
Essential Tremors
A show in which musicians and other creators talk about the songs that shaped who they are. Distributed by WYPR, Baltimore's NPR affiliate, and hosted by Matthew Byars and Lee Gardner.
Essential Tremors is produced by Matt Byars and Lee Gardner and distributed by Your Public Studios.
Latest Episodes
-
Kuwaiti-Israeli musician Dudu Tassa's latest record, a collaboration with Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, is a love letter of sorts to a variety of favorite, but potentially lost-to-the-ages songs of the Middle East.
-
Alasdair MacLean, frontman of the Clientele, discusses how music by Boards of Canada, Love and Michael Jon Fink influenced him.
-
Australian experimentalist Oren Ambarchi talks about how music by Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis and Alvin Lucier shaped his work.
-
Nate Amos of Water From Your Eyes discusses how music by Scott Walker, Jute Gyte and Ben Johnston shaped the group's sound.
-
Stephen O'Malley of metal band Sunn0))) discusses how music by Fugazi, Pita and Iancu Dumitrescu influenced his work.
-
Harpist Brandee Younger discusses how music by Alice Coltrane, Tank and the Bangas, and Dorothy Ashby shaped her work.
-
Folk singer June Tabor discusses Danny Kaye, Anne Briggs, learning to sing, Frank Sinatra and Robert Plant with guest host Will Oldham.
-
Bassist William Parker discusses how Duke Ellington, Don Cherry and Cecil Taylor shaped his work.
-
Musician Green Gartside discusses how tracks by the Paragons, Robert Wyatt and the Albion Country Band shaped his work.
-
Guitarist Bill Orcutt discusses how music by Jimi Hendrix, Judy Garland and Joseph Spence shaped his course.
-
"Tremors" creators and co-hosts Matt Byars and Lee Gardner talk about the genesis and continuing joys of WYPR's long-running muse-of-the-music podcast.
-
On the latest episode, Low frontman Alan Sparhawk talks about how the music of Roberta Flack, The Clash, and Pere Ubu shaped his work.
-
In this episode of Essential Tremors, composer Ellen Fullman discusses the influence of traditional Ainu music, Central African polyphony, and composer Pauline Oliveros.
-
Suzanne Vega has spanned four decades with her deceptively cool singing voice and urbane songwriting. On this episode, she discusses how the music of Bob Dylan, Philip Glass, and Lou Reed guided her path.
-
Stephen Morris drove the shift from punk to postpunk as the drummer for Joy Division and New Order, and helped further open postpunk to new sounds. On this episode, he discusses how the music of Can, Terry Riley, and Grandmaster Flash shaped his course.
-
Tricky has created his own sound world over the past 25 years, built from broken hip-hop beats, forlorn chanteuses, and shadowy mutters. In this episode, he talks about the impact of Nirvana, Billie Holiday, and T. Rex on his life.
-
Singer/guitarist Mdou Moctar has blazed a trail for electrified Tuareg music from his native Niger through the music venues of Europe and the U.S. In this…
-
Kristin Hersh has built a devoted following with her one-of-a-kind singing and songwriting, as a solo artist and as leader of the bands Throwing Muses and…
-
Brandon Soderberg has worked as a music critic, an altweekly editor, and a reporter on the frontlines of protest. He’s now the co-author of I Got a…
-
Amanda Shires has made her mark on American music as a singer, songwriter, and fiddle player, both solo and a member of Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit. On this…
-
Thurston Moore's name and work have been ever-present in the last 40 years of underground culture, from his years in Sonic Youth and his solo career, his…
-
Bob Mould has turned out decades worth of impassioned singing and songwriting as leader of Husker Du and Sugar and a longstanding solo artist. In this…