography. Like a fusion of classical composition, modernists like Arvo Part, and his own background in punk, Ólafur's compositions tap into an immense well of emotion and deliver surreal heights. His latest album, Some Kind of Peace, appropriately places his face directly on the cover, eyes closed as if in the middle of a dream and that powerfully personal and intimate feeling swims throughout the record.

In this chat, Lior spoke with Ólafur about his old hardcore band, Fighting Shit, his introduction to composing through German metal band Heaven Shall Burn, what makes his new album his most personal, touring with Sigur Ros, and so much more.

Head here for more info on Ólafur Arnalds.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, The National Independent Venue Association.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Local Natives.

As two of the founding members of the Southern California band, Taylor Rice and Ryan Hahn first came together when they were just high schoolers. Not long later, Local Natives' debut record Gorilla Manor solidified their radiant credentials. Over a decade later, the five-piece have now released four studio albums and spread their sunshine and wonder at festivals and sold-out shows around the world. Most recently, the band put out the four-track Sour Lemon EP, collaborated with Sharon Van Etten, and put together an incredible live-streamed concert for eager fans.

In this chat, Lior spoke with Taylor and Ryan about playing shows in living rooms early in their career, idolizing At the Drive-In, working with The National's Aaron Dessner, keeping sane as a new parent during quarantine, and so much more.

Head here for more info on Local Natives.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, Good Kids Mad City.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Netta.

The Israeli artist won the esteemed Eurovision contest in 2018, sealing the victory with the brilliant and quirky "Toy". Utilizing a loop station to accentuate her resonant, powerful voice, Netta has since dominated stages around the world and seen her music spread like wildfire, including "Toy" becoming a massive force on TikTok. Between a video series called Netta's Office and a viral cover of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" for Disney, the Tel Aviv-based singer has found appropriately unique ways to keep creative and connected with fans through quarantine.

In this chat, Lior spoke with Netta about connecting to the Beatles in school, what it was like participating in Eurovision, her appearance in the Will Ferrell film based on the contest, recording her new album, and so much more.

Head here for more info on Netta.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, Chicago Birthworks Collective.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Tawny Newsome and Bethany Thomas.

You may know Tawny as one of the stars of TV shows like Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Space Force, as well as the co-host of Yo, Is This Racist? and a frequent guest of podcasts like Comedy Bang Bang. You may know Bethany, meanwhile, for her celebrated musical and theatrical work on Chicago stages such as Steppenwolf and the Green Mill, performing everything from a Gershwin opera to alt country. Before all that, Tawny and Bethany spent years together in Chicago as for-hire backup singers for tribute and cover bands, forging an intense friendship and musical connection, including time as members of UK punk hero John Langford's Four Lost Souls. This week, Tawny and Bethany's long history of collaboration culminates in their first album under their own names, the explosive and magnetic Material Flats.

In this chat, Lior spoke with Tawny and Bethany about chasing their own sound after supporting other voices for years, how their passion for music thrives alongside acting careers, the influence of Devo and the Talking Heads, the difference between recording dialog for Star Trek: Lower Decks and recording music (hint: tequila is involved), and so much more.

Head here for more info on Tawny and Bethany.

Head here for more info on Tawny Newsome.

Head here for more info on Bethany Thomas.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, World Central Kitchen.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Black Thought of The Roots. 

Long before he became the voice of one of the most essential hip-hop groups of a generation, Tariq Trotter started performing on the streets of Philadelphia with another young man named Ahmir Thompson. Not long later, the duo stood at the fore of a massively influential band, now going by Black Thought and ?uestlove. The Roots made a splash quickly, kicking off in the early '90s and reaching the platinum echelon with 1999's classic Things Fall Apart. That strength has only continued to grow for decades, with Black Thought's diverse list of credits now including The Roots' role as Jimmy Fallon's house band on Late Night.

Now, Black Thought is set to release his third solo project, Streams of Thought Vol. 3: Cain and Abel. Due October 2nd, the record spans a vast array, showcasing Thought's unique vocal skill alongside production from Sean C and features including Pusha T and Portugal the Man.

In this chat, Lior spoke with Black Thought about what he and ?uestlove learned while performing on the street, how the pandemic has shifted his pre-show routines at Fallon, setting Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as a goal in the Roots' rise, covering Debarge as a teenager, and so much more.

Head here for more info on Black Thought.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, Black Roots Alliance.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Fergal Lawler and Noel Hogan of The Cranberries.

The group formed in 1989 in Limerick, Ireland, along with Noel's brother Mike on bass and later joined by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. Over the course of eight albums and 20 years, the group wrote some of the biggest, most memorable sing-along anthems of the '90s, from "Linger" to "Dreams" to "Zombie" to "Salvation", becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Tragically, the group's most recent record, 2019's In the End, turned out to be their last, as Dolores sadly passed away prior to its completion. But now, Fergal and the Hogan brothers are honoring their late friend and continuing the strength of their legacy with a 25th anniversary reissue of The Cranberries' second album, No Need to Argue. In addition to the original album, the package will include B-sides, demos, live recordings, a slew of unreleased photos, an essay from the band's archivist, and more..

Head here for more info on The Cranberries.

Head here to pre-order the reissue of No Need to Argue.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, Milwaukee's African American Roundtable.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Emily Cross of Cross Record.

The experimental project focuses on a powerful fusion of visceral muscle and ephemeral glow—most recently culminating in an incredible self-titled record in 2019. In addition, Emily is one third of the band Loma, alongside Dan Duszynski, and Jonathan Meiburg, and Loma is set to release a new record of their own via Sub Pop. And as if that weren't enough, Emily is also a death doula, someone who assists in the understanding and processing of death, aiming to help individuals and families cope with mortality as a natural part of life. Needless to say, her work in that field under the organization name Steady Waves End of Life Services  is particularly pressing and meaningful in the midst of a global pandemic.

Head here for more info on Cross Record.

Head here for more info on Steady Waves End-of-Life Services.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, Leaders Igniting Transformation.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by Dave Bayley, the brilliant and charming frontman of Glass Animals. 

The English outfit formed in 2010, and have since grown into one of the most thrilling acts on the festival circuit. Alongside long-time friends Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward, Bayley and the band have now penned three albums worth of hip-hop tinged psych pop, including the recently released Dreamland. And while fans might be missing out on Glass Animals' canceled tour, the record's blend of intense autobiographical storytelling and woozy soundscapes should keep fans feeling right at home. Plus, stems of the songs and additional graphics are up for grabs in the form of open source files on the band's website, recreating the communal feel.

In this episode of This Must Be the Gig, Bayley discusses putting the band's tour on hold, his history in cake-baking, meeting Radiohead, breaking his foot after falling off a stage, and so much more.

Head here for more info on Glass Animals.

Head here for more information on this week's featured organization, Healthy Hood Chicago.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This Must Be the Gig is joined by actor, poet, and musician Maya Hawke.

At 21, Hawke is making a name for herself in multiple artistic practices. You may know her as Robin Buckley from last summer's Stranger Things 3, where she scooped up jokes with past podcast guest Joe Keery. However, this summer, she's back with her debut album, Blush, due out August 21st via Mom + Pop Music.

Writing and working alongside musician Jesse Harris, Hawke's crystallized vocals and straightforward, openhearted songs are exactly the intimate and honest material that one becomes close friends with in a single listen. Altogether, Blush is a powerful album that stands on its own and bodes well for a long, diverse career.

In this episode of This Must Be the Gig, Hawke discusses the origins of Blush, sharing art in the midst of a pandemic, growing into season three of Stranger Things, life in lockdown, and so much more.

Head here for more info on Maya Hawke.

Head here for more information on this week's featured non-profit, Harlem Arts Association.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.

This week, we're joined by Drew Dixon, the accomplished former Vice President of A&R at Arista Records, a former Director of A&R at Def Jam Recordings, the former General Manager of John Legend’s independent label Homeschool Records, and the former manager of recording artist Estelle. Her long resume includes working with a variety of world-class performers, including Carlos Santana (“Maria, Maria”), Aretha Franklin (“A Rose Is Still A Rose”), Whitney Houston (“My Love Is Your Love”), Estelle (“American Boy”), Lauryn Hill, Method Man, the Notorious B.IG., Mary J. Blige, John Legend, and Kanye West.

RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, free, confidential help is available 24/7 by calling 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visiting online.rainn.org.

Head here for more info on Equality Now, an international women's rights organization working to ensure the equality of women and girls.

Head here for more info on Black Women's Blueprint, an organization that works to place Black women and girls’ lives, as well as their particular struggles, squarely within the context of the larger racial justice concerns of Black communities

Head here for a Spotify playlist of songs that Drew helped make a reality.

Head here for more info on Drew's new company, The 9th Floor, and here for more on her first artist, Ella Wylde.

Head here to watch On the Record, as well as access a discussion guide for the film.

Head here for more information on this week's featured non-profit, Crossroads Fund.

For more from Lior Phillips and This Must Be the Gig, follow along on Instagram or Twitter, or like the show page on Facebook. Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review via Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you find your podcasts.