KGNU Music

Members of Bull Market joined Jack Armstrong for KGNU's Smash It Back! for a conversation about their latest album, Nature of Business, the realities of independent record releases, and the band's evolving sound. Along the way, the Billings, Montana-based group discussed the influences behind their music, from punk and noise rock to hip-hop and pop, and reflected on the unique DIY culture that sha...

Boulder heavy music outfit Gaunt stopped by KGNU's Smash It Back! to talk about their latest release, a two-song single featuring "White Feeder Killer" and "Snuff Film." The band discussed the evolution of their sound, leaning into heavier influences while maintaining the atmospheric elements heard in earlier releases. During the interview, the members shared stories from a recent show at Unit 5,...

Blue Canyon Boys joined Neil Smart for KGNU’s Old Grass GNU Grass for a live performance and conversation about what's next for the Colorado bluegrass favorites. The band shared updates on two upcoming albums, including a new brother-duet project, and discussed songwriter Jason Hicks' selection as a finalist in the 2026 Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase. The group also previewed upcoming appearan...

Boulder-based tribute band Dear Creedence joined KGNU for a live in-studio session with host Dave McIntyre to discuss their new project dedicated to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). The band, featuring members from several Colorado groups including Gasoline Lollipops, formed after casually playing CCR songs and deciding to build a full tribute act around the material. During the in...

Denver-born indie artist and producer Yugs joined Iris Berkeley in the KGNU studio for a live session featuring songs from his new album, Dancing In My Room. Backed by Sunstoney, Miles Jenkins, and Kyle Loeffler, Yugs performed "Mona," "Under the Stars," "Tied Up," and "OUTTA MY MIND." Between songs, Yugs discussed his Colorado roots, his Chilean and Cuban family heritage, the influence of his gra...

KGNU's Iris Berkeley speaks with Hawk Semins of the Owsley Stanley Foundation about Concordance: 150 Years of Charles Ives, a new release in the Bear's Sonic Journals series. The collection features a 1974 recording of Charles Ives' Piano Sonata No. 2 ("Concord, Mass., 1840–1860") performed by pianist John Kirkpatrick and recorded by Owsley "Bear" Stanley, the legendary Grateful Dead sound enginee...

Jake Leg joined KGNU’s Old Grass Gnu Grass for a live in-studio session ahead of the release of their new album, No One Lives Here Anymore, coming out June 13. The Colorado bluegrass band performed several new songs, including the title track and “30 Years in Yuma,” and shared insight into their collaborative songwriting process, where tunes often evolve significantly once brought into the full ba...

KGNU is a proud sponsor of the Greeley Blues Jam, taking place June 5th-6th, 2026. In this on-air interview on KGNU, Dan Willging speaks with Chris Haug and members of The Buzz Brothers Band about the upcoming Greeley Blues Jam, happening June 5th-6th, 2026 in Greeley. The conversation previews the festival’s standout lineup, including headliners Robert Randolph, Tommy Castro, and Danielle Nicole,...

Fort Collins-based folk and bluegrass group Friendly Reminders stopped by the KGNU studio for a live session and conversation with Dave McIntyre. The band shared stories about their songwriting influences, their self-titled debut album, and their blend of bluegrass, folk, punk, and indie inspirations before performing several original songs live in studio such as “Fruit Song,” “Rabbit’s Pace,” and...

Colorado guitarist and songwriter Jon Ridnell joined Joanne Cole for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative to discuss Freak the Funk, the first Black Dog album in more than two decades. Recorded in New Orleans with legendary musicians including George Porter Jr., John Vidacovich, Luciano Leães, and vocalist Whitney Alouicious, the album blends deep funk, jazz, and New Orleans groove traditions with Rid...

KGNU is a proud sponsor of the Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival (LEAF). David Fodel — artist, curator, sound designer, and Director of the Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival — joined KGNU’s Jessica Numbers to discuss the festival’s 10th anniversary, the evolution of experimental electronic and media arts on the Front Range, and this year’s lineup of local, national, and international performers...

KGNU is a proud sponsor of the Lafayette Electronic Arts Festival (LEAF). Ahead of his performance at LEAF, local musician and interdisciplinary artist M. Sage joined Indra Raj KGNU’s for a live in-studio performance and conversation about his latest album, Tender Waiting, his roots in Colorado’s DIY music scene, and his immersive creative practice blending field recordings, electronics, piano, an...

Celtic fiddler Jessie Burns of The Bow Tides joined Karl Kumli for KGNU’s Seolta Gael to talk about the band’s upcoming shows along the Front Range and beyond, including a March 12 performance at E-Town Hall in Boulder. The concert will feature special guest vocalist Alexa Wildish and dancers from the Evoca School of Irish Dance, alongside additional stops in Salida and a festival appearance near...

KGNU’s Joseph Nofgizer spoke with Americana duo The Grahams ahead of their upcoming performance at eTown Hall. The husband-and-wife team discussed their Jersey roots, time in Nashville, and eventual move to Boulder, as well as their evolving creative process across concept-driven albums like The Bridge. The Grahams also performed live in the studio, including songs “I’ve Been Loved by a Good Man”...

Dan Willging welcomed Boulder indie-rock trio Asteroid Please into the studio for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for a live performance and interview ahead of their appearance at a fundraiser and compilation release show hosted by Roots Music Project. The band performed acoustic versions of original songs including “We Go On,” “To Another Time,” and “Wander in My Dreams.” During the conversation...

KGNU’s Dan Willging spoke with acclaimed Louisiana zydeco musician Corey Ledet about his powerful new live album, Corey Ledet & Black Magic Live in Alaska. Ledet shared the story behind recording the project at the Anchorage Folk Festival, where enthusiastic audiences embraced his high-energy blend of zydeco, funk, blues, and Creole music. The conversation explored Ledet’s musical roots, the influ...

Joanne Cole welcomed acclaimed saxophonist, singer, and songwriter Vanessa Collier to the KGNU’s Blues Legacy ahead of her appearance at Blues From The Top this June. Collier talked about growing up surrounded by music in Texas, discovering the saxophone in fourth grade, and building an international touring career after getting her start with blues legend Joe Louis Walker. The conversation also t...

Lyons-based musician Travis McNamara joined Ginger Perry for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for a live in-studio session ahead of upcoming performances at E-Town Hall and Soundpost Sessions in Longmont. He discussed his solo album Moon Calendar, a pandemic-era project where he recorded and performed all 17 instruments himself, as well as his songwriting process and background with Trout Steak Re...

Six Foot Joe and the Red Hot Rhinos joined Greg Schultz for KGNU’s Blues Legacy for a live in-studio performance and interview. The band performed a mix of original material and covers, including blues and horn-driven arrangements, and shared their influences ranging from the Blues Brothers to Southside Johnny and Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. They also discussed the origins of their name, their...

Boulder-based bluegrass band Tough Knuckle Teddy joined Meredith Carson for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for a live in-studio session ahead of their show at The Fox Theatre. The band discussed forming through the Boulder music scene after playing in various rock and jam projects before coming together to explore bluegrass. They performed a mix of a John Prine cover and original songs during th...

Meredith Carson welcomed Emily Barnes into the studio for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for an intimate live session ahead of her annual show at Swallow Hill Music. Barnes performed several unreleased songs from an upcoming record, including deeply personal reflections on family, aging, poverty, and community, alongside conversations about her life as a self-taught songwriter and nurse working...

For KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative, Cameron Henderson welcomed Eric Bjella of Good Carver into the studio for a live acoustic session and conversation about the band’s new album, The Steps We Have To Take. Performing solo for the session, Bjella shared stripped-down versions of “Sinking In,” “Questions from Leon Trotsky Trout,” and “Calmer Waters,” along with stories about the evolution of the F...

KGNU’s Karl Kumli sat down with Canadian singer-songwriter Alan Doyle ahead of his Boulder Theater performance to talk about his latest tour, life after Great Big Sea, and the creative freedom he’s found as a solo artist. Doyle reflects on growing up in a musical family in Newfoundland, embracing artistic risk later in life, and why live music should always contain something unique that “only happ...

Amanda Pascali and Addison Freeman joined Rodger Hara for KGNU's Musica Mundi for an intimate studio session and conversation ahead of their Colorado debut performances. The duo discussed their musical journey from Texas to Sicily and beyond, including Amanda’s Fulbright research translating and revitalizing Sicilian folk songs, their residency at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, and their shared pas...

Greg Schochet and members of Little America joined Greg Schultz for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for a live in-studio session featuring performances from their upcoming album Wyoming in the Windshield. The group showcased their blend of Western swing, country, and Americana, performing songs including “I’m Not a Cowboy, But I Play One on Guitar” and “All I Ever Wanted.” Schochet discussed the...