PODCAST

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast

WPKN, Jim Motavalli

Jim Motavalli of WPKN features interviews new and archival - artists, movers, shakers, and more.

music music interviews

All Episodes

10:49

Robbie Fulks Talks About Life

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/03/23

Robbie Fulks is a native North Carolinian who has bluegrass and country as a default position, but also revels in many other musical styles. A stint at Columbia University in New York probably helped broaden his world view, but there's something of an auto didact about him, too. Music came naturally, as his father played guitar and his aunt banjo, which he started playing at age six. Skipping ahead, In 1987, he joined The Special Consensus Bluegrass Band, where he showcased his unique

15:37

The Country Blues of Ireland's Murieann Bradley

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/03/23

Murieann Bradley is a 19-year-old acoustic guitarist/singer from Ireland who specializes in the fingerpicking styles of the 1920s, 30s and 40s, citing influences such as Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Elizabeth Cotten. She learned to play largely from her father, a blues enthusiast. After a breakout performance on the BBC's Jools' Annual Hootenanny in 2023, she has toured the world, including a performance at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee on March 28. Her

16:21

Lab Dog: Melanie Kaplan's Book on Using Canines in...

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/02/13

Melanie D.G. Kaplan talks to Jim Motavalli about her book Lab Dog: A Beagle and his Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research. She explores the ethics and future of animal experimentation through the story of her rescued beagle, Hammy.

17:10

The Musical Alchemy of Iron & Wine

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/02/13

Jim Motavalli talked to Sam Beam, a/k/a Iron & Wine, a master of brilliant, hushed Americana music and a collaborator par excellence (particularly with amazing women). In the interview, we talk about Beam's work with Fiona Apple, Jesca Hoop, I'm With Her and others, and also about his new album Hen's Teeth (2026).

9:25

Alex Manos

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Alex Manos says he's the country's number one buyer of classic cars. He buys European and American cars nationwide, and would love to talk about buying your old vehicle.

14:12

Two Crows for Comfort Comes Close

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Two Crows for Comfort is a Canadian folk and Americana duo based out of Manitoba, composed of Erin Corbin and Cory Sulyma. Known for their rich harmonies and poignant storytelling, they have been a full-time touring act since early 2020, living on the road in an 18-foot camper with their rescue dog, Elliot. They talked to Jim Motavalli for WPKN

19:29

Emily Masser: The Jazz is in the Family

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

British jazz singer Emily Masser is only 21, but shows a mature command of her art, inspired by her saxophonist father, Dean Masser. Pianist Horace Silver wrote the beautiful "Song For My Father," but Masser made a whole album called Songs With my Father (with dad playing his horn).

23:35

John Gennari: In the Jazz Barn

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

John Gennari's profusely illustrated book The Jazz Barn (Brandeis University Press) traces the history of a short-lived but vital institution in the history of music. Music Inn, in Lenox, Massachusetts near Tanglewood, took jazz seriously and brought musicians to a bucolic setting for teaching, concerts and building bridges to what eventually became the classical-jazz fusion known as Third Stream. With many photographs by Holocaust survivor Clemens Kalischer.

25:50

Frander: Trad Folk Meets Progressive Rock in This...

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Encountered recently at the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield, Connecticut, Sweden's Frander combines roots in traditional Swedish folk with an ear to progressive rock--but all with acoustic instruments.

15:44

The Weary Ramblers: An Americana Wealth of Experience

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Iowa-based Americana duo, Weary Ramblers bring years of experience to the stage with award-winning songwriting and chemistry. Chad Elliott (Woody Guthrie Song Contest & Kerrville Finalist) and Kathryn Severing Fox (DownBeat winner & international touring artist) showcase multi-instrumental performances with tight harmonies and great storytelling. Fox has played, toured or recorded with George Benson, The Beach Boys, The Eagles, Pharrell Williams, Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole,

28:50

Eric O'Neill Wants to Help Secure Your Online Life

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Eric O'Neill, a former FBI agent who led the capture of notorious spy-for-Russia Robert Hanssen, is the author Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime. It's focus: teaching readers how to defend against digital threats like hackers and scammers, blending thrilling anecdotes with practical advice. The book details tactics used by adversaries and provides actionable steps (Prepare, Assess, Investigate, Decide) for personal digital safety.

14:19

Gann Brewer: A Mississippi Highway Lullaby

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Americana singer-songwriter Gann Brewer doesn't seek the shiny neo-retro town malls where the selfie slick hipsters air their spanking new tattoos but rather, it's the half spaces, the unremarkable edges of town, where he finds those nuggets of truth--or at least enough gas to get to the next town. From the liner notes to Brewer's fourth album, Highway Lullaby, under discussion with Jim Motavalli on this podcast.

23:49

Bryce Edwards' Turn-of-the-Century Music

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/12/09

Bryce Edwards is a musician and cabaret artist reviving traditional jazz and popular music from the early 20th century. A vaudevillian troubadour, Edwards is a unique vocalist that takes equal cues from the crooners and soft singers of the late 1920s and early 30s and from the bombastic voices of the acoustic phonograph era, as well as an instrumentalist who plays banjo, ukulele, tenor guitar, and mandolin in the modernistic jazz idiom. Leading a hot combination featuring the talents of

18:34

The Big Musical World of Sam Amidon

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/12/09

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon comes from a New England family deeply involved in old-time music, and he remains devoted to that form--but fused with just about everything else, including jazz and avant-garde music. Amidon, who began playing fiddle at age 3, has recorded in Iceland collaborated with artists as diverse as drummer Milford Graves and guitarist Bill Frisell. As a sideman, he's appeared on albums by Tune-Yards, The Blind Boys of Alabama, The National,

29:20

If They Build Super-Intelligent AI, Will We All Die?

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/10/24

This broadcast features the first half hour of an interview with Nate Soares, executive director of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), conducted by Alice Horrigan and Jim Motavalli on October 16, 2025 and aired on WPKN-FM. The conversation explores the safety limits of current AI engineering and the broader implications for humanity’s future. For the full hour, watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/u-22jwE4GZU . Also, read Alice Horrigan’s accompanying book review in

28:28

S.G. Goodman's Music: Grounded in Kentucky

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/10/15

S.G. Goodman lives in rural Kentucky farm country, and grew up attending church three times a week, with limited exposure to secular music. That experience colors her deeply grounded (in place and time) new album, Planting by the Signs. Fellow Kentuckian Bonnie Prince Billy is featured in this richly evocative collection.

30:59

Crime Writer and TV Producer George Pelecanos

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/09/02

George Pelecanos is the author of 20 crime novels, and a regular writing collaborator with David Simon on projects, including The Wire and Treme. Pelecanos' books ofteh catch Washington, D.C.'s denizens at the moment they hover between a life of crime and straight society. They are moral tales, as well as fast-paced thrillers.

37:22

Maria Muldaur

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/07/30

Maria Muldaur discusses her storied career and new album, One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey, released on July 11th, 2025, on Nola Blue Records. The album is a tribute to the legendary blues singer Victoria Spivey, who was a mentor to Muldaur. It features collaborations with Taj Mahal, Elvin Bishop, and Tuba Skinny.

15:36

Jerusalem Peace Builders Students with Dr. Danna Kurtin

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/07/30

Jerusalem Peace Builders Students visit the Bridgeport, CT area and discuss their trip and community engagement activities with Dr. Danna Kurtin.

20:01

Speed the Plough...Rock with Harpsichord!

The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast ·

2025/06/16

Speed the Plough, a New Jersey rock group from the Hoboken/Maxwell's scene that produced The Feelies and Yo La Tengo, has a serendipitous encounter with an Italian harpsichord professor. And the result is beautiful music.

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The Jim Motavalli Interview Podcast

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