
In the midst of a whirlwind tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of Violent Femmes’ eponymous 1983 debut, bassist and co-founder Brian Ritchie stops by MBE to share songs, reflections on his wide-ranging encounters, and even an impromptu solo on his shakuhachi (Japanese flute). His song selects and stories reveal a consummately curious explorer of the world, i.e. touching on his experience as an expat American punk rocker now based in Tasmania, Australia by looping us in on Tasmanian minimalists The Native Cats. Side note: learn more about Ritchie’s life abroad by peeping his Mona Foma festival here.
He unlocks the “sophisticated-yet-accessible” cut that made him want to be a musician in the first place (Television’s “Friction”). And he offers side by side comparisons of “Nature Boy,” as performed by Don McLean, and Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass (respectively); this simple song composed by proto-hippie Eden Ahbez in the 1940s is one that Ritchie considers perfect. All of this and a whole lot more mind-expansion awaits.
Plus, we react to the breaking news of Os Mutantes co-founder, and “Queen of Brazilian Rock,” Rita Lee’s death. Hear what propelled her into that rarified air with a couple of solo pieces, and the Os Mutantes classic “Bat Macumba.”
John Tejada maps electronic music across time, connecting the underground’s history with the sounds shaping its future. Deep cuts and new releases move through techno, electro, house, ambient, and other corners of electronic music, with each selection building naturally into the next. The show is as much about flow as discovery, tracing the ideas, rhythms, and innovations that continue to push electronic music forward. Expect established innovators alongside emerging producers and overlooked gems from decades past. Tune in to John’s show Tuesday and Saturday nights from 10pm to midnight.
Peanut Butter Wolf goes deep into a lifetime of collecting, pulling from more than 50,000 records alongside a digital archive packed with unreleased music and overlooked discoveries. The founder of Stones Throw Records favors the underdog, moving through hip-hop, funk, soul, electronic music, oddball records, rarities, and sounds that resist easy categorization. Inspired by generations of adventurous DJs and selectors, the show treats digging as an art form and the unexpected find as the ultimate reward. Tune in every third Sunday of the month from 8 to 10pm.
A mix of all kinds, from all over and all time. Henry Rollins treats the radio as a place for serious musical exploration, bringing punk, experimental music, jazz, global sounds, independent releases, archival discoveries, and whatever else demands to be heard into the same restless orbit. The selections can travel across decades and continents in minutes, driven less by genre than an insatiable appetite for records and discovery. It’s radio for listeners willing to follow the music wherever it goes. Tune in Mondays from 10pm to midnight and Fridays from 8 to 10pm.