Strong Songs

Let the children lose it, let the children use it, and let all the children join in for Strong Songs!

Let's go back, let's go back, let's go way on back to that time Aretha Franklin recorded one of her best songs.

Kirk talks with Wesley Morris and Josh Gwynn about the endless world of Stevie Wonder.

A cross-post of the first episode of "The Wonder of Stevie," a new podcast series from Higher Ground and Pineapple Street Studios.

Ba de ya! Say that you remember! Ba de ya! Dancing in September!

Kirk went on Dave Hamilton's podcast "Gig Gab" to talk podcasting, music, and life.

Open up your heart! Open up your heart!

They said it couldn't last, so we had to prove them wrong... by making an episode of Strong Songs all about Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.

A bottle of red... a bottle of white... whatever kind of mood you're in, we're talking Billy Joel tonight!

Winter, spring, summer, or fall... all you have to do is call, and Strong Songs will be there with an in-depth analysis of one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.

An update on what's next now that Season Six is complete. Also, some music recommendations!

Everybody's out on the run tonight, but there's no place left to hide.

Kirk answers your musical questions, from "Summertime" synth tones to heavy metal saxophone.

Enter Easter and she's dressed in yellow yolk!

Up or down, it's up to you.

We could've made it cruising, yeah.

The light is so blinding.

"All Along the Watchtower" and "Jolene" get the Strong Covers treatment.

É a lama, é a lama.

No one sings like you anymore.

The light, the heat.

"Strong Covers, Vol. 2" tackled three great covers of three great Beatles songs, but there are always more covers to talk about.

Kirk shares some dates and details about the upcoming season of Strong Songs.

There's always more to say about Sonny Rollins, and there's always more to say about Max Roach.

Talking about "Weird Al" Yankovic is kinda like talking about the entire last four decades of pop music.

It's time to give the drummer some... more.

Let's end Season Five with one of the greatest musical goodbyes of all time.

Dear Strong Songs: How do you count... to mailbag?

Four solos; four decades of the electric guitar.

It's time to return to Hyrule.

There's always more Zelda music to discuss.

A good chord progression, from a good song, by a good band.

Guitars are pretty cool, so let's talk about them.

Author and composer Dan Golding joins Kirk for a deep dive into one of John Williams' greatest scores.

Mailbag time!

When you get the notion, Tower's got the potion.

Three different singers; one classic song.

Welcome to your life.

From Pavarotti to Di Stefano, an epic journey through the world of the opera tenor,

An update on plans for a very musical Season 5.

Kirk goes on stage in Sydney to talk about the unofficial Australian national anthem.

Author and musicologist Lily E. Hirsch joins Kirk to talk about the many different aspects of music she's explored in her books.

Musician and podcaster Emily Reese stops by to chat about some of her favorite music, and also Golden Girls.

Keep running up that road, keep running up that hill, keep running up that building.

Everyone has their own rebellion.

Four years! 100 Episodes! Dang, that is a lot of Strong Songs.

As a matter of fact, it's all dark.

I bet if they unraveled that sucker it'd roll all the way down to Fargo, North Dakota.

Mr. Burgundy, we would be honored if you would play jazz flute for us.

It's time to give the drummer some.

You were right about the stars.

A powerful tone rings in the deep, informing us that the mailbag is open once more.

When I get that crazy feeling, I know I'm in trouble again.

After more than two years, a Strong Songs jazz mystery is finally solved.

Let's take a journey into Midgar.

What if I'm a mermaid?

Grab your partner and hit the dance floor, because it's time for some tango.

Kirk breaks down some of his favorite solos, with a highlight on the use of theme and variation.

I hear you singin' in the wire... I can hear you through the whine... and the Strong Songs podcast is talking about one of the best songs of all time.

Ever wonder what makes some music sound scarier than other music? Same.

Few video game series have a musical tradition as rich as The Legend of Zelda.

Kirk answers questions about Guns N' Roses, Mario Kart 64, phasers, and what makes a song sound like it's from a musical.

It's not the perfume that you wear... it's not the ribbons in your hair.... I guess it's just the perfect blend of synths and electric guitars that you bring to every song.

You might not know Andrew Synowiec's name, but chances are you've heard his guitar playing. Heck, chances are you heard his guitar playing this week.

Three different artists! Three different covers! Of songs by one beloved band!

What do George Michael, Nicki Minaj, Ed Sheeran, and the Powerpuff Girls have in common?

White! Whale! Holy! Grail!

Kirk takes a look back at the many musical memories of Strong Songs year three.

What do Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, John Legend, and Katy Perry have in common? They all study with Eric Vetro, one of the most in-demand vocal coaches in the world.

What is this, a film podcast??

Polish your reading glasses and pour a cup of tea - it's time for a Strong Songs mailbag!

They said it couldn't last, so we had to prove them wrong... by making an episode of Strong Songs all about Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis.

Ba de ya! Say that you remember! Ba de ya! Dancing in September!

Well, look at that - it's a mailbag episode! Kirk answers your questions on Bo Diddley, Minecraft, The Supremes, chorus guitar, XTC, Parquet Courts, and the mystery of the "Careless Whisper" sax solo.

Kirk picks apart not one, not two, but twenty one micro-songs by the great They Might Be Giants.

A bottle of red... a bottle of white... whatever kind of mood you're in, we're talking Billy Joel tonight!

Kirk sits down with producer, composer, and master mixer Brian Bender to talk about the state of the recording art.

Kirk sits down for a conversation with singer, composer, and music technologist Imogen Heap.

It's time for Strong Songs to talk about some Strong Covers! On this episode, Kirk tackles four famous covers, comparing each with the original while trying to suss out what makes a great cover in the first place.

Mailbag time! We've got listener questions about Madonna earworms, National piano parts, Breath of the Wild music, online vocal teachers, the French horn, The Lemon Twigs, and much more.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall... all you have to do is call, and Strong Songs will be there with an in-depth analysis of one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.

Wake up, fall out of bed, and drag a comb across your head, cause Strong Songs is finally doing an episode about The Beatles.

Link it to the world, link it to yourself, link it to your podcast app, because it's time to talk about Muse.

The fine folks at WNYC's fabulous opera podcast Aria Code recently reached out about doing a cross-promotion with Strong Songs, and now here we are, running an episode of their show in the Strong Songs feed.

The Strong Songs mailbag has gotten pretty overstuffed lately, so Kirk decided to take another crack at it. That means it's time for more of your musical questions!

If an emotion is too big for talking, you sing. If it's too big for singing, you dance. And if it's too big for dancing, well, you just gotta podcast!

Kirk peruses the Strong Songs inbox to answer your questions about jazz drum solos, practicing with play-a-longs, Tame Impala tunes, saxophones with traffic cones, vocal technique, sidechain compression, and several tricky rhythms.

Jazz is all about the contrast between the individual and the collective, and few recordings embody that as beautifully as "Stolen Moments."

Open up your heart! Open up your heart! Open up your heart, let Kimbra pull you out! On this episode, Kirk goes for a swim in the extra-buoyant waters of Kimbra's 2011 pop stomper "Cameo Lover." It's an intricate musical narrative told through shifting time-feels, retro drum beats, leaping vocals, and sneaky key changes, and it's just the song to raise our spirits after a long, dark winter.

What's this? An off-week episode of Strong Songs?? Indeed it is! For this episode of Strong Conversations (working title), Kirk hopped on a call with New York pianist Carmen Staaf to talk about the fundamental elements of music, learning to sing as an instrumentalist, teaching jazz and ear training, her collaborations with vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater and drummer Allison Miller, and the similarities between jazz and chess.

Heathcliff! It's us, it's Strong Songs, we've come home!

Time for the first Q&A episode of Strong Songs year three!

Here comes that Santa Ana wind again, blowing us right into the slightly skewed world of Steely Dan.

Where are we? What the hell is going on? Oh right, we're here with our podcast device, listening to an episode of Strong Songs.

Let the children lose it, let the children use it, and let all the children join in for Strong Songs year three!

As Year Two of Strong Songs draws to a close, it's time to take a look back.

Mailbag episode! Kirk answers your burning musical questions about songs from Parks & Rec, Black Sails, Lovecraft Country, and What We Do in the Shadows, as well as microtones, minimalist songwriting, the bebop scale, practicing habits, and more.

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!

It's early in the morning; no one is awake. From the top of the mountain, the soft light of dawn comes into view. You take a deep breath, and prepare for a journey with the great genius of musical travel.