The Memphis-based soul label Stax Records is home to The Staples Singers, Otis Redding and many soul hitmakers. David Porter, writer of the hit songs “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Comin’,” joins this episode to share the story portrayed in the Emmy-nominated documentary, 'Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.'

Porter talks about how Stax was first a country label and switched to soul music after allowing him and other youth from the neighborhood to audition. He talks about how music unified both Black and white musicians at the label, in a town that was segregated at the time. He also discusses the trials and tribulations of getting acquired by larger labels, how the deaths of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Otis Redding impacted the label, and the successes and legacy of Stax.

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Sunny Day Real Estate came out of the hardcore scene in Seattle in the 90s and eventually became a major influence on “emo” music.

KEXP’s Dusty Henry talks with guitarist Dan Hoerner and drummer William Goldsmith about the band’s history, their take on "emo," their recent reunion tour, and the re-release of their 1994 debut album, 'Diary.'

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The Canadian hardcore band, F*cked Up is out with a new record, called Another Day. The band’s last three records were all written and recorded in a total of 24 hours. Emily Fox speaks with F*cked Up’s frontman Damian Abraham about these 24-hour projects, how Toronto marijuana politics comes up on Another Day and how medical marijuana has helped his panic attacks.

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Aoife O’Donovan of the bluegrass bands Crooked Still and I’m With Her released a solo album this year about the suffrage movement. To honor the 104th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the U.S., Emily Fox caught up with O’Donovan to get a history lesson on the movement and discuss where we’ve come and the work that still needs to be done.

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Alisa Amador grew up touring the US and singing in her parents' Latin folk band, Sol y Canto. She then went on to start a solo career and in 2022 she won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest. But when she got the call from NPR that she had won, she almost told them to give the award to another contestant. Amador had stopped writing music in 2020 following the death of a close friend. In the end, she did accept the award and is now out with her first album since winning the Tiny Desk Contest. It’s called 'Multitudes.'

Emily Fox caught up with Amador to talk about grief, struggles with mental health, and how winning the contest allowed her to start a new, refreshed chapter of her music career.

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Alex Henry Foster of the band Your Favorite Enemies talks about how his new ambient record, 'Kimiyo,' was formed after a health crisis that left him unable to speak for months. The album also shares the stories of people he met in Japan during his travels, finding connection between their struggles and his own, and gaining a renewed outlook on life.

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Emel Mathlouthi is a Tunisian musician whose song “Kelmti Horra” went viral in 2011 and became an anthem for the Tunisian Revolution during the Arab Spring.

Her new album, ‘MRA,’ calls for the continued fight for freedom on a global scale, but through an explicitly feminist lens. It was made by an all-women cast, from producers to musicians to engineers, and includes features from Malian rapper Ami Yerewolo, Brazilian producer Lyzza, Swedish-Iraqi rapper Nayomi, and more.

Emel talks with KEXP’s Isabel Khalili about why she chose to work exclusively with women on this album, what it was like being called “the voice of the Tunisian Revolution,” and the role of artists in social movements.

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Seattle indie rock band Pedro the Lion gained a cult following in their early days, making Christian-adjacent music that saw lead singer David Bazan’s reckoning with his faith and politics. After putting the project on hiatus for more than a decade, Bazan returned to the Pedro name in 2018 with the announcement that he’d be recording a five-album series with each record dedicated to a place he lived. Recently, Pedro the Lion put out the third record in the series, 'Santa Cruz.'

Bazan talks with KEXP’s Dusty Henry about making the record, learning to “re-parent” himself, and what he’s learned about himself through the process of making these albums.

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