Strong Songs (Kirk Hamilton)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Strong Songs
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jun 2023 | "You're The Voice" by John Farnham, Live in Sydney | 00:46:14 | |
John Farnham's "You're The Voice" was a worldwide hit, and nowhere was it more popular than in the Aussie singer's homeland. A couple weeks ago, Kirk went onstage with the hosts of the Chat 10 Looks 3 podcast, Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb, to talk about the song, the singer, and so much more. This episode is excerpted from Chat 10 Looks 3 episode 214. It was recorded live at the Enmore Theater in Sydney, Australia on June 17, 2023. Performed by: John Farnham Written by: Chris Thompson, Maggie Ryder, Andy Qunta, & Keith Reid Produced by: Glenn Wheatley Album: Whispering Jack (1986) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
-----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- June 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Catherine Warner JUNE 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Lynda MacNeil Jamie | |||
| 31 Jan 2025 | A Bunch of Great Music Recommendations | 00:36:07 | |
In between seasons, Kirk re-ran a bunch of old episodes and prefaced each one with a new music recommendation. He's taking those down recasts in preparation for season seven, but it seemed like a good idea to put all the music recommendations in one place. So that's what this episode is! DISCUSSED AND RECOMMENDED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART JANUARY 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Elizabeth Culver JANUARY 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Wiggy Hash | |||
| 17 Apr 2019 | "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra | 00:35:06 | |
Today's forecast calls for blue skies, and today's Strong Songs calls for an in-depth analysis of Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky." NOW ON PATREON Strong Songs now has a Patreon! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs BLUE SKIES It's time to welcome all our pretty faces to the human race, thanks to ELO's most enduring concert-rock classic. Kirk goes for a sunny stroll on a beautiful musical day full of layered vocals, fire extinguisher drumming, time-tested chords, Les Paul solos, vocoders, and... unexpected saxophone interludes? Band/Artist: Electric Light Orchestra Album: Out Of The Blue, 1977 Composed by: Jeff Lynne Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED: "Yesterday" by Paul McCartney from Help!, 1965 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify -- "Confirmation" by Charlie Parker, 1946, included on In Person 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 | |||
| 12 Jun 2019 | "Tiny Dancer" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John | 00:46:42 | |
Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote so many great songs over the years that it was impossible to pick a single one for Strong Songs. So, why not do two? Kirk dives into a pair of classics by the storied songwriting duo, talking about Elton's chameleon-like voice, his love of pedal tones and embrace of the circle of fourths, the fascinating relationship between lyricist and songwriter, and what it means for a song to sound "piano-y." Both songs by: Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin Album 1: Madman Across the Water, 1971 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify Album 2: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, 1973 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED: "I'm Still Standing," "Your Song," and "Grey Seal," all by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. "I Want Love" by John/Taupin, as performed in the 2019 movie Rocketman. NEW THEME MUSIC! Strong Songs has a new theme song! It'll evolve a bit over the next few episodes as Kirk adds a couple more musicians to the mix, so that should be fun. Hope you dig it. 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 new theme music was a result of the Strong Songs Patreon hitting its first goal of 150 backers. It's juuuuust about to break the next goal of 200, too. At 250, Kirk will do a bonus interview episode with an interesting musician or educator. Find out how you can support the creation of this show over at the Strong Songs Patreon: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs A huge thank you to all of the show's backers this first month, in particular those who've signed up for the Half- and Whole-Note tiers. WHOLE-NOTE BACKERS: Caleb Rotach Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Sara Walsh HALF-NOTE BACKERS: Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Chas Lednicky Earl Lozada Emily Williams Fishbones Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeff Dixon John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kyle Simons Max Schechter Michael Blackwell Shane DeLeon Tom Lauer Thanks, everyone. You're making it possible to put in the extra time and work to make episodes like this one shine. | |||
| 14 Oct 2020 | Strong TV Songs: HBO Edition | 01:05:51 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 05 May 2021 | Strung Beats, Jazz Battles & The Notes You Don't Play | 01:01:36 | |
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:
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 MAY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Amy Lynn Thornsen | |||
| 25 Aug 2021 | "Fingertips" by They Might Be Giants | 00:59:19 | |
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:
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 AUGUST 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Andy Painter | |||
| 28 Oct 2020 | Microtones, Minimalism & the Bebop Scale | 01:02:11 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 14 Jul 2023 | An Operatic Odyssey, with Luigi Boccia | 03:38:37 | |
Special guest Luigi Boccia takes Kirk on a magical journey through the world of the opera tenor, from Caruso and Lauri Volpi to Di Stefano and Pavarotti. Featuring performances by Luciano Pavarotti, Giuseppe Di Stefano, Enrico Caruso, Franco Corelli, Giacomo Lauri Volpi, Jussi Björling, Sergei Lemeshev, and Jon Vickers. Find a Spotify playlist of Luigi's many Tenor examples here. -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- JULY 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Catherine Warner JULY 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Callum Webb Jamie | |||
| 05 Aug 2020 | Muppet Whistles, Throat Singing & Steely Dan | 00:59:31 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 01 Dec 2023 | Phish, Evanescence, and a Taylor Swift Dispute | 00:59:03 | |
It's time for another mailbag episode, as Kirk takes on questions about Evanescence piano, Kelis bells, and counting in songs by Phish, Vessels, Ten Years After, and Kishi Bashi. All that, and a friendly dispute about a Taylor Swift song.
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 ----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- NOVEMBER 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Cesar NOVEMBER 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Ethan Laser Jamie | |||
| 01 Jul 2020 | "Satisfied" from Hamilton (Updated!) | 00:49:36 | |
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 | |||
| 14 Jul 2021 | The Music All Around Us, with Imogen Heap | 01:18:13 | |
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:
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 JULY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Paul McGreal | |||
| 25 Aug 2023 | "Soul Vaccination" by Tower of Power | 00:49:44 | |
Kirk climbs inside the machine-gun rhythms and unstoppable grooves of the legendary Oakland funk outfit Tower of Power. Written by: Doc Kupka and Emilio Castillo Album: Tower of Power (1973) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO DISCUSSED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- AUGUST 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Catherine Warner AUGUST 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Abraham Benrubi Jamie | |||
| 12 Dec 2018 | "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé | 00:26:22 | |
On this episode, Kirk dives into one of the greatest pop songs of all time. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs UP IN THE CLUB Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is arguably the defining song of the last decade, but it's far from your average pop tune. With its unusual tensions and unstoppable groove, it defies safe harmony and resolution, and its composers were more than happy to flip the beat and leave their audience searching for the downbeat. Band/Artist: Beyoncé Album: I Am... Sasha Fierce, 2008 Composed by: Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Christopher Stewart, Terius Nash, Thaddis Harrell 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 | |||
| 24 Jul 2019 | "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead | 00:55:11 | |
Brace for a pressurized descent, as Kirk braves the undercurrents of Radiohead's alt-rock masterpiece "Paranoid Android." It's a structurally distinct, sonically adventurous, harmonically varied, and unexpectedly Bohemian Rhapsodyesque journey into the human psyche as Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, and the rest of their not-so-merry band plumb the depths of 90s alienation. Band/Artist: Radiohead Album: OK Computer, 1997 Composed by: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, Philip Selway Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED:
(This episode's audio was edited to correct some flanger/phaser confusion, thanks to listener Oblong Thong for sharing this cool catalogue of Greenwood's guitar effects: https://thekingofgear.com/jonny/effects) 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. 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! As always, a massive thank-you to everyone who's signed up to become a patron of Strong Songs- your support makes it possible to make the show what it is! If you want to support the show, check out the Strong Songs Patreon. Find out more here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Caleb Rotach Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Sara Walsh HALF-NOTE PATRONS Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Chas Lednicky Earl Lozada Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeff Dixon John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O'Keefe joujou Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kyle Simons Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Shane DeLeon Tom Clewer Tom Lauer | |||
| 20 May 2020 | The Magic of Sound, with Dallas Taylor | 01:10:02 | |
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:
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
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| 18 Nov 2018 | "Africa" by Toto | 00:21:54 | |
On the first episode of Strong Songs, Kirk breaks down Toto's hit song "Africa," a single so good that it still lights up the Internet today. Band/Artist: Toto Album: Toto IV, 1982 Composed by: David Paich and Jeff Porcaro Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs 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
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| 28 Jun 2024 | "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen | 01:00:17 | |
In the season six finale, Kirk takes a deep dive into Bruce Springsteen's signature song, 1975's "Born to Run." It's all here: tremolo guitar riffs, glockenspiel arpeggios, endless sus chords, and a sax solo for the ages. Baby, we were born for it. Written by: Bruce Springsteen Produced by: Springsteen, John Landau, and Mike Appel Album: Born to Run, 1975 Listen/Buy via Lynkify ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART -------------------- JUNE 2024 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Robyn Metcalfe JUNE 2024 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Samantha Coates | |||
| 04 Oct 2024 | Rediscovering Stevie Wonder, with Wesley Morris and Josh Gwynn | 01:19:12 | |
Kirk talks with Wesley Morris and Josh Gwynn about the endless world of Stevie Wonder. Morris and Gwynn are host and producer, respectively, of the brilliant new six-part podcast series The Wonder of Stevie. Check out Josh Gwynn's terrific pop culture podcast Back Issue, Wesley Morris's culture podcast Still Processing, and Morris' essential writing on Aretha Franklin, Jam & Lewis, Meshell Ndegeocello, and his mustache, as well as his 2019 essay about Black American Music. REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:
Stevie Wonder Song Excerpts:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART -------------------- OCTOBER 2024 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Elizabeth Culver OCTOBER 2024 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Lawrence | |||
| 29 May 2019 | Hamilton, Hozier, Multiphonics & Modes | 00:58:11 | |
Mailbag May returns for round two, as Kirk continues catching up on listener questions. NEW THEME MUSIC INBOUND! Strong Songs passed its first goal of 150 backers on Patreon! That means Kirk will write all-new theme music for the show. Keep an ear out for that sometime in June, most likely. A huge thank you to everyone who's signed up to support the show so far - we've also got some new goals, which you can check out over on the page: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs MAILBAG MAY, PART 2 The Strong Songs mailbag continues to overflow. This week we've got some follow-ups on Hamilton as well as questions about Mariah's whistle register, vocal multiphonics, rhythmic misdirection, the lydian mode, and the differences between a sequencer, a sampler, and a synthesizer. REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE: Various pieces from Hamilton, composed by Strong Songs celebrity endorser Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2015 The graphic novel Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli, 2009 "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic from Native, 2013 "The Third Eye" by the Pillows from My Foot, 2006 "The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman, 1989 "Something" by Snarky Puppy feat. Lalah Hathaway from Family Dinner Vol 1, 2013 "Emotions" as performed by Mariah Carey on Emotions, 1991 "Movement" by Hozier, 2019 "Show Me The Way" by Peter Frampton from Frampton, 1975 "Nut Bush City Limits" by Ike and Tina Turner, 1973 "Shake Your Rump" by the Beastie Boys from Paul's Boutique, 1989 "Without You" by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, as performed by Harry Nilsson, 1971 "White Winter Hymnal" as performed by Fleet Foxes, 2008 "Fugue 24" by Anathallo from Sparrows, 2002 "God Only Knows" as performed by the Beach Boys on Pet Sounds, 1966 "Baba O'Riley" by Pete Townshend and The Who from Who's Next, 1971 "Memories" by Thutmose from the Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse soundtrack, 2018 ———————————— 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 | |||
| 13 May 2020 | "Walking on Broken Glass" by Annie Lennox | 00:59:07 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 12 Jan 2024 | Weird Al For Nothin' And Your Jokes For Free | 00:19:34 | |
Weird Al has been writing songs and recording parodies for four decades, and his musical footprint is unfathomably wide. In this minisode, originally released in October 2022, Kirk gets into a few things he didn't have room for in the main feed episode about "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota." FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS | |||
| 25 Nov 2020 | Year Two, In Review | 00:57:48 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 08 Sep 2021 | Clave, Chorus & "Careless Whisper" | 01:01:24 | |
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:
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 SEPTEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS kurt wendelken | |||
| 03 Jan 2025 | Remembering Janis Stockhouse, The Great Band Director | 00:56:39 | |
In light of Janis Stockhouse's unexpected death at the tail end of 2024, we're re-posting Kirk's 2019 interview with her for anyone who might want to listen to it. Janis started teaching at North high school in Bloomington, Indiana, in the early 1980s. It was a time when "jazz education" as a concept was still a relatively new thing. She retired 38 years later, having grown the North band program into a well-known Midwest institution, winning countless awards at festivals around the world and regularly turning out graduates who would go on to become professional musicians, as well as many others who would simply have a lifelong love of music. On this episode she tells the story of starting out at North and developing the program, along with her thoughts on how to get students to practice, which composers she prefers for student groups, women in jazz, funding for the arts, and some good old-fashioned album recommendations. For more information about Janis and the many tributes and memorials to her, visit The Janis Stockhouse memorial concert website. REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE: Janis's 2004 book Jazzwomen: Conversations With Twenty-One Musicians, which she co-wrote with Wayne Enstice - there are used copies on Amazon, and you should really track down a copy and read it The late great jazz legend David Baker, whose NYT obituary captured at least some of his legacy: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/arts/music/david-baker-who-helped-bring-jazz-studies-into-the-academy-dies-at-84.html MUSIC ON THIS EPISODE:
OUTRO SOLOIST: BJ CORD This episode's outro soloist is BJ Cord, a fellow Bloomington North graduate and 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 | |||
| 27 Sep 2024 | Stevie Wonder: Music of My Mind [The Wonder of Stevie] | 01:02:02 | |
A cross-post of the first episode of "The Wonder of Stevie," a new six-part podcast series from Higher Ground and Pineapple Street Studios. It's a great show - find it on Apple, Amazon, Spotify... it's a podcast, you know the deal. Next week, we'll run a conversation between Kirk, host Wesley Morris, and producer Josh Gwynn all about what they learned making the show, and how they've come to think about Stevie and his music. In the meantime, check out some of Wesley Morris's writing on Aretha Franklin, Jam & Lewis, Meshell Ndegeocello, and his mustache, as well as his essential 2019 essay about Black American Music. | |||
| 30 Apr 2021 | Explaining Musicals, with Lindsay Ellis | 00:58:09 | |
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:
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 APRIL 2012 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Christopher | |||
| 12 Aug 2022 | "Help Me" by Joni Mitchell | 00:55:16 | |
There are few singer-songwriters as inimitable as Joni Mitchell, with her swirling song forms, leaping melodies, and that magical voice, untethered by the laws of gravity. On this episode, Kirk takes a deep dive into Joni's 1974 song "Help Me," a hummingbird of a tune hovering between commitment and flight, tumbling and falling past love and toward freedom. Written by: Joni MItchell Album: Court and Spark, 1974 Listen/Buy via JoniMitchell.com Also featured:
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, they're great: https://www.goodnightbluemoon.com/ -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST -------------------- AUGUST 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Miriam Joy AUGUST 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Dr Arthur A Gray Jamie | |||
| 26 Aug 2022 | Lofi Beats & The Circle of Fifths | 00:55:23 | |
Kirk answers a crop of new listener questions on topics ranging from Steve Perry's vocal technique, Art Garfunkel's guitarmonies, the Carolina Crown's viral brass section warmup, Ram Jam's chaotic riffs, and how to explain complex music theory concepts to non-musicians. FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
OUTRO SOLOIST: Oren Kaunfer Oren has been playing the harp for 20+ years, sitting in with bands in Brooklyn and Boston. By day he brings his harmonica, guitar, mandolin, percussion, and tons of music into his work as the Spiritual Educator at the Jewish Community Day School in Boston. -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST -------------------- AUGUST 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Miriam Joy AUGUST 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Dr Arthur A Gray Jamie | |||
| 15 Jul 2020 | "4'33" by John Cage (Twenty Thousand Hertz) | 00:31:55 | |
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 Dallas 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. | |||
| 02 Jun 2021 | "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King | 00:59:42 | |
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:
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 JUNE 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS NATALIE MISTILIS | |||
| 21 Aug 2019 | Pyramid Song, Nirvana & Marty McFly | 00:49:18 | |
Kirk opens up the Strong Songs mailbag to answer your questions about Marty McFly's musical instructions, Ian Anderson's flute style, Kurt Cobain's guitar tone, how to count songs by P!nk and Radiohead, and what to do if you play an "unsexy" instrument. REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:
PYRAMID SONG COUNTING BREAKDOWN: Keyboard (eighth notes): [(3 3 4 3 3) + (3 3 4 3 3)] x 2 = 64 eighth notes, aka 32 beats Drums (quarter notes): [(3 2 3) + (3 2 3)] x 2 = 32 quarter notes, aka 32 beats Kirk also made this ludicrous infographic: https://twitter.com/kirkhamilton/status/1164239460604641280 Other links: The Wikipedia entry for the Mere-Exposure Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effect OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo No new outro soloist this episode - we're re-sharing a guitar solo by the fantastic Dan Nervo. 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/ 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 possible thank-you to everyone who's signed up to become a patron of Strong Songs—your support is making it much easier to dedicate the time that the show deserves! If you want to support the show, check out the Strong Songs Patreon. Here's the link: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs AUGUST 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Caleb Rotach Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Sara Walsh AUGUST 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Chas Lednicky Earl Lozada Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeff Dixon Jeffrey Olson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kyle Simons Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Nick Clements Ravy Vajravelu Richard Toller Shane DeLeon Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer | |||
| 11 Aug 2021 | "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" by Billy Joel | 00:56:19 | |
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 Album: The Stranger (1977) Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
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 AUGUST 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Andy Painter | |||
| 17 Mar 2021 | The Mysteries of Music, with Carmen Staaf | 01:07:02 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 22 Sep 2023 | John Williams' Star Wars Legacy, with Dan Golding | 02:26:27 | |
Composer John Williams is the defining sound of Hollywood and, arguably, the most widely listened to composer in the world. Kirk decided he needed some help tackling Williams' towering musical legacy, so he enlisted Australian author and musician Dan Golding as his tour guide through Williams' musical world, with a special focus on his groundbreaking score for 1980's Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- SEPTEMBER 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Ben Barron SEPTEMBER 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Abraham Benrubi Jamie | |||
| 09 Sep 2022 | "Jesus, Etc." by Wilco | 00:53:51 | |
Few lyricists have Jeff Tweedy's ability to fluidly shift between plainspoken emotion and abstract imagery. The Wilco frontman has been writing beautiful, beguiling songs for more than three decades, and there is no way to pin down what any of them "means." There's only what they mean to you, right then, in the moment, as you listen to them. That's certainly true of "Jesus, Etc." one of many standout tracks off of Wilco's groundbreaking 2001 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. On this episode, Kirk explores some of the writing and arrangement techniques that help make this song, and all of Tweedy's songs, so special. Lyrics by: Jeff Tweedy Music by: Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett Album: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2001 Listen/Buy via Songwhip Also Featured/Discussed:
This episode has been updated to better identify one of the chords in the chorus. 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/ -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST -------------------- SEPTEMBER 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Jay Swartz SEPTEMBER 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS John Bauman Jamie | |||
| 24 Mar 2021 | "Cameo Lover" by Kimbra | 00:55:18 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 27 Nov 2019 | Year One, In Review | 00:50:50 | |
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:
------ 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! | |||
| 16 Sep 2020 | Good Synths, Bad Acoustics & Moana | 00:54:20 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 18 Nov 2022 | Year Four, In Review | 00:49:09 | |
Kirk takes a look back some of his many musical memories from Strong Songs, Year Four. FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
OUTRO SOLOISTS: Kirk Hamilton, Mel Carrol, Oren Kaunfer, Tim Howes, Casey Atkins -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS ---------------- NOVEMBER 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Ed Rankin NOVEMBER 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS john halpin Jamie | |||
| 16 Dec 2022 | The Music of Star Wars: Andor | 00:57:10 | |
Look, sometimes a TV soundtrack is so good that you have no choice but to make a whole podcast episode about it. And so here we are, as Kirk takes a deep dive into Nicholas Britell's ever-evolving musical score for the new Disney+ show Star Wars: Andor. Listen to Britell's Andor Score (via Songwhip): Volume One | Volume Two | Volume Three REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE:
-----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS ---------------- DECEMBER 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Damon White DECEMBER 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Robert Granat Jamie | |||
| 07 Oct 2022 | Singing Drummers & Jazz Flute | 00:59:25 | |
It's time to answer more of your musical questions, with topics including singing drummers, Elvis Costello harmonies, how to find a music teacher, unusual odd-meter counting, similar-sounding songs, and Anchorman's jazz flute scene. FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
8/10/22 Update: Fixed a couple of small mistakes and added a mention of the subject matter of "Veronica" OUTRO SOLOIST: Tim Howes Tim Howes is a doctor and saxophonist based in Bristol, UK. He started on sax at age 10, playing Beatles and Stones covers in a school band, then became obsessed with jazz theory as a teenager, tracing how jazz harmony flows through other musical styles. Sax playing eventually took a backseat to studying and practicing medicine, but he has passed his love of music on to his kids. (And he still sounds pretty great, in my opinion! ~K) -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS ---------------- OCTOBER 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Jay Swartz OCTOBER 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Anthony Mahramus Jamie | |||
| 28 Nov 2018 | "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon | 00:17:50 | |
This week, Kirk breaks down one of his favorite songs from one of his favorite albums. STRONG SONGS ON PATREON Strong Songs has a Patreon! If you liked this episode (or, you know, any of them), we hope you'll consider supporting the show. Learn more here: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs IF YOU'LL BE MY BODYGUARD Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" was a single from his incredible 1986 album Graceland, and its music video introduced a generation to the wonders of goofy lip-synching and fretless bass solos. It's a harmonically simple tune with a cleverly dense arrangement, and brilliantly uses musical layering. Band/Artist: Paul Simon Album: Graceland, 1986 Composed by: Paul Simon 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 | |||
| 03 Nov 2023 | The Music of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | 01:03:16 | |
Kirk wasn't expecting to make a full-length episode about the music of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but then he played the game. And here we are. Picking up on 2022's deep-dive in the music of the Zelda series, this episode takes a deep dive into the score of the new game, covering the many ways it builds on the past and charts a new musical future. SPOILERS: The first 40 minutes of the episode feature some discussion of the events of Tears of the Kingdom, but no major story spoilers. At around the 40-minute mark (there's an in-episode warning), Kirk gets into specifics of the story with full spoilers, including the game's ending. Tears of the Kingdom score composed by: Manaka Kataoka, Maasa Miyoshi, Masato Ohashi, and Tsukasa Usui ALSO DISCUSSED/FEATURED
OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Rideout Rob Rideout is a guitar teacher from Yorkshire who plays and writes for the Progressive Metal band Memnor. Memnor stream their time in the studio on fridays evenings at 20:00 GMT on Twitch. (From Rob: If you wanna hear what quintuplets in 21/16 sound like, then drop in.) ----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- OCTOBER 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Corpus Frisky OCTOBER 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Dent Earl Jamie | |||
| 29 Jul 2022 | A Jazz Mystery, Solved | 00:12:53 | |
After more than two years, a Strong Songs jazz mystery is finally solved. Thanks to listener (and outro soloist) Jeff Bean, who finally cracked the case of the mysterious lick played by Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, and may others. I can finally sleep at night. FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:
-----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST | |||
| 30 Sep 2020 | "Hyperballad" by Björk | 00:48:21 | |
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 | |||
| 16 Oct 2019 | "Kiss From a Rose" by Seal | 00:52:39 | |
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 | |||
| 24 Feb 2021 | Cross-Rhythms, Concept Albums & Dream Songs | 00:58:05 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 11 Mar 2022 | "Just What I Needed" by The Cars | 00:52:00 | |
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:
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 MARCH 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Max Dickstein | |||
| 27 Jan 2021 | "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap | 00:58:22 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 18 Sep 2019 | "Think" by Aretha Franklin | 00:50:50 | |
Let's go back, let's go back, let's go way on back to that time Aretha Franklin recorded one of her best songs. On this episode, Kirk dives into two different versions of Franklin's classic tune "Think." First it's the laid back groove and roomy mix of the 1968 original, then it's time to fast-forward 12 years for the juiced-up arrangement she recorded with the Blues Brothers band in 1980. It's a story of how different production techniques, arrangements, and tempos can lead to two very different—but equally excellent—versions of the same song. We've done Dancing Queen, we've covered the band Queen, so it feels like it's past time for the Queen of Soul. NOTE: This episode is best enjoyed along with four fried chickens and a Coke. Band/Artist: Aretha Franklin Album: Aretha Now, 1968 and The Blues Brothers: Original Soundtrack, 1980 Composed by: Aretha Franklin and Teddy White Listen/Buy (Original): Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify Listen/Buy (Blues Brothers): Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
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. 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! Many, many thanks to all of Strong Songs's patrons! A patron-funded bonus episode should be finished for next week, so look forward to that. If you want to support the show, check out the Strong Songs Patreon. Here's the link: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs SEPTEMBER 2019 WHOLE NOTE PATRONS andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Sara Walsh SEPTEMBER 2019 HALF NOTE PATRONS Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas 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 Kyle Simons Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer
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| 17 Jun 2022 | "Silent All These Years" by Tori Amos | 00:51:45 | |
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:
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 MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD THE STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST --------------- JUNE 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Patrick JUNE 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Owain Hunt | |||
| 20 Oct 2021 | Metroid Music, Bond Themes & Jazz Philosophy | 01:04:23 | |
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:
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 OCTOBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Paul Wayper KIRK'S SUGGESTED LIST OF REAL BOOK TUNES TO LEARN* A B C E F G H I J K
L M N O P R S T U W Y | |||
| 30 Jun 2021 | Strong Covers, Vol. 1 | 01:00:47 | |
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:
Also featured/referenced:
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 JUNE 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS NATALIE MISTILIS | |||
| 21 Oct 2022 | "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" by "Weird Al" Yankovic | 00:54:31 | |
It's time for a Strong Songs road trip, as Kirk unravels one of "Weird Al" Yankovic's most understated, grandiose songs. So come along, for a journey through long-form story songs, sea shanty refrains, synth feelings, and an unexpectedly grand finale. We'll stay until the security guards throw us out. Album: UHF: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff, 1989 Listen/Buy via Songwhip Also Featured/Discussed:
Outro Soloist: Casey Atkins Casey is a Sydney-based musician who splits his time between gigging, guitar teaching, and school teaching. He plays and sings with various artists and shows, as well as with original bands The April Family and Fallon Cush. Find him online at caseyonguitar.com. Update 10/21: Corrected the pronunciation of Harry Chapin's name and the location of the Boll Weevil Monument. -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS ---------------- OCTOBER 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Jay Swartz OCTOBER 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Anthony Mahramus Jamie | |||
| 13 Jan 2021 | "Space Oddity" and "Starman" by David Bowie | 00:53:46 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 20 Oct 2023 | Belle & Sebastian's Very Good Chord Progression | 00:21:45 | |
Kirk takes a tour through the cycling, modulating chord sequence in Belle & Sebastian's buoyant 2017 song "The Girl Doesn't Get It." Variation 1: | C | Dm7 | Bb | Gm F FEATURED/DISCUSSED: "The Girl Doesn't Get It" by Belle & Sebastian from How To Solve Our Human Problems, Vol. 1, 2017 ----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- OCTOBER 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Corpus Frisky OCTOBER 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Dent Earl Jamie | |||
| 10 Feb 2020 | "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher" from The Witcher | 00:16:29 | |
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 | |||
| 05 Feb 2020 | "Tom Sawyer" by Rush | 01:00:12 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 04 Apr 2025 | "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" by The Mars Volta | 00:59:07 | |
Kirk digs into one of the most dense and challenging records in his collection, with an analysis of "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" from The Mars Volta's 2003 progressive rock opus De-Loused in the Comatorium. Written by: Omar Rodríguez-López, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and Jeremy Ward Produced by: Omar Rodríguez-López & Rick Rubin Album: De-Loused in the Comatorium, 2003 Listen/Buy via Album.Link ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENT LIST SOCIAL MEDIA KIRK'S NEWSLETTER JOIN THE STRONG SONGS DISCORD STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART -------------------- MARCH 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Andy MARCH 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Rachel | |||
| 10 Feb 2021 | "Babylon Sisters" by Steely Dan | 00:59:33 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 21 Apr 2021 | Sidechain Compression & Saxophone Traffic Cones | 00:59:47 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 21 Sep 2021 | "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire | 00:55:09 | |
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 Album: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. 1, 1978 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
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 SEPTEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS kurt wendelken | |||
| 14 Jun 2024 | Summer Synths, Fluteception, and "The Diablo Chord" | 01:04:55 | |
As Season Six draws to a close, Kirk opens up the Strong Songs mailbag to answer a bunch of listener questions on topics ranging from Diablo's use of lydian to what he means when he talks about "transcribing." REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
OUTRO SOLOIST: Evan Illouz Evan is a clinical psychologist in Brooklyn, NY, who's been playing since he was in high school, about 20 years ago. ----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART -------------------- MAY 2024 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Robyn Metcalfe MAY 2024 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Danielle Kriz | |||
| 14 Nov 2018 | Trailer | 00:01:00 | |
This is the trailer for Strong Songs, recorded in June of 2020. Hope you give the show a listen! | |||
| 14 May 2021 | "Nessun dorma" by Giacomo Puccini (Aria Code) | 00:33:57 | |
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
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| 11 Nov 2020 | "A Day in the Life" by The Beatles | 00:58:11 | |
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:
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 NOVEMBER 2020 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Kevin Potter | |||
| 03 Nov 2021 | Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense | 00:59:59 | |
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) FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
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 NOVEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Janice Berry | |||
| 26 Jan 2024 | The Genius of Sonny Rollins (and Max Roach) | 00:22:53 | |
(Originally recorded in May 2022) There's always more to say about Sonny Rollins, so Kirk shares a few of his other favorite Sonny moments, along with some additional love for Max Roach's drumming on Saxophone Colossus. REFERENCED:
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| 09 Feb 2024 | Some Bonus Beatles Covers | 00:27:49 | |
On this bonus episode from May 2022, Kirk goes through a handful of other covers of the three Beatles songs he recently discussed on the show.
Also Featured/Discussed:
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| 08 Sep 2023 | Counterpoint, Chaka Kahn, & Peter Gabriel | 00:54:42 | |
Kirk answers your questions on 60s pop counterpoint, Chaka Kahn syncopation, Taylor Swift's re-recording project, good practice habits, Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," and more. FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
-----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS ---------------- AUGUST 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Catherine Warner AUGUST 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Abraham Benrubi Jamie | |||
| 04 Sep 2019 | "Like a Prayer" by Madonna | 00:44:50 | |
Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone... except for everyone listening to this episode, because we're traveling together through doubt and deliverance with Madonna's "Like a Prayer." Kirk takes a look at the high-contrast drama of the megastar's 1989 megahit, with its cathedral-like verses, bus-driving guitar rhythms, bouncy basslines, and perfectly placed Latin percussion flourishes. The music video got a lot of attention back in the day, but there's plenty in the song itself to celebrate, from Prince's mystery guitar to Madonna's vulnerable vocals to the joyful power of the Andraé Crouch Choir. Band/Artist: Madonna Album: Like a Prayer, 1989 Composed by: Madonna and Patrick Leonard Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
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! A huge thank-you to everyone who's signed up to become a patron of Strong Songs—your support is making it possible to make this show as good as it can be! Stay tuned for a bonus episode in the next few weeks, made possible entirely by our Patrons. If you want to support the show, check out the Strong Songs Patreon. Here's the link: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs SEPTEMBER 2019 WHOLE NOTE PATRONS andrew walters CALEB ROTACH Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Jared Norris Mark Schechter Sara Walsh SEPTEMBER 2019 HALF NOTE PATRONS Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas 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 Kyle Simons Matt Gaskell Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Miriam Juskowicz Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller samuel gardner Shane DeLeon Shaun Wiese Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer | |||
| 10 Jul 2019 | "Barracuda" by Heart | 00:47:24 | |
It's time for the hardest rocking song ever written about sea life, as Kirk takes a deep dive into Heart's 1977 body-shaker "Barracuda." A deceptively complex song written around a deceptively straightforward riff, "Barracuda" opens the door for a discussion of the particulars of guitar tone, stompbox effects, the long history of the "galloping groove," why Ann Wilson's vocals rock as hard as they do, and a brief tribute to her sister Nancy's killer guitar chops. Band/Artist: Heart Album: Little Queen, 1977 Composed by: Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, Roger Fisher, Michael DeRosier Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify ------ ALSO FEATURED:
A cool interview with Roger Fisher about creating his Barracuda guitar tone, as well as that "Alien Attack" sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcQik5m0t9Q A Wall Street Journal interview with the Wilsons about the process of writing the song: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-rage-behind-hearts-barracuda-11557331740 OUTRO SOLOIST: Dan Nervo This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic Dan Nervo. 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/ 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! Join the club over at the Strong Songs Patreon and help make this show as good as it can be. We're still working toward 250 backers, at which point Kirk will do a bonus interview episode with an interesting musician or educator. Find out more here: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Caleb Rotach Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Sara Walsh HALF-NOTE PATRONS Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Chas Lednicky Earl Lozada Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeff Dixon John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O'Keefe joujou Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kyle Simons Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Richard Toller Shane DeLeon Tom Clewer Tom Lauer A huge thank you to all of Strong Songs' patrons - your support makes it possible to make the show what it is! | |||
| 13 Sep 2024 | Behind the Scenes of Strong Songs [Gig Gab] | 01:08:33 | |
Back in August, Kirk went on Dave Hamilton's music podcast "Gig Gab" to talk about music, Strong Songs, podcasting, and life. It was a fun conversation, and seemed worth republishing here. You can find the full show notes here, watch a video version here, and can check out Gig Gab at giggabpodcast.com or anywhere you get podcasts. | |||
| 07 Aug 2019 | Strong TV Songs: Animated Edition | 01:10:20 | |
It's time for something a little different, as Kirk takes a look at the theme songs from some of the most beloved animated TV shows of all time. This super-sized episode focuses on five different pieces of music, each of which is the theme for a different animated show. It's a ton of music in a variety of styles, full of frantic key shifts, earwormy melodies, bodacious drum fills, and a surprising number of saxophone solos. The songs, in order:
ALSO FEATURED:
OUTRO SOLOIST: Rob Reich This episode's outro soloist is the fantastic 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/. 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 possible thank-you to everyone who's signed up to become a patron of Strong Songs—your support is making it much easier to dedicate the time that the show deserves! If you want to support the show, check out the Strong Songs Patreon. Here's the link: https://Patreon.com/StrongSongs AUGUST 2019 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Caleb Rotach Chad Barnard Dan Apczynski Dave Florey Glenn Sara Walsh AUGUST 2019 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Alexander Polson Andre Bremer Andrew Lee Arjun Sharma Bill Thornton Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Chas Lednicky Earl Lozada Emily Williams FlSHBONES Forrest Chang Jaehoon Jeong James Johnson Jasmine Fellows Jeff Dixon Jeffrey Olson John and Sharon Stenglein Jon O’Keefe joujou Justin Liew Justin McElroy Kevin Morrell Kevin Pennyfeather Kyle Simons Max Schechter Melanie Stivers Michael Blackwell Mueller Nate from Kalamazoo Nicholas Schechter Nick Clements Ravy Vajravelu Richard Toller Shane DeLeon Tim Tom Clewer Tom Lauer | |||
| 28 Jan 2022 | Funky Drummers, Cheap Guitars & Sting | 00:50:48 | |
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:
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 JANUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Anupama Raghavan
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| 08 May 2019 | Five Albums That Shaped Me | 00:21:54 | |
Strong Songs now has a Patreon! Learn more about how you can support the show here: https://patreon.com/strongsongs. Kirk gets his Patreon pitch out of the way up front, then lists five albums that have shaped him as a musician over the years, talking a little bit about why each one is great. There could've been like a hundred different albums on this episode, but hey, let's start with five. Those albums are: -- Frank Zappa, The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life, 1991 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify -- The Cardigans, First Band on the Moon, 1996 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify -- Stan Getz, Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio, 1958 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify -- Spacehog, The Chinese Album, 1998 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Amazon | Spotify -- Maria Schneider, Allégresse, 2000 Listen/Buy: Apple Music | Spotify | Maria Schneider's Website ———————————— 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 | |||
| 25 Mar 2022 | Mario Kart & That 'Musical' Sound | 00:56:50 | |
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:
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 MARCH 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Max Dickstein | |||
| 08 Jul 2020 | "World 1-1" from Super Mario Bros. | 00:59:16 | |
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 ------ ALSO FEATURED:
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 | |||
| 01 Apr 2020 | "So What" by Miles Davis | 00:59:38 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 01 May 2019 | "Satisfied" from Hamilton | 00:49:36 | |
A toast to the groom! To the bride! To knowing you'll always regret the sacrifice you made for your sister! Kirk takes an overdue 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. (UPDATE 6/30/2020: This episode's audio file has been updated since it 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. 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 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 | |||
| 28 Jul 2023 | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears | 00:47:26 | |
Kirk kicks off Strong Songs Season 5 with Tears For Fears' 1985 hit "Everybody Wants to Rule The World." From classic synths and drum machines to surprisingly avante-garde guitar solos, this song's got a lot more going on than you might remember. Written by: Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes Produced by: Chris Hughes Album: Songs from the Big Chair (1985) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO DISCUSSED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- JULY 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Catherine Warner JULY 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Callum Webb Jamie | |||
| 15 Apr 2020 | Devo, AC/DC, and a Mystery Solved | 01:04:43 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 02 Oct 2019 | Fiddle Battles and Bad Sax | 00:55:48 | |
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:
OTHER LINKS
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/. 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 as always to all of Strong Songs's Patreon patrons! The show is nearing its next goal, which will mean a bonus episode all about music terminology. If you want to support the show, here's the link: 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 | |||
| 17 Feb 2023 | From Bach to Miles Davis, with Emily Reese | 01:18:17 | |
Kirk sits down with musician and podcaster Emily Reese to talk about the beauty of Bach's "Goldberg Variations," the distinct sound of Davis/Evans/Mulligan's "Birth of the Cool," the joys of the Knight Rider theme, and her podcast Level with Emily Reese, which focuses on the wide world of video game music. FEATURED/DISCUSSED:
-----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS --------------- FEBRUARY 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Damon White FEBRUARY 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Randal Vegter Jamie | |||
| 18 Mar 2020 | "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys | 00:56:12 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 04 Mar 2020 | "Sinnerman" by Nina Simone | 00:55:15 | |
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:
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 | |||
| 03 Jun 2022 | Three to Tango, with Alex Krebs and Andrew Oliver | 00:57:46 | |
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:
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 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD THE OVERALL STRONG SONGS PLAYLIST ---------- JUNE 2022 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Patrick JUNE 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Owain Hunt | |||
| 12 Jul 2024 | Post-Season Update, Summer Plans, & Some Music Recs | 00:30:48 | |
An update on what's next now that Season Six is complete, along with some book and music recommendations! BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS The History of Jazz by Ted Gioia, 3rd edition - 1997, revised 2021 Guitar Zero: The New Musician and the Science of Learning by Gary Marcus, 2012 MUSIC RECOMMENDATION LINKS Steve Pardo - DOS - (also in Video Game form on Steam) The Onesies - The Onesies Dig With the Wrong Foot St. Vincent - All Born Screaming Laura Marling - Short Movie (Director's Cut) ----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART -------------------- JULY 2024 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Robyn Metcalfe JULY 2024 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Ashley | |||
| 15 May 2019 | Tool, Game of Thrones & More Cowbell | 00:42:29 | |
It's time for Mailbag May, a long-running (aka brand new) Strong Songs tradition where Kirk spends the month of May catching up on listener questions. NEW PATREON GOAL! A huge thank you to everyone who has signed up to back the show so far on Patreon! You are all beautiful. If Strong Songs can hit its first goal of 150 backers, Kirk will write new theme music for the show. Head over there to learn more: https://www.patreon.com/strongsongs MAILBAG MAY, PART 1 The Strong Songs mailbag overfloweth, and Kirk's got enough material recorded for two Q&A episodes. For this first part, we've got questions about chords, Tool, fire extinguishers, perfect pitch, Avengers and Game of Thrones music, the popularity of the flute, earworms, drum solos, and the inherent humor of the cowbell. REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE: "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra "Lateralus" by Tool (apparently it's actually pronounced lah-ter-allis) An entertaining video compilation of "The Lick": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krDxhnaKD7Q "Turkey in the Straw," American traditional Kirk's Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/kirkhamilton "The Avengers" by Alan Silvestri "Happy Birthday" by the Hill Sisters "Moondance" by Van Morrison "Juice" by Lizzo from her 2019 album Cuz I Love You The Saturday Night Live "More Cowbell" sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0s "The Night King" and "Game of Thrones" by Ramin Djawadi from Game of Thrones "Pacific Rim" by Ramin Djawadi from Pacific Rim "Sight of You" by Sigrid from her 2019 album Sucker Punch "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris, 1963 ———————————— 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 | |||
| 11 Aug 2023 | "Killing Me Softly With His Song," as sung by Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack, & Lori Lieberman | 00:59:57 | |
It's not uncommon for a song to be written for one artist, only to become widely known after being recorded by another. It's less common for a song to have yet another rebirth decades later. That's just what happened with "Killing Me Softly with His Song." Originally inspired by Lori Lieberman's profound experience at a 1971 Don McLean concert, Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox's song underwent two dramatic reinventions, first by soul titan Roberta Flack in 1973, and then by Lauryn Hill and her band Fugees in 1996. In this episode, Kirk dives into all three versions, looking to better understand how each singer put her own spin on what was already a classically strong song. Written by: Music by Charles Fox, lyrics by Norman Gimbel with uncredited contributions by Lori Lieberman Recorded by: Lori Lieberman (1972), Roberta Flack (1973), Lauryn Hill & Fugees (1996) Albums: Lori Lieberman (1972), Killing Me Softly with His Song (1973), The Score (1996), A Thousand Dreams (1995), Truly (2022) ALSO REFERENCED/DISCUSSED:
OUTRO SOLOIST: Joey Brink Joey Brink is University Carillonist and Professor of Carillon at the University of Denver, where he performs daily on the 65-bell Williams Tower. An award-winning performer and composer, he has released two albums for carillon and performed widely across North America and Europe. Watch him record his solo on YouTube and check out his site at joeybrink.com. ----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS -------------------- JULY 2023 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Catherine Warner JULY 2023 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Callum Webb Jamie | |||
| 28 Jul 2021 | The Producer's Philosophy, with Brian Bender | 01:15:20 | |
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/ REFERENCED ON THIS EPISODE TERMS
MUSIC
GEAR DISCUSSED Drums:
Studio Gear:
Microphones:
OTHER THINGS
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 JULY 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Paul McGreal | |||
| 17 Nov 2021 | Year Three, In Review | 00:46:40 | |
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:
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 NOVEMBER 2021 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Janice Berry
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| 08 Jan 2020 | "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin | 00:57:12 | |
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:
------ 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 | |||
| 13 Jul 2023 | Season 5 Announcement! | 00:06:22 | |
Kirk shares an update on plans for Season 5, which kicks off this week. -----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS | |||
| 02 Feb 2024 | Season Six Announcement! | 00:05:03 | |
Kirk shares some details about the upcoming season of Strong Songs, which kicks off on February 9 in early access, and on February 23 in the main feed. SUPPORT STRONG SONGS: Beome a patron: Patreon.com/Strongsongs Make a one-time donation: Paypal
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| 14 Jan 2022 | "Blood and Thunder" by Mastodon | 00:42:33 | |
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 JANUARY 2022 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Anupama Raghavan | |||
| 23 Feb 2024 | "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel | 00:53:54 | |
Strong Songs Season Six kicks off with a widely requested classic: Peter Gabriel's 1986 yearner "In Your Eyes." Because why hire one rhythm section when you can hire two for twice the price? Written by: Peter Gabriel Produced by: Daniel Lanois Album: So (1986) Listen/Buy via Songwhip ALSO DISCUSSED:
----LINKS----- SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! MERCH STORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWSLETTER JOIN THE DISCORD OUTRO SOLO PLAY-A-LONG: STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS SHOW ART -------------------- FEBRUARY 2024 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Robyn Metcalfe FEBRUARY 2024 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Suzanne | |||
| 13 Mar 2020 | A Playlist For Trying Times | 00:10:56 | |
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
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