Necktie Optional

A very special episode of Necktie Optional to celebrate and reflect on 250 years of American independence, and reflecting upon the good, bad, and ugly - and embracing protest music as a desire for positive change. Setlist: The Menzingers | America (You're Freaking Me Out) Greta Van Fleet | A Change Is Gonna Come Conner Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band | Roosevelt Room Descendents | 'Merican Joh...

Episode 11 brings fresh cuts from Michigander , Kelley Stoltz , and Carver Commodore alongside The Beths , The Long Winters , Dismemberment Plan , and FIGHTMASTER . Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. It's also pledge drive week — if you like what you hear, visit www.kpcr.org/join and help keep radio weird!

Episode 10 casts a wider net than most — Iceage , Inundaremos , and Wippy Bonstack bring some international and angular flavor to a set that also makes room for The Killers , Tegan and Sara , and The Beths . More math, more edges, more passport stamps than your average Thursday. Known quantities holding the door open for ones worth knowing. Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. Setlist:...

Episode 9 lets Rilo Kiley , The Beths , and The Linda Lindas hold the door open for Kashus Culpepper , Hikes , Eastern Souvenirs , and a few others worth remembering. Good curatorial instincts tend to work that way. All killer, no filler. Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. Setlist: Man/Woman/Chainsaw | Nosedive Francis of Delirium | Damned Great Grandpa | Bloom Rilo Kiley | The Execu...

Episode 8 is stacked with new music: EGOISM , Pamela. , Pete Yorn , JW Francis , Arcy Drive , Beaming , Feeble Little Horse , Wes Parker , Kevin Morby , Babehoven , Mikaela Davis , Wild Pink , The Mountain Goats , Michigander , Westside Cowboy , and Francis of Delirium all bringing fresh material. Handpicked as always. Neckties remain optional. Today's set: EGOISM | Time for the Needy Pamela. | Be...

Episode 7 spotlights new releases from Wildermiss, Joyce Manor, Cody Jr , and Francis of Delirium , with a healthy local contingent — Often Easy , Trestles , Luke Sweeney , Indigo Elephant , Sweet Lew , Slow Coast , and The Velvet Teen — rounding out a set that also finds room for Frightened Rabbit , Snail Mail , and Friko . Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. This week's setlist: Mat...

Episode 6 introduces new tracks from Liana Warren, Sakai, and Hovvdy alongside with some deep dives into the proverbial dusty record bins — Andrew Bird, Beach House, Sufjan Stevens, Gogol Bordello, and Black Country New Road among the highlights. Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. The Linda Lindas | All In My Head Nada Surf | In Front of Me Now Treasvre | Cherry Red The Vaccines | Lo...

Episode 5 features fresh cuts from Spacey Jane , The Gnomes , and Blackhorse Hotel alongside a characteristically eclectic pull — Modest Mouse , The Flaming Lips , Dismemberment Plan , and Ra Ra Riot among them. Mei Semones makes another appearance, which at this point feels less like a coincidence and more like a residency. Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. Set List: Minus the Bear...

Episode 4 brings fresh cuts from Michigander and aron! & Mei Semones into the mix alongside a well-stocked roster — Beirut , Spoon , Frightened Rabbit , Kings of Convenience , and The Velvet Teen among them. It closes on the Polyphonic Spree covering Lithium , which is exactly as big as it sounds. Handpicked, as always. Neckties remain optional. Set List: Michigander | Freaking Out Lo Moon | W...

This episode of Necktie Optional begins with a sprint and ends in a conversation. We kick things off in a state of high-tensile urgency, anchored by the frantic, jagged edges of The Walkmen and White Lies —the kind of music that feels like a midnight drive with a broken speedometer. As the dust settles, the set shifts from raw energy into a study of musical architecture. We navigate the intricate,...

Episode 2 moves through a wide emotional and sonic landscape, opening with the indie rock energy of Rumspringa and Editors before the energy pulls back and the set opens up into more melodic, guitar-driven territory. Drawing from roughly two decades of alternative and indie music, the episode balances familiar names with lesser-known gems. The set weaves between indie rock and folk sensibilities,...