Cultural Manifesto

This week on Cultural Manifesto, listen to an hour of words and music from the Bloomington-based guitarist TJ. Jones. He’s worked with several of the most legendary bands/artists in Indiana music - including Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign, Screaming Gypsy Bandits, Caroline Peyton, and the IU Soul Review. Jones’ music career started in Richmond, Indiana as a teenager. During the 1960s, his high school...

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with the legendary jazz pianist Bob James. Some music fans know James for writing the theme song to the hit television show Taxi, or through the extensive use of his work in hip-hop sampling — he’s one of the most sampled artists in the history of rap music. But few know that James’ first career breakthrough happened in South Bend, Indiana in...

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to a preview of an upcoming concert by the Grammy-winning Indian-American vocalist Falu. She’ll be performing in Indianapolis this August with the American Patchwork Quartet. As a child in Mumbai, Falu studied North Indian classical music. Over the years she’s worked with a wide range of artists - including Philip Glass, A.R. Rahman, Karsh Kale, Pretty Lights...

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with singer-songwriter Steve Earle, best known for his work in country music. Earle’s songs have been recorded by artists including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Carl Perkins, and Joan Baez  — and in 2020, Earle was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. We’ll discuss Earle’s connections to Indiana, and how he’s used his music t...

This week on Cultural Manifesto, listen to the latest edition of Finding Etheridge with Mat Davis, a new series exploring the people and places connected to the Indianapolis poet Etheridge Knight. Mat’s guest will be the poet Elizabeth Gordon McKim, Etheridge Knight’s partner and companion during the final years of his life. McKim lives in Lynn, Massachusetts. She recently visited Indianapolis for...

This week on Cultural Manifesto, hear an interview with Bill Levin, best known as the founder of Indiana’s First Church of Cannabis.  Levin also has a substantial history in the Indianapolis music scene. During the 1980s he promoted punk rock concerts and managed punk rock bands - including the legendary Indianapolis group Zero Boys.

This week on Cultural Manifesto we’ll talk with the reggae music icon Ziggy Marley. Hear about his work in the new Spiderman film, an upcoming biopic about his father Bob Marley, and his history of performing for PBS Kids’ shows — including Sesame Street, and Arthur.  We’ll also catch up with the Indianapolis-based jazz drummer, and hip-hop artist Dorian Phelps. His band, Hurricane and The Gang, j...

This week on Cultural Manifesto, we’ll talk with rapper Parris Ladame. She has a new album out titled “Pressure P”. We discussed her early years growing up in Indianapolis, and the teacher that inspired her love for poetry.  And we’ll catch up with the Indianapolis vocalist and composer Hanna Benn. 2023 is becoming a breakout year for Benn — her voice was featured on the Oscar-nominated soundtrack...

Tune in this week for a special Pride month edition of Cultural Manifesto. We’re celebrating the legacy of Labyris, a feminist lesbian bar that operated near downtown Indianapolis from 1978 to 1984. Labyris hosted live performances from some of the biggest names in the women’s music movement, including Holly Near, Toshi Reagon, and June Millington, founder of the legendary rock band Fanny. Kyle Lo...

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop music. Explore influential figures in Indianapolis' hip-hop history, from the 1970s to today, including Reggie Griffin who created beats for early rap classics including “The Message,” WSYW 801 A.M.’s rap radio format co-originator B-Boy Chilly T, Hit Makers Showcase host Paul Middlebrook, Mudkids’ co-founder Rusty Redenbacher, and Patrice 2...

Indianapolis-based poet and spoken word artist Too Black discusses The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up, which he co-directed. The documentary tells the story of the 1985 prison uprising at the Indiana State Reformatory, now the Pendleton Correctional Facility. Prison activists John “Balagoon” Cole and Christopher “Naeem” Trotter, known collectively as the Pendleton 2, were issued de facto life sentence...

This week on Cultural Manifesto Kyle Long speaks with Dwani Phiri, a Zambian-born Indianapolis-based artist. Dwani's music blends the afrobeat sounds of his homeland with the hip-hop music he grew up with in Indiana. He'll also speak with NB Nakita, a unique electronic music producer and vocalist who grew up in Indianapolis. NB Nakita's music reflects her bicultural background, freely mixing langu...

Boot Scoot USA country music dance party organizers, Kevin Hofmeister and Kyle Nagy, share their journey from rap to country music. And Sarah Acra, who formed KPop Indiana, discusses how she created a community for fans of South Korean popular music here in the Hoosier state.

This week on Cultural Manifesto Host Kyle Long speaks with the experimental musician, artist manager, and Indianapolis civic leader Michael Kaufmann; and we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with music from Mar Mar Aye, an important Burmese singer living in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

This week on Cultural Manifesto, an hour of words and music with the classical music pianist, and arts activist Lara Downes. She’ll be performing the Florence Price piano concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra later this month. Downes has become a significant advocate for African American voices in classical music. She’s the host and creator of Amplify, an NPR series that features Downe...

This week on Cultural Manifesto Kyle interviews singer/songwriter Morgan Rae Webster. We’ll listen to her debut single “Let Go”, a song dedicated to her sister, who died from COVID-19. We’ll also have another edition of Finding Etheridge with Mat Davis, a new segment exploring the people and places connected to the late Indianapolis poet Etheridge Knight. This week’s guest will be Etheridge Knight...

This week on Cultural Manifesto we'll be joined by the singer-songwriter Shana Cleveland, best known for her work with the psychedelic garage band La Luz. Shana will be performing music from her new solo album Manzanita this month at the Hi-Fi.  We'll also have another edition of Rebel Music with Karla Lopez. This week Karla's guest will be the Indiana State Senator Rodney Pol Jr., the first Latin...

 This week on Cultural Manifesto I’ll speak with the rock and roll legend Graham Nash, best known for his work with The Hollies, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Graham Nash will be performing at the Palladium on April 23.  I’ll also talk with the Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Augusta Read Thomas, she’ll be premiering a new work titled “Toward A Secret Sky”  with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir...

This week on Cultural Manifesto I’ll speak with the saxophonist and composer Jared Thompson. For nearly two decades, Thompson has led the Indianapolis-based jazz band Premium Blend. We’ll listen to tracks off the group’s new album "Virtue", and Thompson will share some of the social and musical influences that shaped the record.  Thompson is known for speaking out on a variety of social issues, an...

This week on Cultural Manifesto, world–renowned soprano vocalist Angela Brown. Brown made national news in 2004 with her debut performance at the Metropolitan Opera, in the starring role of Aida. Host Kyle Long and Angela discuss her early years in the Indianapolis music scene, and her work with literary figures including Toni Morrison, Mari Evans, and Maya Angelou.

This week on Cultural Manifesto we’ll celebrate the life and music of Greg Horn - a founding member of the legendary Indiana band Dow Jones and the Industrials. Horn passed away last week in Indianapolis.   We'll be joined by the Indianapolis musician Vess Ruthenberg, who will share his thoughts on the legacy of Greg Horn's music. Ruthenberg performed with Dow Jones and The Industrials during a se...

This week on Cultural Manifesto we’ll celebrate Women’s History Month by paying tribute to the women pioneers of Indiana punk, new wave, and noise music.  Tune in for an hour of words and music featuring Amoebas in Chaos, The Last 4 Digits, The Abstractions, Software and more.    

This week on Cultural Manifesto, Jody Friend, of the Indianapolis-based rock band Public Universal Friend.   Public Universal Friend will be celebrating the release of their second album "Chrysalis" with a special concert at the White Rabbit Cabaret.  Also on this episode, Kyle interviews legendary guitarist, producer, and songwriter Jim Messina.   

This March marks the 100th anniversary of the renowned jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, one of the most beloved musicians to emerge from Indianapolis. This week on Cultural Manifesto we'll celebrate Montgomery's birthday by sharing excerpts from a never-before-heard 1964 recording of Wes Montgomery performing at the Circle Theater in Indianapolis.  We also introduce a new segment on Cultural Manifes...