Episodes

  • Jermaine from the South on rapping in Creole, playing oud, and making psychedelic hip-hop beats

    Jermaine from the South on rapping in Creole, playing oud, and making psychedelic hip-hop beats
    May 6 2026
    Hear Kyle Long’s conversation with Bloomington-based musician Jermaine Butler— also known as Jermaine from the South — an artist who defies easy categorization. Butler's submission to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, titled "Dan Vi-Çila”, earned a coveted Top Shelf selection, drawing praise from Tiny Desk producer Bobby Carter and guest judge Tierra Whack. He is set to unveil a new project rooted in the culture of his home state — rapping in Louisiana Creole.
    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • Indianapolis musician, writer and rapper Foosie on his debut album, All-American Ghetto

    Indianapolis musician, writer and rapper Foosie on his debut album, All-American Ghetto
    Apr 29 2026
    Indianapolis-based rapper, musician, and writer Foosie discusses his debut album, “All-American Ghetto.” The album draws on his life — from growing up in Indianapolis’ Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood to serving a 20-year prison sentence. During his incarceration, he learned to play acoustic guitar and developed his voice as a writer through the Indiana Prison Writers Workshop. In this conversation, Foosie reflects on that journey — and on the music and family that shaped him, including his uncle, Vonzell Wheeler of the legendary Naptown soul group The Vanguards.
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
  • The secret history of Radio Free Naptown

    The secret history of Radio Free Naptown
    Apr 22 2026
    In 1968, a group of young Indianapolis broadcasters made history — they built their own radio station from scratch, without a license, and dared the FCC to stop them. For four years, Radio Free Naptown brought underground music to the city, from Captain Beefheart to Gil Scott-Heron, broadcasting from makeshift locations that at one point even included a horse pasture. They didn’t call it pirate radio; they called it bootleg. Co-founders Steve Everitt and Don Worsham tell the inside story of Radio Free Naptown.
    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • Software, the feminist synth-rock band that broke barriers for women and LGBTQ+ musicians in Indianapolis

    Software, the feminist synth-rock band that broke barriers for women and LGBTQ+ musicians in Indianapolis
    Apr 15 2026
    Hear a conversation with members of Software, a feminist synth-rock band that broke barriers for women and LGBTQ+ musicians in 1980s Indianapolis. Software performed at iconic venues including The Vogue and The Hummingbird. The band also played at Labyris, a feminist bar in downtown Indianapolis that served as a safe space for the city’s lesbian community. A new anthology of Software’s music, Haven’t You Had Enough, will be released on Record Store Day
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • Born in Indianapolis to immigrant parents, Trigger Alpert recorded with America’s top musicians

    Born in Indianapolis to immigrant parents, Trigger Alpert recorded with America’s top musicians
    Apr 8 2026
    Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with music from the Indianapolis bassist Herman “Trigger” Alpert. Born in Indianapolis in 1916 to Russian Jewish immigrants, Alpert rose to national prominence in the golden age of big band jazz. Despite his remarkable contributions to American music, Alpert remains largely overlooked in his hometown — an unsung figure whose legacy deserves greater recognition in Indianapolis jazz history.
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Jazz legend Steve Allee reacts to hearing lost tapes

    Jazz legend Steve Allee reacts to hearing lost tapes
    Apr 1 2026
    Cultural Manifesto producer Kyle Long recently uncovered a collection of lost tapes featuring Indianapolis jazz legend Steve Allee performing live in local clubs in the 1970s — recordings Allee didn’t even know existed. Many of the tapes document his work with the Von Ohlen/Carter Big Band, a long-running Indianapolis ensemble co-led by drummer John Von Ohlen and saxophonist Chuck Carter. Hear excerpts from these rare recordings, along with Allee’s reaction.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Western wear designer Jerry Lee Atwood discusses his solo exhibition, Cowboy Couture

    Western wear designer Jerry Lee Atwood discusses his solo exhibition, Cowboy Couture
    Mar 25 2026
    Indianapolis designer Jerry Lee Atwood carries the tradition and spirit of classic Western wear forward with custom pieces that have appeared in Vogue magazine and in the wardrobes of Post Malone, Lil Nas X, Diplo, and Charley Crockett. WFYI’s Kyle Long spoke with him about a new exhibition of his work at the Eiteljorg Museum.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • How Indianapolis’ Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell influenced Bob Dylan’s music

    How Indianapolis’ Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell influenced Bob Dylan’s music
    Mar 25 2026
    Bob Dylan turns 85 this May — and he’s still on the road. Hear how Dylan’s musical career has been influenced by the legendary blues duo, Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell.
    Show More Show Less
    14 mins