#328 Psych, Kraut, Post-Punk, Weird
A mixed bag of everything from Kraftwerk to Cate le Bon to Frankie & the Witch Fingers to Silver Apples.
All Episodes
Browse the full archive of The Ear Opener.
#327 Angular (post-punk, then and now)
Classic post-punk tracks from Gang of Four, The Fall, The Slits, Wire and Mission of Burma, mixed in with more recent post-punk offerings from Dry Cleaning, Squid, and Water From Your Eyes.
#326 Festival Season part 3
Jordan Latas of Checkeye and Olivia Stefanoff and Hillary Jones of 934 Fest are the guests this week. Jordan talks about Checkeye and the Athens Skate Jam, happening this weekend. Olivia and Hillary preview 934 Fest, and we hear tunes...
#325 the black drumset
Brian Willey of The Black Drumset joins us this time to discuss his latest record “Friends in Dark Places”. Brian discusses the challenges in finishing this project, which began in 2021. He also talks about the Austin, Texas music scene...
#324 ambivalence
Ambivalence and unease shadow even the hopeful moments this week — whether the subject is modern life, aging, or love. Tracks from The Strokes, Real Numbers, DIIV, The New Pornographers, and Chanel Beads, among others.
#323 pretty lights
New tunes from familiar names like Echo & the Bunnymen and Robyn Hitchcock. Other new psych-tinged tracks from White Denim, The Black Drumset, Little Barrie, and Holy Wave, among others.
#322 Crows
Bee Shuman returns to the Ear Opener to talk about Bee Humana’s new single, “The Crow” / “Corrido de Adelanto”. “Corrido de Adelanto” is an update of “Carcel de Cananea”. The lyrics of this new version address the brutality and...
#321 Festival Season, pt 2
Caitlyn continues her interview with Scott Winland of the Athens Community Arts & Music Festival then turns her attention to a fest happening later in August, Alley Islands, and chats with long-time festival organizer Adam Brouillette. Along the way, we...
#320 Festival Season
Caitlyn interviews two local festival organizers about the challenges and rewards of small festivals. The episode features songs from Moe Reen, Unholy Swarm, and Sharp Pins.
#319 By Fans, For Fans
Caitlyn interviews Ibby and Brittaney, contributors to online pop culture magazine, The Honey Pop. The episode features conversations about founding and maintaining an online magazine, as well as new music from Chanel Beads, The Strike, and instant crush.
#318 Blessed Noise
Caitlyn interviews music journalist Caryn Rose about her latest book Three Chords and Blessed Noise, her experience in the music business, and how she has seen it evolve. The episode features new releases from Violet Grohl, mary in the junkyard,...
#317 Agora
Caitlyn interviews guest Agora about getting her foot in the door in the music industry, discussing photography, being a young woman in a male-dominated industry, and the music that shaped her. The episode also features new releases from Moody Joody,...
#316 Genres
In this week’s episode, Caitlyn and Pat each play some of their favorite new releases, featuring shoegaze, indie, and psychedelic tracks from Whisper Doll, Porch Light, and Emperor X.
#315 Next Exit: Live, Local Music
Caitlyn features some artists playing ComFest this weekend. She also highlights other local and touring acts that are playing cheap shows in Columbus soon, sharing the ways in which listeners can experience live shows on a budget.
#314 Bittersweet
Caitlyn interviews London-based artist Tally Spear and we hear the title track from her new release Bittersweet. Caitlyn also features several new alternative rock tracks, and Pat makes some picks for the Nelsonville Music Festival, which is happening this weekend....
#313 Seeing Music Differently
A Boomer and a Zoomer discuss discovering new music in an age when 18-34 year-olds are abandoning FM radio in droves. Our Music Columbus Earn As Your Learn Intern, Caitlyn, makes her debut on The Ear Opener. Along the way...
#312 Cassette Culture
Jerry Kranitz, author of Cassette Culture: Homemade Music and the Creative Spirit in the Pre-Internet Age, joins us to talk about the rise of cassette culture in the 1980s and its continuing presence today. Jerry selected some representative tracks that...
#311 What Is Psychedelic?
This week we focus on modern psychedelic music with selections and conversation with Kurt Orzeck, who writes a quarterly psych column for treblezine.com. We also stop in with Andrew Davis, one of the organizers of Midwest Psychfest, which is happening...
#310 Water From Your Eyes
Features 3 songs from Water From Your Eyes’ latest album “It’s a Beautiful Place”. Plus new releases from Robber Robber, Future Islands, Pulp and more.
#309 Post-Punk no. 1
Post-punk, literally “after punk”, a genre of music you might have missed between the first punk explosion and the advent of MTV. This program samples some of the bands that fit that sound and that era. Most of them hail...
#308 Bee Humana
Bee Shuman and David Holm of the band Bee Humana are the guests this week. We hear a few songs that influenced Bee as a songwriter and also hear a couple tracks from Bee Humana’s EP. Plus there’s the usual...
#307 Slotted In
New music from Mirah, Gus and the TV, and Modern Nature.
#306 The Human Flower
We’re still yearning for the promise of rebirth that is Spring, as evidenced by the third set of this week’s show. New stuff from Kevin Morby, Altin Gün, Charlotte Cornfield, The Outfit (Daniel Romano), Heavenly, and Special Friend.
#305 It Will Be Soon
Three sets: 1. Upbeat power pop, glam, and indie pop. 2. Mostly mellower singer-songwriter tracks. 3. A continuation of set 2 with an electronic DJ/Producer track thrown in the mix.
#304 February 3, 2026
New music from Avalon Emerson & The Charm, Adult DVD, Annabelle Chairlegs, and Ken Park. Classics from R.E.M., Au Pairs, and Psapp. Plus more recurrent future classics from albums released last year.
#303 Snowpocalypse Now
Dig yourself out with new music from deathcrash, Ora Cogan, Red Skylark, Sanpaulo, Jeff Jakobs, Dry Cleaning, and Ski Team. Plus classics you’ll remember from when your world was not simultaneously on fire and covered with snow.