This Must Be the Gig

This week's episode is sponsored by BandBox. With festival season in full swing, this week's episode offers a peak into what makes one of these massive musicals tick. Our first interview of the week features Pitchfork's executive director of festivals and activations, Adam Krefman. In addition to offering a preview of this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, Adam calls in to chat about everything from how he and his team can keep offering more and more options and massive lineups, the festival's connections to the surrounding community, and partnerships with local charities and organizations—including Young Chicago Authors. Speaking of which, our second interview comes to you from the offices of Young Chicago Authors—an organization known internationally for its connections to artists ranging from Chance the Rapper to Jamila Woods. But equally importantly, it should be known for its work using creative writing to help young people from all backgrounds to understand the power of their stories and make an impact on their community. From poetry and rap workshops to open mics, Young Chicago Authors is a crackling hub of expression and performance. This week, booking manager Nicholas Ward and teaching artist E'mon Lauren chat about how poetry changed their lives, the sociopolitical power of performance, and hosting performances on-stage at this year's Pitchfork Music Festival. Head here for more info on Young Chicago Authors, and here for E'mon Lauren's podcast, The Real Hoodwives of Chicago. Head here for more info on Pitchfork Music Festival. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week's episode is sponsored by BandBox. Life on the road can be tough for any band, but few would be so transparent as to name a song "If This Tour Doesn't Kill You, I Will". While that title might make it seem like PUP are a ball of tension, the Canadian punk outfit balance that frenetic energy with real joy and a vibrant sense of humor. This week, we chat with two halves of the band, as Stefan Babcock and Zack Mykula call in to discuss keeping spirits up in the van, how bands like Thursday and The Flatliners inspired them, quitting day jobs, and the incremental success of underdog punk life. Head here for more info on PUP, their tour dates, and their latest album, Morbid Stuff. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week's episode is sponsored by BandBox. This week we're joined by none other than Kevin McHale—a delightful human being who many first came to know in his role as Artie on the beloved musical TV mainstay Glee. But you may not know that Kevin has a long history in pop music, and continued to write his own music while working on Glee. Kevin's about to release the latest results from that effort in the form of a brand new solo EP, Boy. In this week’s giggly conversation, Kevin chats about his boy band past, what it was like developing his own voice while singing other people’s songs on TV, the grueling reality of the Glee tour, seeing Jessica Simpson and Ricky Martin as a kid, and so much more. Head here for more info on Kevin McHale and his new EP, Boy. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Regina Spektor has been a favorite of the crew at TMBTG for years—as far back as 2004's Soviet Kitsch—and we're delighted to have had the iconic indie singer-songwriter call in to this week's episode of the show. The idiosyncratic genius infuses classical-esque flourishes into beguiling pop structures, matching grand scope with delicate intimacy. That depth has been utilized on soundtracks as wide-ranging as The Hamilton Mixtape to Kubo and the Two Strings, not to mention the theme for Orange Is the New Black. There’s something theatrical, surreal, and yet deeply emotionally resonant about her songwriting and fluttery voice, and now nearly two decades into a breathtaking career that spans so many different styles and sounds, she's making her debut on Broadway with a series of shows at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre beginning June 20. On this week's show, we chat with Regina about that amazing achievement, her surprising first concerts in Europe, opening for the Strokes, and so much more. Head here for more info on Regina Spektor and her upcoming series of shows on Broadway. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week, we catch up with US Girls mastermind Meghan Remy prior to her Moogfest set. The Toronto-based experimental pop artist broke incredible new ground on her 2018 record, In a Poem Unlimited, and her magnetic presence matches those majestic prisms of idiosyncratic songwriting. Her soothing voice is the perfect counterpoint to the taut, coiled intensity of her lyrics—and here she puts it to perfect use, discussing growing her own vegetables and environmentalism, her ideal touring schedule, moving to Canada, and seeing Billy Joel as a child for her first concert. Head here for more info on US Girls and her most recent record, In a Poem Unlimited. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week we return to our coverage from Moogfest with not one but two fantastic conversations with brilliant minds that helped discover some of the most exciting musical voices of the last few decades. First up is Daniel Miller, musician, producer, and founder of Mute Records, the label that brought the world Depeche Mode, Erasure, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and so many others. Daniel and host Lior Phillips chat about seeing his first concerts, buying his first Korg 700s, and his exploration of the UK music scene in the late '70s and early '80s. After that, Lior chats with Craig Leon, a man who has been at the intersection of countless musical moments in the US since helping to discover seminal punk and no wave bands like The Ramones, Suicide, and Talking Heads. Lior sat down with Craig and his partner, psych/folk/country musician Cassell Webb, to talk about Craig's time in CBGB's and Max's Kansas City and his work with Pavorotti, Cassell's first-hand experience with Buddy Holly, and so much more. Head here for more on Mute Records. Head here for more info on Craig Leon and Cassell Webb's new record, Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week we're taking a break from our episodes recorded at Moogfest to bring you an interview with the incredibly lovely Hayden Thorpe. A cofounder of the beloved Wild Beasts, Thorpe's sterling falsetto and impassioned, intimate lyrics bring a much needed emotional depth and vibrant life to every listen. Now three years out since the final Wild Beasts record and after the band's dissolution, Thorpe is set to release Diviner on May 24th via Domino. The debut project under his own name, Diviner is thrilling, inviting, and full of life. And in this chat, host Lior Phillips and Thorpe talk about how writing on the piano helped him process the idea of releasing music on his own—using all four limbs to compose a whole. They also discuss how songs act as an antenna to other consciousnesses, the balance of ego and superstition in songwriting, and his very first concert, heading into London to see a legendary British rock act.  Head here for more on Hayden Thorpe's excellent new album, Diviner. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In our first episode of coverage from Moogfest, host Lior Phillips gets locked into a repurposed bank vault in the basement of a Durham, NC hotel with the always invigorating and powerful Madame Gandhi. The artist/activist born Kiran Gandhi (joined occasionally on-mic by her partner, Frankie) digs into her feminist activism, including her Future is Female playlist—which features exciting, up-and-coming female-identifying artists—as well as her free-menstruating run through the London Marathon. Lior and Gandhi also chat about her experience drumming live for MIA, TV on the Radio, and Thievery Corporation, growing up between New York and India, and the mystic depth of astrology. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

There are few bands as near and dear to hearts as Snow Patrol—and that comes in large part from the emotional honesty and openheartedness of frontperson Gary Lightbody. On this week's episode, host Lior Phillips chats with Gary about Snow Patrol's 2018 record, Wildness, and the ensuing tour, as well as the potential of a Lightbody-penned film sometime in the near future. In addition, Gary shares the story of seeing Nirvana as his second concert, opening for U2, and so much more. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

There are few people in the world as inspiring and empowering as Angélique Kidjo. That comes through vibrantly in her music, but the legendary Beninese singer-songwriter walks the walk as well—having established the incredible Batonga Foundation, which supports and educates women and girls in need in Africa. On today's episode, host Lior Phillips chats with the legend about her first performances, her dream festival, opening for Miriam Makeba and Vampire Weekend, covering Talking Heads, the perpetually spreading influence of African music, and so much more. Head here for more on the Batonga Foundation. Head here for more info on Angélique Kidjo's excellent new album, Celia, and her upcoming tour dates. 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. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app