Necktie Optional episode 16 (7/30/2026)

A very special DOUBLE episode of Necktie Optional today to close out July's Keep Radio Weird pledge drive strong!A wide-ranging set that stretched well past typical indie-rock borders. Girl Scout and Kiwi Jr. opened with breezy, hook-driven guitar pop, while The Afghan Whigs and Cold War Kids brought grittier, soul-inflected rock. The Beths and Francis of Delirium kept things in familiar jangly indie-rock territory, and David Knudson and Jake Snider carried that same Minus the Bear lineage forward. Feeble Little Horse brought lo-fi guitar crunch, followed by a run of blues and soul: John Roseboro and Mei Semones' genre-crossing cover, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, and Tedeschi Trucks Band brought real blues-rock heft to the middle of the set. Sports and Twin Fan returned to jangly indie footing, and Cat Power's "Like a Rolling Stone" cover added a folk-rock standard. Minus the Bear and Little Green Cars brought driving, atmospheric rock energy, Genesis Owusu and Ladyhawke injected a jolt of dance-inflected genre-bending, and Surfer Blood kept the guitars sharp. The show closed out gently with Iron & Wine, The Tallest Man on Earth, and Skeletons with Flesh On Them — folk-leaning, intimate, and reflective.