

Bandsplain
Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists—and why people love them.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 22, 2023 • 4h 4min
Jane’s Addiction with Jessica Hopper
What can be said about the original 80’s Los Angeles freak band that hasn’t been said before? Gotta listen to find out, babe. Jessica Hopper joins us this week to track Los Angeles legends Jane’s Addiction from their formation, through Lollapalooza, and back to reforming the band and living más.
Follow Jessica Hopper on Twitter @jesshopp
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Jun 15, 2023 • 1h 58min
Judgment Night Soundtrack with Sean Fennessey and Rob Harvilla
It wasn’t the future of rap, but it was the future of rock. In 1993, one of the strongest music years in popular memory, a quirky soundtrack was released that ended up eclipsing the movie it was made for. Perennial Bandsplain favorites Sean Fennessey and Rob Harvilla join us to talk about what led to this moment, and what followed.
Follow Sean Fennessey on Twitter @seanfennessey
Follow Rob Harvilla on Twitter @Harvilla
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Jun 8, 2023 • 2h 3min
The Sundays with Hazel Cills
Two people fell in love at University and then they started writing good pop songs. Decades later they still can’t see what the big deal is, but they released three albums as The Sundays, and people never got over it. NPR editor Hazel Cills joins us to discuss the idyllic sounds and reasonable attitudes of this short lived, yet perpetually ongoing band.
Follow Hazel Cills on Twitter @HazelCills
Listen to the song we detail in the episode HERE
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Jun 1, 2023 • 3h 25min
The National with Jeremy Bolm
Are you a tote carrying member of the Sad Dad’s club? What does it look like if you tell a different guy to draw a man? You’re going to find out, babe. This week on Bandsplain, frontman, writer, label owner and podcast host Jeremy Bolm joins us to discuss Brooklyn’s own Cincinnati band, The National.
Follow Jeremy Bolm on Twitter @JeremyXBolm
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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May 25, 2023 • 2h 1min
Dave Matthews Band Redux: Part 2 with Grayson Haver Currin
Part 2 of the DMB resplaining picks up right where we left off. Dave and the guys are jammed up recording, and things get a little off the rails from there. Host Yasi Salek and returning guest Grayson Haver Currin take the listener from the early internet confusion of the Lillywhite Sessions to present day and the band’s latest album, 2023’s Walk Around the Moon.
Follow Grayson Haver Currin on Twitter @currincy
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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May 18, 2023 • 3h
Dave Matthews Band Redux: Part 1 with Grayson Haver Currin
Sometimes when you really love something, you don’t let it go, you revisit it again and again. That’s why we’re resplaining the Dave Matthews Band, babe. Longtime music critic and newspaper editor Grayson Haver Currin is back with us to give Dave and the Band the full Bandsplain treatment they deserve. This first episode takes us from long before Miller’s bar in Charlottesville to the heights of popularity and fame somewhere in between the Chicago river and an infamous unfinished recording session.
Follow Grayson Haver Currin on Twitter @currincy.
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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May 11, 2023 • 1h 28min
Listener Mailbag with Rob Harvilla
Rob Harvilla joins Yasi to go through listener questions. Should you resent your poser ex boyfriend? Will there ever be a cult band again? And what do you playlist for your HIIT class?? Plus a special guest you’ve all missed as much as we have.
Follow Rob Harvilla on Twitter @Harvilla
Follow Producer Jesse on Twitter @ItsMeJMG
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May 4, 2023 • 3h 56min
The White Stripes with Sean Fennessey
Six Albums, two members. The White Stripes were there and then they weren’t. Breaking through from Detroit’s garage scene and rock n’ roll tradition to worldwide success, you now hear Seven Nation Army in arenas around the world they’ve never been to and will never play week after week. Find out how a complicated sounding relationship was simple, and a legend took shape. This week we are joined by Ringer Head of Content, podcast extraordinaire, and longtime music writer, Sean Fennessey, as we work through how an unlikely group made perfect sense for international glory.
Follow Sean Fennessey on Twitter: @SeanFennessey
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Apr 27, 2023 • 3h 15min
Paramore with Ira Madison III
Paramore exploded into the popular consciousness in the mid aughts only a couple short years after forming, releasing their first records while the members were still hovering between teenagerdom and adulthood. Through all the push and pull this band has managed to grow and continue to put out compelling music with an evolving sound. We are joined by the amazing and prolific writer and podcaster Ira Madison III to discuss how Paramore found their way into so many hearts and minds.
Follow Ira Madison III on Twitter: @iramadisonthree
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Apr 20, 2023 • 3h 11min
No Doubt with Bethany Cosentino
Would you believe us if we told you there was a moment in 1995 when some people wondered out loud if Anaheim was the new Seattle? To find out how this happened, join Yasi and this week’s returning guest Bethany Cosentino as they dig deep into their SoCal roots and traverse the career of Orange County’s No Doubt. From their late 80’s formation to mid 90’s explosion and eventual early aughts pop renaissance, No Doubt emerged as one of the signposts for alternative music at the end of the 20th century. Tune in as we retrace that journey from the beginning to present day.
You Can Follow Bethany on Twitter @Bestcoast
Listen to songs we detail in the episode HERE
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