Strong Songs - Kirk Hamilton

"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush [Recast] Jul 01, 2022

Heathcliff! It's us, it's Strong Songs, we've come home!

In March of 2021, the time was right for a deep dive into the music of the great Kate Bush, and what better song to analyze than her breakthrough 1978 hit, "Wuthering Heights." (And in July of 2022, with Bush's fame at new heights thanks to Netflix's Stranger Things, the time is perhaps even more right.) This song has it all - odd phrasing, shifting key centers, soaring vocals, character narration, an epic guitar solo, a red dress, and a celesta.

Written by: Kate Bush

Album: The Kick Inside (1978)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“James and the Cold Gun” and “The Man with the Child in His Eyes” by Kate Bush from The Kick Inside, 1978
“Sat In Your Lap” and “The Dreaming” by Kate Bush from The Dreaming, 1982
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush from Hounds of Love, 1985
Richard Buskin's 2004 Sound on Sound article about the writing and recording of "Wuthering Heights" - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-kate-bush-wuthering-heights
The 1886 remake/remix of "Wuthering Heights"
Kate Bush's iconic Red Dress music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3gKKiTvjs
Noel Fielding's incredible live reenactment of the Red Dress video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du4uH1fC9B8
A demonstration of the bell tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhStPnEcXrk
“The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from The Nutcracker Suite, 1892 performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, 1999
“Starman” by David Bowie from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972
“Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra from Out of the Blue, 1977

OUTRO SOLOIST: Charles McNeal

Charles McNeal is a killin' Oakland-based sax player who plays all over the bay area. He's also a master jazz transcriber, and has chronicled tons of great solos. You can find him playing out in a variety of bands and settings; the best way to keep up with his music is to subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram @charlesonsax2 - https://www.instagram.com/charlesonsax2

-----LINKS-----

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic | Patreon.com/strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

The Hollow Knight music video Kirk mentioned at the end of this episode: https://youtu.be/eIVtGlcpZS0

"Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos Jun 17, 2022

Tori Amos was one of the most distinctive songwriters of the 90s, and remains a powerful musical voice decades later. "Silent All These Years," one of many strong singles off of her 1992 solo debut, is a perfect encapsulation of so many of the things that make her music special.

On this episode, Kirk takes a close look at this delicate, tenuously balanced song, from its floating opening piano line, to its expansive, time-warping bridge, to its hopeful conclusion. It's our turn now to stand where she stands; here, take hold of her hand.

Written by: Tori Amos

Album: Little Earthquakes, 1992

Listen/Buy via Songwhip

Also featured:

"Precious Things," also by Amos, from Little Earthquakes
Amos performing "Silent All These Years" from Tori Amos Live at Montreaux 91/92

OUTRO SOLOIST: Galen Clark

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Galen Clark. Galen plays keyboard and organ with the killer funk/soul group Outer Orbit, who you can find playing regularly around Portland, Oregon and occasionally on tour. Find more information at their website, https://www.outerorbitband.com

Update 6/20: This episode initially misidentified the song's producer, Davitt Sigerson. It has been updated to credit him and string arranger Nick DeCaro, as well as to add some extra detail to the rhythmic breakdown of the intro (thanks Trevor!) and to add a second possible lyrical interpretation for the the third verse. The file swap may cause temporary issues with your download, depending on your podcast app, but it'll eventually work. Apologies for any inconvenience.

-----LINKS-----

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic | Patreon.com/strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

---------------

JUNE 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Patrick
SEAN D WINNIE
Daniel Hannon-Barry
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Rob Bosworth
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

JUNE 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Owain Hunt
Renee Downing
Drew
Rohan Latimer
KenIsWearingAHat
Tony
Jordan Block
Aaron Wade
Chad Hivner
Travis Pollard
Jeff Ulm
Jamie
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

Three to Tango, with Alex Krebs and Andrew Oliver Jun 03, 2022

Tango is more than just dance, and more than just music - it's a whole artistic genre. For some people, it's a way of life. One such person is Alex Krebs, a Portland-based tango instructor, Bandoneon player, and bandleader who has dedicated the past couple decades to spreading a love of tango around the world.

On this episode, Alex and pianist Andrew Oliver take Kirk (and all of you) on a journey into the wide, enchanting world of tango.

FEATURED/DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:

Alex's Portland Tango Studio, Tango Berretin
Selections from Stumptandas by the Alex Krebs Tango Sextet: “Milonga Bruja” by Juan Rezzano, “Romance Di Barrio” by Anibal Troilo, “Si Soy Asi” by Francisco Lomuto/Antonio Botta, "Solamente Ella" by Lucio Demare/Homero Manzi, “La Yumba” by Osvaldo Pugliese, 1946, and "No Te Apures Cara Blanca" by Garza / Bahr, all arranged by Andrew Oliver
“Tango Por una Cabeza” by Carlos Gardel from Dresdén, 1933-35, also performed by The Tango Project for True Lies, 1994
“Esta Noche de Luna” by Osvoldo Pugliese, 1942
“Arrabal” by Osvaldo Pugliese from El Eslabón Perdido, 1966
“Buenos Aires Yo Te Canto” by Carlos Di Sarli
“Que Me Importa Tu Pasado” by Juan D’Arienzo, 1959
“Te Aconsejo Que Me Olvides” by Aníbel Troilo
“Verano Porteño” by Astor Piazolla & Quinteto Tango from The Vienna Concert, 1992
“La Milonga de Buenos Aires” by Francisco Canaro
“Las Mirlas” by Horacia Salgán, ~1950
“Taquito Militar” by Horacio Salgán y Ubaldo De Lio
“Invierno" by Orchestra Típica Misteriosa Buenos Aires from Una noche en la milonga, 2013

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and was also featured on the year three Strong Songs theme msuic. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor and check out one of his singles here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kylemolitor/the-jazz-feat-toranpetto

-----LINKS-----

THE STRONG SONGS TANGO PLAYLIST
Apple Music | Spotify

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic | Patreon.com/strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

THE OVERALL STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

----------

JUNE 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Patrick
SEAN D WINNIE
Daniel Hannon-Barry
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Rob Bosworth
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

JUNE 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Owain Hunt
Renee Downing
Drew
Rohan Latimer
KenIsWearingAHat
Tony
Jordan Block
Aaron Wade
Chad Hivner
Travis Pollard
Jeff Ulm
Jamie
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

Strong Solos, Vol. 1 May 20, 2022

There's nothing like a good instrumental solo—that moment when a lone player stands in the spotlight and takes the helm, leading the band in an uncharted direction. On the first edition of Strong Solos, Kirk takes apart a few of his favorite solos, which a special focus on players who use motivic development, also known as theme and variations.

SOLOS FEATURED:

Eric Shenkman on "Two Princes" by Spin Doctors from Pocket Full of Kryptonite, 1991
Sonny Rollins on "St. Thomas" from Saxophone Colossus, 1956
Joe Morello on "Take Five" by Paul Desmond/The Dave Brubeck Quartet from Time Out, 1959
Chris Potter on "Janie Runaway" by Steely Dan from Two Against Nature, 2000

ALSO DISCUSSED:

Excerpts from multiple previous episodes of Strong Songs
“Sponger Money,” traditional Bahamian folk song, from Goombay - the Folk Songs of the Bahamas by George Symonette
"Symphony No. 5" by Ludwig van Beethoven, 1804-08, performed by the London Philharmonic

OUTRO SOLOIST: Steve Pardo

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Steve Pardo. Steve is a Nashville, TN based producer, composer, and saxophonist. You can find out more at his website: https://www.stevepardo.com/

-----LINKS-----

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic | Patreon.com/strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

----------

MAY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Patrick
SEAN D WINNIE
Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

MAY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

KenIsWearingAHat
Tony
Jordan Block
Aaron Wade
Michael Flaherty
Chad Hivner
Travis Pollard
Jeff Ulm
Jeff Newman
Jamie
Max Dickstein
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

"Wichita Lineman" by Jimmy Webb & Glen Campbell May 06, 2022

I hear you singin' in the wire... I can hear you through the whine... and the Strong Songs podcast is talking about one of the best songs of all time.

On this episode, Kirk takes on Jimmy Webb & Glen Campbell's ethereal workin' song "Wichita Lineman," an ode to the profound poetry within all of us. It's a song without a chorus or a bridge that still feels complete, thanks largely to the way it subtly climbs from the street, to the wire, and up into the heavens.

Written by: Jimmy Webb

Produced by: Al De Lory

Performed by: Glen Campbell w/ The Wrecking Crew

Album: Wichita Lineman, 1968

Listen/Buy via Songwhip

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“God Only Knows” by Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys from Pet Sounds, 1966
Excerpts from "The Wrecking Crew!" documentary directed by Danny Tedesco, 2008
Excerpts from Dylan Jones' book Wichita LIneman: Searching in the Sun for the World’s Greatest Unfinished Song, 2019
“Galveston” by Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell from Galveston, 1969
Glen Campbell performing “Wichita Lineman” with a Fender Bass VI on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

OUTRO SOLOIST: Carlos "Insaneintherainmusic" Eieine

Carlos Eienie is a prolific multi-instrumentalist and YouTube creator who's done some extremely fun jazz arrangements of great video game music, among other things. You can find him on most social media as some variant of @insaneintherainmusic, and on his website at https://www.insaneintherainmusic.com/.

-----LINKS-----

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic | Patreon.com/strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

----------

MAY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Patrick
SEAN D WINNIE
Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

MAY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

KenIsWearingAHat
Tony
Jordan Block
Aaron Wade
Michael Flaherty
Chad Hivner
Travis Pollard
Jeff Ulm
Jeff Newman
Jamie
Max Dickstein
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

Robot Composers & Horror Music Apr 22, 2022

Ever wonder what makes some music sound scarier than other music? Same.

Kirk answers listener questions about music in horror movies, Tune-Yards horn arrangements, funky drum sounds in Biggie and Paul Simon tunes, randomly generated music, and why musicians are their own worst critics. He also revisits the intro to Guns 'n Roses' "Welcome To The Jungle," and shares some listener emails about being a left-handed musician.

FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns ’n Roses from Appetite for Destruction, 1987
“Redneck” by Lamb of God from Sacrament, 2006
Melissa Cross demonstrating different types of screaming on YouTube
“Hold Yourself” by Tune-Yards from sketchy., 2021
“Cissy Strut” and “Pungee” by The Meters, 1967 and 1969
“Virtua Mima” by Masahiro Ikumi n from the Perfect Blue soundtrack
“Pink Soldiers” by Jung Jae-il from Squid Game, 2021
“Submarine” by Bjork from Medulla, 2004
“Theme from Jaws” by John Williams, 1975
"Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits from Brothers in Arms, 1985
“Purple Haze” by Jimmi Hendrix from Are You Experienced, 1967
“Born Under a Bad Sign” by Albert King, 1967
“Hypnotize” by Notorious B.I.G. from Life After Death, 1997
Shawn Rivera demonstrates a Conga delizado or “Moose Call”:
“Me and Julio Down By The Schoolyard” by Paul Simon from Paul Simon, 1972
An explanation of the Cuica on YouTube
“Diamond Girl” by Seals & Crofts from Seals & Crofts, 1973
“So What” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1957 and the Strong Songs episode about it
Various compositions by @MelodyBot3456
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 from Joshua Tree, 1987

OUTRO SOLOIST

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful Bay Area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects and experiments. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.

-----LINKS-----

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic | Patreon.com/strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music.

----------

APRIL 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

APRIL 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Chad Hivner
Travis Pollard
Jeff Ulm
Jeff Newman
Max Dickstein
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

The Music of The Legend of Zelda Apr 08, 2022

Few video game series have a musical tradition as rich as The Legend of Zelda.

From Zelda's Lullabye to Epona's Song to the Great Fairy Fountain and Dragon Roost Island, Kirk unravels some of his favorite Zelda music and explores how Nintendo's composers keep weaving them back together into beautiful new patterns.

Written by: Main themes by Koji Kondo, with additional compositions by Kenta Nagata (Wind Waker), Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata, and Hajime Wakai (Breath of the Wild)

Featuring music from: The Legend of Zelda (1986), A Link to the Past (1991), Ocarina of Time (1998), Wind Waker (2002), Skyward Sword (2011), A Link Between Worlds (2013), and Breath of the Wild (2017)

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

Themes from Star Wars, Superman, and Jurassic Park by John Williams
The Super Mario Bros. theme by Koji Kondo, and the episode of Strong Songs discussing it
Kirk's weekly video game podcast Triple Click, which he makes along with Jason Schreier and Maddy Myers

OUTRO SOLOIST: Charles McNeal

Charles McNeal is a killin' Oakland-based sax player who plays all over the bay area. He's also a master jazz transcriber, and has chronicled tons of great solos. You can find him playing out in a variety of bands and settings; the best way to keep up with his music is to subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram @charlesonsax2.

-----LINKS-----

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS
Paypal | Patreon.com/Strongsongs

MERCH STORE
store.strongsongspodcast.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
@StrongSongs | @Kirkhamilton | IG: @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER
https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

JOIN THE DISCORD
https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music.

APRIL 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

APRIL 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Chad Hivner
Travis Pollard
Jeff Ulm
Jeff Newman
Max Dickstein
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

Mario Kart & That 'Musical' Sound Mar 25, 2022

Kirk answers questions about Guns 'n Roses, Mario Kart 64, phasers, and what makes a song sound like it's from a musical.

DISCUSSED/REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

"Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns n’ Roses from Appetite for Destruction, 1987
"Results Theme" from Mario Kart 64 by Kenta Nagata
A video kirk made in 2014 about the dynamic music of Mount Wario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8TBS75U1p8
“Dig” by Incubus from Light Grenades, 2006
“Waiting On A Miracle” feat Stephanie Beatriz, “What Else Can I Do?" feat Diane Guerrero, and "We Don't Talk About Bruno” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Encanto, 2021
“Tonight” from West Side Story 2021, performed by Rachel Zeigler and Ansel Elgort, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Leonard Bernstein
“Popular” by Stephen Schwartz performed by Kristin Chenoweth from Wicked, 2003
“I Believe” by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez performed by Andrew Rannells from The Book of Mormon, 2000
An excerpt from the October 2021 episode of “Backstage Pass with Eric Vitro” featuring Arianna Grande
Audio excerpts from Brooklyn 99 and Doom Patrol
“One” by Creed from My Own Prison, 1997
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry as performed in Back To The Future, 1985

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and was also featured on the year three Strong Songs theme msuic. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank-you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

MARCH 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

MARCH 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Max Dickstein
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

"Just What I Needed" by The Cars Mar 11, 2022

It's not the perfume that you wear... it's not the ribbons in your hair.... I guess it's just the perfect blend of synths and electric guitars that you bring to every song.

Yes, it's time for Strong Songs to tackle The Cars, and their 1978 pop-rock classic "Just What I Needed." But while that song encapsulates everything that made the brilliant Boston five-piece great, Kirk decided to use his Walkman to occasionally fast-forward to compare and contrast with a second Cars classic from 1984.

Written by: Ric Ocasek

Albums: The Cars, 1978 and Heartbeat City, 1984

Listen/Buy to both albums on all platforms via Songwhip

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen from A Night at the Opera, 1975
"Drive," "Good Times Roll," and "My Best Friend's Girl" by Ric Ocasek/The Cars from The Cars, 1978 and Heartbeat City, 1984

OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ Cord

This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank-you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

MARCH 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

MARCH 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Max Dickstein
Deebs
Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Emily Williams

Story of a Session Guitarist, with Andrew Synowiec Feb 25, 2022

You might not know Andrew Synowiec's name, but chances are you've heard his guitar playing. Heck, chances are you heard his guitar playing this week.

Synowiec makes his living as an LA session guitarist, with a list of credits as long as the California coastline. Among those credits: you can hear him on the score for pretty much every recent Disney film (Frozen, CoCo, Zootopia), as well superhero flicks like Logan and Spider-Man: Far From Home, TV shows like The Simpsons and The Good Place, as well as on records with recording artists like The Who, HAIM, P!nk, Nick Jonas, Donna Summer, and so many more.

A couple weeks back, Kirk sat down with Andrew to talk about his career as a session player, how he finds a good balance when doing creative work for hire, his approach to practicing and guitar tone, how he designed and built his home studio, and why he continues to make the time for his own personal music projects.

FEATURED/DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:

Guy Lacour etude No. 4 as performed by David Hernando Vitores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyGo9NmZUNw
Wes Montgomery on “No Blues” from Smokin’ at the Half Note w/ the Wynton Kelly Trio, 1965
“Where The Streets Have No Name” by U2 from The Joshua Tree, 1987
“Sad But True” by Metallica from Metallica, 1991
“Blood and Thunder” by Mastodon from Leviathan, 2004
“Last Goodbye” by Jeff Buckley from Grace, 1994
“Already Taken,” “Second Story,” and “Humor Me” by Andrew Synowiec from Second Story, 2019
“Jonkoloni” by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba from Segu Blue, 2006, feat. the Ngoni
“Salsa Caliente (Versión Aumentada)” by Meridian Brothers from Desperanza, 2012
“You Are Young” by Keane from Strangeland, 2012
A video with Andrew about his work and his home studio
A Spotify playlist Andrew maintains featuring things he's played on
Andrew's website, with lots more credits and other info

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

A huge thank-you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

FEBRUARY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

FEBRUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Melissa Gallardo
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Strong Covers, Vol. 2 Feb 11, 2022

Three different artists! Three different covers! Of songs by one beloved band!

On the second edition of "Strong Covers," we're digging into covers of three Beatles classics: Earth, Wind & Fire's maximalist remake of "Gotta Get You Into My Life," Ray Charles' saucy reimagining of "Eleanor Rigby," and Bobby McFerrin's delicate recitation of "Blackbird." Come for the English-accented rhyme schemes, stay for the impeccable voice leading.

Covered (lol) on this episode:

"Gotta Get You Into My Life" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney, as covered by Earth, Wind & Fire in 1978
"Eleanor Rigby" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney, as covered by Ray Charles in 1968
"Blackbird" by Paul McCartney/Lennon-McCartney, as covered by Bobby McFerrin on The Voice, 1984

OUTRO SOLOIST: Sam Howard

This episode's outro soloist is bassist Sam Howard. Sam performs and tours with all kinds of artists, from the Wailin' Jennys to Molly Tuttle. After his solo on the bridge, he played all the way through the song's outro, so keep an ear out for his playing mixed under the horns on the way out. You can find out what Sam's up to on his website, https://samhowardmusic.com.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! You rule. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

FEBRUARY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Daniel Hannon-Barry
RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Bill Rosinger
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

FEBRUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Portland Eye Care
Adam Ray
Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Melissa Gallardo
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Funky Drummers, Cheap Guitars & Sting Jan 28, 2022

What do George Michael, Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran, and the Powerpuff Girls have in common?

The answer, as you'll learn on this episode, is a funk drumming legend named Clyde Stubblefield. We'll also talk about flipped drum beats, Sting's taste for syncopation, the differences between cheap and expensive musical instruments, how to tell a bridge from a prechorus, the power of a four-note motif, the unexpected places you can find songwriting inspiration, and Muse's subtle hat-tip to a George Michael classic.

FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Darling” by Real Estate from In Mind, 2017
"Ghost Story" by Sting from Brand New Day, 1999
“You Really Got Me” by The Kinks, 1964
“Walking on Broken Glass” and "Little Bird" by Annie Lennox from Diva, 1992
Skins theme by Segal, 2007
“Kiss” by Prince from Parade, 1986
"Beneath the Snow" by Kirk Hamilton from... well, it's never been published
"Dig Down" by Muse from Simulation Theory, 2017
“Freedom ’90” by George Michael, 1990
“Royals” by Lorde from Pure Heroine, 2013
“Funky Drummer” by James Brown feat. Clyde Stubblefield, 1970
“Fight the Power” by Public Enemy, 1989
“Save Me” by Nicki Minaj, 2010
“Shirtsleeves” by Ed Sheeran, 2014
The Powerpuff Girls theme, by James L. Venable, 1998
A complete list of songs that sample Clyde Stubblefield’s drum break on “Funky Drummer”
Ben Sisario’s 2011 NYT feature on Stubblefield

OUTRO SOLOIST: Mel Carroll

Mel Carroll is a saxophonist and music teacher based in Portland, OR, where she plays with bands like like Special Purpose and the all-women 90s cover band Sideboob. Her main music project is The Flat Nines, a chill jazz funk group with a new EP, "No Hate," coming in spring of 2022. You can find more at theflatnines.com.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! You make this show happen. For more on how to support the creation of this show (and how to get some fun bonus episodes!), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

JANUARY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

JANUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Melissa Gallardo
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"Blood and Thunder" by Mastodon Jan 14, 2022

White! Whale! Holy! Grail!

Strong Songs kicks off year four by getting H-E-A-V-Y, with an analysis of Mastodon's "Blood and Thunder." Pass straight past the Mellow Meadows, through the Forests and the Foothills of Rock, and see if you can reach the summit of Hard Mountain. The view from up there is amazing.

Written by: Mastodon

Album: Leviathan, 2004

Listen/Buy on all platforms via Songwhip

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton

Kirk is the host of Strong Songs, and he's been having a lot of fun with the guitar lately. One of these days he'll even be able to play inside chord voicings without messing up. Find him hosting this podcast, and online at kirkhamilton.com.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! You make this show happen. For more on how to support the creation of this show (and how to get some fun bonus episodes!), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

JANUARY 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

RR
Prince M. Levy-Benitez
Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Melanie Andrich
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

JANUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Anupama Raghavan
Demetri Detsaridis
Carrie Schneider
Alenka Grealish
Anne Gerry
Richard Sneddon
David Judson
Julian Roleff
Melissa Gallardo
Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Bonnie Prinsen
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Tijs Soete
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Andrew Fair
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Year Three, In Review Nov 17, 2021

Kirk takes a look back at the many musical memories of Strong Songs Year Three.

Year Three is over, and it's time to revisit the songs analyzed, the questions answered, and the interviewees interviewed.

SCHEDULING NOTE: The show will be off for December, and will return for Year Four in January 2022.

2022! Feels weird to type that out.

SONGS DISCUSSED:

"Space Oddity" by David Bowie from David Bowie, 1969
"Starman" by David Bowie from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, 1972
"HIde and Seek" by Imogen Heap from Speak For Yourself, 2005
"Babylon Sisters" by Steely Dan from Gaucho, 1980
"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush from The Kick Inside, 1978
"Cameo Lover" by Kimbra from Vows, 2011
"Design (feat. Kimbra)" by Cory Wong from The Striped Album, 2020
"Stolen Moments" by Oliver Nelson from The Blues and the Abstract Truth, 1961
"New Born" and "Micro Cuts" by Muse from Origin of Symmetry, 2001
"Micro Cuts" by Muse from Origin of Symmetry: XX Anniversary RemiXX, 2021
"You've Got a Friend" by Carole King from Tapestry, 1971, and performed by Donnie Hathaway by Donnie Hathaway Live!, 1972
"Respect" by Otis Redding as performed by Redding and Aretha Franklin
"Mad World" by Roland Orzabal as performed by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules
Curt Smith's quarantine performance of "Mad World"
"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel from The Stranger, 1977
"Fingertips" by They Might Be Giants from Apollo 18, 1992
"Careless Whisper" by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley from Make It Big, 1984
"September" by Maurice White, Al McKay, and Allee Willis from The Best of Earth Wind and Fire, Vol. 1, 1978
Love Will Never Do (Without You) by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, performed by Janet Jackson on Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989
"Slippery People" and "Once In a Lifetime" by Talking Heads from Stop Making Sense, 1984

INTERVIEWS: Carmen Staaf, Lindsay Ellis, Imogen Heap, Brian Bender, and Eric Vetro

OUTRO SOLOISTS: Carlos Eiene, Jeff Bean, and Eric Elligers

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' year-three Patreon supporters! You made another year of this show possible. For more on how to support Strong Songs going into year four (!!), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

NOVEMBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

NOVEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Singing Like A Star, with Eric Vetro Nov 10, 2021

What do Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, John Legend, and Katy Perry have in common? They all study with Eric Vetro, one of the most in-demand vocal coaches in the world.

On this bonus episode, Kirk sits down with Vetro to talk about his fascinating job, how to build good habits for a strong voice, and the art and discipline (and diet!) of professional singing.

CHECK OUT ERIC'S PODCAST!

Eric has a fantastic new podcast called Backstage Pass with Eric Vetro, where he sits down with his superstar students to talk about their lives and careers, their singing practice, and the various vocal hurdles they've overcome. It's a really cool show, and definitely worth checking out.

If you want to check out Eric's (frankly ridiculous) client list, visit his website.

ERIC'S MUSIC PICKS

"Imagine" by Ariana Grande from Thank U, Next, 2019
"Perfectly Wrong" by Shawn Mendes as performed live in 2018 on The Late Late Show with James Corden
"All of Me" by John Legend from Love in the Future, 2013

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thanks to everyone who supports Strong Songs on Patreon - you make extra episodes like this possible. Find out more here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

NOVEMBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

NOVEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense Nov 03, 2021

What is this, a film podcast??

It's time for something a little different, as Kirk puts down his record player and climbs onstage for Jonathan Demme and Talking Heads' classic 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. It's a tour through the first hour of the film, from "Heaven" to "Burning Down the House" to "Once in a Lifetime," with some quick stops along the way.

Songs by: Talking Heads (David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison)
Featuring: Steve Scales (Percussion), Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt (Vocals), Alex Weir (Guitar/Vocals), and Bernie Worrell (Keys)
Film directed by: Jonathan Demme

FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

The first 12 songs from Stop Making Sense, 1984
"Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads & Brian Eno
“Heaven” by David Byrne and Jerry Harrison from Fear of Music, 1979
“Slippery People” and "Burning Down the House" by David Byrne from Speaking in Tongues, 1983
A 2020 American Songwriter interview with Edna Holt and Lynn Mabry
“Flash Light” by Parliament from Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, 1977
“You Make Me Wanna Wiggle” by The Brothers Johnson from Light Up the Night, 1980
The documentary 20 Feet From Stardom

OUTRO SOLOIST: Carlos "Insaneintherainmusic" Eieine

Carlos Eienie is a prolific multi-instrumentalist and YouTube creator who's done some extremely fun jazz arrangements of great video game music, among other things. You can find him on most social media as some variant of @insaneintherainmusic, and on his website at https://www.insaneintherainmusic.com/.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters! You keep this whole thing going. For more on how to support Strong Songs (and get some fun little bonuses), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

NOVEMBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Elliot Rosen
Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey

NOVEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Janice Berry
Doreen Carlson
mtwolf
David McDarby
Abigail Duffield
Raphadavid
Wendy Gilchrist
Lisa Turner
Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
David Blackman
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Metroid Music, Bond Themes & Jazz Philosophy Oct 20, 2021

Polish your reading glasses and pour a cup of tea - it's time for a Strong Songs mailbag!

On the last Q&A episode of year three, Kirk answers questions on Metroid meter, mystery Bond instruments, (more) Tuvan throat singing, how to count odd meters like The Terminator theme, actors who pretend to play instruments, and how to define a musical "work," even if the work in question is improvised.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Wishing” by John Frusciante from The Will to Death, 2004
“Super Metroid Theme” by Kenji Yamamoto from Super Metroid, 1994
“Kwolok’s Malaise” by Gareth Coker from Ori and the Will of the Wisps, 2020
Tuvan-style throat singing from Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island, 2021
“Alash Khem (Alash River Song)” performed by Congar Ol’Ondar w/ Béla Fleck and the Flecktones on Live at the Quick, 2002
Aboriginal Australian musician Lewis Burns performing traditional Digiridoo
“Main Title from The Terminator” by Brad Fiedel, 1984
"Blue Rondo a la Turk" by Dave Brubeck from Time Out, 1959
“Spectre” by Radiohead, 2015
“You Only Live Twice” by John Barry and Leslie Bricusse, performed by Nancy Sinatra for You Only Live Twice, 1967
“Sonata for Oboe and continuo in c minor, RV53” by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by In-Gun Hwang
“Bassoon Concerto in F Major, Op. 75” by Carl Maria von Weber, performed by Michele Bowen
An NPR interview with Wendell Pierce about his role as trombonist Antoine Batiste on Treme
An excerpt from the climactic drum solo from Whiplash
The jam session scene from episode one of Kids on the Slope
The ridiculously well animated jazz band from Yakuza 0
The final guitar showdown from Crossroads feat. Steve Vai
The episode of 99% Invisible about The Real Book
A collection of alphabetical tune excerpts from The Real Book, Vol. 1
Audio from “Reset,” the third episode of James Acaster’s Netflix special Repertoire
“Space Oddity” by David Bowie from David Bowie, 1969
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on The Philosophy of Music:
Jimi Hendrix’s performance of Frances Scott Key’s “The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock, 1969
The excellent book Harmonic Experience: Tonal Harmony from Its Natural Origins to Its Modern Expression by W.A. Mathieu

OUTRO SOLOIST: Jeff Bean

Jeff Bean is a poet and a professor of English and creative writing at Central Michigan University. He also went to Kirk's high school, where he discovered his love of jazz guitar. You can read his work at his website.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

OCTOBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

OCTOBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

KIRK'S SUGGESTED LIST OF REAL BOOK TUNES TO LEARN*

A
A Child is Born
A Fine Romance
A Night in Tunisia
Afro Blue
Afternoon in Paris
Alice in Wonderland
All Blues
All of Me
All of You
All the Things You Are
Alone Together
Anthropology
April in Paris
Autumn in New York
Autumn Leaves

B
 Beautiful Love
Bewitched
Black Orpheus
Blue Bossa
Blue In Green
Blue Monk
Blues for Alice
Blue Train
Body and Soul

C
Chega De Saudade
Chelsea Bridge
Confirmation
Corcovado
Cottontail
 D
Darn that Dream
Days of Wine and Roses
Desafinado
Dolphin Dance
Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

E
Easy to Love

F
Footprints
Four
Freddie Freeloader

G
Giant Steps
Girl from Ipanema
God Bless the Child
Goodbye Porkpie Hat
Groovin High

H
Have You Met Miss Jones
Here’s That Rainy Day
How High the Moon
How Insensitive

I
I Can’t Get Started
I could Write a Book
I Let a Song Go Out of my Heart
I Love You
I Mean You
Impressions
In a Mellow Tone
In a Sentimental Mood
In Your Own Sweet Way
Invitation
It Don’t Mean a Thing

J
Joy Spring (if you’re feeling adventurous)
Just Friends

K 
There are no K songs in the Real Book! I take this personally!

L
Lady Bird
Like Someone in Love
Lullaby of Birdland
Lush Life (there will one day be an episode about this masterpiece)

M
Maiden Voyage
Misty
Mood Indigo
Mr. P.C.
My Favorite Things
My Foolish Heart
My Funny Valentine
My One and Only Love

N
Night and Day
Night has a Thousand Eyes

O
Oleo
Once I Loved
One Note Samba
Out of Nowhere

P
Pensatia (a difficult but beautiful tune)
Pent-Up House
Prelude to a Kiss

R
Recordame
‘Round Midnight

S
Satin Doll
Scrapple from the Apple
Seven Steps to Heaven
The Shadow of Your Smile
Sidewinder
Someday My Prince Will Come
Song For My Father
Sophisticated Lady
So What
Stella By Starlight
Stolen Moments
Stompin’ at the Savoy
Straight, No Chaser
Sugar

T
Take Five
Take the “A” Train
There Is no Greater Love
There Will Never Be Another You
They Can’t Take That Away From Me
Triste
Turn Out The Stars

U
Up Jumped Spring

W
Waltz For Debby
Well You Needn’t
When I Fall In Love
Windows

Y
Yesterdays
You Don’t Know What Love Is
*There are many other great tunes in the Real Book, this is just a selection to start with if you're learning repertoire. Also, feel free to skip any of these, especially the more beboppy tunes, if they're too tricky. Or if you don't like them. Or for whatever other reason. Good luck! ~K

"Love Will Never Do (Without You)" by Janet Jackson Oct 06, 2021

They said it couldn't last, so we had to prove them wrong... by making an episode of Strong Songs all about Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.

It's time to go back to the late 80s, when New Jack Swing was all the rage and a budding superstar named Janet sat down with a pair of Minneapolis producers named Jimmy and Terry to produce some of the most groundbreaking pop music of the decade. This episode takes a look at "Love Will Never Do (Without You)," one of the most complex of their collaborations, and a tune with as many stylistic left-turns as it has orchestra hits.

Written by: James Harris III and Terry Lewis
Produced by: Janet Jackson, Jam & Lewis

Album: Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 intro from the 1980s, via YouTube
“Kiss” by Prince from Parade, 1986
“Walking on Broken Glass” by Annie Lennox from Diva, 1992
“Like a Prayer” by Madonna from Like a Prayer, 1989
“Control,” “Nasty,” and “When I Think of You” by Janet Jackson/Jam & Lewis from Control, 1986
"Rhythm Nation" and "Miss You Much" from Rhythm Nation 1814, 1989
Emu SP-1200 Beatmaking demonstration by Chief Rugged on YouTube
Discussion of New Jack Swing, which you can learn more about here
“Poison” by Bel Biv DeVoe from Poison, 1990
“Alice, I Want You Just For Me” by Full Force, produced by Teddy Riley on Full Force, 1985
Estelle Caswell’s Vox Earworm video about the Orchestra Hit
“The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac from Rumors, 1977

OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo

This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

OCTOBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Ashley Hoag
Mark and Michelle
Kelsair
Rob Bosworth
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
David Mascetti
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

OCTOBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Paul Wayper
Miles Forman
Dennis M Edwards
Jeffrey Ferris
Bruno Gaeta
Kenneth Jung
ben
kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Susan Plein
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
JeffyThanadros
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Naomi Watson
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"September" by Earth, Wind & Fire Sep 21, 2021

Ba de ya! Say that you remember! Ba de ya! Dancing in September! Ba de yah! Musical analysiiiis!

It's finally time for Strong Songs to take on one of the strongest bands of all, the great Earth, Wind & Fire. In honor of September 21, Kirk does a deep dive on EWF's timeless tribute to the end of summertime - those layered grooves, those funky bass parts, and those glossy, effortless vocals.

Written by: Maurice White, Al McKay & Alee Willis
Produced by: Maurice White

Album: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1, 1978

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Shining Star” and “Way of the World” by Earth, Wind & Fire from That’s The Way of the World, 1975
“Serpentine Fire” by Earth, Wind & Fire from All N’ All, 1977
“In The Stone” by EWF from I Am, 1979
“Easy Lover” by Phillip Bailey, Phil Collins and Nathan East, 1990
“Neutron Dance” by Alee Willis performed by the Pointer Sisters on Break Out, 1984
“Celebration” by Kool & The Gang, 1980
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973

OUTRO SOLOIST: Erik Elligers

Erik is a Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist and music educator. He plays saxophone with the New London Big Band and sings and plays guitar for the fabulous band Goodnight Blue Moon - check them out, you won't regret it: https://www.goodnightbluemoon.com/

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

SEPTEMBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

SEPTEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Clave, Chorus & "Careless Whisper" Sep 08, 2021

Well, look at that - it's a mailbag episode! Kirk answers your questions on Bo Diddley, Minecraft, The Supremes, chorus guitar, XTC, Parquet Courts, and the mystery of the "Careless Whisper" sax solo.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Wake Up” by XTC from The Big Express, 1984
“Waterfall” and “Don’t Stop” by The Stone Roses from The Stone Roses, 1989
“The Mind Electric” by Miracle Musical from Hawaii: Part II, 201
“Minecraft” by C418, 2009
The Minecraft episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz: https://www.20k.org/episodes/minecraft
“Briony” by Dario Marianelli from Atonement, 2007
“The Mayor” by Kirk Hamilton from The Exited Door, 2009
“Bo Diddley” by Bo Diddley, 1962
“You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes written by Holland-Dozier-Holland (and backed by The Funk Brothers), 1966
“Wake Up” by Arcade Fire from Funeral, 2004
“In The Heights” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from In The Heights, 2008 and the 2021 film
“Chinese Satellite” by Phoebe Bridger from Punisher, 2020
“Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo from Sour, 2021
“Time After Time” by Cindi Lauper and Rob Hyman from She’s So Unusual, 1983
“Wide Awake” by Parquet Courts from Wide Awake, 2018
“Careless Whisper” by George Michael from Wham!’s 1984 record Make It Big
Dan Forshaw’s video about Steve Gregory’s “Careless Whisper” sax solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UvoRqBDwsI

OUTRO SOLOIST: Luke Price

This episode's outro soloist is Portland fiddle player Luke Price. When he's not working as a side man in a variety of killer bands, Luke joins his wife Rachael to form the excellent songwriting duo DEAN!. You can follow them on Instagram and listen to some of their stuff on their website, wearedean.com.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD

The Strong Songs Discord server is now open to everyone! Come join the conversation and get (or give) some music recs: https://discord.gg/GCvKqAM8Sm

KEEP IT SOCIAL

Follow Strong Songs on Twitter: @StrongSongs

And find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

You can also make a one-time Paypal donation here: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/kirkhamiltonmusic

SEPTEMBER 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

SEPTEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

kurt wendelken
Adam Stofsky
Zak Remer
Rishi Sahay
Stefan Niebrügge
Jason Reitman
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Liz Seger
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"Fingertips" by They Might Be Giants Aug 25, 2021

Kirk picks apart not one, not two, but twenty one micro-songs by the great They Might Be Giants.

What's that blue thing doing here? Who's knocking on the wall? And for that matter, who's that standing out the window? It's time to answer those questions and many more, as Kirk delves into The Might Be Giants' singular collection of mini-songs, "Fingertips." It's a stylistic smorgasbord of sound, with everything from jazz to rock to lounge to... honestly, genre doesn't exist and "Fingertips" proves it. Each tiny song shines for its brief moment of life, and then lives on forever in your imagination.

Written by: John Flansburgh and John Linnell

Album: Apollo 18 (1992)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

"Particle Man," "Birdhouse In Your Soul," and "Minimum Wage" by They Might Be Giants and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon from Flood, 1990
"Extra Savoir Faire" by TMBG from John Henry, 1994
The 2002 documentary Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)
“The Simpsons Main Title Theme” by Danny Elfman, 1989
“Joy To The World” - lyrics by Isaac Watts as performed by Nat “King” Cole

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton

Kirk is the host of Strong Songs. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he likes to play the drums. He thinks he's getting good but he can handle criticism.

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks to all of Strong Songs' Patrons! You're the reason I'm able to keep the show going strong and ad-free. If you want to join the Patreon, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

AUGUST 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

AUGUST 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Andy Painter
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel Aug 11, 2021

A bottle of red... a bottle of white... whatever kind of mood you're in, we're talking Billy Joel tonight!

Pull up a table and join Kirk for a long look into one of Joel's most enduring songs, the seven-and-a-half minute, five course musical meal that is "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." The centerpiece on Joel's breakthrough 1977 album The Stranger, Italian Restaurant has got it all: schmaltzy sax, hard rock rhythms, love, heartbreak, and a pair of harmonized clarinets.

Written by: Billy Joel
Produced by: Phil Ramone

Album: The Stranger (1977)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

"Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)," "Just The Way You Are," "Vienna," "Only The Good Die Young," and "She's Always a Woman to Me" by Billy Joel from The Stranger, 1977
Joel discussing Phil Ramone in The Complete Albums Collection documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm5-oQNENnM
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury and Queen from A Night at the Opera, 1975
“One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces” by Ben Folds from Whatever and Ever Amen, 1997
“You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry, 1964
“Jack and Diane” by John Mellencamp from American Fool, 1982
“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen from Born to Run, 1975

OUTRO SOLOIST: Steve Pardo

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Steve Pardo. Steve is a Nashville, TN based producer, composer, and saxophonist. You can find out more at his website: https://www.stevepardo.com/

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks to all of Strong Songs' Patrons! You're the reason I'm able to keep the show going strong and ad-free. If you want to join the Patreon, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

AUGUST 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS  

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

AUGUST 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Andy Painter
Karen Liu
Greg Burgess
Ailie Fraser
Simon Prieto
Breck Jones
Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

The Producer's Philosophy, with Brian Bender Jul 28, 2021

Kirk sits down with producer, composer, and master mixer Brian Bender to talk about the state of the recording art.

Brian Bender has been making records since the early 2000s, from slinging cable at legendary NY spots like Electric Lady and the Hit Factory to running his own studio, The Motherbrain, in Los Angeles. He’s worked with countless artists and worked on dozens of films and TV shows. He’s also the guy who taught Kirk how to play Street Fighter back in grade school.

On this episode, Kirk reunites with his old buddy to talk about the producer’s role in the studio, Al Green's cookies, common mix misconceptions, how to mic drums, and how to get a good handclap sound.

Follow Brian (and check out his studio) on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bdbender/
Brian Bender's (Partial) Discography: https://www.discogs.com/artist/361112-Brian-Bender
Film & TV Credits: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4685996/

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE

TERMS

A/D or D/A: Analog to digital conversion
“In the Box”: Making music entirely digitally with no outboard gear
Stems - Submixes of like tracks (e.g. the strings, the guitars) which an engineer can work with instead of individual tracks in order to streamline workflow

MUSIC

“Stop” by Joe Henry from Scar, 2001
“A.D. 2000” by Erykah Badu from Mama’s Gun, 2000 (mixed by Russell Elvado)
“Lay It Down” by Al Green from Lay It Down, 2008
“Mother Brain” by Minako Mamano from Super Metroid, 1994
“If You Hear Me,” “Promised Land” by Ben Williams from I Am a Man, 2020
“Super Bad” by James Brown feat. Jabo Starks on drums, 1970
“Nobody Knows My Name” by José James feat. Laura Mvala & Kris Bowers from No Beginning No End 2, 2020
“Church Girl” by Laura Mvula from Pink Noise, 2021
“Elevator" by Gavin Turek from Madame Gold, 2021
“Guilty” by Barbra Streisand w/ Barry Gibb, 1980

GEAR DISCUSSED

Drums:

C&C Custom Drum Set
Ludwig Supraphonic Snare Drum

Studio Gear:

Studer 2-inch 24-Track Tape Recorder
Ampex 602 2-Track 1/2-Inch Tape Recorder
Otari 2-inch 16-track Multitrack Tape Machine
Teletronix LA-2A Compressor

Microphones:

AKG 414 (The OG)
Shure SM57 (The GOAT)
Electro-Voice 642 Cardiline Dynamic Shotgun Mic (Kick Batter)
Neumann U47 FET (Kick Head)
Inverted Yamaha NS-10 Woofer (Sub Kick Mic)
Sennheiser 421 (Toms)
Coles 4038 ribbon (Overheads, the other GOAT)
Lomo 19a19 tube condenser (Secret Russian mic)

OTHER THINGS

Tate’s Bake Shop
George Massenburg explains the GML8200 Parametric EQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kBFqHo2z9Q
The movie “Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar,” 2021

Correction: Kirk initially erroneously described Bender as having won multiple Grammys and Emmys, but he has only been nominated (so far). The episode has been edited to remove the error.

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

This episode was made possible by Strong Songs' lovely Patreon backers. For more on how to become a patron and support the show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JULY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

JULY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

The Music All Around Us, with Imogen Heap Jul 14, 2021

On this episode, Kirk sits down for a conversation with composer, singer, and music technologist Imogen Heap.

The two talk about the creative process, live performance in the pandemic age, the shifting relationship between artist and audience, the process of developing new music technology, several of Heap's ambitious musical projects, and of course, her song "Hide and Seek," which was the subject of an episode of Strong Songs earlier this year.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

Imogen Heap's App, home of the "Heapsters": https://imogenheap.app/
The Mi.Mu Gloves: https://mimugloves.com/
“Promo” by Tim Exile live for BBC Radio 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5SVhGg5UV8
Tim Exile's "Endless" app: https://endlesss.fm/
“Last Night of an Empire” by Imogen Heap, 2020
“First Train Home” performed by Imogen Heap in her Kitchen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5nU5O2wygE&t=1269s
“Daylight Robbery” and “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap from Speak For Yourself, 2004
“The Listening Chair” and “You Know Where to Find Me” by Imogen Heap from Sparks, 2014
E.L. Doctorow’s wonderful quote, as paraphrased by Anne Lamott in her writing memoir Bird by Bird: “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
“Oustrue” by Richard Devine from Sort/Lave, 2018
“YaYaYa” by Ry X from Unfurl, 2019
“Mountains” by Biffy Clyro from Only Revolutions, 2009
The Interdependence podcast, with Holly Herndon and Matt Dryhurst: https://interdependence.fm/

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

This episode was made possible by Strong Songs' lovely Patreon backers. For more on how to become a patron and support the show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JULY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Melissa Osborne
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Dave Sharpe
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Jim Chokey
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

JULY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Paul McGreal
Karen Arnold
NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Sharon Tree
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Strong Covers, Vol. 1 Jun 30, 2021

It's time for Strong Songs to talk about some Strong Covers! On this episode, Kirk tackles four famous covers, comparing each with the original while trying to suss out what makes a great cover in the first place.

Covered (heyo) on this episode:

"Respect" by Otis Redding, as covered by Aretha Franklin in 1967
"Satisfaction" by Jagger/Richards, as covered by Devo on Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, 1978
"Mad World" by Roland Orzabal/Tears for Fears, as covered by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules for Donnie Darko, 2001
"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen, as covered by Jeff Buckley on Grace, 1994

Also featured/referenced:

"Aretha Franklin Had Power. Did We Respect It?" by Wesley Morris for the New York Times, 2018
"The Story Behind Devo's Iconic Cover of the Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction'" by Ray Padgett for The New Yorker, 2017
Ray Padgett's book Cover Me: The Story Behind the Greatest Cover Songs of All Time, 2017
DEVO performing their "Satisfaction" cover live in 1977: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=70&v=jAGOgMxUHKM&feature=emb_logo
Performances of "Hallelujah" by John Cale, Pentatonix, K.D. Lang, and Rufus Wainwright

OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects and experiments. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's wonderful patrons! For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JUNE 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Liam Keogh
Melissa Osborne
Per Morten Barstad
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Allison Clift-Jennings
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Rick Klaras
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

JUNE 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Ben Hunt
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Andy Smith
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Judy Chapple
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Tom Lauer
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Ska Horns & Madonna Melodies Jun 16, 2021

Mailbag time! We've got listener questions about Madonna earworms, National piano parts, Breath of the Wild music, online vocal teachers, the French horn, The Lemon Twigs, and much more.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Mira, Royal Detective Theme” by Matthew Tishler and Jeannie Luriem 2020
“Open Your Heart” by Madonna from True Blue, 1986
“Fake Empire” by The National from Boxer, 2007
“Wind Waker Theme” by Koji Kondo from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, 2002
“The Legend of Zelda Theme” by Koji Kondo from The Legend of Zelda, 1986
Ambient audio from Breath of the Wild, soundtrack by Yasuaki Iwata, Hajime Wakai, Manaka Kataoka
Steve Park performing Straus’s Nocturno Op. 7 for horn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppz-j5aDROo
“AH Vowel Exercise 2” by Ken Tamplin from Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy Vocal Workshop, Volume 2 (Find Ken on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6x5NRBmotXDEvLDDFWlLvA)
“The One” by The Lemon Twigs from Songs for the General Public, 2020
“Nuthin’ But a Good Time” by Poison from Open Up and Say… Ahh!, 1988
“Confrontation with Dooku/Finale” by John Williams from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, 2002
“Game of Thrones” by Ramin Djawadi, 2011
“The Impression That I Get” by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones from Let’s Face It, 1997
“Hotel California” by The Eagles from Hotel California, 1976
“Dead Man’s Party” by Oingo Boingo from Dead Man’s Party, 1986
“Time” by Pink Floyd from The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973
“November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses from Use Your Illusion, 1991
“Santa Claus is Coming To Town” by Coots/Gillespie from Bill Evans Trio ’64, 1964

Correction 7/16: This episode initially misidentified the rototom on "Dead Man's Party" as a cowbell. It has been updated and now contains less cowbell.

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and was also featured on the year three Strong Songs theme msuic. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor and check out his latest single here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kylemolitor/the-jazz-feat-toranpetto

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JUNE 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Liam Keogh
Melissa Osborne
Per Morten Barstad
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Allison Clift-Jennings
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Rick Klaras
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

JUNE 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Ben Hunt
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Andy Smith
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Judy Chapple
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Tom Lauer
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"You've Got a Friend" by Carole King Jun 02, 2021

Winter, spring, summer, or fall... all you have to do is call, and Strong Songs will be there with an in-depth analysis of one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.

This episode takes a deep dive into Carole King's ever enduring, much-covered tribute to friendship, "You've Got a Friend." What starts in Laurel Canyon in the early 70s spread outward to the world, thanks to King's revolutionary 1971 album Tapestry. 50 years later, those songs are still with us, and "You've Got a Friend" remains one of the most meaningful tributes to simple, platonic love.

Written by: Carole King

Album: Tapestry (1971)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

"I Feel The Earth Move" and "So Far Away," both by Carole King, and "It's Too Late" by King with lyrics by Toni Stern, from Tapestry, 1971
"You've Got a Friend" as recorded by James Taylor on Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, 1971
"You've Got a Friend" as recorded by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway on Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, 1972
"Precious Lord, Take My Hand/You've Got a Friend" as recorded by Aretha Franklin on Amazing Grace, 1972
"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Carole King and Gerry Goffen as recorded by Aretha Franklin, 1967
Harvey Kubernik's exceptional chronicling of Tapestry's place in the broader 1970s music scene: https://www.musicconnection.com/kubernik-carole-king-tapestry-50th-anniversary/
Kubernik's book on Laurel Canyon: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/6464198-canyon-of-dreams
"You've Got a Friend" as recorded by Donny Hathaway on Live, 1972

OUTRO SOLOIST: Charles McNeal

Charles McNeal is a killin' Oakland-based sax player who plays all over the bay area. He's also a master jazz transcriber, and has chronicled tons of great solos. You can find him playing out in a variety of bands and settings; the best way to keep up with his music is to subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram @charlesonsax2 - https://www.instagram.com/charlesonsax2

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks to all of Strong Songs' Patrons! You keep this show going. If you want to support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JUNE 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rob Bosworth
Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Liam Keogh
Melissa Osborne
Per Morten Barstad
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Allison Clift-Jennings
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Rick Klaras
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

JUNE 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

NATALIE MISTILIS
Josh Singer
Phino DeLeon
Schloss Edward J. MD
Rhyanon Murray
Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Steve Paquin
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Ben Hunt
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Andy Smith
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Kouroth
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Judy Chapple
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Chris K
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Tom Lauer
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"New Born" and "Micro Cuts" by Muse May 19, 2021

Link it to the world, link it to yourself, link it to your podcast app, because it's time to talk about Muse.

Kirk takes a deep dive into not one but two songs off of Muse's seminal 2001 album Origin of Symmetry: "New Born," which kicks the album off with a strong pop-rock approach, and "Micro Cuts," a mid-album high point that shows off their more eclectic influences. It's time for some contrapuntal harmony mixed with some good old fashioned blues riffs, and a lot of guitar fuzz on top.

Written by: Matthew Bellamy

Album: Origin of Symmetry (2001)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

"Plug In Baby," "Space Dementia," "Bliss," and "Citizen Erased" by Matthew Bellamy from Origin of Symmetry
Manson Guitar Works, makers of Matt Bellamy's futuristic custom guitars: https://www.mansonguitarworks.com/

OUTRO SOLOIST: Galen Clark

This episode's outro soloist is Mr. Galen Clark, who plays keyboard and organ and acts as bandleader for the soul jazz group Trio Subtonic. Galen's also going to be on tour this summer playing keyboards with Sleater-Kinney. Find more information at their website, https://www.triosubtonic.net, and find Sleater-Kinney tour dates at their website, http://www.sleater-kinney.com/

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks to all of Strong Songs' Patrons! If you'd like to support the show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MAY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Liam Keogh
Melissa Osborne
Per Morten Barstad
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Allison Clift-Jennings
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Rick Klaras
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
R Watson
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

MAY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Ben Hunt
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Andy Smith
will reddell
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Melody Valdez
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Thomas König
Kouroth
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Judy Chapple
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Tom Lauer
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

"Nessun dorma" by Giacomo Puccini (Aria Code) May 14, 2021

The fine folks at WNYC's fabulous opera podcast Aria Code recently reached out about doing a cross-promotion with Strong Songs, and now here we are, running an episode of their show in the Strong Songs feed.

If you enjoy it, you should definitely go check out the show - Aria Code is very easy to find on all major podcast platforms.

ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES (via Aria Code)

Aired: March 10, 2021

Sometimes, the only thing that gets us through the darkest moments is knowing that the sun will rise again on a new day. Puccini's final opera, Turandot, is about courage in the face of adversity, and love triumphing over fear. In other words, it is exactly what the world needs right now.

The aria “Nessun dorma” is Prince Calaf’s declaration of love and resounding victory cry. In this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens and three guests explore what makes this aria so popular even beyond the opera house, and how it became an anthem of resilience and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. This episode features Italian tenor Franco Corelli in a Metropolitan Opera performance from the Before Times (a.k.a. 1966).

The Guests:

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal. He loves conducting Puccini’s biggest, most majestic opera, but his favorite moments are the intimate arias like “Nessun dorma.”

Writer Anne Midgette is the former classical music critic for The Washington Post. She first heard the aria on a Book of the Month Club cassette tape in college, and thinks the secret sauce for “Nessun Dorma” is in its climactic underdog declaration of “Vincerò” -- “I will win.”

Dr. Michael Cho is a pulmonary and critical care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and has been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s also a violist, and has been playing with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra for more than 15 years. Recently, he joined the National Virtual Medical Orchestra, a group that formed during COVID to give people in the medical field a chance to play together. Watch their performance of "Nessun Dorma" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOKW42q7HWE&feature=emb_logo

In April of 2020, 700 children across Europe sang a virtual performance of "Nessun dorma" as a message of hope and solidarity, from Europa InCanto. You can meet two of the stars in this episode, and watch their performance here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZWmikiJVIQ&feature=emb_logo

Strung Beats, Jazz Battles & The Notes You Don't Play May 05, 2021

The Strong Songs mailbag has gotten pretty overstuffed lately, so Kirk decided to take another crack at it. That means it's time for more of your musical questions!

On this episode, we bounce around between the best songs for performing CPR, country music multiphonics, Noname's strung beats, the slide saxophone, Stevie Nicks guitar tones, Roxanne syncopation, how to find a voice teacher, whether competition is good for music, and what it means when people say jazz is about "the notes you don't play."

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Stayin Alive” by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, 1977
“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen from The Game, 1980
“Freight Train” by Alan Jackson from Freight Train, 2010
“Something” by Lalah Hathaway and Snarky Puppy from Family Dinner, 2013
“Sunny Duet (feat. theMIND)” and “Yesterday” by Noname from Telefone, 2016
“Waves” by J Dilla from Donut, 2006
“Swamp Thing” by Hiatus Kayote from Choose Your Weapon, 2015
Frédéric Couderc on the slide saxophone playing “Come Sunday” by Duke Ellington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjnrM3GZMS8
“Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Knicks from Bella Donna, 1981
“Bring on the Night” by The Police from The Police, 1979
“Roxanne” by The Police from Outlandos d’Amor, 1978
“The Eternal Triangle,” by Sonny Stitt from Sonny Side Up, 1957
“You Don’t Know What Love Is” by Raye and DePaul, recorded by Sonny Rollins on Saxophone Colossus, 1956
“So What” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959

OUTRO SOLOIST: Erik Elligers

Erik is a Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist and music educator. He plays saxophone with the New London Big Band and sings and plays guitar for the fabulous band Goodnight Blue Moon - check them out, you won't regret it: https://www.goodnightbluemoon.com/

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you are all the best. For more on how to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MAY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Josh Pearson
Kyle Cooke
Donald Mackie
Liam Keogh
Melissa Osborne
Per Morten Barstad
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Allison Clift-Jennings
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Rick Klaras
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
R Watson
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

MAY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Amy Lynn Thornsen
Adam W
Kelli Brockington
Stephen Rawlings
Ben Machta
Victoria Yu
Kevin Rivers
Gray Dyer
Brad Clark
Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Marc
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Ben Hunt
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Andy Smith
will reddell
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Doug Belew
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Melody Valdez
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Thomas König
Kouroth
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Judy Chapple
Mark Perry
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Tom Lauer
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Emily Williams

Explaining Musicals, with Lindsay Ellis Apr 30, 2021

If an emotion is too big for talking, you sing. If it's too big for singing, you dance. And if it's too big for dancing, well, you just gotta podcast!

Author, podcaster, and video essayist Lindsay Ellis knows a thing or two about outsized Broadway emotions—in addition to her many other pursuits, she's created a whole side endeavor talking about them on her musical theater podcast, Musicalsplaining. Ellis guested on last year's Strong Songs episode about Hadestown, and it seemed only natural to have her back for a longer conversation about musical theater.

Back in March, she and Kirk hopped on Zoom and chatted about the first musicals they loved, why musicals resonate with teens, how Hadestown's visual design helps tell a story, and just what the deal is with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

CHECK OUT LINDSAY'S WORK

Lindsay's bestselling debut novel Axiom's End is now available, and her second one is on the way. She's a prolific video essayist, and has made some terrific videos about Lord Andy himself. She's also a co-host on the Musicalsplaining podcast.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“All I Ask of You (Reprise),” and “Point of No Return” from The Phantom of the Opera (Original London Cast) by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart, 1987
“Cool” by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim from West Side Story, New Broadway Cast Recording, 2009
“Dead Mom” by Eddie Perfect performed by Sophia Anne Caruso from the Beetlejuice OCR, 2019
"Non-Stop” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Hamilton, 2015
“Heaven on their Minds” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice from Jesus Christ Superstar, original concept album, 1970
“The Club” by Lin-Manuel Mirands from In The Heights, 2008
“Any Way the Wind Blows,” “Come Home With Me,” “Chant,” and “Wedding Song” by Anäis Mitchell from Hadestown, 2019
An offhand joke about “The Phantom of the Mall” which is an actual 1989 movie
“Willkommen” by Kander, Ebb and Masteroff performed by Alan Cumming in the 1998 version of Cabaret
"Man of Constant Sorrow,” trad. American Folk first published by Dick Burnett, performed by Dan Tyminski and the Soggy Bottom Boys in O Brother, Where Art Thou, 2000
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd from After Hours, 2020

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

This bonus episode was made possible by Strong Songs' lovely Patreon backers. For more on how to become a patron and support the show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Donald Mackie
Liam Keogh
Melissa Osborne
Per Morten Barstad
Christopher Miller
Tim Byrne
Allison Clift-Jennings
Patrick Funston
Jamie White
Angus McKimm
Christopher Kupski
Christopher McConnell
Joshua Jarvis
Rick Klaras
Niko
Joe Laska
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Narelle Horn
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
R Watson
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
CALEB ROTACH
Andre Bremer
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

APRIL 2012 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Christopher
Michael J. Cunningham
Kari Kirk
Mark Boggs
mino capossela
Mary Schoenmaker
Sarah
David Joske
Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen
Emma Sklar
Spencer Stanford
Bernard Khoo
Andrew Shpall
Robert Heuer
Matthew Golden
Brian Meldrum
David Noah
Ben Hunt
Geraldine Butler
Richard Cambier
Madeleine Mader
Andy Smith
Fernando Rodriguez
Timothy Dougherty
Jason Pratt
John Hargis
Stewart Oak
Caroline Miller
Abbie Berg
Sam Norton
Nicole Schleicher
Dermot Crowley
Achint Srivastava
Ryan Rairigh
Michael Berman
stephen matthews
Bridget Lyons
Melody Valdez
Olivia Bishop
Jeremy Schwartz
John Gisselquist
Elaine Martin
Thomas König
Kouroth
Belinda Mcgrath-steer
Eoin de Burca
Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Nathan Gouwens
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
David Catlett
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Jen Small
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
JC
Brendan Jubb
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
Judy Chapple
Mark Perry
Malory
Dhu Wik
Mel
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Chris Brown
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
Tom Lauer
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Justin Liew
Emily Williams

Sidechain Compression & Saxophone Traffic Cones Apr 21, 2021

Mailbag time!

Kirk peruses the Strong Songs inbox to answer your questions about jazz drum solos, practicing with play-a-longs, Tame Impala tunes, saxophones with traffic cones, vocal technique, sidechain compression, and several tricky rhythms.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Tubes” by Moon Hooch from their NPR Tiny Desk live concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwBhxBBa7tE
“Strangers” by The Kinks from Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. 1, 1970
“Tubular Bells” by Mike Oldfield from Tubular Bells, 1973
“In The Moonlight” by Pearl Jam from Last Dogs, 2003
“Good Time Boys” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers from Mother’s Milk, 1989
"One Night in Bangkok" performed by Murray Head from Chess, 1984
“Jackson Cannery” by Ben Folds Five from Ben Folds Five, 1995
“La Donna È Mobile” by Giuseppe Verdi from Rigoletto, as performed by Luciano Pavarotti with the London Philharmonic
The excellent documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom
"You & Me" by Flume from Flume, 2012
“Elephant” by Tame Impala from Lonerism, 2012
“Bird Calls” by Charles Mingus from Ah Um, 1959
“Giant Steps” by John Coltrane recorded by Jamey Aebersold for Volume 28, John Coltrane, 1983
“The Days of Wine and Roses” by Johnny Mercer recorded by Jamey Aebersold from Volume 40, ‘Round Midnight, 1987

OUTRO SOLOIST: Carlos "Insaneintherainmusic" Eieine

Carlos Eienie is a prolific multi-instrumentalist and YouTube creator who's done some extremely fun jazz arrangements of great video game music, among other things. You can find him on most social media as some variant of @insaneintherainmusic, and on his website at https://www.insaneintherainmusic.com/.

STRONG MERCH

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you make this whole thing happen. For more on how to help Kirk make Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Donald Mackie Liam Keogh Melissa Osborne Per Morten Barstad Christopher Miller Tim Byrne Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Joe Laska Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

APRIL 2012 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Christopher Michael J. Cunningham Kari Kirk Mark Boggs mino capossela Mary Schoenmaker Sarah David Joske Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen Emma Sklar Spencer Stanford Bernard Khoo Andrew Shpall Robert Heuer Matthew Golden Brian Meldrum David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Thomas König Kouroth Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Chris Brown Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Stolen Moments" by Oliver Nelson Apr 07, 2021

Jazz is all about the contrast between the individual and the collective, and few recordings embody that as beautifully as "Stolen Moments," the opening track from Oliver Nelson's 1961 hard-bop record The Blues and the Abstract Truth.

On this episode, Kirk dives deep into Nelson's classic tune, starting with his dense horn arrangement, then considering the three improvised horn solos as distinct creations that reflect the at-times wildly different ambitions of each individual player. Also, there's jazz flute.

Written by: Oliver Nelson

Performed by: Freddie Hubbard (tpt.), Eric Dolphy (alto/flute), Oliver Nelson (tenor), George Barrow (bari), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums).

Album: The Blues and the Abstract Truth (1961)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Moanin” by Bobby Timmons, played by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers on Moanin', 1959 (rec. 1958)
“So What” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959
“Hoe Down” and “Butch and Butch” by Oliver Nelson from The Blues and the Abstract Truth, 1961
“Hyperballad” by Björk from Post, 1995
“Tutti Frutti” by Little Richard, 1955
“Kiss” by Prince from Parade, 1986
“Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman from New Beginning, 1995
“Blue 7” by Sonny Rollins from Saxophone Colossus, 1956
“Giant Steps” by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton

Kirk is the host of Strong Songs. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he likes to play the drums. He thinks he's getting good but he can handle criticism.

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks to all of Strong Songs' Patrons, you all rule! If you'd like to support the creation of this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Donald Mackie Liam Keogh Melissa Osborne Per Morten Barstad Christopher Miller Tim Byrne Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Joe Laska Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

APRIL 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Christopher Michael J. Cunningham Kari Kirk Mark Boggs mino capossela Mary Schoenmaker Sarah David Joske Åshild Margrete Østtveit Odéen Emma Sklar Spencer Stanford Bernard Khoo Andrew Shpall Robert Heuer Matthew Golden Brian Meldrum David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Thomas König Kouroth Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Chris Brown Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Cameo Lover" by Kimbra Mar 24, 2021

Open up your heart! Open up your heart! Open up your heart, let Kimbra pull you out!

On this episode, Kirk goes for a swim in the extra-buoyant waters of Kimbra's 2011 pop stomper "Cameo Lover." It's an intricate musical narrative told through shifting time-feels, retro drum beats, leaping vocals, and sneaky key changes, and it's just the song to raise our spirits after a long, dark winter.

Written by: Kimbra Johnson

Album: Vows (2011)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye from Making Mirrors, 2011
“Settle Down,” “Plain Gold Ring” and “Sally I Can See You” by Kimbra (Plain Gold Ring by George Stone) from Vows, 2011
“In My Bones” by Jacob Collier from Djesse Vol. 3, 2020
“Be My Baby” by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector as performed by The Ronettes, 1963

OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo

This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks to all of Strong Songs' Patrons! For more on how to support the creation of this show (and get in on the new Strong Songs Discord server), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MARCH 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Christopher Miller Tim Byrne Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

MARCH 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Bernard Khoo Andrew Shpall Robert Heuer Matthew Golden Brian Meldrum David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith will reddell Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher Doug Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

The Mysteries of Music, with Carmen Staaf Mar 17, 2021

What's this? An off-week episode of Strong Songs??

Indeed it is! For this episode of Strong Conversations (working title), Kirk hopped on a call with New York pianist Carmen Staaf to talk about the fundamental elements of music, learning to sing as an instrumentalist, teaching jazz and ear training, her collaborations with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and drummer Allison Miller, and the similarities between jazz and chess.

Learn more about Carmen at her website: https://www.carmenstaaf.com/

Check out her music here: https://carmenstaaf.bandcamp.com/

ALSO REFERENCED IN THIS CONVERSATION:

“Blackbird” by Paul McCartney, performed by Carmen Staaf on Eye to Eye, 2020
“Saint James Infirmary” by Don Redman/Irving Mills performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater on Dee Dee’s Feathers, 2015
Alexander Technique: https://alexandertechnique.com/
“Take The ‘A’ Train” by Duke Ellington sung by Ella Fitzgerald on Ella Fitzgerald Sings: The Duke Ellington Songbook, 1957
“I’ve Got The World on a String” by Harold Arlen performed by Sarah Vaughn with the Oscar Peterson Trio on How Long Has This Been Going On, 1978
“‘Round Midnight” by Thelonious Monk performed by Betty Carter on ‘Round Midnight, 1963
“Weightless” and "MLW" by Carmen Staaf and Allison Miller from Science Fair, 2018
“Congratulations and Condolences” by Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom from Glitter Wolf, 2019
Kathak dance performed by Meghranjani Medhi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZmCmQjoehw
The Harmonic Experience by W.A. Matthieu: https://www.amazon.com/Harmonic-Experience-Harmony-Natural-Expression/dp/0892815604
“Nuclear Fusion” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard from Flying Microtonal Banana, 2017
“Does math actually exist?” - a good question tbh
“Syl-O-G**m” by Mary Lou Williams from Zoning, 1974
“Spain” by Chick Corea and Joaquin Rodrigo from Light as a Feather, 1973
“Gentleman” by Féla Kuti from Gentleman, 1973

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

This bonus episode was made possible by Strong Songs' wonderful Patreon backers. For more on how to become a patron and support the show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MARCH 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Christopher Miller Tim Byrne Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

MARCH 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Bernard Khoo Andrew Shpall Robert Heuer Matthew Golden Brian Meldrum David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith will reddell Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher Doug Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush Mar 10, 2021

Heathcliff! It's us, it's Strong Songs, we've come home!

The time has come for a deep dive into the music of the great Kate Bush, and what better song to analyze than her breakthrough 1978 hit, "Wuthering Heights." This song has it all - odd phrasing, shifting key centers, soaring vocals, character narration, an epic guitar solo, a red dress, and a celesta.

Written by: Kate Bush

Album: The Kick Inside (1978)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“James and the Cold Gun” and “The Man with the Child in His Eyes” by Kate Bush from The Kick Inside, 1978
“Sat In Your Lap” and “The Dreaming” by Kate Bush from The Dreaming, 1982
“Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush from Hounds of Love, 1985
Richard Buskin's 2004 Sound on Sound article about the writing and recording of "Wuthering Heights" - https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-kate-bush-wuthering-heights
The 1886 remake/remix of "Wuthering Heights"
Kate Bush's iconic Red Dress music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW3gKKiTvjs
Noel Fielding's incredible live reenactment of the Red Dress video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du4uH1fC9B8
A demonstration of the bell tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhStPnEcXrk
“The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from The Nutcracker Suite, 1892 performed by the Vienna Philharmonic, 1999
“Starman” by David Bowie from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972
“Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra from Out of the Blue, 1977

Correction 3/23/21: The glissando in the intro/post-chorus is now correctly identified as being played on a bell tree, rather than a glockenspiel or the celesta.

OUTRO SOLOIST: Charles McNeal

Charles McNeal is a killin' Oakland-based sax player who plays all over the bay area. He's also a master jazz transcriber, and has chronicled tons of great solos. You can find him playing out in a variety of bands and settings; the best way to keep up with his music is to subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Instagram @charlesonsax2 - https://www.instagram.com/charlesonsax2

NEW MUSIC VIDEO!

Kirk just finished a new music video - it's a multi-instrumental arrangement of "Greenpath" from the video game Hollow Knight. It features 18 different instruments, including solos on tenor sax and wine glasses.

You can watch the whole thing on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eIVtGlcpZS0

You can also listen on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kirkhamilton/greenpath-from-hollow-knight-multi-instrumental-arrangement

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

THANK YOU to all of Strong Songs' patrons for supporting the creation of this show. For more on how to become a patron, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MARCH 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Christopher Miller Tim Byrne Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

MARCH 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Bernard Khoo Andrew Shpall Robert Heuer Matthew Golden Brian Meldrum David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith will reddell Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher Doug Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew

Cross-Rhythms, Concept Albums & Dream Songs Feb 24, 2021

Time for the first Q&A episode of Strong Songs year three!

On this episode, Kirk digs into the mailbag for your questions on Jack White's guitar tone, Shabaka Hutchings' sax sound, 70s kitsch jazz, concept albums, drummers learning mallet instruments, Celtic sounds, "saving" jazz, and SOPHIE. Also, a listener shares a song that came to him in a dream.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“O Superman” by Laurie Anderson from Big Science, 1982
“Let Down” by Radiohead from OK Computer, 1997
“Icky Thump” by The White Stripes from Icky Thump, 2007
“Summon the Fire” by The Comet is Coming from Trust In The Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery - 2019
“Mrs. Bluebeard” by They Might Be Giants from I Like Fun, 2018
“Tank!” by Yoko Kanno from the Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack, 1998
“The Zodiac” by David Lindup, “Funky Fanfare” and “Party Time” by Keith Mansfield, “Water Sports” by James Clarke, “Organ Mania” by Alan Hawkshaw and Keith Mansfield, all from the KPM 1000 Library Series
“Astoria,” “This Means War” and “Burning Up” by Marianas Trench from Astoria, 2015
“Mébh’s Tune” by Kíla and “Wolfwalkers Theme” by Bruno Coulais from the Wolfwalkers soundtrack
“Song for my Father” by Horace Silver from Song For My Father, 1965
“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” by Steely Dan from Prezel Logic, 1974
“Layer Cake” by Shoji Meguro from Persona 5, 2016
“Sonic 2: Aquatic Ruin Zone” arrangement by Carlos Eiene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC60qFBZSGg
“Is it Cold In The Water?” by SOPHIE from Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Sides, 2017

OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and has been doing some really cool new stuff during Covid times. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.

STRONG MERCH

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Strong Songs' Patreon supporters are the ones who make this thing happen. Thank you all so much! For more on how to support the creation of Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

FEBRUARY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

FEBRUARY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith will reddell Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher D. Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Babylon Sisters" by Steely Dan Feb 10, 2021

Here comes that Santa Ana wind again, blowing us right into the slightly skewed world of Steely Dan.

It was never a question whether Strong Songs would do a Steely Dan episode, it was more a question of which song to focus on. In the end, Kirk chose "Babylon Sisters," a culmination of the band's incredible 1970s run that exemplifies Fagen and Becker's brand of pristine, laser-focused groove. It's also arguably the definitive recording of Bernard Purdie's signature Purdie Shuffle.

Written by: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen

Album: Gaucho (1980)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Sloop John B,” Bahamian folk song as recorded by The Beach Boys on Pet Sounds, 1966
“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” by The Temptations from Law of the Land, 1972
“Cousin Dupree” by Becker/Fagen from Two Against Nature, 2000
“Reelin' in the years” by Donald Fagen from Can’t Buy a Thrill, 1972
“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” by Fagen/Becker from Prezel Logic, 1974
“Black Friday” by Becker/Fagen from Katy Lied, 1975
"Peg," "Aja," and "Home at Last" by Becker/Fagen from Aja, 1977
“Sing Sing Sing (With a Swing)” by Louis Prima performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra, 1936
“Cissy Strut” by The Meters from The Meters, 1969
"Rosanna" by David Paich as recorded by Toto on Toto IV, with Jeff Porcaro on drums (and Tom Scott on alto sax!)
Rob Brown’s Purdie Shuffle tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g41Ab8iDaD0

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and was also featured on the year three Strong Songs theme msuic. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor and check out his latest single here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kylemolitor/the-jazz-feat-toranpetto

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Strong Songs' Patreon supporters are the ones who make this thing happen. Thank you all so much! For more on how to support the creation of Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

FEBRUARY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Allison Clift-Jennings Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

FEBRUARY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

David Noah Ben Hunt Geraldine Butler Richard Cambier Madeleine Mader Andy Smith will reddell Fernando Rodriguez Timothy Dougherty Jason Pratt John Hargis Stewart Oak Caroline Miller Abbie Berg Sam Norton Nicole Schleicher D. Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Nathan Gouwens Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap Jan 27, 2021

Where are we? What the hell is going on? Oh right, we're here with our podcast device, listening to an episode of Strong Songs.

On this episode, Kirk dives into Imogen Heap's one-woman choral masterwork "Hide and Seek," taking a closer look at the technologies and processes Heap used to get that bewitching sound, her striking use of breath and dynamic contrast, and the many subtle ways she took the oh-so familiar "four chords" and made them sound unique.

Written by: Imogen Heap

Album: Speak for Yourself (2005)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:

“Let Go” by Frou Frou from Details, 2002
“Headlock” and “The Moment I Said It” from Speak For Yourself, 2005
“Even Better than the Real Thing” by U2 from Achtung Baby, 1991
iZotope’s helpful history of the vocoder: https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/a-brief-history-of-the-vocoder.html
An excerpt from Heap’s 2015 Tedx talk about the development of her Mi.Mu gloves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oeEQhOmGpg
Some more cool demonstrations of the gloves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvyVQqCO8pY&feature=emb_logo

OUTRO SOLOIST: Erik Elligers

Erik is a Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist and music educator. He plays saxophone with the New London Big Band and sings and plays guitar for the fabulous band Goodnight Blue Moon - check them out, you won't regret it: https://www.goodnightbluemoon.com/

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you make this all possible. For more on how to support the creation of Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JANUARY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

JANUARY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Joel Stevenson Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Space Oddity" and "Starman" by David Bowie Jan 13, 2021

Let the children lose it, let the children use it, and let all the children join in for Strong Songs year three!

Kirk kicks off the new year with a pair of classics by the great David Bowie: 1969's melancholy "Space Oddity" and 1972's triumphant "Starman." What goes up, as they say, must come down.

Written by: David Bowie

Albums: David Bowie (1969), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Listen/Buy Bowie: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

Listen/Buy Ziggy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED:

Audio of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, courtesy NASA
"A Day in the Life" by Lennon-McCartney, 1967
A cool Guardian interview with Rick Wakeman about playing Mellotron on Space Oddity

OUTRO SOLOIST: Carlos "Insaneintherainmusic" Eieine

Carlos Eienie is a prolific multi-instrumentalist and YouTube creator who's done some extremely fun jazz arrangements of great video game music, among other things. You can find him on most social media as some variant of @insaneintherainmusic, and on his website at https://www.insaneintherainmusic.com/.

NEW THEME MUSIC!

Thanks to BJ Cord, Kyle Molitor, and Carlos Eiene for lending their horn chops to the Strong Songs year three theme. You can watch a video of the whole band playing the tune on Twitter or Instagram.

STRONG MERCH!

Check out the Strong Songs merch store for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify and Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you so much to all of Strong Songs' Patreon supporters - you make this whole shoe possible. For more on how to help Kirk make Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JANUARY 2021 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Patrick Funston Jamie White Johanna L. Branson Thomas König Angus McKimm Christopher Kupski Christopher McConnell Joshua Jarvis Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

JANUARY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman stephen matthews Bridget Lyons Melody Valdez Olivia Bishop Jeremy Schwartz John Gisselquist Elaine Martin Belinda Mcgrath-steer Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Joel Stevenson Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Jen Small Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza JC Brendan Jubb Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Mel Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

Year Two, In Review Nov 25, 2020

As Year Two of Strong Songs draws to a close, it's time to take a look back.

SCHEDULING NOTE: Strong Songs will be off for the month of December, and will be back for Year Three at the start of January, 2021.

But before that! Let's go back, back, back in time one hundred years, to the start of 2020.

SONGS DISCUSSED:

"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971
"Lovefool" by The Cardigans from First Band on the Moon, 1996
"Tom Sawyer" by Rush from Moving Pictures, 1981
"Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli from The Witcher, 2019
"Sinnerman" as performed by Nina Simone from Pastel Blues, 1965
"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys from Pet Sounds, 1966
"So What" by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959
"Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley from Grace, 1994
"Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox from Diva, 1992
"Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens from Illinois, 2005
"Kiss" by Prince from Parade, 1986
"World 1-1" by Koji Kondo from Super Mario Bros., 1985
"No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age from Songs for the Deaf, 2002
"Wedding Song" by Anaïs Mitchell from Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast), 2019
"The Chain" and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac from Rumors, 1977
"Hyperballad" by Björk from Post, 1995
"A Day in the Life" by The Beatles from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

OUTRO SOLOISTS: Kyle Molitor, Luke Price, & Kirk Hamilton

Not as many new outro soloists this year as in year one, but hey, covid made it hard to record safely. Thanks to Kyle and Luke for joining the cast.

STRONG MERCH!

You've still got some gift-buying time before the holidays! Check it out the new Strong Songs Store cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you, so much, to ALL of Strong Songs's patrons, and to everyone who has ever been a patron of the show. For more on how to help Kirk make more Strong Songs in 2021, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

NOVEMBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey Jue Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

NOVEMBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Pete Simm Shawn McCarthy Dallas Hockley Jana J Terron Ishihara Jason Gerry Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Joel Stevenson Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Joshua Jarvis Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample chamomiatea Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Clare Holberton Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"A Day in the Life" by The Beatles Nov 11, 2020

Wake up, fall out of bed, and drag a comb across your head, cause Strong Songs is finally doing an episode about The Beatles.

It's time for Kirk to tackle the fab four, and what better Beatles song to analyze than Lennon and McCartney's two-tune casserole of a closer, "A Day in the Life." Get ready for some lilting Lennon dreamscapes, some meticulous McCartney melodies, a really big glissando, and an even bigger E chord.

Written by: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

ALSO FEATURED:

"Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin (1924), performed by the New York Philharmonic
"Yesterday" by Paul McCartney (Lennon/McCartney), 1966
"Strawberry Fields Forever" by John Lennon (Lennon/McCartney), 1967
"Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" also from Sgt. Pepper's, 1967
The Yoko Ono/John Lennon episode of the excellent podcast You're Wrong About
"Mr. Blue Sky" by Jeff Lynne and ELO from Permission To Land, 1977

OUTRO SOLOIST: Steve Pardo

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Steve Pardo. Steve is a Nashville, TN based producer, composer, and saxophonist. You can find out more at his website: https://www.stevepardo.com/

STRONG MERCH!!

As Kirk mentioned on the episode, the Strong Songs Store is now live! Check it out for some cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

This whole thing happens thanks to the support of Strong Songs's wonderful patrons. For more on how to help Kirk keep making this show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

NOVEMBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey Jue
Rick Klaras
Niko
Laurie Acreman
Ken Hirsh
Jez
Jenness Gardner
Simon Cammell
Guinevere Boostrom
Jill Smith-Moore
Narelle Horn
Mickey Clark
Nathaniel Bauernfeind
Bill Rosinger
Anne Britt
David Zahm
Erin
Aidan Coughlan
Jeanneret Manning Family Four
Matt Butler
Doug Paton
Robert Paul
R Watson
Viki Dun
Christer Lindqvist
Sami Samhuri
Craig J Covell
AccessViolation
Ryan Torvik
Merlin Mann
Fraser
Glenn
CALEB ROTACH
Andre Bremer
Chad Barnard
Mark Schechter
Dave Florey
Dan Apczynski

NOVEMBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Kevin Potter
M Shane Borders
Pete Simm
Shawn McCarthy
Dallas Hockley
Jana J
Terron Ishihara
Jason Gerry
Rich Roskopf
Melissa Gallo
Joel Stevenson
Will Dwyer Alethea Lee
Lauren Reay
Eric Prestemon
Erika L Austin
Cookies250
Spencer Shirley
Joshua Jarvis
Damian Brady
Angela Livingstone
Jeffrey C. Yarnell
David Friedman
Phillip Dalton
Christopher Cudnoski
Mark Edwards
Randall Browning
Sarah Sulan
Diane Hughes
Kenneth Tiong
Jo Sutherland
David Catlett
Joe Laska
Michael Casner
Michael York
Barb Courtney
Derek Bender
Melanie Andrich
Franco Famularo
Don Hutchison
Lowell Meyer
Etele Illes
Jeff Almond
Stephen Tsoneff
Lorenz Schwarz
Becca Sample
chamomiatea
Wen
Jack Sjogren
Aparajit Raghavan
Benedict Pennington
Geoff Golden
Robyn Fraser
Alexander Geddes
Pascal Rueger
Randy Souza
Joe C
Clare Holberton
Jake Tinsley
Georgia Livesay
David Zucker
Diane Turner
Tom Coleman
SUELLEN MOORE
Judy Chapple
Stuart Terry
Mark Perry
Malory
Dhu Wik
Eric Helm
Jake Roberts
Briony Leo
Bill Fuller
Jonathan Daniels
Sheilah
Steven Maron
Michael Flaherty
Jarrod Schindler
Zoe Little
Albukitty
Caro Field
Judith Stansfield
Jenifer Carr
michael bochner
Duncan
Dave Sharpe
brant brantphillip
Markus Koester
David Cushman
Alexander
Jeremy Dawson
Robbie Ferrero
Gavin Doig
Sam Fenn
Tanner Morton
AJ Schuster
Jennifer Bush
David Stroud
Amanda Furlotti
Andrew Baker
Brooke Wilford
Cyrus N. White
Chris Brown
Mark Haberlen
Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua
Kate Albury
Matt Gaskell
Jules Bailey
Eero Wahlstedt
Bill Thornton
Brian Amoebas
Brett Douville
Jeffrey Olson
Matt Betzel
Mueller
Nate from Kalamazoo
Melanie Stivers
Richard Toller
Alexander Polson
John and Sharon Stenglein
Tom Lauer
Forrest Chang
Earl Lozada
Jon O’Keefe
Justin McElroy
Arjun Sharma
Shane DeLeon
James Johnson
Andrew Lee
Kevin Morrell
Tom Clewer
Kevin Pennyfeather
Nicholas Schechter
Justin Liew
Emily Williams

Microtones, Minimalism & the Bebop Scale Oct 28, 2020

Mailbag episode! Kirk answers your burning musical questions about songs from Parks & Rec, Black Sails, Lovecraft Country, and What We Do in the Shadows, as well as microtones, minimalist songwriting, the bebop scale, practicing habits, and more.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Parks & Recreation” by Gaby Moreno and Vincent Jones, 2009
“Black Sails” by Bear McCreary, 2014
“You’re Dead” by Norma Tanega from Walking My Cat Named Dog, 1966
“Lonely World” by Moses Sumney from Aromanticism, 2017
A 2018 Refinery29 article by Courtney E. Smith on the gender gap in TV composing
“Melting” and "Rattlesnake" by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard from Flying Microtonal Banana, 2017
“Can I Believe You” by Fleet Foxes from Shore, 2020
“Moon River” by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, performed by Jacob Collier on Djesse vol. 2, 2019
“Money” by Pink Floyd from The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973
“Buzzcut Season” by Lorde from Pure Heroine, 2013
“I’m Down” by Paul McCartney recorded by The Beatles, 1965
“Kiss” by Prince from Parade, 1986
“End Credits” by Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993
Twenty Thousand Hertz episodes on The Loudness Wars, Perfect Pitch, and Dies Irae (featuring Kirk!)
“American Pie” by Don McLean from American Pie, 1971
"S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats from their 2015 self-titled album, and live on the BBC, 2015

OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo

This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Strong Songs is entirely made possible thanks to the support of the show's wonderful patrons. For more on how to join their ranks, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

OCTOBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey Jue Bonusround Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

OCTOBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Joel Stevenson Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Joshua Jarvis Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample chamomiatea Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Toni Isaacson Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

Strong TV Songs: HBO Edition Oct 14, 2020

The Wildlings are south of the wall, the robots are rising up, Seventh Kavalry's on the move, and two percent of the world's population has vanished. Time for another edition of Strong TV Songs!

This time around the focus is on HBO, a network that has defined much of the broader TV landscape over the past couple of decades. So let's dig into a bunch of great music from a bunch of good shows, with themes for Dothraki raiders, Alethiometers, robot farmgirls, nuns with guns, monstrous moguls, and lost souls.

Special thanks to the key of C minor for making this episode possible.

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3 from Exile on Coldharbour Lane, 1997
“Six Feet Under” by Thomas Newman, 2001
“Deadwood” by David Schwartz, 2004
“Way Down In The Hole” by Tom Waits from Franks Wild Years, 1987. Performed by Waits, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Neville Brothers, DoMaJe, and Steve Earle
“Game of Thrones” by Ramin Djawadi, 2011
"Game of F***in' Thrones" by Anamanaguchi, 2012
“Pacific Rim” by Ramin Djawadi feat. Tom Morello from Pacific Rim, 2013
“Doom Patrol” by Clint Mansell and Kevin Kiner, 2019
“His Dark Materials” by Lorne Balfe, 2019
“Westworld” and “Sweetwater” by Ramin Djawadi, 2016
“Ezio’s Family” by Jesper Kyd from Assassin’s Creed II, 2009
"How The West Was Really Won,” “Nun With a Motherf***ing Gun,” and “Children of Krypton” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, 2019
“Succession” by Nicholas Britell, 2018
"Kiss from Daddy" by Demi Adejuyigbe, 2019
“The Departure” and “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Max Richter from The Leftovers, 2014

OUTRO SOLOIST: Luke Price

This episode's outro soloist is Portland fiddle player Luke Price. When he's not working as a side man in a variety of killer bands, Luke joins his wife Rachael to form the excellent songwriting duo DEAN!. You can follow them on Instagram and listen to some of their stuff on their website, wearedean.com.

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - you are amazing, and you make all of this possible. For more on how to support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

OCTOBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey Jue Bonusround Rick Klaras Niko Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Fraser Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

OCTOBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Rich Roskopf Melissa Gallo Joel Stevenson Will Dwyer Alethea Lee Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon Erika L Austin Cookies250 Spencer Shirley Joshua Jarvis Damian Brady Angela Livingstone Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Joe Laska Michael Casner Michael York Barb Courtney Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample chamomiatea Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan Dave Sharpe brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester David Cushman Alexander Toni Isaacson Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Hyperballad" by Björk Sep 30, 2020

It's early in the morning; no one is awake. From the top of the mountain, the soft light of dawn comes into view. You take a deep breath, and prepare for a journey with the great genius of musical travel.

On this episode, Kirk dives into Björk's 1995 electro-pop masterpiece "Hyperballad," paying special attention to how carefully she weaves together music and lyrics to create a sense of space, and thus a feeling of travel.

Written and produced by: Björk

Co-produced by: Nellee Hooper

Album: Post (1995)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

SPECIAL GUEST: ICELAND

For the visualization exercise Kirk mentions in the episode, some photos of the Icelandic countryside can be found here and here. Or really anywhere online.

----------

OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ Cord

This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on YouTube Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - you are making all of this happen. For more on how to support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

SEPTEMBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rick Klaras Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Rachel Rakov Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

SEPTEMBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Matt Beams Niko Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Michael York Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Gerry Nelson Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Elliot Jay O'Neill Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Darryl Stewart Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

Good Synths, Bad Acoustics & Moana Sep 16, 2020

Mailbag episode! Kirk tackles your questions on subjects ranging from a Warren Zevon piano part, to the unfortunate prevalence of bad acoustics at live shows, to why Moana is such a good movie.

It's been a rough week; thanks everyone who wrote in.

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Flaming” by Pink Floyd from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967
“Golden Brown” by the Stranglers, 1981
“Woke Up Today” and “In My Room” by Jacob Collier from In My Room, 2016
“Reckless” by Nate Wood/Four from X.it, 2019
“Stranger Things” by Kyle Dizon and Michael Stein
“Succession” by Nicholas Britell
“Hillbilly Hare” by Carl Stalling
Audio from Hot Fuzz, 2007
“The End of the Tour” by They Might Be Giants from John Henry, 1994
“Dancing Queen” by ABBA from Arrival, 1976
“All Summer Long” by Kid Rock from Rock N Roll Jesus, 2007
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd from Second Helping, 1973
“Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon from Excitable Boy, 1978
The excellent documentary Twenty Feet From Stardom
“Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones feat. Merry Clayton from Let It Bleed, 1969
“You Know How We Do It” by Ice Cube from Lethal Injection, 1993
“Nuthin’ but a G thang” by Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg from The Chronic, 1992
“Windows 95 Login” by Brian Eno, 1995
“All Things Considered” by Don Voegeli, arr. Wycliffe Gordon
“Good Night Until Tomorrow” by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VII, 1997
“Fingertips” by They Might Be Giants from Apollo 18, 1992
"Honey Jar" by The Wood Brothers from Live at the Barn, 2017
“I Am Moana” and “How Far I’ll Go” by Lin Manuel Miranda feat. Auliʻi Cravalho from Moana, 2016

Correction 9/16: A listener pointed out that I failed to mention the explicit "Sweet Home Alabama" reference that comes a bit later in "All Summer Long." I added a mention of it to the episode. - KH

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton

Kirk is the host of Strong Songs. He lives in Portland, Oregon, a charming, smoke-filled city where no one can go outside because the air is poison. He used to play shows around the Pacific Northwest, but since live music can no longer safely exist, he mostly sits at home sipping coffee by the air purifier, thinking "This is fine."

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - all 1,000 plus of you! You are incredible, and you're making it possible for this show to exist. For more information on how support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

SEPTEMBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rick Klaras Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Rachel Rakov Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

SEPTEMBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Matt Beams Niko Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Michael York Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Gerry Nelson Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Elliot Jay O'Neill Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Darryl Stewart Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"The Chain" and "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac Sep 02, 2020

Thunder only happens when it's raining, and Strong Songs only crams two songs into an episode when it's super warranted.

This episode warrants just such a pairing, with a focus on two tunes by the great Fleetwood Mac. First there's the collaboratively written group-sing stomper "The Chain," and then comes Stevie Nicks' heartbeat anthem "Dreams." Both were featured on the band's classic 1977 album Rumors, and both have more than stood the test of time.

"The Chain" was written by Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and John McVie.

"Dreams" was written by Stevie Nicks.

Album: Rumors (1977)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

----------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and the dude can really get it done. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor and check out his upcoming single here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/kylemolitor/the-jazz-feat-toranpetto

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - you rule, and are making this all possible. For more on how to support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

SEPTEMBER 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Rick Klaras Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Rachel Rakov Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

SEPTEMBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Jeffrey C. Yarnell David Friedman Phillip Dalton Christopher Cudnoski Mark Edwards Randall Browning Sarah Sulan Diane Hughes Matt Beams Niko Kenneth Tiong Jo Sutherland David Catlett Michael York Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Jake Roberts Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Gerry Nelson Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester Alexander Jeremy Dawson Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Elliot Jay O'Neill Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Darryl Stewart Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"Wedding Song" from Hadestown Aug 19, 2020

Who's gonna lay the wedding table? Who's gonna make the wedding bed? And what about the rings? Funny you should ask.

On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into "Wedding Song," one of the signature numbers from Anaïs Mitchell's 2019 musical Hadestown. It's time for some conversational song form, a bunch of key changes, a touch of Jeff Buckley falsetto, and just a biiiiiit of trombone. Turn off your snares, and let's do this.

Written by: Anaïs Mitchell, w/ arranging by Michael Chorney

Directed by: Rachel Chavkin

Performed By: Eva Noblezada & Reeve Carney

Album: Hadestown (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2019)

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"Wedding Song” from the 2010 Hadestown concept album
"Chant" and "Doubt Comes In" from Hadestown

Update 3/11/2021: Added a credit to Hadestown co-orchestrator Todd Sickafoose

------

Hey, It's Lindsay!

Huge thanks to Lindsay Ellis for providing a description of what happens on stage when Orpheus debuts his big song. If you like musicals, check out her podcast MusicalSplaining, which she co-hosts with Kaveh Taherian. Lindsay also makes YouTube video essays about film and musical theater and recently published her first novel, Axiom's End. Follow her on Twitter at @thelindsayellis.

OUTRO SOLOIST: Galen Clark

This episode's outro soloist is Mr. Galen Clark, who plays keyboard and organ and acts as bandleader for the soul jazz group Trio Subtonic. Find more information at their website, https://www.triosubtonic.net.

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - this is all possible because of you. For more on how to help make Strong Songs possible, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

AUGUST 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Rachel Rakov Kyle Starr Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

AUGUST 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Michael Casner Michael York Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Adam Conway Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Brendon Oliver-Ewen Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Gerry Nelson Dave King Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester Toni Isaacson Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker SP Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Elliot Jay O'Neill Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Darryl Stewart Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Chas Lednicky Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

Muppet Whistles, Throat Singing & Steely Dan Aug 05, 2020

Mailbag! Episode!

We've got questions about Tuvan throat singing (how does it work??), the Unsolved Mysteries theme (why is it so creepy??), the intro to Don McLean's "American "Pie" (how do they count it??), Steely Dan (why do some people hate them??), Andrew Bird's whistling solo from 2011's The Muppets (how did he do that??), Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" (what key is it in??), and more.

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Unsolved Mysteries Theme” composed by Gary Malkin and Michael Boyd
“Halloween Theme” by John Carpenter
“Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd from Second Helping, 1973
“Yuve Yuve Yu” by The Hu, 2018
“Chylandyk” by Huun-Huur-Tu, 1997
“The One I’m Waiting For” by Relient K from MMHMM, 2004
“The Breton Kingdom / Rouantelezh Vreizh” by Alan Stivell from Before Landing, 1977
“American Pie” by Don Mclean from American Pie, 1971
“The Squeaky Wheel” by The Dear Hunter from Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise, 2015
“Be My Baby” as recorded by The Ronettes, 1963
“Janie Runaway” by Steely Dan from Two Against Nature, 2000
“Lingala” by the SF Jazz Collective from their self-titled 2005 album
“Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk” by The New Pornographers from Together, 2010
“The Whistling Caruso” by Andrew Bird from The Muppets, 2011

OUTRO SOLOIST: Luke Price

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful Portland fiddle player Luke Price. When he's not working as a side man in a variety of killer bands, Luke joins his wife Rachael to form the excellent songwriting duo DEAN!. They've got a new album coming soon and it's gonna be pretty great; in the meantime you can follow them on Instagram and listen to some of their stuff on their website, wearedean.com.

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - you are making all this possible. For more information on how support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

AUGUST 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

Laurie Acreman Ken Hirsh Jez Jenness Gardner Simon Cammell Guinevere Boostrom Jill Smith-Moore Rachel Rakov Kyle Starr Narelle Horn Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind Simon Cramp Bill Rosinger Anne Britt David Zahm Erin Aidan Coughlan Jeanneret Manning Family Four Matt Butler Doug Paton Robert Paul R Watson Viki Dun Christer Lindqvist Sami Samhuri Craig J Covell AccessViolation Ryan Torvik Merlin Mann Glenn CALEB ROTACH Andre Bremer Chad Barnard Mark Schechter Dave Florey Dan Apczynski

AUGUST 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Michael Casner Michael York Derek Bender Melanie Andrich Franco Famularo Don Hutchison Lowell Meyer Etele Illes Jeff Almond Stephen Tsoneff Lorenz Schwarz Becca Sample Wen Jack Sjogren Aparajit Raghavan Benedict Pennington Geoff Golden Adam Conway Robyn Fraser Alexander Geddes Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Joe C Latifah Makuyi Clare HOLBERTON Jake Tinsley Georgia Livesay David Zucker Diane Turner Tom Coleman SUELLEN MOORE Brendon Oliver-Ewen Judy Chapple Stuart Terry Mark Perry Malory Dhu Wik Eric Helm Briony Leo Bill Fuller Jonathan Daniels Sheilah Steven Maron MH Michael Flaherty Jarrod Schindler Zoe Little Gerry Nelson Dave King Albukitty Caro Field Wayne Marsh Judith Stansfield Jenifer Carr michael bochner Duncan brant brantphillip Leigh Sales Markus Koester Toni Isaacson Jeremy Dawson Robbie Ferrero Gavin Doig Sam Fenn Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker SP Brooke Wilford Cyrus N. White Chris Brown Mark Haberlen Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Kate Albury Matt Gaskell Elliot Jay O'Neill Jules Bailey Eero Wahlstedt Darryl Stewart Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson John and Sharon Stenglein Tom Lauer Forrest Chang Earl Lozada Jon O’Keefe Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma Shane DeLeon James Johnson Andrew Lee Kevin Morrell Tom Clewer Kevin Pennyfeather Chas Lednicky Nicholas Schechter Justin Liew Emily Williams

"No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age Jul 22, 2020

It's time for a journey of the mind, as Kirk picks apart one of the best hard rock tunes of the early 2000s.

Queens of the Stone Age's "Songs for the Deaf" includes enough bangers that it was tough to pick a single song to focus on, but in the end, "No One Knows" won the day with its combination of grit, groove, and focus. On this episode, Kirk dives deep into the tune's tightly wound, surprisingly swinging arrangement, with special focus on Dave Grohl's meticulous drumming.

Artist: Queens of the Stone Age

Album: Songs for the Deaf (2002)

Written by: Josh Homme and Mark Lanegan

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"“Prelude from Final Fantasy VII” by Nobuo Uematsu, 1997
“My Sharona” by The Knack from Get The Knack, 1969
“Big Dipper” by Thad Jones performed by the Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra on Central Park North, 1959

OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo

This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. Dan plays guitar in the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/

TRIPLE CLICK

On last week's episode of Kirk's video game podcast Triple Click, he did a Strong Songs-style breakdown of some of the music from the classic JRPG Final Fantasy VII. Triple Click is on all major podcast services, and you can find that episode here: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/triple-click/the-music-of-final-fantasy-vii/

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @Kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - you are amazing. Seriously. For more information on how to help make Strong Songs possible, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JULY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Guinevere Boostrom Jeanneret Manning Family Four Jill Smith-Moore Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Rachel Rakov Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Viki Dun

JULY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Adam Conway Albukitty Alexander Geddes Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Aparajit Raghavan Arjun Sharma Benedict Pennington Bill Fuller Bill Thornton Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams Eric Helm Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Geoff Golden Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jack Sjogren Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson Joe C John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Latifah Makuyi Leigh Sales MH Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robyn Fraser SP SUELLEN MOORE Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah Steven Maron Stuart Terry Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Wen Zoe Little brant phillip michael bochner

"4'33" by John Cage (Twenty Thousand Hertz) Jul 15, 2020

It seemed pretty unlikely that Strong Songs would ever cover John Cage's infamous "silent" composition "4'33", so we figured, on this off-week, it'd be fun to run an episode of the fabulous podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz on the subject instead.

(Also, Kirk and 20KHz host Dallas Taylor like one another's shows and decided to do a little cross promotion.)

This episode originally ran on January 22, 2020, and the full show notes and credits are below. You can find out more about Twenty Thousand Hertz at the show's website, https://www.20k.org.

This is a really cool podcast episode. Hope you dig it!

ORIGINAL 20KHz SHOW NOTES (Aired 01/22/2020)

This episode was written and produced by Martin Zaltz Austwick. John Cage was a respected composer when, in 1952, he created his “silent piece”, 4’33’’ - a piece that would have the music world scratching their heads. This episode asks whether 4’33’’ is really “silent”, and we explore the history of a piece musicians still talk about today - and speak to the man who campaigned to get it to the top the British charts in 2010. Featuring composers Kyle Gann and Nahre Sol, and artist Dave Hilliard. MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Plastic Furniture by Audioblocks Sleepwalker by Hey Lunar Minor Stretch by Sound of Picture Footnote by Martin Zaltz Austwick A Bad Crossword (Instrumental) by Martin Zaltz Austwick Snowmelt by Martin Zaltz Austwick Slow Minnesota by Martin Zaltz Austwick Am Trans by Martin Zaltz Austwick Got Spark by Martin Zaltz Austwick Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced out of the studios of Defacto Sound, and hosted by D allas Taylor. Follow the show on Twitter & Facebook. Become a monthly contributor at 20k.org/donate. Check out Kyle Gann’s No Such Thing as Silence: John Cage's 4'33" wherever you get your books. See Nahre’s work at nahresol.com. Find Dave Hilliard on Instragram at davehilliardart. Listen to more of Martin Zaltz Austwick’s music at palebirdmusic.com.

"World 1-1" from Super Mario Bros. Jul 08, 2020

Classic video game consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System didn't just play games; they also played music. Their onboard synthesizers put strict limits on what kinds of music game composers could write, but from those limits came a cornucopia of musical themes that remain iconic even today.

On this episode, Kirk peels back the layers of Koji Kondo's "World 1-1" music from the first Super Mario Bros., revealing a perfectly polished musical gem.

Level: World 1-1

Game: Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Written by: Koji Kondo

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ALSO FEATURED:

The Legend of Zelda theme and various other tracks from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, all by Koji Kondo
"Nascence" from Journey by Austin Wintory feat. Tina Guo, 2012
"El Cayuco" by Tito Puente from Dance Mania, 1958
Audio from the Basileous Productions playthrough of World 1-1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avspZlbOWU

OUTRO SOLOIST: Steve Pardo

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Steve Pardo. Steve is a Nashville, TN based producer, composer, and saxophonist, and also does work in the world of video games, having spent several years at Harmonix, where he helped make music games like Rock Band and Dance Central. You can find out more at his website: https://www.stevepardo.com/

TRIPLE CLICK

If you want to listen to Kirk talk about video games every week, check out his new video game podcast Triple Click, which he co-hosts with Polygon's Maddy Myers and Bloomberg News's Jason Schreier. It's on all major podcast services, and also at http://tripleclickpodcast.com.

KEEP IT SOCIAL

You can follow Strong Songs on Twitter @StrongSongs: http://twitter.com/strongsongs

And you can find Kirk on Twitter @Kirkhamilton and on Instagram at @kirk_Hamilton: https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers - you all make all this possible. For more information on how to support the show, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JULY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Guinevere Boostrom Jeanneret Manning Family Four Jill Smith-Moore Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Rachel Rakov Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Viki Dun

JULY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Adam Conway Albukitty Alexander Geddes Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Aparajit Raghavan Arjun Sharma Benedict Pennington Bill Fuller Bill Thornton Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams Eric Helm Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Geoff Golden Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jack Sjogren Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson Joe C John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Latifah Makuyi Leigh Sales MH Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robyn Fraser SP SUELLEN MOORE Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah Steven Maron Stuart Terry Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Wen Zoe Little brant brantphillip michael bochner

"Satisfied" from Hamilton (Updated!) Jul 01, 2020

A toast to the groom! To the bride! To knowing you'll always regret the sacrifice you made for your sister!

In this updated 2019 episode, Kirk takes a dive into Lin-Manuel Miranda's epic Broadway musical Hamilton, focusing on Renée Elise Goldsberry's first act showstopper, "Satisfied."

Regret tinges an otherwise joyous day as Angelica Schuyler remembers the night she met Alexander Hamilton, fell in love with him, and quickly realized they could never be together. It's a heady mix of complex rhyme schemes, powerhouse vocals, and musical character motifs so densely interwoven that it's hard to keep track of them all.

(Note: This is an updated version of an episode that originally ran on May 1, 2019. It includes a new intro and outro, a couple of small editing tweaks, the show's current theme music, a new aside about Angelica's introduction to Alexander, and some added mentions of Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton's fabulous musical director.)

Artist: Renée Elise Goldsberry, Lin-Manuel Miranda

Album:Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording), 2015

Composed by: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

Tracks from The Hamilton Instrumentals, 2017

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects and experiments. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! You all make this show happen. For more information on how to become a patron, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Viki Dun

STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Adam Conway AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Geddes Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Geoff Golden Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson Joe C John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Latifah Makuyi Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robyn Fraser Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little

"Kiss" by Prince Jun 24, 2020

You don't have to be beautiful, rich, OR cool to appreciate Prince - you just need a little extra time, a pair of ears, and a pulse.

It's finally time to talk about the Purple One on Strong Songs, specifically his 1986 chart-topper "Kiss." How did a song that was originally written for a standard band become so stripped-down and distinct? Why do those vocal and guitar parts work so well? And who was responsible for some of the sounds and styles Prince was channeling when he recorded it?

All that and more, on this episode.

Artist: Prince

Album: Parade (1986)

Written by: Prince

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag" by James Brown, 1965
"I Got the Feelin'" by James Brown, 1968
"Say Man" by Bo Diddley, 1959
"Manic Monday" by Prince (!) performed by The Bangles on Different Light, 1986
“Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer from Riptide, 1985
“Rock Me Amadeus” by Falco from Falco 3, 1985
“West End Girls” by the Pet Shop Boys from Please, 1984
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry, 1958
“St. Louis Blues” by W.C. Handy performed by Bessie Smith, 1929
“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monae from Dirty Computer, 2018
A 2013 Sound on Sound interview with "Kiss" producer David Z: https://www.soundonsound.com/people/prince-kiss

Update 6/24: A couple listeners pointed out that Prince actually *wrote* The Bangles' "Manic Monday," which is too fun of a fun-fact not to mention on the episode.

OUTRO SOLOIST: Sam Howard

This episode's outro soloist is bassist Sam Howard. Sam lives in Nashville, TN, where he performs and tours with all kinds of artists. Sam played all the way through the Strong Songs outro, so keep an ear out for his playing mixed under the horns on the way out. You can find out what Sam's up to at his website, https://samhowardmusic.com.

TRY YOUR OWN OUTRO SOLO

You can download a solo-free version of the Strong Songs outro music to play around with, if you'd like. It's on Kirk's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kirkhamilton/strong-songs-outro-music-no-solo

There's also a chart, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nklRY_xAGon5ljriyxu45lKQ762W6Yv3/view?usp=sharing

STRONG TWEETS

You can now follow Strong Songs on Twitter at @StrongSongs. So, do that! http://twitter.com/strongsongs

NOW ON SPOTIFY

Strong Songs is now on Spotify! You can find the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5umVTiMQIg2bDpTZaHZqbI?si=mNYpIYq2TqaXSSeUv_JRdQ

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on Spotify, Apple Music, and thanks to listener L.B., it's now on Google Play.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! You all make this show happen. For more information on how to become a patron, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Viki Dun

STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Adam Conway AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Geddes Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Geoff Golden Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson Joe C John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Latifah Makuyi Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robyn Fraser Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little

Tricky Counting, Straight Saxes & Transposing Horns Jun 10, 2020

On this Strong Songs mailbag episode, Kirk answers your most pressing questions on subjects ranging from horn transposition, to why audiences have a hard time clapping on 2 and 4, to what the heck that sound is on the bridge to "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic."

DISCUSSED ON THIS EPISODE:

“Thunderstruck” by AC/DC from The Razors Edge, 1990
“Roll” by Fatai from Undone - EP, 2015
“Take My Breath Away” by Berlin from Count Three & Pray, 1986
“We Will Rock You” by Queen from News Of The World, 1977
‘Every Time We Say Goodbye” by Cole Porter, sung by Ella Fitzgerald
“Horsepower” by Justice from Audio, Video, Disco, 2011
“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen as sung by Rufus Wainwright
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by Sting and the Police from Ghost in the Machine, 1981
“You Don’t Know What Love Is” as played by Sonny Rollins from Saxophone Colossus, 1956
“Desafinado” by Antonio Carlos Jobim feat. Stan Getz from Getz/Gilberto, 1964
“Home Fries” by Joshua Redman from Freedom in the Groove, 1996
“Children Go” by Chris Potter from Traveling Mercies, 2002
“3-in-1 Without The Oil” by Rahsaan Roland Kirk from Domino, 1962
“Singin’ the Blues” by the Original Dixie Jazz Band, feat. Frankie Trumbauer on C Melody Sax, 1920
“Lingus” by Snarky Puppy feat. Cory Henry from We Like It Here, 2014
“Warriors” by Aaliyah Rose from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, 2019
“What Have We Done” by Shook Twins from Some Good Lives, 2019

BLACK LIVES MATTER

As Kirk mentioned on the show, below are some things to read and watch to learn more about America's shameful history of systemic racism. Just three things, actually:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander, which should be required reading in all U.S. high schools - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Jim_Crow
An excellent new NPR video explaining the history of the New York Cabaret Card, which was used by the NYPD to discriminate against black jazz musicians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUFWf-63kNk&feature=emb_logo
Wesley Morris's 2019 Times essay about white appropriation of black American music: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/music-black-culture-appropriation.html

There's a huge number of additional articles, books, and videos a person could check out to better educate themselves about this often overwhelming subject. But if you listen to this show and are looking for somewhere to start, start with those three.

OUTRO SOLOIST: You?

A bunch of listeners have requested a solo-free version of the Strong Songs outro music to play around with. So, now there is one!

You can find it on Kirk's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kirkhamilton/strong-songs-outro-music-no-solo

STRONG TWEETS

You can now follow Strong Songs on Twitter at @StrongSongs. So, do that! http://twitter.com/strongsongs

NOW ON SPOTIFY

Strong Songs is now on Spotify! You can find the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5umVTiMQIg2bDpTZaHZqbI?si=mNYpIYq2TqaXSSeUv_JRdQ

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a recent playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! You're making all of this possible.

For more information on how to become a patron, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Narelle Horn Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Viki Dun

STRONG SONGS JUNE 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Adam Conway AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Geddes Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Geoff Golden Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson Joe C John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Latifah Makuyi Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robyn Fraser Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little

"Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens May 27, 2020

D, A, C, G. Four chords, placed end to end, repeated over and over again.

On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into Sufjan Stevens's "Chicago," the centerpiece of his brilliant 2005 album Illinois. It's a towering construction supported by four chords, with building blocks of vibraphones, wurlitzers, strings, and choral harmonies.

D, A, C, G. Eyes on the road; all things go.

Artist: Sufjan Stevens

Album: Illinois (2005)

Written by: Sufjan Stevens

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"The Bird Women of Golden Gate Park" by Kirk Hamilton from The Exited Door, 2009
"Supernova" by Meklit from When The People Move, The Music Moves Too (2017)
"Come on! Feel the Illinoise!" by Sufjan Stevens from Illinois, 2005
"X. Section 8" by Steve Reich from Music for 18 Musicians, 1978
"Clocks" by Coldplay from A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton

Kirk is, well, the host of Strong Songs. He decided to finally record an outro solo at the start of 2020. He's playing tenor sax, and there's actually a video of him recording the solo here: https://twitter.com/kirkhamilton/status/1214319584959877123

STRONG TWEETS

You can now follow Strong Songs on Twitter at @StrongSongs. So, do that! http://twitter.com/strongsongs

NOW ON SPOTIFY

Strong Songs is now on Spotify! You can find the show here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5umVTiMQIg2bDpTZaHZqbI?si=mNYpIYq2TqaXSSeUv_JRdQ

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a recent playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! It has been really incredible to see people signing up to support the show. For more information on how to do that, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MAY 2020 WHOLE NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer andrew walters Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jared Norris Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Steve Philpot Viki Dun

MAY 2020 HALF NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Clint Johnston Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Peter Scott Queen Latifah Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Craig Maron Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little

The Magic of Sound, with Dallas Taylor May 20, 2020

Kirk is joined by Dallas Taylor, sound designer and host of the fabulous sound-focused podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz.

The two of them talk about what makes a great recording, the ineffable energy of live music, the history of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, album mastering and the "Loudness Wars" of the 1980s and 90s, how music can take you back to certain times in your life, and the merits of listening to albums on vinyl. They also nerd out pretty hard about Hamilton.

FEATURED & DISCUSSED:

Episodes of Twenty Thousand Hertz on the Roland TR-808, Mastering and "The Loudness Wars," and the audio design of Hamilton
“Sinnerman” by Nina Simone from Pastel Blues, 1965
Whitney Houston's legendary performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 1991 Super Bowl
“Brand New Funk” by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince from He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper, 1988
“Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish from When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, 2019
The 2008 Universal studio fire that destroyed countless master recordings from countless major artists
“Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath from Black Sabbath, 1970
Various songs by Lin Manuel-Miranda from Hamilton, 2015
“Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service from Give Up, 2003
“Everything in its Right Place” by Radiohead from Kid A, 2000
“Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)” by The Mars Volta from Deloused in the Comatorium, 2003
“So What” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959

LISTEN TO TWENTY THOUSAND HERTZ:

It really is a great podcast, and if you like Strong Songs you will almost certainly like it, too. You can find the show on all podcast platforms and on its website, https://www.20k.org/.

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

THANK YOU, STRONG SONGS PATRONS!

This episode was made possible by all of Strong Songs's backers on Patreon. Not only do you all make it possible to dedicate extra time to bonus episodes like this one, you make the show itself happen. So, thank you!

If you want to support Strong Songs, go to: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MAY 2020 WHOLE NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer andrew walters Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jared Norris Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Steve Philpot Viki Dun

MAY 2020 HALF NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Clint Johnston Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Peter Scott Queen Latifah Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Craig Maron Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little

"Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox May 13, 2020

Are you living in an empty room, with all the windows smashed? Then this is the podcast episode for you.

It's time for a deep dive into Annie Lennox's 1992 pop banger "Walking on Broken Glass," with all its syncopated pianos, string section interludes, ever-changing backup vocals, and tasty guitar cameos. Won't you pick the pieces up?

Artist: Annie Lennox

Album: Diva (1992)

Written by: Annie Lennox

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" by The Miami Sax Quartet from Four of a Kind, 2013
“Why" and "Little Bird" by Annie Lennox from Diva, 1992
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart from the Eurythmics album Sweet Dreams, 1983
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna from Like a Prayer, 1989
"You Can Call me Al" and "Graceland" by Paul Simon from Graceland, 1986
"New Slang" by the Shins from Oh, Inverted World, 2001

OUTRO SOLOIST: Galen Clark

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Galen Clark. Galen plays keyboard and organ and acts as bandleader for the soul jazz group Trio Subtonic; you can find playing regularly around Portland, Oregon and occasionally on tour. Find more information at their website, https://www.triosubtonic.net.

STRONG TWEETS

You can now follow Strong Songs on Twitter at @StrongSongs. So, do that! http://twitter.com/strongsongs

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a recent playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! You make it possible for each episode of this show to get the time and attention it deserves. If you want to support Strong Songs, go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MAY 2020 WHOLE NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation Aidan Coughlan Andre Bremer andrew walters Anne Britt Bill Rosinger CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Christer Lindqvist Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey David Zahm Doug Paton Erin Glenn Jared Norris Jeanneret Manning Family Four Kyle Starr Mark Schechter Matt Butler Merlin Mann Mickey Clark Nathaniel Bauernfeind R Watson Robert Paul Ryan Torvik Simon Cramp Steve Philpot Viki Dun

MAY 2020 HALF NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Fuller brant brantphillip Brendon Oliver-Ewen Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Briony Leo Brooke Wilford Caro Field Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Clare HOLBERTON Clint Johnston Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud David Zucker Dhu Wik Diane Turner Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Georgia Livesay Gerry Nelson Jaehoon Jeong Jake Tinsley James Johnson Jarrod Schindler Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe Jonathan Daniels Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Judy Chapple Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kendra Reid Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Malory Mark Haberlen Mark Perry Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Melanie Stivers MH Michael Blackwell michael bochner Michael Flaherty Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Peter Scott Queen Latifah Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn Shane DeLeon Sheilah SP Stephen Steven Craig Maron Steven Maron Stuart Terry SUELLEN MOORE Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Coleman Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh Zoe Little

"Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley Apr 29, 2020

The bells in the church tower chime, so it's time to grab our Telecasters and talk about Jeff Buckley.

Specifically, it's time for a deep dive into Buckley's "Last Goodbye," one of the centerpiece songs on his sole studio album, Grace. There'll be spacious drums, grand basslines, spiraling string parts, alternative guitar tunings, and of course, loads of beautiful singing.

Artist: Jeff Buckley

Album: Grace (1994)

Written by: Jeff Buckley

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

“Mojo Pin,” "Grace," "Hallelujah" and "Corpus Christi Carol" all from Grace, 1994
“Unforgiven (Last Goodbye)” from Live at Sin-é, 1993

OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo

Dan plays guitar all around the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons - in fact, he taught Kirk some of the guitar parts for "Last Goodbye" back in the day. Hit him up if you want to get really good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

Kirk has condensed his Strong Songs picks into a single new list, which you can find on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a recent playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! You are all incredible. If you want to support Kirk making the show (and also see a new behind-the-scenes video about how he makes it), go here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Clint Johnson Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann R Watson Ryan Torvik Viki Dun

APRIL 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant Phillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud DuncannLL Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Gerry Nelson Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell michael bochner Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robert Paul Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh

Devo, AC/DC, and a Mystery Solved Apr 15, 2020

It's time for another Strong Songs listener Q&A, as Kirk goes into the mailbag to answer your most burning musical questions.

How does Devo make 11/8 time sound so smooth? What makes one song sound like a train, while another one sounds like a pack of horses? Why does the turnaround of Janelle Monáe's "Make Me Feel" sound so odd? What kinds of effects did Michael Brecker use on his saxophone? How does AC/DC's Angus Young rock the intro to "Thunderstruck" so hard? Those questions and many more... on this ep.

FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

"Me, Myself, I" by Joan Armatrading from Joan Armatrading, 1980
“Blockhead” by Devo from Dusty Now for the Future, 1979
“Funky Sea, Funky Dew” by Michael and Randy Brecker from Heavy Metal Be-Bop, 1978
“We Built This City” by Starship from Knee Deep in the Hoopla, 1985
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, 1978
“Thunderstruck” by AC/DC from The Razors Edge, 1990
“Where The Streets Have No Name” by U2 from The Joshua Tree, 1987
“Make Me Feel” by Janelle Monáe from Dirty Computer, 2018
“Wheel In The Sky” by Journey from Infinity, 1978
“Last Train Home” by Pat Metheney from Still Life (Talking), 1987
“Graceland” by Paul Simon from Graceland, 1086
“Cissy Strut” by The Meters from The Meters, 1960
“In Case You Don’t Live Forever” by Ben Platt from Sing To Me Instead, 2019
“Joy Spring” by Clifford Brown from Clifford Brown & Max Roach, 1954
“Ghost Catching” and “Professor Elvin Gadd” by Chad York and Darren Radtke from Luigi’s Mansion 3, 2019
Reference to Ezra Klein's recent podcast episode about "Social Solidarity"
Reference to the incredible Reply/All episode "The Case of the Missing Hit"

Note: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly stated that Ben Platt wrote Dear Evan Hansen, which was in fact written by Justin Paul and Benj Pasek, with book by Steven Levenson. Platt starred as Evan Hansen in the original cast.

Correction 10/2021: At long last, Kirk has corrected his description of Angus Young's guitar solo on "Thunderstruck." It is played entirely on the B string, which makes it so much cooler.

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and the dude can really get it done. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor and find his upcoming shows on his website: https://klmolitor.wixsite.com/tbone

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as listening recommendations and teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a new playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons; you rule. If you want to support Kirk making this show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Clint Johnson Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann R Watson Ryan Torvik Viki Dun

APRIL 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant Phillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud DuncannLL Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Gerry Nelson Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell michael bochner Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robert Paul Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh

"So What" by Miles Davis Apr 01, 2020

On this episode, Kirk dives in to one of the most influential jazz recordings of all time.

As the lead track on Miles Davis's landmark album Kind of Blue, "So What" signaled a new era in jazz harmony, composition, and improvisation. This episode will get into what that actually means, how the tune works, and why the seven musicians who played on Kind of Blue were each such a crucial part of the album's magic.

Artist: Miles Davis

Album: Kind of Blue (1959)

Written by: Miles Davis

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

“Will O’ the Wisp” by Miles Davis and Gil Evans from Sketches of Spain, 1960
“Seven Steps to Heaven” by Victor Feldman/Miles Davis from Four And More (Live), 1966
“Giant Steps” by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960
“Resolution Pt. 2” by John Coltrane from A Love Supreme, 1965
“This Here” By Cannonball Adderley from The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, 1960
“Mercy Mercy Mercy” by Josef Zawinul from Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, 1966
“Autumn Leaves” by by Joseph Kosma, performed by the Bill Evans Trio on Portrait in Jazz, 1959
“Dancing in the Dark” by Dietz/Schwartz, performed by the Bill Evans Trio on Trio 64, 1964
“No Blues” by Miles Davis performed by Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio on Smokin’ at the Half Note, 1965
“Donna Lee” by Charlie Parker/Miles Davis recorded by the Charlie Parker Quintet, 1947
“I Wish” by Stevie Wonder from Songs in the Key of Life, 1976
“Excursions” by A Tribe Called Quest from The Low End Theory, 1991
“Rimshot [Intro]” by Erykah Badu from Erykah Badu: Live, 1997
Discussion of Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe, 1990
Discussion of Ascension: John Coltrane and his Quest by Eric Nisenson, 1995

The Strong Songs Kind of Blue Playlist

Kirk made a new playlist of the recordings discussed on this episode, in the hopes that it would give a sense of how the seven musicians on Kind of Blue went on to make all kinds of great music as bandleaders. It's in chronological order, so don't put it on shuffle. Unless, you know, you want to.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1X2ETUpsFfH03FHOZDCiic?si=UHahG4EcRcSQ_tBlpzSakA

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/strong-songs-kind-of-blue-playlist/pl.u-mJy8DG8t1g8Ka

OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ Cord

This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a new playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons; you all are the best. If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Clint Johnson Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann R Watson Ryan Torvik Viki Dun

APRIL 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Gerry Nelson Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell michael bochner Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robert Paul Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh

April Makes Fools of Us All Apr 01, 2020

On this episode... a prank.

April Fools’ Day has run its course, which means it’s time to update this episode description to accurately reflect what’s in the episode. Hopefully this joke made some listeners laugh, and didn't ruffle too many feathers.

The actual full episode on Miles Davis’s “So What” should be live as of this update, and next in your feed.

To give credit where it's due:

Song: "Never Gonna Give You Up"

Artist: Rick Astley

Album: Whenever You Need Somebody (1987)

Written by: Stock Aitken Waterman

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

Special thanks to Emily for being an excellent test audience.

***

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a new playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thank you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons; you all are the best. If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

APRIL 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Clint Johnson Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann R Watson Ryan Torvik Viki Dun

APRIL 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Albukitty Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart Dave King David Stroud Duncan Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Gerry Nelson Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jenifer Carr Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Judith Stansfield Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Betzel Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell michael bochner Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Robert Paul Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson Wayne Marsh

"God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys Mar 18, 2020

As sure as there are stars above you, Strong Songs will be here to deliver musical deep-dives straight into your eardrums. This week is no different, as Kirk picks apart Brian Wilson's chamber-pop masterpiece "God Only Knows."

The sleigh bells ring, the french horn solos, and The Wrecking Crew lays down the foundation for an immaculate collection of chords and melodies, all placed over a bass line that's as Bach as it is Beach-y. Turns out there's a reason so many people call this the greatest song ever written.

Artist: The Beach Boys

Album: Pet Sounds (1966)

Written by: Brian Wilson & Tony Asher

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"And Your Dream Comes True" by The Beach Boys from Summer Days (And Summer Nights), 1965
Discussion of Danny Tedesco's excellent 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew

OUTRO SOLOIST: Luke Price

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful Portland fiddle player Luke Price. When he's not working as a side man in a variety of killer bands, Luke joins his wife Rachael to form the excellent songwriting duo DEAN!. They've got a new album coming soon and it's gonna be pretty great; in the meantime you can follow them on Instagram and listen to some of their stuff on their website, wearedean.com.

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

You can also find a new playlist Kirk specifically designed for listening while staying home and not spreading viruses on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play (thanks Thomas for making that last one)

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

A huge thank-you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons, and to everyone who has recently signed up! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MARCH 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

MARCH 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson

A Playlist For Trying Times Mar 13, 2020

It's a pretty stressful time, and I (Kirk) had a feeling some of you might be cooped up, staring at your phones and anxiously checking the news. I'm right there with you.

I've found a lot of comfort in music over the last few days, and occasionally, some much-needed distraction. I wanted to try to share that with all of you, so I made a new playlist featuring songs from artists I've talked about on Strong Songs.

You can find it here:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3OYYGNNXWw6lNvYU2OY1Mi?si=5DtK6owKS3Cv-s3-tpkTzw

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/a-playlist-for-trying-times-strong-songs/pl.u-11zBvz3hmqpG7

Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/preview/pl/AMaBXylOrnWocYbzZ6XTVYPJuHh1APp_ZyXr_769Ztu9a_CQzYVUVbi_zxRdY3w0O36oCbDW9bMiUuaYvWljw-7_J9uWejR9hw==?u=0 (Thanks Thomas!)

Here's the track list, for those who may want to create it for themselves:

1. Toto - Rosanna 2. Paul Simon - Spirit Voices 3. Beyoncé - Love On Top 4. Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke 5. ABBA - Take a Chance on Me 6. Queen - Love of my Life 7. Frozen 2 - Into The Unknown 8. Art Blakey - Come Rain or Come Shine 9. Electric Light Orchestra - Across the Border 10. Lin-Manuel Miranda - Piragua 11. Elton John - This Song Has No Title 12. Janelle Monáe - Wondaland 13. Heart - Love Alive 14. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees 15. Madonna - Borderline 16. Aretha Franklin - I Say a Little Prayer 17. Seal - Crazy 18. Danny Elfman w/ Oingo Boingo - Just Another Day 19. Dolly Parton - The Light of a Clear Blue Morning 20. Led Zeppelin - The Battle of Evermore 21. The Cardigans - Great Divide 22. Rush - La Villa Strangiato 23. Nina Simone - Feelin’ Good

If you have some free time, consider sitting down with the playlist, turning up the volume, and seeing what you hear. Where's the thump? Where are the pop and sizzle? What are the vocals doing? How about the bass? Are there any unexpected instruments in the mix?

Barring unforeseen events, I'll be back this coming Wednesday with a new episode. Stay safe, and take care of each other out there.

~KH

-------

MARCH 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

MARCH 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson

"Sinnerman" by Nina Simone Mar 04, 2020

Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to? To the rock? To the river? To the sea? Well, wherever you run, you'll still be starring in a Strong Songs analysis of one of Nina Simone's greatest recordings.

Yes, it's time for Strong Songs' first-ever analysis of a live recording, as Kirk digs in to legendary pianist/vocalist Nina Simone's 1965 interpretation of the traditional spiritual song "Sinnerman." It's time for some syncopated piano, popless grooves, band crash-landings, hand-clap breakdowns, hip hop samples, and one spectacular vocal cadenza.

Artist: Nina Simone

Album: Pastel Blues (1965)

Written by: Traditional, arr. Nina Simone

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"I Put a Spell On You" and "Feeling Good" as performed by Nina Simone on I Put a Spell On You, 1965
"Strange Fruit" as performed by Simone on Pastel Blues, 1965
"Sinner Man" arranged by Les Baxter for his orchestra
"Oh, Timbaland" by Timbaland from Shock Value, 2007
"Get By" by Talib Kweli from Quality, 2002
Audio from John McTiernan's underrated 1999 remake of The Thomas Crown Affair
Audio from Liz Garbus' excellent 2015 documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?

OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich

This episode's outro soloist is the wonderful bay area pianist/accordionist Rob Reich. Rob performs all over the place with a bunch of different groups, and is a total pleasure to see play. He's got a bunch of albums you can check out and contributes to an array of interesting projects (Live silent-film scores! Circus music!) and experiments. Find more at his website, http://www.robreich.com/.

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, as well as teases for upcoming Strong Songs episodes, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

A huge thank-you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

MARCH 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

MARCH 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton brant brantphillip Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Leigh Sales Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson

Muse, Mars, and a Mystery Feb 19, 2020

It's time for the first Strong Songs listener Q&A of 2020, so let's get into it!

Kirk answers listener questions on topics like Zeppelin and Cake counting, the decline (and rise) of the saxophone, Muse's approach to vocal processing, whether piano is an "easy" instrument, Bruno Mars's musical magpieism, and in a first, a listener's request that Strong Songs help him solve a mystery.

Update 2/25/20: Mystery solved! Fabian's mystery song is "Me, Myself, I" by Joan Armatrading. Thanks to everyone who wrote in with the answer, and thanks as well to Fabian, who did a pretty great job re-creating it from memory.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

“The Ocean” by Led Zeppelin from Houses of the Holy, 1973
“Closer (feat. Halsey)” from Collage - EP by The Chainsmokers, 2016
“What’s Up Danger” by Blackway and Black Caviar from the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Soundtrack, 2018
“Overture” by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori from the Halo: Reach soundtrack, 2010
“Married Life” by Michael Giacchino from the Up soundtrack, 2009
“Song For My Father” by Horace Silver from Song for My Father, 1964
“So What” and “Freddie Freeloader” by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959
“Shake, Rattle and Roll” by Big Joe Turner from Shake, Rattle & Rock, 1958
“Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty from City to City, 1978
“Run Away” by SunStroke Project & Olia Tira, 2010
“One Shining Soul” by Joshua Redman from Freedom in the Groove, 1996
“Muscle Museum” by Muse from Showbiz, 1999
“Nugget” by Cake from Fashion Nugget, 1996
“Ain’t That Easy” by D’Angelo and the Vanguard from Black Messiah, 2014
“Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars from Unorthodox Jukebox, 2012
“Finesse” by Bruno Mars from 24k Magic, 2016
“Can’t Stand Losing You” by Sting and the Police from Outlandos D'Amor, 1978
“Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe from Poison, 1990
“On Our Own” by Bobby Brown from the Ghostbusters II soundtrack, 1989

OUTRO SOLOIST: Galen Clark

Galen Clark plays keyboard and organ and acts as bandleader for the soul jazz group Trio Subtonic; you can find playing regularly around Portland, Oregon and occasionally on tour. Find more information at their website, https://www.triosubtonic.net.

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

A huge thank-you to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

FEBRUARY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

FEBRUARY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson

"Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" from The Witcher Feb 10, 2020

What's that you say? You'd like a bonus mini-episode all about the cheeseball fantasy earworm "Toss A Coin To Your Witcher"? Well, Kirk is happy to oblige.

This mini-sode started as a segment in next week's mailbag episode, but it became involved enough that Kirk decided to spin it out into its own little thing. Hopefully it gives all you Witcher fans out there a better appreciation for why you can't get this song out of your head, and if it gets the song BACK in your head in the process... well, sorry. Or maybe you're welcome?

Band/Artist: Joey Batey, aka Jaskier, aka The Bard Dandelion

Album: The Witcher: Music from the Netflix Original Series

Written by: Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli

Lyrics by: Jenny Klein

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

-----

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

FEBRUARY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

FEBRUARY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson

"Tom Sawyer" by Rush Feb 05, 2020

A modern day warrior's mean, mean stride; today's Strong Song has mean, mean pride!

Yes, it's time for Kirk to tackle a song by the legendary Canadian rock trio Rush, and what better song than "Tom Sawyer"? Of course, what starts with Tom doesn't end there, as Kirk takes a broader look at Rush's musical legacy, with extra attention for the band's legendary drummer Neil Peart, who tragically died last month.

It's a longer-than-usual episode covering a variety of topics, from odd meter counting; to "kite and anchor" solos; to drum snobs; to just what kind of person spends 30 years conquering the world of rock drumming, only to seek out a new teacher and reinvent himself.

Band/Artist: Rush

Album: Moving Pictures (1981)

Written by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart

Lyrics by: Neil Peart and Pye Dubois

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

Note: This episode has been updated to correct the pronunciation of Neil Peart's last name, which, as it turns out, is pronounced "Peert" and not "Pert."

------

ALSO FEATURED:

"La Villa Strangiato" by Rush from Hemispheres, 1978
"Jump" by Van Halen from 1984, 1984
"Come Sail Away" by Styx from The Grand Illusion, 1977
The free (!) VST plugin OBXD Synthesizer
"Autumn Leaves" by the Keith Jarrett Trio from After The Fall, recorded 1998/released 2018
"Whippersnapper" by the Wayne Krantz Trio from Two Drink Minimum, 1995
"YYZ" by Rush from Moving Pictures, 1981
"Spirit of the Radio" by Rush from Permanent Waves, 1980
"The Monster" by Buddy Rich from Krupa and Rich, 1956 (1994 CD re-release)
Clips from various episodes of Freaks and Geeks
Excerpts from the excellent 2002 documentary Neil Peart: A Work In Progress

OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ CORD

This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fantastic trumpet player based in Portland who recorded this, the first-ever Strong Songs outro solo. BJ works at Monette trumpets making some of the most beautiful horns in the world, and is a regular presence on their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monettetrumpets

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

FEBRUARY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Craig J Covell Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

FEBRUARY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

AJ Schuster Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Christer Lindqvist Cyrus N. White Darryl Stewart David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Mark Steen Markus Koester Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero Sam Fenn samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer Toni Isaacson

Rhythm + Harmony = Music Jan 29, 2020

Kirk breaks down the two most fundamental aspects of music: rhythm and harmony.

There's the Y-axis, harmony, which tells us which frequencies we're hearing in which combinations. And there's the X-axis, rhythm, which tells us how those frequencies are playing out over time. Much like most music, it's a mix of math and magic that takes many moons to master.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

"I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton, performed by Whitney Houston
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971
The Pentatonix cover of "Havana" from Top Pop, Vol. 1
"Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, 1977
"Countdown" by John Coltrane from Giant Steps, 1960
"The Waltz of the Flowers" by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from The Nutcracker, 1892
"You Really Got Me" by The Kinks from The Kinks, 1964
"Use It" by the New Pornographers from Twin Cinema, 2005
"Take Five" by Paul Desmond and "Blue Rondo a la Turk" by Dave Brubeck from Time Out, 1959
"Cory Wong teaches audience to count 25/8" posted by Arlington Hayne to YouTube
"Weni" by Timnit Welday via YouTube
"Janie Runaway" by Steely Day from Two Against Nature, 2000

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

This episode was made possible by Patreon, so, the biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers! The next one of these bonus episodes will focus on individual instruments, so if you want to help reach the goal to make that episode happen, head over here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JANUARY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

JANUARY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Adam Georgandis Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Mark Steen Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

"Lovefool" by The Cardigans Jan 22, 2020

You don't have to cry, pray, or beg - Kirk is happy to break down one of the 90s' most iconic pop hits without any further encouragement.

Yes, it's time to take apart The Cardigans' 1996 hit "Lovefool," a song that sounds one way when it's that Romeo + Juliet song that's on the radio all the time, and another way when it's the centerpiece of First Band on the Moon. Kirk zooms out a bit more than usual to place this song in the context of its (fantastic) corresponding album, and to hopefully help everyone better appreciate the meticulous mastery of The Cardigans.

Band/Artist: The Cardigans

Album: First Band on the Moon (1996)

Written by: Nina Persson and Peter Svensson

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

Many other tracks from First Band on the Moon

------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kyle Molitor

Kyle is a Portland-based trombonist who plays in all sorts of bands, and the dude can really get it done. Find him on Instagram @tbonemolitor and find his upcoming shows on his website: https://klmolitor.wixsite.com/tbone

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JANUARY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

JANUARY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Adam Georgandis Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Mark Steen Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin Jan 08, 2020

Do you hear a faint.... bustling? It's coming from your hedgerow. It's not just a spring clean for the May queen... it's a new episode of Strong Songs, straight from the Internet to your eardrums!

Yes, Strong Songs is back from the holidays and ready for a lush new year of thumps, pops, sizzles, and higgada-buggadas. On the first episode of 2020, Kirk goes deep into Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," a song that develops with unusual subtlety, from those quiet opening guitar arpeggios to that howling, rocking culmination.

Band/Artist: Led Zeppelin

Album: Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Composed by: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO DISCUSSED:

"Black Dog" also from Led Zeppelin IV
Clips from Wayne's World, 1992, and a Billboard magazine retrospective with director Penelope Spheeris
"Taurus" by Spirit from Spirit, 1968
"The Mandalorian" by Ludwig Göransson from The Mandalorian soundtrack, 2019
"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen from A Night at the Opera, 1975
"Grace" by Jeff Buckley from Grace, 1994
A clip from Jeff Buckley Live at Sin-é (Legacy Edition), 1993, which is a really incredible live compilation and you should listen to it

------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Kirk Hamilton

Kirk is, well, the host of Strong Songs. He realized he'd never actually done an outro solo, so he figured he'd kick off year two by recording one. He's playing tenor sax, and there's actually a video of him recording the solo here: https://twitter.com/kirkhamilton/status/1214319584959877123

'GRAM BY 'GRAM

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons, especially all the new folks who signed up in December! If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

JANUARY 2020 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

AccessViolation andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

JANUARY 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Adam Georgandis Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Gavin Doig Jacob Dye Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jeremy Dawson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Mark Steen Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Robbie Ferrero samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

Year One, In Review Nov 27, 2019

Strong Songs is one year old! In honor of that anniversary, Kirk takes a look back on the year that was, sharing musical highlights from each of the show's 20 single-song episodes.

SCHEDULING NOTE: Strong Songs will be off in December, and will return for Year Two on January 8, 2020. If you're a patron over on Patreon, that means you won't be charged for the month of December.

That also makes December a great month catch up on episodes you may have missed, share the show with your friends, listen to Year One playlists, and enjoy a hopefully very musical holiday season.

SONGS DISCUSSED:

"Africa" by Toto from Toto IV, 1982
"You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon from Graceland, 1986
"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" by Beyoncé from I Am... Sasha Fierce, 2008
"I Wish" by Stevie Wonder from Songs in the Key Of Life, 1976
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson from Thriller, 1982
"Dancing Queen" by ABBA from Arrival, 1976
"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen from A Night At The Opera, 1975
"Let It Go" from Frozen, 2013
"Moanin'" by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers from Moanin', 1959
"Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra from Out Of The Blue, 1977
"Satisfied" by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Hamilton, 2015
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973
"Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe from The Archandroid, 2010
"Barracuda" by Heart from Little Queen, 1977
"Paranoid Android" by Radiohead from OK Computer, 1997
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna from Like a Prayer, 1989
"Think" by Aretha Franklin from the Blues Brothers soundtrack, 1980
"Kiss From a Rose" by Seal from Seal II, 1994
"Making Christmas" by Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993
"I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton from Jolene, 1974, and as performed by Whitney Houston on The Bodyguard soundtrack, 1992

------

YEAR ONE PLAYLISTS

You can find new playlists with these 20 songs on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/strong-songs-year-1/pl.u-V9D7gaGiJ7o0a

and Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5d9ym1sUymGoySMXOw3zbZ?si=knUCLdHHTQ2lTIQq-uXYmQ

OUTRO SOLOIST: All Of Them!

Thanks to all of the outro soloists we've featured over the past few months: BJ Cord, Galen Clark, Rob Reich, Dan Nervo, Sam Howard, and Steve Pardo. We'll feature plenty more great soloists in Year Two.

SOCIAL MEDIA ALERT

You can find Kirk on Twitter @kirkhamilton, and if you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow him on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG PLAYLISTS

In addition to the year-one playlists above, you can find bigger playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of all thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon backers. Hundreds of people have supported the show since the Patreon launched over the summer, and you've made it possible for Strong Songs to be what it is. For Year Two, we're adding a smaller "Eighth-Note" tier for those of you who just want to kick in a little bit, since a few folks have asked for that.

Find out more here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

NOVEMBER 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

NOVEMBER 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O'Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kingy Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Molly Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

Thanks everyone for listening - see you in 2020!

"I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton Nov 13, 2019

It takes an extremely strong song to top the charts three separate times in three separate decades, but "I Will Always Love You" is just such a song.

Written and recorded (twice) by Dolly Parton and then re-recorded in show-stopping fashion by Whitney Houston, the ballad has morphed from a fond farewell to a former mentor, to a theatrical goodbye to a lover, to a soaring ode to the very notions of love and loss. We follow that journey from the beginning, with all the vocal tricks, dramatic line-readings, and epic key changes that were added along the way.

Band/Artist: Dolly Parton & Whitney Houston

Albums: Jolene (1974), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and The Bodyguard soundtrack (1992)

Composed by: Dolly Parton

Listen/Buy (Jolene): Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

Listen/Buy (TBLWIT): Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

Listen/Buy (The Bodyguard): Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO DISCUSSED/FEATURED:

The sensational new WNYC podcast Dolly Parton's America
"The Last Thing On My Mind" by Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner
"Applejack" by Dolly Parton from New Harvest...First Gathering, 1977
"Let It Go" from Frozen performed by Idina Menzel

------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo

Mr. Dan Nervo has the tiller for this episode's outro solo. Dan plays guitar all around the San Francisco Bay Area in bands like Neon Velvet, and also teaches private guitar lessons. Hit him up if you want to get really good at guitar: https://www.facebook.com/DanNervoGuitarLessons/

ONE 'GRAM AT A TIME

If you're interested in occasional music and Portland-related photos and videos, follow Kirk on Instagram @kirk_hamilton. https://www.instagram.com/kirk_hamilton/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons. If you want to support Kirk making the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

NOVEMBER 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS (Thank you!!)

andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann Ryan Torvik

NOVEMBER 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Alex Singer Alexander Polson Amanda Furlotti Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White David Stroud Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O'Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kingy Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Molly Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tanner Morton Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

"Making Christmas" from The Nightmare Before Christmas Oct 30, 2019

When the full moon starts to climb, we'll all sing out... it's time to talk about the best stop-motion animated Halloween/Christmas movie musical ever made! Hee hee hee hee heeee!

Tim Burton and Danny Elfman's maniacal miniature-musical The Nightmare Before Christmas was unusual when it came out in 1993 and, despite the fact that it went on to became a beloved Disney classic, is still unusual today. The centerpiece ensemble song "Making Christmas," during which the well-meaning but hopeless denizens of Halloween Town attempt to craft their own kind of creepy Christmas, is a crucial turning point for the film, both narratively and musically.

In this episode, Kirk takes a closer look at what makes "Making Christmas" tick, from its densely interwoven character motifs to its ever-shifting orchestration to its earth-shaking contrabass woodwinds.

Band/Artist: Danny Elfman and the Halloween Town Cast

Album: The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, 1993

Composed by: Danny Elfman

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

ALSO FEATURED:

Various other songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack, 1993
"The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman, 1989
"Dead Man's Party" and "Weird Science" by Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo from Dead Man's Party, 1985
"Dies Irae" performed by the monks of the Abbey of Notre Dame
"Theme from The Shining" by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind, 1980
"The Carol of the Bells" by Mykola Leontovych, 1914, with lyrics by Peter J. Wilhousky, as conducted by John Williams on the soundtrack from Home Alone

------

Update 10/31: After I published this episode on the 30th, several listeners wrote in to tell me about the Dies Irae, a 13th century Gregorian death chant that also shares the first four notes of the "Making Christmas" motif and has turned up in a TON of movies besides. I wasn't familiar with the Dies Irae (I know!), so I've updated the episode to include a mention of it. You'll have to redownload the episode if you want to hear that version. You can also watch a great Vox explainer video about the Dies Irae here: https://www.vox.com/videos/2019/9/16/20868789/creepy-melody-movies-catholic-chant-lion-king-shining - Kirk

------

NEW MUSIC VIDEO!

It's a multi-instrumental arrangement of the theme from the classic adventure game The Secret of Monkey Island, featuring both pennywhistle and normal whistle, among other instruments: https://youtu.be/zf7VQiu1MGo

To catch the next one, subscribe to Kirk's YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/kirkhamiltonmusic

------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Steve Pardo

This episode's outro soloist is the one and only Steve Pardo. Steve and Kirk met when they were both jazz saxophone students at the University of Miami; Steve currently lives and performs around the Nashville, TN area. He's a producer, composer, and does work in the world of video games, having spent several years at Harmonix, where he helped make music games like Rock Band and Dance Central. You can find out more at his website: https://www.stevepardo.com/

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

Thanks as always to everyone who supports Strong Songs on Patreon. If you want to support Kirk making this podcast, find out more here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

OCTOBER 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann

OCTOBER 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Alex Singer Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White Dominik Schmitt Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O'Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

"Kiss From a Rose" by Seal Oct 16, 2019

There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say... especially if that man is named Kirk, and the thing he's telling you about is Seal's "Kiss From a Rose."

Kirk goes back to the 90s for a close look at Seal's Grammy-winning, Batman-adjacent power ballad and finds a song that's much more interesting than he even remembered. It's an indulgent world of thick counterpoint, long phrases, harp flourishes, and oboe solos, with some of the richest vocal arranging this side of a chamber choir.

Band/Artist: Seal

Album: Seal II, 1994 and the Batman Forever soundtrack, 1995

Composed by: Seal

Produced by: Trevor Horn

Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify

------

OUTRO SOLOIST: Sam Howard

This episode's outro soloist is bassist Sam Howard. Sam lives in Nashville, TN, where he performs and tours with all kinds of artists, most recently hitting the road with the wonderful singer/guitar-shredder Molly Tuttle. Sam played all the way through the Strong Songs outro, so keep an ear out for his playing mixed under the horns on the way out. You can find out what Sam's up to at his website, https://samhowardmusic.com.

NEWSLETTER/MAILING LIST

Sign up for Kirk's mailing list to start getting monthly-ish newsletters with music recommendations, links, news, and extra thoughts on new Strong Songs episodes: https://kirkhamilton.substack.com/subscribe

STRONG MERCH!

Visit the Strong Songs merch store for some very cool t-shirts, mugs, totes, and more: store.strongsongspodcast.com

STRONG PLAYLISTS

You can find playlists containing every Strong Song as well as all of Kirk's weekly music picks from his other podcast, Kotaku Splitscreen, on both Spotify and Apple Music.

SUPPORT STRONG SONGS ON PATREON!

The biggest of thank-yous to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons. The show is drawing ever-nearer to its next goal, which will mean a bonus episode all about music terminology. If you want to support the show, do so here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs

OCTOBER 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS

andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Merlin Mann

OCTOBER 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS

Alex Singer Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Baker Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brooke Wilford Chas Lednicky Chris Brown Cyrus N. White Dominik Schmitt Earl Lozada Eero Wahlstedt Elliot Jay O'Neill Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeffrey Olson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O'Keefe joujou Juan Carlos Montemayor Elosua Jules Bailey Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kate Albury Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese SP Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer

Fiddle Battles and Bad Sax Oct 02, 2019

Kirk opens the Strong Songs mailbag to tackle your questions about demonic fiddle playing, lousy sax solos, Led Zeppelin counting, fake-out intros, reverb, children's music, and more.

REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by the Charlie Daniels Band from Million Mile Reflections, 1979
"The Eternal Triangle" by Sonny Stitt from Sonny Side Up, 1959
"The Jones Girl" by the Five Satins, 1956
"Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, 1977
"Hot For The Mountain" and "Never Too Late" by Natalie Prass from The Future and the Past, 2018
"Destination" by Nickel Creek from A Dotted Line, 2014
"My Doorbell" by the White Stripes from Get Behind Me Satan, 2005
"It's All Over Now" by the Rolling Stones, 1964
"For The Love of Money" by the O'Jays, 1974
"Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin IV, 1971
"Gumboots" by Paul Simon from Graceland, 1986
"You Really Got Me" by the Kinks, 1964
"Baby Beluga" by Raffi from Baby Beluga, 1980
"Bananaphone" by Raffi from Bananaphone, 1994
"Here Comes the Sun" by George Harrison from Abbey Road, 1969
"Freddie Freeloader" by Miles Davis from Kind of Blue, 1959
"Searching" by Hanne Hukkelberg from Little Things, 2005

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