

Essential Tremors
WUOT-FM 91.9 Knoxville
A show in which musicians and other creators talk about the songs that shaped who they are. Produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 23, 2022 • 36min
Kali Malone (Big Ears Festival Performer)
Composer Kali Malone transforms the spartan musical language of minimalism through unusual tunings and reframing sacred sounds like pipe organ and choir. In this episode, she discusses how My Bloody Valentine, Hindustani classical music, and Josquin des Prez shaped her art. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 27, 2022 • 34min
Carl Stone (Big Ears Festival Performer)
Composer/performer Carl Stone has built a body of work out of reimagining a world of existing sounds and music into sometimes witty, often beautiful electronic music of his own. In this episode, he discusses how music by Thomas Tallis, Captain Beefheart, and Sheik Chinna Moulana influenced his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 29, 2022 • 37min
Ashley Capps (Big Ears Festival Founder)
Ashley Capps helped reinvent the music festival with Bonnaroo, then did it again with Big Ears, the eclectic annual celebration of jazz, folk, electronic music, and other flavors of music he mounts each spring in Knoxville, TN. In this episode, he discusses how encounters with the music of Steve Reich, Julius Hemphill, and the Ramones shaped his course. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 13, 2022 • 33min
Daniel Kessler of Interpol
As a founding member of New York City's Interpol, guitarist Daniel Kessler has been integral in the shaping of their sound. Hear how songs by Fugazi, Tappa Zukie, and Aphex Twin helped put him on his creative path. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jul 28, 2022 • 44min
Brendan Canty
Drummer Brendan Canty powered the seminal D.C. post-punk band Fugazi and continues to blaze a trail in the instrumental trio The Messthetics. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Parliament, Scritti Politti, and King Crimson shaped his music. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jun 30, 2022 • 29min
Claire Rousay
Claire Rousay's music combines field recordings, Auto-Tuned vocals, conventional instruments, spoken word, and other elements with a subtlety that both attracts and subverts terms like "ambient" and "sound art." In this episode, she discusses how tracks by Ryu Hankil, Elliott Smith, and K. Mulhern shaped her work.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 26, 2022 • 29min
the RZA
Producer, MC, actor, director—the RZA has expanded his leadership of hip-hop legends Wu-Tang Clan into a decade-spanning, multi-hyphenate creative career. On this episode, the RZA discusses how Isaac Hayes, the theme from Love Story, and a famous hip-hop break shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 28, 2022 • 1h 7min
Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy)
Singer/songwriter Will Oldham has created a vast and beguiling body of work under his own name, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, and Palace and its variations, as well as through numerous collaborations. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Al Jarreau, and the Mekons influenced his music. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 14, 2022 • 21min
Geordie Greep
Geordie Greep's guitar and idiosyncratic vocals have helped make uncategorizable London band Black Midi into an international sensation. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Warren Zevon, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and Frank Zappa influenced his music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 31, 2022 • 28min
Jon Hopkins
Electronic musician Jon Hopkins is well-known in certain circles as the creator of numerous thoughtful, yet in many cases danceable, records. He's also had his hand in some enormously commercially successful records, however, as a producer and guest musician, such as Coldplay's "Viva la Vida," as well as in several co-productions with Brian Eno. In this episode, he discusses the effect songs by Eno and Harold Budd, Ozric Tentacles, and Orbital had on him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.