KGNU Music

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...

Dengue Fever co-founder and keyboardist Ethan Holtzman joined Doug Gertner for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative to talk about the band’s unique blend of Cambodian rock, psychedelia, surf, and funk ahead of their upcoming Colorado performances. Holtzman shared how a trip to Cambodia in the early 2000s inspired the group’s sound, rooted in the country’s vibrant 1960s and ’70s music scene, and discus...

The Goodies stopped by the KGNU studio ahead of their show at Oscar Blues in Lyons for an upbeat acoustic session and conversation with Dave McIntyre. The Southern California-based reggae-influenced group performed a lively medley featuring their cover of “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes, along with their original song “Goody Vibes.” The band also talked about life on the road, reconnecting with Color...

KGNU’s Rodger Hara speaks with Benny McCarthy about the 30-plus-year journey of the acclaimed Irish traditional band Danú, their deep roots in Irish session culture, and their return to Boulder’s Macky Auditorium. McCarthy discusses the band’s approach to recreating the intimate energy of an Irish pub session on concert stages around the world, the making of their recent live album, and the musici...

KGNU’s Musica Mundi host Doug Gertner welcomes Denver-area musician and educator Miki Saito for a conversation about her journey from Yokohama, Japan, to New York City and eventually Colorado. Trained as a classical pianist and opera singer, Saito shares how she discovered the traditional Japanese bamboo flute known as the shinobue during the pandemic and began studying the instrument with a maste...

Indra Raj welcomed Sparrow Smith & The Resonant Rogues for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative ahead of their February 26, 2026 performance at the Chautauqua Community House. The Asheville-based Americana group performed several live songs from Sparrow Smith’s latest album, Carolina Mountains, and talked about the band’s roots, their love of Appalachian and dance traditions, and the many musical styl...

Local musicians came together as the Tapestry Band for a special KGNU studio session celebrating the music of Carole King and her landmark 1971 album Tapestry. The group — featuring members of the Colorado music community including Maddie Lee, Essie Horn, Christopher Klaus, and Ian Aras — performed selections from the album live in the Cabaret Studio and talked with Doug Gertner about how the proj...

Pianist David Korevaar joined Chris Mohr for KGNU’s A Classic Monday to discuss his ambitious new recording project: the complete 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. In conversation with Chris Mohr, Korevaar reflected on his lifelong relationship with Beethoven’s music, the challenges of recording nearly 12 hours of repertoire in under a year, and the evolution of Beethoven’s compositional style across th...

Singer-songwriter Duncan Coker joined Wendy Mills for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative to talk about his latest album, Roadside Attractions, his upcoming house concert with Flattop Rider, and his journey through Colorado’s vibrant folk and Western music scene. Describing himself as an “unrepentant balladeer from the Colorado Piedmont,” Coker shared stories about songwriting, community, and the inf...

Boulder-based duo Trouble’s Braids joined Meredith Carson on KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for an in-studio session featuring live performances and conversation about their music, influences, and upcoming releases. Emily Pennington and Oliver Franklin performed songs including “Strange Weather,” “Lion’s Mouth,” “Precipice,” and “Pilot Light,” showcasing material from past releases and a forthco...

Boulder-based artist Stryder Jones joined DJ Jules in the KGNU studio for a live interview and in-studio session. He discussed his new album Kitchen Window, including the personal childhood moment that inspired its title track, as well as his hands-on production style where he builds songs using keys, drums, and synths. Stryder also spoke about his early influences, including Stevie Wonder, David...

Taarka joined Ginger Perry in the KGNU studio to talk about their long-running musical partnership, which began in New York City in 2001 and has since evolved into a genre-blending sound rooted in folk, jazz, and global influences. Now based in Colorado, the duo—joined by their teenage son on upright bass—shared stories of their early days busking, their move west after 9/11, and how their collabo...

Singer-songwriter Logan Farmer joins Deana Bianco in the KGNU Boulder studio to perform songs from his latest album, Nightmare World: I See the Horizon, and discuss the intention behind the record. Farmer shares how taking time away from releasing music allowed him to write more deliberately, exploring themes of complacency, complicity, and the emotional weight of modern life. He also talks about...

High Horse joined Meredith Carson for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative in the Cabaret Studio for a live session and interview. The band features Carson McKinney (fiddle), Carl Henry (cello), Noah Harrington (bass), and G Rockwell (guitar and banjo). They performed a mix of songs, including covers of Tim O’Brien and Townes Van Zandt, along with original instrumental and vocal pieces. The group also...

Donavon Frankenreiter spoke with Indra Raj on KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative ahead of his upcoming Colorado shows, including two nights at the Velvet Elk Lounge in Boulder. He discussed his “Heading Home” performances, which focus on small, intimate acoustic sets with audience interaction and song requests. Frankenreiter also reflected on his background as a professional surfer and how traveling...

Fia joined DJ Soul Rock on KGNU’s Bloodlines ahead of his upcoming show at the Bluebird Theater in Denver on March 7. He talked about his musical roots, which began in church, and how his upbringing shaped the soulful sound heard in his music today. He also shared the meaning behind his name, explaining that “Fia” is his given name and a reflection of his identity and heritage. During the conversa...

Singer-songwriter Penelope Jane joined Meredith Carson on KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for a live in-studio session ahead of the release of her debut album Evergreen. Joined by her sister Emilia on fiddle and harmony vocals and her father on guitar and mandolin, she performed several original songs, including “Smoke in the Mountains,” “Wish That I Could Love You,” and “Unforgettable.” Penelope...

Banjo player Kyle Tuttle joined Kooter Jones for KGNU’s Morning Sound Alternative for a live in-studio session with bassist Jeff Saunders. They performed original songs including “Not Quite Spring,” “I Wonder,” and “Saddle Up,” as well as a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” Tuttle talked about his musical background, starting on guitar as a child and later becoming a banjo...