Cultural Manifesto

This week on Cultural Manifesto, host Kyle Long speaks with Alan Bacon, co-founder and president of the Indianapolis-based arts and culture organization GangGang. We’ll discuss GangGang’s I Made Rock ’N’ Roll Festival. It’s happening May 18th at the American Legion Mall in Indianapolis, honoring the Black roots of rock music and will feature performances by Janelle Monáe, Gary Clark Jr., Robert Randolph Band, Joy Oladokun and more.  We’ll also continue listening to memorable interviews of 2023, including words and music from Lara Downes, Angela Brown, Hanna Benn, Meshell Ndegeocello, Morgan Rae Webster and Parris Ladame.

Listen back to some of our favorite interviews of 2023. Join us for words and music from Skypp, Aye Marcay, Zakir Hussain, 123 Andrés, La March Nueva, Dwani Phiri, and Kronos Quartet.

NPR has released their best of 2023 music lists. We'll explore the Indiana musicians featured among the year’s best, including Hanna Benn, Omar Apollo, Durand Jones, and The HawtPlates.  We’ll also have another edition of Rebel Music with Karla López Owens. Karla's guest is the Indianapolis-based visual artist Alejandra Carrillo who creates work under the name El Rallonadero.

Rebel Music with Karla López Owens is an ongoing series on Cultural Manifesto exploring the relationship between music and activism. On this episode, Karla’s guest is Alejandra Carrillo, a chicana activist, artist and art educator. She creates art under the pen name “El Rallonadero,” which translates to “the scribbler.” Her work has been featured in many prominent spaces - including the Eiteljorg and the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. In the Fall of 2023, Alejandra completed a mural for the Mexican Consulate in Indiana.

Listen to an interview with the Indianapolis-based jazz pianist Christopher Pitts. Pitts will share tracks from “Be Free,” his debut album as a leader.

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with the Chicago-based musician and storyteller Shanta Nurullah. During a college trip to India in 1969 she discovered the sitar. Nurullah has spent the last 50 years exploring the instrument in her jazz and blues compositions. The Indiana jazz pianist and civil rights activist Rev. Dr. Marvin Chandler passed away earlier this year. Listen back to Kyle Long’s 2020 interview with Chandler, and hear Indianapolis Deputy Mayor Judith Thomas share her memories of Chandler.

Vibraphonist Mitchell Shiner discusses his album "Latkes con Salsa: A Latin Jazz Hanukkah." And the Indianapolis rapper and producer Jaye B shares music from his recent albums “X” and “The Bachelor.”

This week on Cultural Manifesto explore holiday-themed releases from Wife Patrol and Isaiah J. Thompson. The Indianapolis-based rock band Wife Patrol gained national attention for their 2020 LP “Too Prickly For This World.” Afropunk praised Wife Patrol for their "indelible hooks and defiant verses,” and Bandcamp described the group’s sound as “catchy alt rock with streaks of punk, new wave, and metal.” Wife Patrol will discuss their latest single “Christmas ’96.” 2023 was a landmark year for pianist Isaiah J. Thompson. Earlier this year, Thompson won the American Pianists Association 2023 Award for Jazz and the Cole Porter Fellowship. Thomspon will join host Kyle Long to talk about his new album “Guaraldi Holiday,” a tribute to the music of Vince Guaraldi, who scored the classic Peanuts’ holiday specials of the 1960s.

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with the Indianapolis R&B artist Brandon Lott. He’ll share music from his latest release, “Aquadream.” We’ll also have a live session from La Marca Nueva, a young Indianapolis band that specializes in regional Mexican music styles, including sierreno and corridos tumbados.

This week on Cultural Manifesto we’ll celebrate Native American Heritage Month with Daryl Black Eagle Jamieson, co-founder of the experimental pow wow music group Medicine Singers. Their debut album was issued last year by Indianapolis’ Joyful Noise Recording. We’ll also have another edition of Rebel Music with Karla Lopez-Owens, an ongoing series exploring the relationship between music and activism. Karla’s guest will be Carolina Castoreno. Carolina’s work is centered around the preservation of Native identity and decolonization efforts. 

On this edition of Rebel Music, host Karla López Owens talks with activist, writer, and community organizer Carolina Castoreno. Carolina identifies as both American Indian and Mexican Indian, She’s a citizen of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, and a descendant of the Mescalero Apache, and Yaqui tribes. Carolina has served as executive director of the American Indian Center of Indiana. Her work is centered around the preservation of Native identity, decolonization efforts, and education for Indigenous peoples of the Americas.

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with the Grammy-winning musician Meshell Ndegeocello - she’ll be performing at the Palladium on November 18th. Meshell will discuss her connection to Indiana artists - including John Mellencamp, Etheridge Knight, and Hanna Benn. We’ll also explore a lost recording from the Indianapolis jazz musician and composer Steve Allee. In 1983, Steve composed "Centennial Salute: A Musical Tribute To The Indianapolis Museum Of Art”, an orchestral suite featuring over 70 musicians - including members of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and jazz legends of Indiana Avenue.

The Grammy-winning vocalist, bass player and composer Meshell Ndegeocello will perform at the Palladium in central Indiana on November 18. Meshell is known for her eclectic and expansive sonic palette. She's collaborated with artists ranging from Madonna to the Rolling Stones - and her music incorporates elements of hip-hop, jazz, rock, soul, afrobeat, and more. Meshell’s latest album ”The Omnichord Real Book” reflects these diverse influences and brings together a remarkable set of guest collaborators - including the Indianapolis composer and vocalist Hanna Benn.   

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with violinist David Harrington, founder of the groundbreaking Kronos Quartet. They’ve been called the most important new music ensemble in the world — over 1,000 new works and arrangements have been commissioned for the group. Kronos Quartet will bring their 50th anniversary tour to West Lafayette, Indiana’s Loeb Theatre. The Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) returns to Indianapolis this November. Every year, PASIC brings some of the greatest percussionists in the world to Indianapolis for a week of performances and clinics. We’ll celebrate PASIC by listening back to a 2019 interview with the late Elayne Jones, a member of the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame. Jones was a prominent tympanist who performed with music luminaries including Leopold Stokowski and Duke Ellington. Throughout her career, Jones fought against racial and gender discrimination.

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain - an icon of Indian classical music. Hussain will share his thoughts on the use of AI in music, winning the Kyoto Prize, and his work with the late Tina Turner. Also, hear a conversation with Judith Thomas, Deputy Mayor of Neighborhood Engagement City of Indianapolis. Thomas is a passionate advocate for arts and culture in Indianapolis and a lifelong jazz fan. She’ll discuss the role of music and art in her work and share some of her favorite Indianapolis jazz recordings.

Kronos Quartet have been called one of the most important new music ensembles in the world — over 1,000 new works and arrangements have been commissioned for the group. WFYI’s Kyle Long recently spoke to the group’s founder David Harrington. They discussed Kronos Quartet’s 50th anniversary, the group's upcoming appearance in West Lafayette, collaborating with Bollywood icon Asha Bhosle, and their latest album "Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog”.

Tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain is a global icon of Indian classical music. Hussain recently spoke with WFYI’s Kyle Long. They discussed his upcoming concert with Bela Fleck, AI music, working with Tina Turner, and more.

This week on Cultural Manifesto we’ll celebrate Halloween with Karl Hofstetter from the Indianapolis label Joyful Noise Recordings. Karl will share tracks from "Joyful Noise Halloween Party, Vol. 1,” a new holiday-themed compilation featuring music from Fred Armisen, Swamp Dogg, Deerhoof, Magic Sword, Danielson and others. We’ll also have a Halloween edition of Rebel Music with Karla Lopez-Owens. Karla’s guest will be the best-selling author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, known for her gothic horror novels.

On this edition of Rebel Music Karla López Owens speaks with the Mexican-Canadian writer Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Silvia has written in many styles – including fantasy, noir, and speculative fiction — but some of her best known works are in the horror genre – including the novels Mexican Gothic and Silver Nitrate. Activism has also been a theme in Silvia’s work,  her 2021 novel Velvet Was the Night is against the backdrop of the 1971 Corpus Christi Massacre in Mexico City - where over 120 protesters were killed.

This week on Cultural Manifesto listen to an interview with Stewart Copeland, best known as the co-founder and drummer of the legendary British rock band The Police. Copeland will bring his “Police Deranged for Orchestra" tour to the Palladium in central Indiana on October 19th. Also, celebrate Halloween with the Indianapolis hip-hop producer Harry Otaku. He’ll share tracks for his horror-themed rap album “It Tape”.