Strong Songs

Nov 28

Kirk sits down with jazz piano legend Peter Martin to talk about Peter's musical background, his momentous early encounters with Wynton Marsalis and Kenny Kirkland, the jazz scene of the 1990s, how the Suzuki method works, and why jazz students today should be less shy about talking to their heroes. Check out Peter's online jazz education program Open Studio , as well as You'll Hear It , the music podcast he co-hosts with Adam Maness. DISCUSSED/REFERENCED: “Variations Sur ‘Le Carnaval de Venise” feat. Wynton Marsalis and the Eastman Wind Ensemble from Carnival , 1987 “Path Adjacent” Peter Martin w/ Gregory Hutchinson, Sarah Hanahan & Reuben Rogers from Generation S , 2023 “Bag’s Groove” by Milt Jackson from Miles Davis, Bag’s Groove , 1967 “Tea For Two” by Youmans/Ceasar, played by Art Tatum from Piano Starts Here , 1968 “Broad Way Blues” by Ornette Coleman from New York Is Now , 1968 “Swingin’ at the Haven” by Branford Marsalis from Royal Garden Blues , 1986 “Now’s The Time/Billie’s Bounce” by Charlie Parker from Jamey Aebersold Vol. 6: All Bird “Naima’s Love Song” by Betty Carter from I_t’s Not About The Melody_, 1992 “Mental Phrasing” by Roy Hargrove live w/ Joshua Redman, Ron Blake, Peter Martin, Rodney Whitaker, Greg Hutchinson “Turnaround” by Joshua Redman w/ Pat Metheny from Wish , 1993 “Jig-A-Jug” by Joshua Redman and “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins” from Spirit of the Moment: Live at the Village Vanguard, 1995 “Cat Battles” and “One Shining Soul” by Joshua Redman from Freedom in the Groove , 1996 “The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner” intro and “Mind and Body” from Solo, Live in New York , 2015 “Why Approach Chords Matter” - Adam Maness for Open Studio on YouTube , 2025 “2 Down & 2 Across,” “Sing a Song of Song,” “Before It’s Time to Say Goodbye” by Kenny Garrett feat. Kenny Kirkland from Songbook , 1997 “Phyrzzinian Man” by Wynton Marsalis from Black Codes from the Underground , 1985 “Necessary Evil” by Elvin Jones and “Whatever Possessed Me” by Chet Baker feat. Pat LaBarbera (Tenor) and Kenny Kirkland from Brother John , 1982 “Stella by Starlight” by Hoagy Carmichael, performed by the Miles Davis Quintet on My Funny Valentine: In Concert, 1965 ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- NOVEMBER 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Andy Ben Barron Catherine Warner Cesar Christopher McConnell Christopher Miller Corpus Frisky Damon White Daniel Hannon-Barry Dave Florey David Mascetti Elizabeth Culver Greg Jamie White Jay Swartz Jenness Gardner Jeremy Dawson Joe Laska Julie Rowe Ken Hirsh Lisa Crotty Melanie Andrich Melissa Lucas Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Rich Fish Rick Keeler Robyn Metcalfe Rush Sami Samhuri Thomas McIlheran NOVEMBER 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Aaron Cain Aaron Wade Abbie Berg Abraham Benrubi Achint Srivastava Adam Clark Adam Stofsky Adam W Ailie Fraser AJ Schuster Alan Kress Alan Maass Alex Alex Miller Alexander Alexander Polson Alison Dugan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Andrew Hofer Andrew Knutson Angela Livingstone Anthony Mentz Arjun Sharma Aruni Jayatilleke Ashley Bea Ben Stein Bernard Khoo Betsy Barre Bill Thornton Bonnie Prinsen Brad Callahan Brendan McLeod Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brian Rinckenberger Brian John Peter Bruno Gaeta Carlos Lerner Caro Field Catherine Clause cbalmain Charles McGee Cheryl Wilke Chris K Christian Hessmann Christopher Selby Spink Clare Holberton Claudia Carty Clint McElroy Colin Hodo Dallas Hockley Dan Cutter Dani Daniel Kaberon Daniel Markoff Daniel Nervo Dave Douglass Dave Kolas dave malloy Dave Sharpe David David Futter David Joske David Noah Deebs Dent Earl Dermot Crowley Dhu Wik Diane Hughes Diane Turner Dick Morgan Donald Mackie Doreen Carlson Doug Belew Douglas H Frazer Dr Arthur A Gray Dubmarine E Margaret Warton Edward Steen Eoin de Burca Eric Helm Eric Prestemon eric sp Eric Stone Erik Ethan Bauman Ethan Laser Freddy Freeman Gary Pierce Gavin Doig Geraldine Butler Glenn Jackson Grettir Asmundarson Heather J Henry Mindlin HiddenJester Ian Karmel Ian Pidd Inmar Givoni irritable James James James Johnson James McMurry Jamie Janice Berry Jason Pratt Jeff Jeff Ulm Jeffrey Bean Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jez Jim Sellers Joe Gallo John Berry John Domina john halpin Jonathan Daniels Jordan Gatenby Joseph Romero Josh Singer Joshua Hill JRRJ Julie Kellman Justin McElroy Karma Jay Kaya Woodall Kayla Russell Kellen Steffen Kelli Brockington KenIsWearingAHat Kenneth Jung Kevin Marcelo Kevin Potter Kevin Stafford Kym Griffith Lauren Knotts Lauren Reay Lawrence Lee R. LG Linda Duffy Lisa Turner Lottie Aron Luigi Boccia M Shane Borders Maddie S Margaret McReynolds Martín Salías Mathias Schmidt Matt Baxter Matt Betzel Matthew Jones Max max barnes Melanie Stivers Melissa Kuhns Melmaniac Merv Adrian Meryl Allison Michael Michael Berman Michael Casner Michael Martin Michael Singer mino capossela Misty Haisfield mjs Monica St. Angelo Mordok’s Vape Pen Naomi Nathan Gouwens Nell Morse Ol Parker Pascal Rueger Paul Bigelman Paul Wayper Peter Harding PhantomMare Philip Kelly Portland Eye Care Princess of Whales R J Helow Rachel Rand LeShay Randy Souza Richard Sneddon Richard Toller Rishi Sahay Rob Tsuk Robert Granat RsP Ryan Rairigh Sarah Vetters Sean Murphy Seattle Trans And Nonbinary Choral Ensemble Simon Hellman STEPHEN Stephen Tsoneff Stephen Wolkwitz Steve B Steve Martino Steve Paquin Stu Baker Suzanne Crawford Sy Jacobs Tanner Morton TB The Daily Solve with Chris Remo Thomas Tim Rosenwong Tim Sheehan Tom Coleman Tucker Ped Wendy Gilchrist Wiggy Hash Zach Putnam Zak Remer ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Nov 14

Writer, composer, and Peabody Award-winning podcaster Jad Abumrad joins Kirk to talk about Fela Kuti: Fear No Man , his new 12-part series on the life, music, and legacy of Afrobeat superstar Fela Kuti. DISCUSSED/REFERENCED: “Miryea’s Death” by Jack Nitzche from Revenge , 1990 “Prologue” by Alexandre Desplat from Birth , 2004 Excerpt from Port(al), music by Paola Prestini and Jad Abumrad, performed by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus “It’s Highlife Time” and “Amaechi’s Blues” by Fela Kuti and his Koola Lobitos, ca. 1963-69 “Jeun Ko Ku,” “Eko Ile,” and “Je’nwi Temi” by Fela Kuti from Afrodesiac , 1973 “Zombie” by Fela Kuti from Zombie , 1976 “The Great Curve” by Talking Heads from Remain in Light , 1980 “Life During Wartime” and “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads from Stop Making Sense , 1984 “The Prince We Never Knew“ - Sasha Weiss’ essential New York Times feature on Ezra Edelman’s unreleased Prince documentary “RITUAL” by Jon Hopkins from Ritual , 2024 “Open Eye Signal” by Jon Hopkins from Immunity , 2013 “A Quiet Glow” by Siavash Amini from Songs for Sad Poets , 2022 “In The Dust of This Planet” - 2014 Radiolab Episode featuring the poetry of Eugene Thacker “The Right Man (Daniele Baldelli & Marco Dionigi Cosmic Remix)” from The Units - Connections , 2011 “quiero sentirme bien” by Kali Uchis from Sin Miedo , 2020 “Looking for Love” by The Tallest Man On Earth from Henry St. , 2023 “Sweet Surrender” by Sarah McLachlan from Mirrorball , 1999 ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- OCTOBER 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Andy Ben Barron Catherine Warner Cesar Christopher McConnell Christopher Miller Corpus Frisky Damon White Daniel Hannon-Barry Dave Florey David Mascetti Elizabeth Culver Greg Jamie White Jay Swartz Jenness Gardner Jeremy Dawson Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Lisa Crotty Melanie Andrich Melissa Lucas Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Rick Keeler Robyn Metcalfe Rush Sami Samhuri Thomas McIlheran OCTOBER 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Aaron Cain Aaron Wade Aaron Wilson Abbie Berg Abraham Benrubi Achint Srivastava Adam Clark Adam Stofsky Adam W Ailie Fraser AJ Schuster Alan Kress Alan Maass Alex Alex Miller Alexander Alexander Polson Alison Dugan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Andrew Hofer Angela Livingstone Anthony Mentz Arjun Sharma Aruni Jayatilleke Ashley Bea Ben Stein Bernard Khoo Betsy Barre Bill Thornton Bonnie Prinsen Brad Callahan Brendan McLeod Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brian Rinckenberger Brian John Peter Bruno Gaeta Carlos Lerner Caro Field Catherine Clause cbalmain Charles McGee Cheryl Wilke Chris K Chris Remo Christian Hessmann Christopher Selby Spink Clare Holberton Claudia Carty Clint McElroy Colin Hodo Dallas Hockley Dan Cutter Dani Daniel Kaberon Daniel Markoff Daniel Nervo Dave Douglass Dave Kolas dave malloy Dave Sharpe David David David Futter David Joske David Noah David Stroud Deebs Dent Earl Dermot Crowley Dhu Wik Diane Hughes Diane Turner Dick Morgan Donald Mackie Doreen Carlson Doug Belew Douglas H Frazer Dr Arthur A Gray E Margaret Warton Edward Steen Eoin de Burca Eric Helm Eric Prestemon eric sp Eric Stone Erik Ethan Bauman Ethan Laser Freddy Freeman Gary Pierce Gavin Doig Geraldine Butler Glenn Jackson Grettir Asmundarson Henry Mindlin HiddenJester Ian Karmel Ian Pidd Inmar Givoni irritable James James Johnson James McMurry Jamie Janice Berry Jason Pratt Jeff Jeff Ulm Jeffrey Bean Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jez Jim Sellers Joe Gallo John Berry john halpin Jonathan Daniels Jordan Gatenby Joseph Romero Josh Singer Joshua Hill JRRJ Julie Kellman Justin McElroy Karma Jay Kaya Woodall Kayla Russell Kellen Steffen Kelli Brockington KenIsWearingAHat Kenneth Jung Kevin Marcelo Kevin Potter Kevin Stafford Kym Griffith Lauren Knotts Lauren Reay Lawrence Lee R. LG Linda Duffy Lisa Turner Lottie Aron Luigi Boccia M Shane Borders Margaret McReynolds Martín Salías Mathias Schmidt Matt Betzel Matthew Jones Max max barnes Melanie Stivers Melissa Kuhns Melmaniac Merv Adrian Meryl Allison Michael Michael Berman Michael Casner Michael Singer Michael Wisnosky Michelle Laughran mino capossela Misty Haisfield mjs Monica St. Angelo Mordok’s Vape Pen Naomi Watson Nathan Gouwens Nell Morse Ol Parker Pascal Rueger Paul Bigelman Paul Wayper Peter Harding PhantomMare Philip Kelly Portland Eye Care Princess of Whales R J Helow Rachel Rand LeShay Randal Vegter Randy Souza Richard Sneddon Richard Toller Rishi Sahay Rob Tsuk Robert Granat Robert Heuer RsP Ryan Rairigh Sarah Vetters Sean Murphy Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble Simon Hellman STEPHEN Stephen Tsoneff Stephen Wolkwitz Steve B Steve Martino Steve Paquin Stu Baker Suzanne Crawford Sy Jacobs Tanner Morton TB Thomas Tim Rosenwong Tim Sheehan Tom Coleman Tucker Ped Wendy Gilchrist Whit Sidener Wiggy Hash Zach Putnam Zak Remer ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Oct 31

This episode of Twenty Thousand Hertz originally ran in August 2025. Kirk's 2020 episode of Strong Songs about the music of Super Mario TWENTY THOUSAND HERTZ SHOW NOTES: This episode was written & produced by Casey Emmerling . From the springy jump sound to the iconic Overworld Theme, the sound of Super Mario Bros. is instantly recognizable. With just five lo-fi audio channels and 40 kilobytes of space, composer Koji Kondo created a soundscape full of unforgettable melodies. In this episode, we explore how Kondo’s playful instincts, rhythmic trickery, and love of jazz fusion defined the sound of Mario. Featuring Kirk Hamilton of Strong Songs and Thomas of Thomas Game Docs . MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE Rocker Jr. - Shake [B]IT DJARTMUSIC - 8 Bit Console from My Childhood moodmode - Game 8-Bit On XtremeFreddy - Bit Beats 1 moodmode - Level VII Wesley Slover - Analog Jam 1103 Space_Cat - Light It Up moodmode - Level VI William Benckert - Dance of the Pixel Birds Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our new video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠ . Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Follow Kirk Hamilton’s podcasts ⁠Strong Songs⁠ and ⁠Triple Click⁠ . Subscribe to Thomas’ Youtube channel, ⁠Thomas Game Docs⁠ . ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Oct 17

It's fun to talk about TV theme songs, so that's what Kirk and special guest Leigh Sales did. Does this episode need any more introduction than that? Probably not. Check out Leigh's wonderful podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 A YouTube Playlist of many of the themes discussed (and some they didn't get to) DISCUSSED/REFERENCED: The Office Theme - “Handbags and Gladrags” - 1967 by Mike D’Abo, perf. Big George Webley - US theme 2005 by Jay Ferguson Parks & Recreation - 2009, by Gaby Moreno and Vincent Jones Welcome Back Kotter - by John Sebastian (1974 - 1979) “Suicide is Painless” by Johnny Mandel, from MA_S_H The Nanny Theme by Ann Hampton Callaway The Brady Bunch theme by Frank De Vol & Sherwood Schwartz Gilligan’s Island theme by Sherwood Schwartz (lyrics) & George Wyle (music) Beverley Hillbillies theme by Paul Hennig feat. Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs Money For Nothing/Beverley Hillbillies by Weird Al Yankovic from UHF , 1988 "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits from Brothers in Arms , 1985 The Americans theme by Nathan Barr "Do Ya Wanna Taste It" by Wig Wam from Peacemaker , 2021 The Pi Song from AsapSCIENCE Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 by Franz Schubert “Green Acres Theme” by Vic Mizzy “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3, from The Sopranos "A Beautiful Mine" from Mad Men by RJD2 “Sex and the City Theme” by Douglas J. Cuomo Six Feet Under theme by Thomas Newman Breaking Bad theme by Dave Porter House of Cards Theme by Jeff Beal Tank! by Yoko Kanno and Seatbelts LEIGH'S MUSIC PICKS: Frank Sinatra Live at the Sands, ‘66 with the Count Basie Orchestra conducted by Quincy Jones INXS - Kick , 1987 The Villagers - Becoming a Jackal, 2010 ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- OCTOBER 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Andy Ben Barron Catherine Warner Cesar Christopher McConnell Christopher Miller Corpus Frisky Damon White Daniel Hannon-Barry Dave Florey David Mascetti Elizabeth Culver Greg Jamie White Jay Swartz Jenness Gardner Jeremy Dawson Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Lisa Crotty Melanie Andrich Melissa Lucas Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Rick Keeler Robyn Metcalfe Rush Sami Samhuri Thomas McIlheran OCTOBER 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Aaron Cain Aaron Wade Aaron Wilson Abbie Berg Abraham Benrubi Achint Srivastava Adam Clark Adam Stofsky Adam W Ailie Fraser AJ Schuster Alan Kress Alan Maass Alex Alex Miller Alexander Alexander Polson Alison Dugan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Andrew Hofer Angela Livingstone Anthony Mentz Arjun Sharma Aruni Jayatilleke Ashley Bea Ben Stein Bernard Khoo Betsy Barre Bill Thornton Bonnie Prinsen Brad Callahan Brendan McLeod Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brian Rinckenberger Brian John Peter Bruno Gaeta Carlos Lerner Caro Field Catherine Clause cbalmain Charles McGee Cheryl Wilke Chris K Chris Remo Christian Hessmann Christopher Selby Spink Clare Holberton Claudia Carty Clint McElroy Colin Hodo Dallas Hockley Dan Cutter Dani Daniel Kaberon Daniel Markoff Daniel Nervo Dave Douglass Dave Kolas dave malloy Dave Sharpe David David David Futter David Joske David Noah David Stroud Deebs Dent Earl Dermot Crowley Dhu Wik Diane Hughes Diane Turner Dick Morgan Donald Mackie Doreen Carlson Doug Belew Douglas H Frazer Dr Arthur A Gray E Margaret Warton Edward Steen Eoin de Burca Eric Helm Eric Prestemon eric sp Eric Stone Erik Ethan Bauman Ethan Laser Freddy Freeman Gary Pierce Gavin Doig Geraldine Butler Glenn Jackson Grettir Asmundarson Henry Mindlin HiddenJester Ian Karmel Ian Pidd Inmar Givoni irritable James James Johnson James McMurry Jamie Janice Berry Jason Pratt Jeff Jeff Ulm Jeffrey Bean Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jez Jim Sellers Joe Gallo John Berry john halpin Jonathan Daniels Jordan Gatenby Joseph Romero Josh Singer Joshua Hill JRRJ Julie Kellman Justin McElroy Karma Jay Kaya Woodall Kayla Russell Kellen Steffen Kelli Brockington KenIsWearingAHat Kenneth Jung Kevin Marcelo Kevin Potter Kevin Stafford Kym Griffith Lauren Knotts Lauren Reay Lawrence Lee R. LG Linda Duffy Lisa Turner Lottie Aron Luigi Boccia M Shane Borders Margaret McReynolds Martín Salías Mathias Schmidt Matt Betzel Matthew Jones Max max barnes Melanie Stivers Melissa Kuhns Melmaniac Merv Adrian Meryl Allison Michael Michael Berman Michael Casner Michael Singer Michael Wisnosky Michelle Laughran mino capossela Misty Haisfield mjs Monica St. Angelo Mordok’s Vape Pen Naomi Watson Nathan Gouwens Nell Morse Ol Parker Pascal Rueger Paul Bigelman Paul Wayper Peter Harding PhantomMare Philip Kelly Portland Eye Care Princess of Whales R J Helow Rachel Rand LeShay Randal Vegter Randy Souza Richard Sneddon Richard Toller Rishi Sahay Rob Tsuk Robert Granat Robert Heuer RsP Ryan Rairigh Sarah Vetters Sean Murphy Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble Simon Hellman STEPHEN Stephen Tsoneff Stephen Wolkwitz Steve B Steve Martino Steve Paquin Stu Baker Suzanne Crawford Sy Jacobs Tanner Morton TB Thomas Tim Rosenwong Tim Sheehan Tom Coleman Tucker Ped Wendy Gilchrist Whit Sidener Wiggy Hash Zach Putnam Zak Remer ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Oct 3

Originally Aired October 20, 2020 The Wildlings are south of the wall, the robots are rising up, Seventh Kavalry's on the move, and two percent of the world's population has vanished. Time for another edition of Strong TV Songs! This time around the focus is on HBO, a network that has defined much of the broader TV landscape over the past couple of decades. So let's dig into a bunch of great music from a bunch of good shows, with themes for Dothraki raiders, Alethiometers, robot farmgirls, nuns with guns, monstrous moguls, and lost souls. Special thanks to the key of C minor for making this episode possible. REFERENCED/DISCUSSED: “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3 from Exile on Coldharbour Lane , 1997 “Six Feet Under” by Thomas Newman, 2001 “Deadwood” by David Schwartz, 2004 “Way Down In The Hole” by Tom Waits from Franks Wild Years , 1987. Performed by Waits, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Neville Brothers, DoMaJe, and Steve Earle “Game of Thrones” by Ramin Djawadi, 2011 " Game of F***in' Thrones " by Anamanaguchi, 2012 “Pacific Rim” by Ramin Djawadi feat. Tom Morello from Pacific Rim , 2013 “Doom Patrol” by Clint Mansell and Kevin Kiner, 2019 “His Dark Materials” by Lorne Balfe, 2019 “Westworld” and “Sweetwater” by Ramin Djawadi, 2016 “Ezio’s Family” by Jesper Kyd from Assassin’s Creed II , 2009 "How The West Was Really Won,” “Nun With a Motherf***ing Gun,” and “Children of Krypton” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, 2019 “Succession” by Nicholas Britell, 2018 " Kiss from Daddy " by Demi Adejuyigbe, 2019 “The Departure” and “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Max Richter from The Leftovers , 2014 OUTRO SOLOIST: Luke Price This episode's outro soloist is Portland fiddle player Luke Price. When he's not working as a side man in a variety of killer bands, Luke joins his wife Rachael to form the excellent songwriting duo DEAN!. You can follow them on Instagram and listen to some of their stuff on their website, wearedean.com . ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- SEPTEMBER 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Andy Ben Barron Catherine Warner Cesar Christopher McConnell Christopher Miller Corpus Frisky Damon White Daniel Hannon-Barry Dave Florey David Mascetti Elizabeth Culver Jamie White Jay Swartz Jenness Gardner Jeremy Dawson Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Lisa Crotty Melanie Andrich Melissa Lucas Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Rick Keeler Robyn Metcalfe Rush Sami Samhuri Thomas McIlheran SEPTEMBER 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Aaron Cain Aaron Wade Aaron Wilson Abbie Berg Abraham Benrubi Achint Srivastava Adam Clark Adam Stofsky Adam W Ailie Fraser AJ Schuster Alan Maass Alex Miller Alexander Alexander Polson Alison Dugan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Andrew Hofer Angela Livingstone Anthony Mentz Arjun Sharma Aruni Jayatilleke Ashley Bea Ben Stein Bernard Khoo Betsy Barre Bill Thornton Bonnie Prinsen Brad Callahan Brendan McLeod Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brian Rinckenberger Brian John Peter Bruno Gaeta Carlos Lerner Caro Field Catherine Clause cbalmain Charles McGee Cheryl Wilke Chris K Chris Remo Christian Hessmann Christopher Selby Spink Clare Holberton Claudia Carty Clint McElroy Colin Hodo Dallas Hockley Dan Cutter Dan Elias Dani Daniel Kaberon Daniel Markoff Daniel Nervo Dave Douglass Dave Kolas dave malloy Dave Sharpe David David David Futter David Joske David Noah David Stroud Deebs Dent Earl Dermot Crowley Dhu Wik Diane Hughes Diane Turner Dick Morgan Donald Mackie Doreen Carlson Doug Belew Douglas H Frazer Dr Arthur A Gray E Margaret Warton Edward Steen Eoin de Burca Eric Helm Eric Prestemon eric sp Erik Ethan Bauman Ethan Laser Freddy Freeman Gary Pierce Gavin Doig Geraldine Butler Glenn Jackson Grettir Asmundarson Henry Mindlin HiddenJester Ian Karmel Ian Pidd Ian Steding Inmar Givoni irritable James James Johnson James McMurry Jamie Janice Berry Jason Gerry Jason Pratt Jeff Jeff Ulm Jeffrey Bean Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jez Joe Gallo John Bauman John Berry john halpin Jonathan Daniels Jordan Gatenby Joseph Romero Josh Singer Joshua Hill JRRJ Julie Kellman Justin McElroy Kaya Woodall Kayla Russell Kellen Steffen Kelli Brockington KenIsWearingAHat Kenneth Jung Kevin Marcelo Kevin Potter Kevin Stafford Kym Griffith Lauren Knotts Lauren Reay Lawrence Lee R. LG Linda Duffy Lisa Turner Lottie Aron Lowell Meyer Luigi Boccia M Shane Borders Margaret McReynolds Martín Salías Mathias Schmidt Matt Baxter Matt Betzel Matthew Jones Max Melanie Stivers Melissa Kuhns Melmaniac Merv Adrian Meryl Allison Michael Michael Berman Michael Casner Michael Singer Michael Wisnosky mino capossela Misty Haisfield Monica St. Angelo Mordok’s Vape Pen Naomi Watson Nathan Gouwens Nell Morse Ol Parker Pascal Rueger Paul Wayper Peter Harding PhantomMare Philip Kelly Portland Eye Care Princess of Whales Rachel Rand LeShay Randal Vegter Randy Souza Richard Sneddon Richard Toller Rishi Sahay Rob Tsuk Robert Granat Robert Heuer RsP Ryan Rairigh Sarah Vetters Sean Murphy Seattle Trans And Nonbinary Chora Ensemble Simon Hellman STEPHEN Stephen Tsoneff Stephen Wolkwitz Steve B Steve Martino Steve Paquin Stu Baker Suzanne Crawford Sy Jacobs Tanner Morton TB Thomas Tim Sheehan Tom Coleman Tucker Ped Wendy Gilchrist Whit Sidener Wiggy Hash Zach Putnam Zak Remer ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Sep 19

With so many dozens of albums over so many wildly disparate eras, it can take a lifetime to truly get your arms around Bob Dylan. On this episode, Kirk is joined by two guests who have spent their lifetimes doing exactly that. Matt Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell, in addition to co-hosting the terrific political history podcast Know Your Enemy , are both lifelong Dylan fans. This spring, they came on the show to give listeners a tour of Dylan's many eras, and to give newcomers a place, or places, they might start getting to know him better. DYLAN SONGS DISCUSSED, IN RELEASE CHRONOLOGY “Blowin in the Wind” and “Corrina, Corrina” from Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan , 1963 (and as sung by Peter, Paul and Mary) “Like A Rolling Stone,” “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues,” “From a Buick 6” from Highway 61 Revisisted , 1965 “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Outlaw Blues” from Bringing it All Back Home , 1965 “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and “Pledging My Time” from Blonde on Blonde , 1966 “All Along the Watchtower” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” from John Wesley Harding , 1967 “Lay, Lady, Lay” and “Girl from the North Country” (with Johnny Cash) from Nashville Skyline, 1969 “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” from Pat Garret & Billy The Kid Original Soundtrack , 1973 “Forever Young” from Planet Waves , 1974 “Tangled Up in Blue” from Blood On The Tracks , 1975 “Hurricane” and “Romance in Durango” from Desire , 1976 “Changing of the Guards” from Street-Legal , 1978 “Serve Somebody,” and “Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)” from Slow Train Coming , 1979 “Saved” from Saved , 1980 “The Groom’s Still Waiting At the Alter” and “Lenny Bruce” from Shot of Love , 1981 “ Pressing On ” and " Solid Rock " live in Toronto, 1980 “Neighborhood Bully,” “Jokerman,” “Sweetheart Like You” from Infidels , 1983 “Dark Eyes” from _Empire Burlesqu_e, 1985 “Brownsville Girl” from Knocked Out and Loaded , 1986 “Sylvio” from Down In The Groove , 1988 “Everything Is Broken” and “Most of the Time” from Oh Mercy , 1989 “Hard Times” from Good As I Been to You , 1992 “ Train of Love ,” Johnny Cash tribute, 1999 “Pay In Blood” from Tempest , 2012 “I’m A Fool To Want You“ by Frank Sinatra, Jack Wolf, and Joel Herron from Shadows in the Night , 2015, and as recorded by Frank Sinatra “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke, from Fallen Angels , 2016 “How Deep is the Ocean” by Irving Berlin from Triplicate , 2017 “I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You” from Rough and Rowdy Ways , 2020 ALSO DISCUSSED/REFERENCED: The Know Your Enemy episode about Dylan's The Philosophy of Modern Song "Moonlight Mind" by Will Epstein and High Water from Crush , 2016 "Lonely Woman" by Ornette Coleman from The Shape of Jazz to Come , 1959 "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" as recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Sam’s review of A Complete Unknown in The Nation Bob Dylan: Expecting Rain website Episode one, "Weather”, from Dylan’s radio show Theme Time Radio Hour , featuring Muddy Waters on "Blow Wind, Blow” Audio from D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back Audio from Scorses’s 2005 documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan GUEST MUSIC PICKS: Sam: Lucinda Wiliams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road , 1998 Matt: Willie Nelson, Across the Borderline, 1993 ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- SEPTEMBER 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS AccessViolation Andy Ben Barron Catherine Warner Cesar Christopher McConnell Christopher Miller Corpus Frisky Damon White Daniel Hannon-Barry Dave Florey David Mascetti Elizabeth Culver Jamie White Jay Swartz Jenness Gardner Jeremy Dawson Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Lisa Crotty Melanie Andrich Melissa Lucas Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Rick Keeler Robyn Metcalfe Rush Sami Samhuri Thomas McIlheran SEPTEMBER 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Aaron Cain Aaron Wade Aaron Wilson Abbie Berg Abraham Benrubi Achint Srivastava Adam Clark Adam Stofsky Adam W Ailie Fraser AJ Schuster Alan Maass Alex Miller Alexander Alexander Polson Alison Dugan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Andrew Hofer Angela Livingstone Anthony Mentz Arjun Sharma Aruni Jayatilleke Ashley Bea Ben Stein Bernard Khoo Betsy Barre Bill Thornton Bonnie Prinsen Brad Callahan Brendan McLeod Brett Douville Brian Amoebas Brian Rinckenberger Brian John Peter Bruno Gaeta Carlos Lerner Caro Field Catherine Clause cbalmain Charles McGee Cheryl Wilke Chris K Chris Remo Christian Hessmann Christopher Selby Spink Clare Holberton Claudia Carty Clint McElroy Colin Hodo Dallas Hockley Dan Cutter Dan Elias Dani Daniel Kaberon Daniel Markoff Daniel Nervo Dave Douglass Dave Kolas dave malloy Dave Sharpe David David David Futter David Joske David Noah David Stroud Deebs Dent Earl Dermot Crowley Dhu Wik Diane Hughes Diane Turner Dick Morgan Donald Mackie Doreen Carlson Doug Belew Douglas H Frazer Dr Arthur A Gray E Margaret Warton Edward Steen Eoin de Burca Eric Helm Eric Prestemon eric sp Erik Ethan Bauman Ethan Laser Freddy Freeman Gary Pierce Gavin Doig Geraldine Butler Glenn Jackson Grettir Asmundarson Henry Mindlin HiddenJester Ian Karmel Ian Pidd Ian Steding Inmar Givoni irritable James James Johnson James McMurry Jamie Janice Berry Jason Gerry Jason Pratt Jeff Jeff Ulm Jeffrey Bean Jeffrey Olson Jennifer Bush Jez Joe Gallo John Bauman John Berry john halpin Jonathan Daniels Jordan Gatenby Joseph Romero Josh Singer Joshua Hill JRRJ Julie Kellman Justin McElroy Kaya Woodall Kayla Russell Kellen Steffen Kelli Brockington KenIsWearingAHat Kenneth Jung Kevin Marcelo Kevin Potter Kevin Stafford Kym Griffith Lauren Knotts Lauren Reay Lawrence Lee R. LG Linda Duffy Lisa Turner Lottie Aron Lowell Meyer Luigi Boccia M Shane Borders Margaret McReynolds Martín Salías Mathias Schmidt Matt Baxter Matt Betzel Matthew Jones Max Melanie Stivers Melissa Kuhns Melmaniac Merv Adrian Meryl Allison Michael Michael Berman Michael Casner Michael Singer Michael Wisnosky mino capossela Misty Haisfield Monica St. Angelo Mordok’s Vape Pen Naomi Watson Nathan Gouwens Nell Morse Ol Parker Pascal Rueger Paul Wayper Peter Harding PhantomMare Philip Kelly Portland Eye Care Princess of Whales Rachel Rand LeShay Randal Vegter Randy Souza Richard Sneddon Richard Toller Rishi Sahay Rob Tsuk Robert Granat Robert Heuer RsP Ryan Rairigh Sarah Vetters Sean Murphy Seattle Trans And Nonbinary Chora Ensemble Simon Hellman STEPHEN Stephen Tsoneff Stephen Wolkwitz Steve B Steve Martino Steve Paquin Stu Baker Suzanne Crawford Sy Jacobs Tanner Morton TB Thomas Tim Sheehan Tom Coleman Tucker Ped Wendy Gilchrist Whit Sidener Wiggy Hash Zach Putnam Zak Remer ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Sep 5

The Wailin' Jennys have been singing together for more than two decades - recording albums, touring the world, and filling venues large and small. After all these years, the trio—Ruth Moody, Heather Masse, and Nicky Mehta—have reached both a plateau and an inflection point. What's it like for a musical group that's been together for that long; for singers who've found such perfect vocal harmony for one another? How do they each think of songwriting, and of creative work in general? On their recent west coast tour, they stopped by the studio for a chat about those things and more. THE WAILIN' JENNYS ARE: Ruth Moody - Banjo, Guitar, Vocals Nicky Mehta - Guitar, Drums, Vocals Heather Masse - Bass, Vocals Featuring excerpts from the Jennys' albums Bright Morning Stars , iTunes Session - EP , 40 Days , and Firecracker FEATURED/DISCUSSED: "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Jim Steinman, sung by Bonnie Tyler and Rory Dodd "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)," "Objects in the Rearview Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" - by Jim Steinman sung by Meat Loaf "Closer To Fine" and "Love's Recovery" by Indigo Girls from Indigo Girls, 1989 Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert, 2016 Kirk's essay on creativity, " Follow The Spark " Jeff Tweedy talking songwriting on The Ezra Klein Show "What Am I Here For" by Jade Bird MUSIC PICKS: Heather: Bonny Light Horseman, Keep Me On Your Mind/Set You Free , 2024 Ruth: Aaron Neville, "Louisiana 1927" Nicky: Afghan Whigs, Black Love ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- AUGUST 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Melissa Lucas Thomas McIlheran Andy Lisa Crotty Rick Keeler Elizabeth Culver Meryl Allison Robyn Metcalfe Cesar Corpus Frisky Ben Barron Catherine Warner Damon White Jay Swartz Rush Daniel Hannon-Barry Christopher Miller Jamie White Christopher McConnell David Mascetti Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Melanie Andrich Jenness Gardner Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Sami Samhuri Jeremy Dawson AccessViolation Dave Florey AUGUST 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Mathias Schmidt Erik Freddy Freeman Adam Clark STEPHEN Brendan McLeod Zach Putnam Ian Karmel Steve B WorcesterJim Jez Alex Miller Lottie Aron RsP Michael Wisnosky Brian Rinckenberger Dan Elias HiddenJester Betsy Barre Ian Steding Margaret McReynolds Alison Dugan Princess of Whales Dave Douglass Suzanne Crawford PhantomMare Kym Griffith Rachel Aruni Jayatilleke TB Daniel Kaberon Wiggy Hash Whit Sidener Julie Kellman Simon Hellman Bea Claudia Carty Dani Glenn Jackson Christopher Selby Spink Philip Kelly Daniel Nervo Kevin Stafford Lawrence Sy Jacobs irritable Ian Pidd Andrew Hofer Jordan Gatenby Melissa Kuhns Ashley Seattle Trans And Nonbinary Choral Ensemble Kevin Marcelo James Michael Jeff Dan Cutter Joseph Romero Ol Parker John Berry Danielle Kriz Clint McElroy Mordok’s Vape Pen Inmar Givoni Michael Singer Merv Adrian Joe Gallo Michael York Lauren Knotts Dave Kolas Henry Mindlin Monica St. Angelo Stephen Wolkwitz Rand LeShay Max eric sp Matthew Jones Thomas Anthony Mentz James McMurry Ethan Laser Brian John Peter Chris Remo Aaron Wilson Dent Earl Carlos Lerner Misty Haisfield Abraham Benrubi Lee R. Dick Morgan Ben Stein Grettir Asmundarson Sean Murphy Randal Vegter Kellen Steffen Kaya Woodall Robert Granat dave malloy Alan Maass Douglas H Frazer john halpin Peter Harding David Kayla Russell John Bauman Martín Salías Stu Baker Steve Martino Dr Arthur A Gray Gary Pierce Matt Baxter Luigi Boccia E Margaret Warton Tim Sheehan Charles McGee Catherine Clause Ethan Bauman KenIsWearingAHat Aaron Wade Jeff Ulm David Futter Jamie Deebs Portland Eye Care Richard Sneddon Christian Hessmann Janice Berry Doreen Carlson Wendy Gilchrist Lisa Turner Paul Wayper Miles Forman Bruno Gaeta Kenneth Jung Adam Stofsky Zak Remer Rishi Sahay Jeffrey Bean JRRJ Ailie Fraser Rob Tsuk Josh Singer Adam W Kelli Brockington mino capossela Steve Paquin Donald Mackie David Joske Bernard Khoo Robert Heuer David Noah Geraldine Butler Jason Pratt Abbie Berg Doug Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman Linda Duffy Bonnie Prinsen Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Dallas Hockley Jason Gerry Nell Morse Nathan Gouwens Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon cbalmain Angela Livingstone Diane Hughes Michael Casner Lowell Meyer Stephen Tsoneff Joshua Hill Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Clare Holberton Diane Turner Tom Coleman Dhu Wik Melmaniac Eric Helm Jonathan Daniels Caro Field Dave Sharpe Naomi Watson David Alexander Jeff Patterson Chris K Gavin Doig Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Brad Callahan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Kevin Morrell Colin Hodo ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics

Aug 22

Back in May, Kirk joined pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin of the You'll Hear It podcast to talk about what makes Tower of Power great. It was a very fun conversation, so he asked if he could run their episode in the Strong Songs feed. And here we are! Listen to You'll Hear It anywhere you find podcasts, and find both Adam and Peter (and many others) teaching jazz lessons at OpenStudio.com . ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES May 19, 2025 We hand the mic to Kirk Hamilton from the Strong Songs podcast to help us break down the groovy 1973 self-titled release: Tower of Power. We unpack what makes this Oakland funk outfit a generational institution – from David Garibaldi’s precision drum fills and Rocco Prestia’s machine-gun bass lines to what may be the tightest horn section of all time. We dig into standout tracks like “What Is Hip?” and “Soul Vaccination,” spotlight Lenny Pickett’s wild ascent from TOP to SNL, and detail some funny production quirks (like why the drums are panned hard left). It’s a full-course tour through funk, soul, and brass brilliance – with a healthy side of stank face. ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | Paypal 🏠 HOMEPAGE strongsongspodcast.com 👚 MERCH strongsongspodcast.com/store 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER newsletter.kirkhamilton.com 📷 SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: @Kirk_Hamilton Bluesky: @kirkhamilton.com 💬 STRONG SONGS DISCORD SERVER strongsongspodcast.com/discord 🎧 STRONG SONGS PLAYLISTS Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS kirkhamilton.com/gear 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC kirkhamilton.com/music 🎨 SHOW ART Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics -------------------- AUGUST 2025 WHOLE-NOTE PATRONS Melissa Lucas Thomas McIlheran Andy Lisa Crotty Rick Keeler Elizabeth Culver Meryl Allison Robyn Metcalfe Cesar Corpus Frisky Ben Barron Catherine Warner Damon White Jay Swartz Rush Daniel Hannon-Barry Christopher Miller Jamie White Christopher McConnell David Mascetti Joe Laska Ken Hirsh Melanie Andrich Jenness Gardner Nathaniel Bauernfeind Paul Delaney Sami Samhuri Jeremy Dawson AccessViolation Dave Florey AUGUST 2025 HALF-NOTE PATRONS Mathias Schmidt Erik Freddy Freeman Adam Clark STEPHEN Brendan McLeod Zach Putnam Ian Karmel Steve B WorcesterJim Jez Alex Miller Lottie Aron RsP Michael Wisnosky Brian Rinckenberger Dan Elias HiddenJester Betsy Barre Ian Steding Margaret McReynolds Alison Dugan Princess of Whales Dave Douglass Suzanne Crawford PhantomMare Kym Griffith Rachel Aruni Jayatilleke TB Daniel Kaberon Wiggy Hash Whit Sidener Julie Kellman Simon Hellman Bea Claudia Carty Dani Glenn Jackson Christopher Selby Spink Philip Kelly Daniel Nervo Kevin Stafford Lawrence Sy Jacobs irritable Ian Pidd Andrew Hofer Jordan Gatenby Melissa Kuhns Ashley Seattle Trans And Nonbinary Choral Ensemble Kevin Marcelo James Michael Jeff Dan Cutter Joseph Romero Ol Parker John Berry Danielle Kriz Clint McElroy Mordok’s Vape Pen Inmar Givoni Michael Singer Merv Adrian Joe Gallo Michael York Lauren Knotts Dave Kolas Henry Mindlin Monica St. Angelo Stephen Wolkwitz Rand LeShay Max eric sp Matthew Jones Thomas Anthony Mentz James McMurry Ethan Laser Brian John Peter Chris Remo Aaron Wilson Dent Earl Carlos Lerner Misty Haisfield Abraham Benrubi Lee R. Dick Morgan Ben Stein Grettir Asmundarson Sean Murphy Randal Vegter Kellen Steffen Kaya Woodall Robert Granat dave malloy Alan Maass Douglas H Frazer john halpin Peter Harding David Kayla Russell John Bauman Martín Salías Stu Baker Steve Martino Dr Arthur A Gray Gary Pierce Matt Baxter Luigi Boccia E Margaret Warton Tim Sheehan Charles McGee Catherine Clause Ethan Bauman KenIsWearingAHat Aaron Wade Jeff Ulm David Futter Jamie Deebs Portland Eye Care Richard Sneddon Christian Hessmann Janice Berry Doreen Carlson Wendy Gilchrist Lisa Turner Paul Wayper Miles Forman Bruno Gaeta Kenneth Jung Adam Stofsky Zak Remer Rishi Sahay Jeffrey Bean JRRJ Ailie Fraser Rob Tsuk Josh Singer Adam W Kelli Brockington mino capossela Steve Paquin Donald Mackie David Joske Bernard Khoo Robert Heuer David Noah Geraldine Butler Jason Pratt Abbie Berg Doug Belew Dermot Crowley Achint Srivastava Ryan Rairigh Michael Berman Linda Duffy Bonnie Prinsen Eoin de Burca Kevin Potter M Shane Borders Dallas Hockley Jason Gerry Nell Morse Nathan Gouwens Lauren Reay Eric Prestemon cbalmain Angela Livingstone Diane Hughes Michael Casner Lowell Meyer Stephen Tsoneff Joshua Hill Pascal Rueger Randy Souza Clare Holberton Diane Turner Tom Coleman Dhu Wik Melmaniac Eric Helm Jonathan Daniels Caro Field Dave Sharpe Naomi Watson David Alexander Jeff Patterson Chris K Gavin Doig Tanner Morton AJ Schuster Jennifer Bush David Stroud Brad Callahan Amanda Furlotti Andrew Baker Andrew Fair Bill Thornton Brian Amoebas Brett Douville Jeffrey Olson Matt Betzel Melanie Stivers Richard Toller Alexander Polson Justin McElroy Arjun Sharma James Johnson Kevin Morrell Colin Hodo ----LINKS----- 💰 SUPPORT STRONG SONGS! Patreon | One-Time Donation 🏠 HOMEPAGE 👚 MERCH 💬 DISCORD SERVER 📬 KIRK'S NEWSLETTER 🎸 KIRK'S GEAR & INSTRUMENTS 🎶 KIRK'S MUSIC 📷 KIRK’S SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram | Bluesky 🎧 EVERY STRONG SONG: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music 🎨 SHOW ART: Tom Deja, Bossman Graphics