Let’s celebrate “Hi, How Are You Day,” an annual event honoring the late singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. The Indianapolis-based label Joyful Noise Recordings will be hosting a special “Hi, How Are You Day” event on January 24, featuring an exhibition of Daniel Johnston’s visual artwork. The exhibit was curated by Johnston’s friend and former road manager Don Goede. Listen to interviews with Goede, and Joyful Noise Recordings’ founder Karl Hofstetter, as they discuss the significance of Johnst...
Jan 22, 2025•37 min
Listen to a conversation with pianist Elham Fanoos of the Fanoos Ensemble, a unique family group that blends the folk and popular music of Afghanistan with Western classical instrumentation. The Fanoos Ensemble will be performing in Central Indiana on January 25. Elham Fanoos was born in Afghanistan in 1997. During that time, music was banned under Taliban rule. But Elham’s father, Ahmad Fanoos, a well-known singer and television personality in Afghanistan, nurtured his son’s musical talent. Elh...
Jan 15, 2025•45 min
Listen to a conversation with Wynton Marsalis, a world-renowned trumpet player, composer, and educator whose artistry and influence span the worlds of jazz and classical music. Marsalis was Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1961. He grew up immersed in the jazz legacy of his hometown. His father, Ellis Marsalis Jr., was a legendary pianist and educator, and his brothers Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason are also acclaimed musicians. A virtuoso in both jazz and classical music, Marsalis was the firs...
Jan 08, 2025•48 min
This week, Kyle Long shares some of his favorite interviews of 2024. Listen to conversations with Carlos Santana, Omar Apollo, Babyface, Lakecia Benjamin, Zakir Hussain, Indianapolis jazz legend Phil Ranelin, Indiana reggae pioneers Reggaenomix, and David McDonald, author of the book “My Voice is my Weapon: Music, Nationalism, and the Poetics of Palestinian Resistance”.
Jan 01, 2025•56 min
Karl Hofstetter grew up hating Christmas music. But through his label Joyful Noise Recordings, he’s produced a fascinating archive of experimental holiday music. Listen to selections featuring Jad Fair, Deerhoof, Sound of Ceres, Dale Crover (Melvins), Kishi Bashi, Danielson, Sedcairn Archives, WHY?, David Yow (Jesus Lizard) Thor Harris, and more.
Dec 25, 2024•31 min
Listen to an interview with the poet, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni, who passed away on December 9th at the age of 81. In 2015, Giovanni spoke with WFYI’s Kyle Long. They discussed her work in music, and her connections to Indianapolis. Also, as we approach the end of the year, media outlets including NPR, Rolling Stone, the New York Times and Pitchfork are publishing their annual “best of” music lists. We’ll explore music from the Indiana musicians featured among the year’s best, includi...
Dec 18, 2024•32 min
Hear the final episode in our two-part series celebrating the life and music of Barbara Dane, a legendary, folk, blues, and jazz singer who used her voice to advocate for social justice and civil rights. Dane passed away in October of 2024, she was 97 years old. Listen to a 2018 interview Dane recorded with WFYI’s Kyle Long, along with rare recordings from her discography. Barbara Dane began singing on the picket lines of Detroit as a teenager. Politics and activism would remain a central focus ...
Dec 11, 2024•37 min
Hear the first episode in our two-part series celebrating the life and music of Barbara Dane, a legendary, folk, blues, and jazz singer who used her voice to advocate for social justice and civil rights. Dane passed away in October of 2024, she was 97 years old. Listen to a 2018 interview Dane recorded with WFYI’s Kyle Long, along with rare recordings from her discography. Barbara Dane was born Barbara Jean Spillman in Detroit, Michigan in 1927. She began singing on the picket lines of Detroit a...
Dec 04, 2024•37 min
Listen to a special episode celebrating National Native American Heritage Month. Learn how Native American musicians are reinventing traditional culture in the 21st Century, featuring interviews with the experimental pow wow group Medicine Singers, and the hip-hop artist Supaman.
Nov 27, 2024•44 min
Fort Wayne’s Troy Shondell was one of Indiana’s first rock and roll stars. He’s best remembered for his 1961 single “This Time”. That song went to number 6 on the Billboard chart and sold over 3 million copies. Shondell never managed to recapture the success of “This Time” and is often labeled a one-hit wonder. But there’s much more to Shondell’s story. He toured with Chuck Berry, recorded with Phil Spector, and produced legendary funk sessions with the Patterson Twins, and Trust at Fort Wayne’s...
Nov 21, 2024•19 min
In 1973, the Beech Grove Indiana rack band Zerfas released their self-titled debut album. The band was led by brothers Dave and Herman Zerfas, who independently distributed the Zerfas record. The album went largely unheard at the time of its initial release, but over the years Zerfas has attracted a strong cult audience. Today, the Zerfas album is considered a lost classic of psychedelic rock music, and original copies of the LP sell for thousands of dollars. A new album from the Logansport Indi...
Nov 13, 2024•44 min
Long Description: Listen to an interview with the legendary vocalist Dionne Warwick. She’ll be performing in Central Indiana later this month. Warwick rose to prominence in the early 1960s, after catching the attention of the songwriter and producer Burt Bacharach. During the 1960s, Warwick became the primary voice for Bacharach’s chart-topping compositions, co-written with lyricist Hal David. Songs like “Don’t Make Me Over,” “Walk on By,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”...
Nov 06, 2024
Listen to an interview with the prolific rock and roll drummer, and former Bloomington, Indiana resident Kenny Aronoff. Here in Indiana, Aronoff is best known for his work with John Mellencamp. But his work outside of Mellencamp’s band is even more notable. Aranoff has performed with the greatest icons in popular music, including Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and many others.
Nov 06, 2024•26 min
Listen to words and music with the tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, one of the most celebrated performers in the history of Indian classical music. Hussain has also found success in Western music, collaborating with iconic musicians including George Harrison, Earth Wind & Fire, Van Morrison, Tina Turner and members of the Grateful Dead. Hussain will perform at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel on November 1st. He'll be joined by the santoor player Rahul Sharma. The s...
Oct 30, 2024•31 min
It's a special Halloween episode of Cultural Manifesto. Hear an interview with Yung Rev, an Indianapolis-based musician and entrepreneur. Yung Rev is the promoter behind Dystopia, a unique event series featuring skateboarding, pro wrestling, and live music. Yung Rev’s latest event is titled Spooktopia, and features performances from artists including Mula Kkhan and Mxjor. Also, hear an hour of truly terrifying music from Hoosier history, including: - Lost tapes from an occult rock musical titled...
Oct 23, 2024•51 min
Listen to an interview with the Indianapolis musician and producer, Inga McDaniel. For over 40 years, McDaniel has been self-producing and self-releasing electronic dance music. A new anthology of her music, titled “Double Mug”, was recently issued by the Indiana-based label Ulyssa.
Oct 16, 2024•37 min
Hear a conversation with NPR music contributors Ann Powers and Alison Fensterstock. They’ll discuss the new book “How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music,” a celebration of women in music featuring archival interviews, essays, and rare photos.
Oct 16, 2024•15 min
Listen to a special pledge drive episode featuring show highlights selected by host Kyle Long. Hear interviews with Carlos Santana discussing the influence of Indianapolis guitarist Wes Montgomery, Meshell Ndegeocello on her work with Indianapolis composer Hanna Benn, Omar Apollo recalling his early years in Northwest Indiana, author Tyler Alpern discussing the Indiana LGBTQ+ music pioneer Bruz Fletcher, and much more. Also, hear lost Indiana recordings recovered by Long featuring music from Duk...
Oct 09, 2024•55 min
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with an hour of music from composer Juan Orrego-Salas. Orrego-Salas was born in Santiago, Chile in 1919. He moved to Bloomington, Indiana in 1961 to direct Indiana University’s Latin American Music Center. Now in it’s 63rd year, the Latin American Music Center manages one of the largest archives of 20th century Latin American art music in the world. Orrego-Salas retired as the center’s director in 1987 and remained in Bloomington until his death in 2019 at the a...
Oct 02, 2024•14 min
Listen to an interview with the Indianapolis rock band Wishy. Their debut album Triple Seven has been praised in publications including Pitchfork and The Guardian. Wishy’s music draws inspiration from 1990s shoegaze and dream pop bands like My Bloody Valentine and The Sundays. Also, hear a tribute to the Indianapolis rockabilly pioneer Ronnie Haig, he passed away this month at the age of 85. Haig was born in Indianapolis in 1939, and grew up in the Fountain Square neighborhood. At age 19, Haig r...
Sep 25, 2024•32 min
Listen to an interview with jazz saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin. 2024 has been a breakout year for Lakecia. She was nominated for 3 Grammy awards, and made high profile appearances on NPR’s Tiny Desk, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She will be performing at this year’s Indy Jazz Fest.
Sep 18, 2024•8 min
Listen to an interview with rock and roll legend Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals. Vocalist, organist and songwriter Felix Cavaliere confounded Rascals in 1965. Originally known as The Young Rascals, the band would go on to chart 9 top 20 Billboard singles, including three number 1 hits. Today, The Rascals are considered one of the defining American rock bands of the 1960s. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and Cavaliere was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fa...
Sep 18, 2024•26 min
Listen to an interview with the New York-based musician John Roseboro. He describes his music as “post bossa,” a unique blend of American indie rock and Brazilian bossa nova. Roseboro will be performing in Indianapolis on September 14 at State Street Pub.
Sep 11, 2024•18 min
Carl Broemel started his career as a choir boy at Indianapolis’ Christ Church Cathedral, today he travels the world as a guitarist with My Morning Jacket. This week on Cultural Manifesto, hear Broemel discuss his roots in the Indianapolis music scene. Broemel’s work with My Morning Jacket has received widespread critical acclaim. In 2007, he was named on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “20 New Guitar Gods”. Broemel has worked with a wide range of musicians, from CCR’s John Fogerty to Pink Floyd...
Sep 11, 2024
Listen to an interview with photographer Jacob Moran. He’ll discuss “Visual Aural”, a book and mixtape documenting the Indianapolis rap music scene. Also hear from two of the musicians featured in “Visual Aural,” rappers 4200Kory and Joosi.
Sep 04, 2024•43 min
Listen to an interview with the Indianapolis-based poet and filmmaker Too Black. He’ll discuss his new book, “Laundering Black Rage: The Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits”, co-written with Dr. Rasul Mowatt. The book explores how the rage directed at the police murder of George Floyd was re-channeled away from the Black Lives Matter movement into corporate advertising and questionable leadership.
Aug 28, 2024•47 min
Listen to a preview of this year’s edition of Chreece, an all-day hip-hop festival happening in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis. Hear a conversation with Chreece organizers Oreo Jones, Jane Kim, and Jay Brookinz; along with interviews and music from Chreece performers 4200Kory, and Joosi Got Bars. Plus a conversation with Yung Rev, the organizer of Dystopia, a multimedia event series happening in Fountain Square.
Aug 21, 2024•48 min
Listen to a special podcast edition of Cultural Manifesto, featuring an unedited conversation with Oreo Jones, Jay Brookinz, and Jane Kim — the organizers of Chreece, an all-day hip-hop festival happening in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis.
Aug 20, 2024•52 min
Listen to an interview with the Hobart, Indiana pop star Omar Apollo. He will discuss his new album “God Said No”, his memories of growing up in northwest Indiana, and his upcoming concert in Indianapolis.
Aug 14, 2024•38 min
Listen to an interview with the Bloomington-based jazz keyboardist, bandleader, and author Monika Herzig. She’ll discuss the latest album from her band Sheroes, titled “All In Good Time”. Monika Herzig’s Sheroes is an all-star group, featuring prominent women in jazz music. Sheroes is one of many projects Herzig has created to support women in jazz.
Aug 07, 2024•32 min
