Essential Tremors

Keyboardist, songwriter, and founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Benmont Tench has been a cornerstone of one of the most beloved and commercially successful rock bands of the last four and a half decades. Known for his signature organ and piano work, Benmont has played on countless classic tracks not just with Petty, but also as a session musician for artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny...

Haley Fohr, who performs as Circuit des Yeux, is known for her hauntingly powerful voice and immersive, genre-defying sound. As Pitchfork put it, her voice is “a force of nature” that “pulses with raw emotion.” Her album -io , was hailed by The New York Times as “a deeply evocative exploration of loss, identity, and the self.” With a career marked by boundary-pu...

As a member of Radiohead since its inception over 30 years ago, Colin Greenwood’s contributions to the group, both through his bass playing and songwriting, have helped them reach ever-higher levels of artistic and commercial prominence. A soulful, clever, and inventive bass player, his parts are always noticeable due to being highly composed and carefully considered, but never intrude on th...

Critically-acclaimed composer and saxophonist Darius Jones’s playing has been described using adjectives such as “fearless,” “riveting” and “breath-taking” from publications ranging from Pitchfork, to The Wire, to the New York Times, and has received superlatives from many other publications, as well. Currently an Assistant Professor of Music at Wesleyan U...

Japanese musician and composer Ikue Mori is widely known for her innovative work in experimental electronic music. Having initially gained recognition as a drummer for the avant-garde rock band DNA with Arto Lindsay in the late 1970s, she helped define the band's distinct sound. As her career evolved, Mori transitioned to using electronics and computers, exploring sound manipulation and producing...

As close to indie rock royalty as may exist, Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo–a band nearing its 40th year in existence that he founded with his partner, drummer Georgia Hubley in the mid-1980’s–has recorded 17 records under that name and influenced more bands than could be named here. Simultaneously considered critics’ darlings but also having established a wide, loyal, and susta...

First coming to international attention after Brian Eno heard him playing in Washington Square Park in New York City in 1979, Laraaji’s calm, meditative, and deeply spiritual work was widely heard for the first time when his  Ambient 3: Day of Radiance , record was released by Eno in 1980 as the third in his “Ambient” series. A collection of his early, previously unreleased...

Berlin-based avant-guitarist Jules Reidy is known for creating elaborate, beautiful textures with their instrument, often in large washes of disorienting sound. As evidenced in several collaborations with previous guest of the show Oren Ambarchi, Reidy’s heavily-layered and highly-spiritual work–particularly on their newest release, Ghost/Spirit , which is out soon on Thrill Jockey–is also transfi...

Norwegian singer Susanna, whose full name is Susanna Karolina Wallumrød, first grew to fame for her work in her group Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. Her warm, soulful, and at times ethereal voice lends both her original compositions and beautifully-rendered covers a deep source of vulnerability and humanity. First recommended to us by previous guest, and guest host, Will Oldham, Susanna’s albu...

Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul has quickly vaulted from the traditional-music scene to an international profile, in part thanks to her recent collaboration with saxophonist/composer Colin Stetson. In this episode, she discusses how music by Allan Macdonald, the Rhodopea Kaba Trio, and Steve Reich guided her own work. She'll appear at the Big Ears Festival in March 2025. See omnystudio.com/listen...

Gregg Turkington, arguably more widely known from his guise as comedian Neil Hamburger, is possibly best described as a comic himself, but also as a cultural critic and commentator. Having spent his younger years as a zine publisher, a musician in multiple bands, and running a label, he has since risen to greater prominence as a collaborator with Tim Heidecker in On Cinema at the Cinema , a web se...

Nate Cross has become a powerful force behind the scenes of contemporary American music, onstage and on record as one of the key members of drone-rock ensemble Water Damage and as the proprietor of the respected creative-music label Astral Spirits. He discusses how music by Oneida, Jim O’Rourke, and The Necks shaped his course. Water Damage will be perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in...

A household name for many decades amongst those with an interest in challenging, forward-thinking music, Fred Frith initially gained an audience through his work as the guitarist with 60’s group Henry Cow, and has since had a prolific career as a player on many recordings under his own name as well as collaborations with players ranging from Henry Kaiser, to The Residents, to Richard Thompson, to...

New York City-based underground hip-hop artist  Billy   Woods  might be best known as half of duo Armand Hammer, but is also well known as a solo artist. His 2024 releaseMaps, in which he worked with beatmaker and producer Kenny Segal, earned a “Best New Music” designation from Pitchfork. On this episode, in which  Woods  was interviewed before a live audience by guest host and former guest of the...

As one half of influential band Gastr del Sol along with David Grubbs, Jim O’Rourke’s work has reached many through that project alone. However, his additional work as an esteemed solo artist and producer as well as a guitarist in Sonic Youth have extended his reach even further, solidifying him as one of the most prominent artists to emerge from the American underground. On this episode, he talks...

David Grubbs, who along with Jim O'Rourke comprised Gastr del Sol, ushered in a new, cerebral strain of post-rock upon their appearance in the 90's. Owing more to modern classical composers than what was being played on college radio, the duo toured extensively and put out eight releases, most of which were on esteemed Chicago label Drag City. Their newest release is a box set of their work named...

Having co-written many of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' greatest hits as the lead guitarist in the band, Mike Campbell's work has been heard by millions of listeners and still resonates today. In this episode, hear how songs by Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys shaped his musical perspective. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Stud...

Electronic-music producer Jlin works in the space where beatmaking and modern composition collide. In this episode, recorded live at the 2024 Big Ears Festival, she discusses how music by Luther Vandross, Missy Elliott and Al Jarreau shaped her work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

DC indie-scene veterans Mark Robinson and Bridget Cross formed the spine of two of the city's finest pop bands, Unrest and the still-undersung Air Miami. In this episode, they discuss how '70s dance music, musicals, the Shaggs, the Captain and Tennille, and '80s punk and indie shaped their course. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. S...

Our sixth annual Seventh Stanine Festival is taking place Saturday, June 15 from 1:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.  This episode previews this year's event and features segments on Water Damage, Geologist of Animal Collective, Tongue Depressor, Susan Alcorn, The Caribbean, Small Sur, Turner Williams, Jr. and Jon Camp. More information can be found at www.rhizomedc.org  or www.essentialpodcast.com . Essential Tr...

Los Angeles-based folk troubadour Jessica Pratt's intimate, moody, carefully-crafted songs have helped her reach an ever-growing audience over the course of her four studio albums, the most recent of which is Here in the Pitch , which was released in May of 2024. In this episode, she talks about how songs by The Slits, Laura Nyro and Sly and the Family Stone helped her forge her musical path. Esse...

Singer/songwriter Bruce Hornsby may be best known for his rootsy hits (and a few subsequent hip-hop samples of same), but his restless creativity has kept him experimenting into the 21st century. In this episode, he discusses how songs by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Paul Brady shaped his own work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios....

Composer Arnold Dreyblatt has carved a unique course through contemporary music, combining just intonation with a vigorous self-devised approach to 20th-century minimalism. In this episode, he discusses how Mexican folk music, Tony Conrad and Robert Ashley shaped his work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios. See omnystudio.com/listene...

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Beth Orton’s work in the mid-1990’s helped usher in a new era for both electronic and folk music by melding electronic sounds with acoustic instruments to achieve a warm and personal, but also boundary-pushing, sound that still feels modern almost 30 years later.  In this episode she talks about how songs by Sinead O'Connor, Sons of Kemet and Father John Misty shaped he...

Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein form the two-voice, two-guitar core of Sleater-Kinney, one of the most revered and long-lived rock bands of the past 30 years. In this episode, they discuss how music by Sinead O'Connor, the Pointer Sisters, Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, Kate Bush and the Wipers influenced their work. Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your...