385: Higher Voices

For episodes ending in a zero or five, I try to do something a little different. It’s an opportunity to stretch outside our normal box a little bit. For this episode, I let the theme “higher voices” guide the selections. That’s it! The set is approximately two hours long and doesn’t come close to including everything I wanted to include. Despite that, it’s an excellent two hours if I do say so myself.

That’s Molly Parden on our cover.

“Main Theme” by Upright T-Rex Music, other music beds by Test Kitchen.


Follow us on Instagram or shoot us a DM with your music submission: @weownthistown

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Bats - Heart Container
Bats“Heart Container”
Molly Parden - Cigarette
Molly Parden“Cigarette”
Pageboy - Postcard
Pageboy“Postcard”
Mama Zu - Lip
Mama Zu“Lip”
Brennan Wedl - Kudzu
Brennan Wedl“Kudzu”
Heaven Honey - Moan
Heaven Honey“Moan”
Molly Martin - I Know You Think That Its Not You
Molly Martin“I Know You Think That Its Not You”
Molly Parden - Where Do All of Our Passing Days Go
Molly Parden“Where Do All of Our Passing Days Go”
Becca Mancari - Its Too Late
Becca Mancari“Its Too Late”
Taylor Noelle - If You Want That
Taylor Noelle“If You Want That”
Cortney Tidwell - Clandestine
Cortney Tidwell“Clandestine”
Book NOT Brooke - Popsicle
Book NOT Brooke“Popsicle”
Meg Elsier - baby
Meg Elsier“baby”
Body Electric - Plastic Arrows
Body Electric“Plastic Arrows”
AG Sully - Accountability Partner
A.G. Sully“Accountability Partner ”
Dallas Ugly - Big Signs
Dallas Ugly“Big Signs”
Wilby - Cosette
Wilby“Cosette”
Kristen Ford - Heres To You Kid feat Ani DiFranco
Kristen Ford“Heres To You Kid (feat Ani DiFranco)”
Be Your Own Pet - Erotomania
Be Your Own Pet“Erotomania”
Annie DiRusso - Emerson
Annie DiRusso“Emerson”
Girlhouse - you dont think about me
Girlhouse“you dont think about me”
Daisha McBride - Ballgame
Daisha McBride“Ballgame”
Yours Truly Jai  Gretchen - BOYS GO TO JUPITER
Yours Truly, Jai + Gretchen“BOYS GO TO JUPITER”
Memethegoat - Talk My Sh*t
Memethegoat“Talk My Sh*t”
Sweet Poison - Trappaz
Sweet Poison“Trappaz ”
Janell Rosa - Lonely
Janell Rosa“Lonely”
Annie Williams - Oh My Love
Annie Williams“Oh My Love”
Kaitlyn Raitz - Overthinker
Kaitlyn Raitz“Overthinker”
HR Lexy - Torn
HR Lexy“Torn”
Eardrummer - Ultra
Eardrummer“Ultra”
Dream Chambers - Sensation
Dream Chambers“Sensation”

Rich Text: Unraveling the Metro Arts Commission

The Metro Arts Commission is the body responsible for issuing grants and funding to projects they deem worthy. It’s a huge part of many operating budgets that people rely on, as well as a conduit to creating enriching artistic activities. When running smoothly, it can do a lot of good. However, if you haven’t been paying attention to the Arts Commission over the past year (2023-2024), it’s been anything but smooth. The broad strokes: there have been major payment delays, lots of waffling on who will receive funding and plenty of accusations amongst board members.

Keeping up with the activities has been an interesting endeavor but it’s a deep well with lots of details to keep up with. Furthermore, the Arts Commission itself is a body that deserves some context to understand why it exists, how it exists and where it came from. Fortunately, it seems that the {Rich Text} podcast is going to help clarify all of that. Based on a series of articles from Mike Lacy about the same topic, the show seeks to unravel the current hurdles of the Arts Commission and provide the context from whence it came. Specifically, his own show summary reads:

Reading deeply into words and events to unfold the layers of meaning in them to find out: “How did we get here?” Produced by Mike Lacy in Nashville, TN, this podcast started with a particular local political crisis around arts funding but is interested in much more than pointing fingers. What can we learn about the ways that power, class, and race interact when we read deeply into the {Rich Text} around us?

There’s only one official episode out so far but it’s a truly fascinating listen. It’s also a gateway to the original articles that are certainly worth a peek or two.


Keeping up with government activities can be daunting, boring, frustrating or some combination of all of the above. Keeping up with the Arts Commission is a slightly different beast. Not because it isn’t daunting, boring, or frustrating but because the money being distributed often goes toward such indelible parts of the city. Look at this list of 2024 Operating Grant Recipients – note Belcourt, TPAC, Frist, Cheekwood, Nashville Symphony, Country Music Hall of Fame and more are all on the list. Further down the line with smaller grants reveals wonderful endeavors like Defy Film Festival, chatterbird, The Porch, The Forge, Kindling Arts, Y.E.A.H., and loads more. The Arts Commission’s role in the health of the city really can’t be understated. Therefore, making sense of their activities is well worth all of our time. Here’s to {Rich Text} helping us all reach that goal.

007: Popcorn Grab-Bag Classic

Buckle up, because we have a lot to talk about. Bunnicula made a tiktok account, we remember that Photo Booth exists, HP tells us about a guy who played Dark Souls with bananas, we hear a personal account of a man plagued by a Dogman, and we answer a DQ from Dycee about ghooosts. And… there’s more. Just listen!

Additional Links:
Dark Souls 3 with bananas
Dogman Sightings Across America
Bunnicula’s TikTok
The National UFO Reporting Center


Episode edited by Mac Burrus
@macburrus

Connect with Dizzy Spell:
Instagram: @dizzyspellworld
Official Site: dizzyspell.show

Friendship Commanders – Bill (Steve Albini Mixes)


Back in 2018, Friendship Commanders released their explosive full-length album BILL. The record was recorded and produced by Steve Albini (and the band) at Electrical Audio in Chicago. Drummer Jerry Roe mixed the record and by all measures, it’s a fantastic record. If you’ve never heard it, prepare yourself for a big rock record with tons of energy and immersive emotive vocals from Buick Audra.

On July 22nd, the band will release an alternate mix of the six year old album that was mixed by Steve Albini. You can hear the first track, “Outlive You” over on the band’s Bandcamp page. I’ve also taken the liberty of embedding the original mix and the Albini mix back to back so you can easily hear them back to back. It’s often hard to pinpoint the differences in alternate mixes like this – largely because the mix is not the only change. The original album was mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service, the Albini mixes by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Technology has changed, techniques have changed, etc. That is to say, there’s a myriad of tweaks at play here but the result feels much fuller and much more raw. This makes sense given Albini’s penchant for keeping things simple.

It’s a fascinating listen and there’s only one song available so far! Here’s what the band has to say about the project:

For Steve, who changed our lives.

This album was originally released in October of 2018, and the mixes that were used were done by Jerry Roe at Fort Knockout in Nashville TN, mastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering in Chicago IL. We always planned on releasing the Albini mixes. Always. But we kept writing and releasing new work and the right moment never seemed to present itself. We didn’t imagine that Steve would ever pass. It was a joy to make this record with him; his mixes are reflective of the loud, lovely time we all had together. They’re guitar-forward, angular, and dynamic. And now it’s time to share them. We’ll miss Steve for the rest of our lives but feel immense gratitude that we had this experience together—and that we have this work to show for it. We’re releasing the full album on July 22, which would have been Steve’s 62nd birthday. We offer this work up in celebration of his life and many legacies. We hope you love it as much as we do.

Thankful that the band is willing to share these. Looking forward to July 22nd when we can hear the entire record.

384: Country Funk Party Band with an Ambient Bridge

An hour of local music filled to the brim with delights. As with every episode, we implore you to click through the show notes below to hear more from each artist.

That’s Sundaes on our cover.

“Main Theme” by Upright T-Rex Music, other music beds by Test Kitchen.


Follow us on Instagram or shoot us a DM with your music submission: @weownthistown

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Lone Official - Le Coq Sportif
Lone Official“Le Coq Sportif”
Budge - hrtstrngs
Budge“hrtstrngs”
The Sewing Club  Susannah Joffe - loser 4 u
The Sewing Club with Susannah Joffe“loser 4 u”
Sundaes - Anyway
Sundaes“Anyway”
Book NOT Brooke - Prettiest Penny
Book NOT Brooke“Prettiest Penny”
Mama Zu - Make a Joke
Mama Zu“Make a Joke”
Meg Elsier - iznotreal
Meg Elsier“iznotreal” (watch the videos)
Wilby - Cosette
Wilby“Cosette”
Purser - Zero Sum
Purser“Zero Sum”
Dreamer Boy - Heartbreaker
Dreamer Boy“Heartbreaker”
Savvy - PEACEPIECE
Savvy“PEACE/PIECE”
NOTHER EARTH - Nother Night in Nashville
NOTHER EARTH“Nother Night in Nashville”
TB8S - After These Messages
TB8S“After These Messages”
Jack Silverman Quartet - Prince of Shadows
Jack Silverman Quartet“Prince of Shadows”

Houston Kendrick – “The Suburbs” (Official Video)

Houston Kendrick released the full-length album Small Infinity in April of 2021. It is, without being hyperbolic, an incredible piece of work. Kendrick’s vocal delivery often soars in the falsetto, effortlessly. The music is driving, cinematic, delicate, introspective or sometimes all of the above. Lyrically, it’s personal, relatable, fiery and empowered. As noted, it is a incredible piece of work.

The official video for “The Suburbs” dropped in May 2024, roughly three years after the album was released but the track has lost no luster. In a musical landscape that only seems to honor brand new releases, it’s incredibly respectable that Kendrick continues to promote the album. Not only does the album deserve the utmost recognition but, more importantly, the message of the song should reach as many people as possible. From Kendrick’s own YouTube summary:

The Suburbs explores the chaos, discord, and unease that lies behind the deceiving veneer of suburban politeness. The song is autobiographical in nature, discussing the emotional dissonance that results from being black and gay in the heart of the Bible Belt; forced to forge an identity in an environment that covertly and overtly tells you that you should not exist.

Inspired by classic Hitchcockian horror, the video leans into the camp of those performative pleasantries which mask the hatred that fuels racism, homophobia and all prejudice. The cast of characters includes me, a bunch of racist zombies and my Higher Self — a mysterious omniscient force guiding my footsteps even when I try to resist. It’s through this consistent and often uncomfortable interaction between self and soul that we find the freedom and strength to be who we are.

The videos presentation of the idyllic 1950’s suburbia is a reminder that the ideals of the past are a fallacy, particularly given the lived experiences of folks like Kendrick himself. There are, undoubtedly, others going through the same levels of racism and homophobia. Hopefully they can hear this track, feel the frustration and appreciate the unbelievably catchy vocal lines to “f**k the suburbs.”

006: Coincidence?! with guest Allison Inman

Step out of the matrix for a moment… and into the Dizzy Spell dimension. Our special guest is the enigmatic filmmaker and Belcourt Theatre’s Education and Engagement Director Allison Inman and she’s got a ~wild~ story to share involving a talking house. We also find out HP’s biggest fear, learn about Pope’s Rules, and ask Allison about the weirdest movie she’s ever seen. Tune into the reverberations!

Additional Links:
Carthage House of Beauty directed by Allison Inman
Hi Tech Service directed by Allison Inman
De Humani Corporis Fabrica – Official Trailer
Synchronicity
The National UFO Reporting Center


Episode edited by Mac Burrus
@macburrus

Connect with Dizzy Spell:
Instagram: @dizzyspellworld
Official Site: dizzyspell.show

That Later Guilt (Dadcult with Nick Melidis)

DJ, hip-hop lover and Co-creator of the Boom Bap, Nick Melidis joins the gals for their special Father’s Day episode. We talk about everything from managing anger, parental preference, and the myth of the terrible two’s. Nick walks us through his experience seeing his son, Cruze, go through head surgery and how his dad guilt usually hits him at the end of the night. Sarah survived another birthday party but not without stitches and Joy reads an old journal entry. Join us for the SEASON FINALE of SEASON 3!!


Follow Momcult on Instagram @momcultpodcast.

383: Music is Mysterious

There’s one track on this episode that was designated as Nashville, TN. Upon checking on it a week or so later, it was then designated as from Chengdu, China. Did the artist make the cross global trip? Was the original tag a joke? How did this music get made? Music is mysterious, we may never know the answer. What we do know is that 14 out of 15 tracks on this episode are definitely from the Nashville area. I’m a little biased but I’d also go as far as to say that 15 out of 15 tracks are a treat for your ears.

That’s Justice Rhiime on our cover.

“Main Theme” by Upright T-Rex Music, other music beds by Test Kitchen.


Follow us on Instagram or shoot us a DM with your music submission: @weownthistown

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Dee Souf - Feeling good feeling great
Dee Souf“Feeling good, feeling great ”
DTL JAMS - Slick Maybe prod by Hero Uno
DTL JAMS“Slick Maybe (prod by Hero Uno)”
Silence Monk - Dilla Stay
Silence Monk“Dilla Stay”
Big If True - Lake Murray
Big, If True“Lake Murray”
95COROLLA - LIKE LIGHTNING
95COROLLA“LIKE LIGHTNING”
We The Vermin - ALMOST HEAVEN
We The Vermin“ALMOST HEAVEN”
Justice Rhiime - Cant Put Me Down
Justice Rhiime“Cant Put Me Down”
Virghost - Last Living Poet
Virghost“Last Living Poet”
Ken Sable - If This Is Heaven
Ken Sable“If This Is Heaven”
Faux Ferocious - Rock Bottom
Faux Ferocious“Rock Bottom”
Mercy Hanson - Mi Amor
Mercy Hanson“Mi Amor”
SYMPL3 - The Best
SYMPL3“The Best”
TB8S - Bad Apples
TB8S“Bad Apples”
Torsion - Crime For Revenge
Torsion“Crime For Revenge”
Patrick Sansone - Phosphenes
Patrick Sansone“Phosphenes”

382: 615 Day

As you well know, June 15th is affectionally known as “615 Day” here in Nashville, TN. Thanks to our area code, it’s easy to connect 6/15 to (615). Lightning 100 has been making a treat of it for years (for which we are thankful!). In 2024, a new tradition begins with Six One Tribe holding their 615DAY festivities. The inaugural event takes place at The Basement East with the entire Six One Tribe performing, along with sets from Brian Brown and Sweet Poison. We felt excited by the event and magically felt inspired to put together a full playlist of Nashville hip-hop. This isn’t a holistic list by any stretch of the imagination but it’s a damn good ride if we do say so ourselves.

Celebrating local music is something everyone should do every damn day! And you shouldn’t be restricted to one genre! Nashville’s got it all – hip-hop, indie rock, electronic experimentation, et al. But this year, let’s lean into the hip-hop and really appreciate those gems.

That’s Six One Tribe on our cover, duh.

“Main Theme” by Upright T-Rex Music.


Follow us on Instagram or shoot us a DM with your music submission: @weownthistown

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Six One Trbe - YOU CAN TELL feat Blvck Wizzle Corduroy Clemens Ronni Raxx TheRealStepson
Six One Trbe“YOU CAN TELL” (feat Blvck Wizzle, Corduroy Clemens, Ronni Raxx, TheRealStepson)
Brian Brown - Better Days
Brian Brown“Better Days”
Sweet Poison - Trappaz
Sweet Poison“Trappaz ”
Daisha McBride - Ballgame
Daisha McBride“Ballgame”
BeHoward - Shameless feat Nasty Nyse
BeHoward“Shameless” feat Nasty Nyse
Namir Blade - Patlabor
Namir Blade“Patlabor”
ST SLUG - SAINT
ST SLUG“SAINT”
B Stokes - All in your feelings
B Stokes“All in your feelings ” feat. PETTY
Savvy - BagPurse feat Mike Floss
Savvy“BagPurse” feat Mike Floss
FU Stan  BeHoward - Dope Boy
FU Stan & BeHoward“Dope Boy ”
Sweet Poison - New Energy
Sweet Poison“New Energy”
Brian Brown - Newports
Brian Brown“Newports ”
Six One Trbe - GITMO feat Evan Grey Corduroy Clemens Gee Slab Negro Justice
Six One Trbe“GITMO” feat Evan Grey, Corduroy Clemens, Gee Slab, Negro Justice
Corduroy Clemens - Same Ol
Corduroy Clemens“Same Ol ” feat. Gee Slab
Negro Justice“Work in the Morning” feat. Corduroy Clemens
Six One Tribe - 10000 Hours
Six One Tribe“10000 Hours”
Negro Justice  Gee Slab - MR WONDERFUL
Negro Justice Gee Slab“MR WONDERFUL”
Gee Slab - Rappers Average
Gee Slab“Rappers Average”
Bez - FREEDUMB
BEZ“FREEDUMB”
Stone Deep - Sometimes
Stone Deep“Sometimes”
Intro - TO NEXT YEAR
Intro“TO NEXT YEAR ”
Houston Kendrick - Ugly Vybes
Houston Kendrick“Ugly Vybes”
Reaux Marquez - BLOCK HOT feat NAMIR BLADE  JAMIAH
Reaux Marquez“BLOCK HOT ” feat NAMIR BLADE & JAMIAH
Jonesiii From The Moon“One Love”
RashadThaPoet - Get Paid
RashadThaPoet“Get Paid”
Quiet Entertainer“My Story” ft ET
Pretty Shy - Gettin Ratchet
Pretty Shy“Gettin Ratchet”
Mike Floss - Born In The Dark
Mike Floss“Born In The Dark ”
JORDAN Xx - Illuh feat Chuck Indigo
JORDAN Xx“Illuh” feat Chuck Indigo
Corduroy Clemens - Truth feat Gee Slab
Corduroy Clemens“Truth” feat. Gee Slab

004: Belly Full of Stars

Welcome to Episode 4 of Radio Resistance: Tennessee Experimental! Our special guest this hour is Kim Rueger aka Belly Full of Stars. As Belly Full of Stars, Kim often blends FM synths and granular vocals with sundry field recordings and modular processes, improvising textured compositions that veer ambient, with hints of glitch. In this hour, you’ll hear Kim’s philosophy on improvisation and music meditation, as well her thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of making experimental music in Nashville. The episode closes with a sneak preview of new unreleased material by Belly Full of Stars.

Plus music by Belly Full of Stars’ creative influences: Caterina Barbieri, Rosenau & Sanborn, Low, Meg Mulhearn, Low


Connect with Belly Full of Stars
Instagram: @bellyfullofstars
Bandcamp: triplicaterecords.bandcamp.com

Connect with Radio Resistance:
Instagram: @radioresistance_tn
Official Site: radioresistance.org


Hosted by Carissa Stolting 
Interview & performance recorded by Matt Andrews
Audio produced by Kai Welch 
Artwork by Ben Smith 
Podcast distributed by We Own This Town 

Radio Resistance: Tennessee Experimental is created by Unmanageable Arts, and made possible with support from the Tennessee Arts Commission.

003: Joshua Dent

Welcome to Episode 3 of Radio Resistance: Tennessee Experimental! This episode features the music and story of Joshua Dent, a Nashville-based cellist, composer, and member of experimental new music ensemble, chatterbird. In this hour, Joshua performs an original solo cello composition “Vulnerable / Vicious” live in the studio, and shares their story about living and creating in Tennessee when Trans/Queer rights are under attack. The vision and inspiration behind Dent’s work stems from a hope to both give and receive perspectives that instill compassion for fellow human beings.

Plus music by Joshua Dent’s creative influences: Giovanni Sollima, Caroline Shaw, Mingjia, Kaitlyn Raitz


Connect with Joshua Dent
Instagram: @joshthecellist
Bandcamp: joshuadent.bandcamp.com

Connect with Radio Resistance:
Instagram: @radioresistance_tn
Official Site: radioresistance.org


Hosted by Carissa Stolting 
Interview & performance recorded by Matt Andrews
Audio produced by Kai Welch 
Artwork by Ben Smith 
Podcast distributed by We Own This Town 

Radio Resistance: Tennessee Experimental is created by Unmanageable Arts, and made possible with support from the Tennessee Arts Commission.