Podcast
The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast
Hosted by WPKN, Jim Motavalli · EN
Jim Motavalli of WPKN features interviews new and archival - artists, movers, shakers, and more.
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Robbie Fulks Talks About Life
Mar 2300:10:49Tap to summarizeRobbie Fulks is a native North Carolinian who has bluegrass and country as a default position, but also revels in many other musical styles. A stint at Columbia University in New York probably helped broaden his world view, but there's something of an auto didact about him, too. Music came naturally, as his father played guitar and his aunt banjo, which he started playing at age six. Skipping ahead, In 1987, he joined The Special Consensus Bluegrass Band, where he showcased his unique guitar flatpicking style. In the early 1990s he performed in the musical Woody Guthrie's American Song. Fulks writes some very funny songs that, as one critic noted, "subvert the country tropes," but his music also delves deep.
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The Country Blues of Ireland's Murieann Bradley
Mar 2300:15:37Tap to summarizeMurieann Bradley is a 19-year-old acoustic guitarist/singer from Ireland who specializes in the fingerpicking styles of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, citing influences such as Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Elizabeth Cotten. She learned to play largely from her father, a blues enthusiast. After a breakout performance on the BBC's Jools' Annual Hootenanny in 2023, she has toured the world, including a performance at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee on March 28. Her debut album, I Kept These Old Blues, was released on Tompkins Square Records and later reached the top ten of the UK Albums Download Chart. She signed with Decca Records in late 2024.
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Lab Dog: Melanie Kaplan's Book on Using Canines in Medical Research
Feb 1300:16:21Tap to summarizeMelanie D.G. Kaplan talks to Jim Motavalli about her book Lab Dog: A Beagle and his Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research. She explores the ethics and future of animal experimentation through the story of her rescued beagle, Hammy.
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The Musical Alchemy of Iron & Wine
Feb 1300:17:10Tap to summarizeJim Motavalli talked to Sam Beam, a/k/a Iron & Wine, a master of brilliant, hushed Americana music and a collaborator par excellence (particularly with amazing women). In the interview, we talk about Beam's work with Fiona Apple, Jesca Hoop, I'm With Her and others, and also about his new album Hen's Teeth (2026).
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Alex Manos
Jan 1900:09:25Tap to summarizeAlex Manos says he's the country's number one buyer of classic cars. He buys European and American cars nationwide, and would love to talk about buying your old vehicle.
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Two Crows for Comfort Comes Close
Jan 1900:14:12Tap to summarizeTwo Crows for Comfort is a Canadian folk and Americana duo based out of Manitoba, composed of Erin Corbin and Cory Sulyma. Known for their rich harmonies and poignant storytelling, they have been a full-time touring act since early 2020, living on the road in an 18-foot camper with their rescue dog, Elliot. They talked to Jim Motavalli for WPKN
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Emily Masser: The Jazz is in the Family
Jan 1900:19:29Tap to summarizeBritish jazz singer Emily Masser is only 21, but shows a mature command of her art, inspired by her saxophonist father, Dean Masser. Pianist Horace Silver wrote the beautiful "Song For My Father," but Masser made a whole album called Songs With my Father (with dad playing his horn).
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John Gennari: In the Jazz Barn
Jan 1900:23:35Tap to summarizeJohn Gennari's profusely illustrated book The Jazz Barn (Brandeis University Press) traces the history of a short-lived but vital institution in the history of music. Music Inn, in Lenox, Massachusetts near Tanglewood, took jazz seriously and brought musicians to a bucolic setting for teaching, concerts and building bridges to what eventually became the classical-jazz fusion known as Third Stream. With many photographs by Holocaust survivor Clemens Kalischer.
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Frander: Trad Folk Meets Progressive Rock in This Swedish Swirl
Jan 1900:25:50Tap to summarizeEncountered recently at the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, Sweden's Frander combines roots in traditional Swedish folk with an ear to progressive rock--but all with acoustic instruments.
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The Weary Ramblers: An Americana Wealth of Experience
Jan 1900:15:44Tap to summarizeIowa-based Americana duo, Weary Ramblers bring years of experience to the stage with award-winning songwriting and chemistry. Chad Elliott (Woody Guthrie Song Contest & Kerrville Finalist) and Kathryn Severing Fox (DownBeat winner & international touring artist) showcase multi-instrumental performances with tight harmonies and great storytelling. Fox has played, toured or recorded with George Benson, The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Pharrell Williams, Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole, Osmond Brothers, Gloria Gaynor, Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Loggins, The Marley Family, Mark O’Connor, Ryan Montbleau, Seth Walker, Ben Sollee, Edgar Meyer and Joshua Bell. Chad Elliott, known as "Iowa's Renaissance Man," has written 2,000 songs and toured with Odetta, Tom Paxton, Loudon Wainwright III, R.L. Burnside, Greg Brown, Ruthie Foster, Verlon Thompson, Jimmie Vaughan, Bo Ramsey and Mary Gauthier.
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