Today on the show I feature songs with the Moog synthesizer. I had the opportunity to visit the Moogseum in Asheville, NC. It is funded by the Bob Moog Foundation and I feature tunes from Lisa Bella Donna's commissioned album for the Moogseum's 15 anniversary. Bob Moog saw himself as a tool maker, creating tools for artists and muscians to bring their audio visions to life.

On Sonosphere today we hear live from the WYXR studios my chat with Kid Maestro of Unapologetic collective and Brandy Cassius with the Memphis Music Initiative. They teamed up to put on a free arts workshop for Memphis youth! On March 16, MMI is partnering with UNAPOLOGETIC. for an artist & engineer music recording workshop. Kid is and the UNAPOLOGETIC crew are top-tier, local industry pros. The youth will learn how to get high-quality recordings as an artist or recording engineer.

On this week's Sonosphere show on WYXR 91.7 FM, Optic Sink joined me for a live DJ set! You'll hear lots of dance tunes and a couple tracks from Optic Sink's latest album, Glass Box out now. Check it out! The band is on tour in Oct. don't miss them in your town!

C Major shares his journey through his career in music. And we'll hear a few tracks he shares, why he chose them and some advice he has for anyone looking to come up in the music industry. Join us! www.sonospherepodcast.com

Joe Rainey is a Pow Wow singer. He is not used to singing solo, because pow wow is inherently communal, but this debut is every bit as powerful. The album is Niineta, released on Justin Vernon and the Dessner brothers’ 37d03d label, showcases his command of the style - faithful to tradition - accompanied by cinematic, bass-heavy production from Andrew Broder. ⁠ Join Sonosphere as we dive into the sounds of contemporary pow wow fused with vast experimental and electronic oceans of sound. Joe Rainey lent his voice and experience to this episode and I think him for sharing his story through his learning of, preservation of and lifting up of pow wow and indigenous music. For more visit www.sonospherepodcast.com

On this episode of Sonosphere we highlight the life and compositions of composer Margaret Bonds. So many people who made invaluable contributions to classical music have been nearly lost to history or are underappreciated in their time. Bonds is one of those characters.  We learned more about her when we covered one of her mentors, American composer Florence B. Price earlier in 2021 - be sure to check  out that episode. Bonds like Price is lesser known in the field of classical music - being both female and African-American - often not covered among classical European-based composers dominating the history of classical music.  One of Bonds’ largest and perhaps most important works–Montgomery Variations, written in 1965 during the Selma-to-Montgomery Freedom March and dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On this MLK Day we celebrate composer Margaret Bonds. More information at sonospherepodcast.com

Welcome to Sonosphere the podcast that explores the sounds all around us in art and music movements through history. Sonosphere is now on WYXR 91.7 FM in Memphis, TN every Monday from 4-5pm. Today’s episode is a harrowing tale of a natural disaster that ravaged much of middle America, especially the South.In this episode we will discuss the formation of the Mississippi River, the events that led to the flood, the red cross’ response and how they used the media to shape public opinion, as well as  Blues songs that helped inform the public about the human turmoil that was a direct result of the flood. Listen in as we hear from Christopher Morris, Scotti Parish and David Evans about this extraordinary event. Learn more at sonospherepodcast.com @sonospod

Welcome to the Sonosphere podcast. This episode we feature our talk with Steven R. Smith. Steven is behind projects like Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol, Ulaan Passerine, Ulaan Markhor and releases solo recordings under his label, Worstward Recordings. Active since the mid-90s, Smith releases a solo album this year called Spring and out in September is his project's Ulaan Passerine's Sun Spear. We will hear tunes from both plus a playlist curated by Steven himself. Join us!

Today we feature a live performance by Model Zero from the WYXR studio in Memphis, TN. Sonosphere interviewed the band after their latest single release, "Little Crystal." The band performed this song and the b-side "Leather Trap" on our show along with a few other songs from their self-title LP from 2019. We also talked with the guys about the difference between the last album and this new single. Join us! www.sonospherepodcast.com

Today we discuss the first black owned recording company Black Swan Records which sold popular music to black audiences. Its existence was brief, it was only active for two years from 1923 to 1925. During this time however, the label released over 180 records - more than any other black owned record company until the 1950s. Today we’ll talk about the historical context in which the founder, Harry Pace, began and operated the label with mentor W.E.B. DuBois and how his partnership with Memphis blues man W.C. Handy kicked off Pace’s interest in the music industry. For more info and track listing visit www.sonospherepodcast.com @snspod

Today on Sonosphere Amy talks with Christian Fennesz, electronic music composer and musician. Amy caught up with Fennesz at the annual Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. As the first in-person fest in two years, Big Ears was bigger than ever. Acts from all over the nation and the world descended upon the smokey mountain city and brought amazing sounds, visuals, and excellence in musical composition. Always a Sonosphere favorite! Join Chris and Amy live from WYXR studio in Memphis for some tunes by Fennesz and collaborators like Sparklehorse, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ulver, and more! For a full track list visit www.sonospherepodcast.com