Steve Reich is a legendary composer who was one of the pioneers of minimalism. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and the New York Times called him “America’s greatest living composer.” I had the incredible honor of getting to speak to Steve Reich about his piece Different Trains, written for string quartet and pre-recorded performance tape. It was first performed in 1988 by the Kronos Quartet, and they released a recording of it in 1989, which won the Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. Different Trains is a piece about World War II and the Holocaust. It’s made up of three movements: America – Before the War, Europe – During the War, and After the War. For this episode, Steve Reich breaks down the first movement, which was inspired by his own childhood experiences.

You can buy or stream Different Trains: America, Before the War here.

And you can buy Steve Reich’s new book, Conversations here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
It’s Going to Rain – Steve Reich
Come Out – Steve Reich
Beryl Korot

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Sarah Kinsley is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Her most recent release is an EP called The King, which came out in 2021. When she made it, she was in college in New York—and actually, at the moment, she still is. But the title track on The King was written at a time when the pandemic had shut things down, and she was back in Connecticut, living with her parents. In this episode, Sarah tells the story of demo’ing the song in her childhood bedroom, then recording it in the studio with producer Jake Aron, before it went on to become a hit with over twenty millions streams online. Sarah’s performing at the Song Exploder show at SXSW on March 16, along with Perfume Genius, Kimbra, and more. Hope to see you there.

You can buy or stream “The King” here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Big Thief, band

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Brandi Carlile is a singer and songwriter from Washington State. She’s released seven albums and won six Grammys. Her most recent album is In These Silent Days, which debuted at number one on Billboard’s folk and rock album charts. It was produced by her longtime collaborators Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. In this episode, Brandi breaks down her song “You and Me on the Rock (feat. Lucius),” and how it was influenced by her wife, by the pandemic, and by Joni Mitchell.

You can buy or stream “You and Me On The Rock (feat. Lucius)” here.

For a transcript of this episode, click here.

Illustration by Carlos Lerma.

footnotes
Phil and Tim Hanseroth
Chris Powell, drummer
Dulcimer
Blue, by Joni Mitchell
Brandi Carlile’s Blue concerts
T-Bone Burnett

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