

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

Jul 15, 2021 • 2h 2min
Fugazi with Brandon Stosuy
We dive into the DIY legacy and hardcore lineage of DC legends Fugazi with none other than writer, editor, and artist manager Brandon Stosuy.
Follow Brandon Stosuy on Twitter at @brandonstosuy, and check out thecreativeindependent.com.
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Jul 8, 2021 • 1h 41min
Dire Straits with Sam Sodomsky
Pitchfork associate editor Sam Sodomsky takes us on a bountiful journey through the smooth stylings, guitar virtuosity, and unavoidable boomer nostalgia of Dire Straits.
Follow Sam Sodomsky on Twitter at @ssodomsky, find his writing at Pitchfork, and check out his podcast Late Era.
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Jul 1, 2021 • 1h 56min
Green Day with Dan Ozzi
Tracking their evolution from the Berkeley punk scene to rock stardom, and all of the sell-out discourse in between, Dan Ozzi joins us this week to talk about Green Day.
Follow Dan Ozzi on Twitter at @danozzi and pre-order his book, Sellout: The Major Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore, out Oct. 26, 2021.
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Jun 24, 2021 • 1h 27min
Joni Mitchell with Jessica Hopper
In honor of the 50th anniversary of her masterwork, Blue, author and critic Jessica Hopper comes on the show to demystify the groundbreaking genius of the one and only Joni Mitchell.
Follow Jessica Hopper on Twitter at @missjesshop. Find her books, The First Collection of Criticism By A Living Female Rock Critic, Night Moves, and the upcoming No God But Herself: How Women Changed Music in 1975 (out fall 2022).
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Jun 17, 2021 • 2h 23min
Red Hot Chili Peppers with Brittany Spanos and Joseph Patel
Do you ever get scared that when you do psychedelics, your brain will break and you’ll get stuck in that place forever and never be normal again? That’s what happened here. Our brains broke somewhere along the way researching for this Red Hot Chili Peppers episode, and we will never be the same again. Fuck it, FOUR* HOUR BANDSPLAIN.
*Nearly.
Featuring Rolling Stone staff writer Brittany Spanos (@ohheybrittany on Twitter) and writer and Sundance-winning producer of Questlove’s upcoming documentary Summer of Soul, Joseph Patel (@jazzbeezy on Twitter).
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Jun 10, 2021 • 1h 32min
Deftones with Suzy Exposito
Suzy Exposito, music reporter for the LA Times, joins us to unpack the story and innovative musical style of Deftones, a band from Sacramento that never stopped evolving, through genres, trends, and even tragedy. Just don’t call them nü-metal.
Find Suzy Exposito’s writing at the Los Angeles Times and follow her on Twitter at @HexPositive.
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Jun 3, 2021 • 1h 43min
Ween with Alex Pappademas
Alex Pappademas returns to explain Ween, America’s first and only band "sprouted from the demon-god Boognish," and the one-of-a-kind bond between Boognish’s earthly conduits, Gene and Dean Ween.
Alex’s book on Steely Dan, Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, Babylon Sisters, and Other Soul Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan is out in 2022 on University of Texas, Austin Press. You can follow Alex at @pappademas on Twitter.
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May 27, 2021 • 1h 57min
REM with Caryn Rose
REM is your favorite band’s favorite band. They’ve influenced countless musicians and had an immeasurable impact on the following decades of indie rock. Veteran music journalist Caryn Rose takes us through the lifespan and wide-ranging impact of Athens, Georgia’s own REM.
Follow Caryn Rose on Twitter @carynrose. Her upcoming book, Why Patti Smith Matters, is out on University of Texas Press in 2022.
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May 20, 2021 • 1h 10min
Counting Crows with Steven Hyden
Counting Crows are an essential inclusion to the sensitive nineties male rocker canon, one that is very close to Yasi’s heart. Music critic and author Steven Hyden joins Yasi to count the ways they love the Crows and reimagine a context in which they should be reconsidered as good and cool.
Follow Steven Hyden on Twitter @Steven_Hyden, check out his podcast Celebration Rock on Spotify, and find his books "Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me" and "Twilight of the Gods" wherever fine books are sold.
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May 13, 2021 • 1h 30min
Jawbreaker with Leor Galil
Jawbreaker is one of those highly mythologized bands, the kind that feel perfectly cast in the amber of cult band-om. Yasi dissects the lore, the albums, the break-up, and the ahead-of-their-time songwriting with Jawbreaker oral historian Leor Galil, featuring a very special guest appearance by Dear You producer Rob Cavallo.
Follow Leor Galil on Twitter at @imLeor and find his collection of music writing, “Best of Leor Galil,” at store.chicagoreader.com.
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