Cultural Manifesto
by WFYI Public Media
Each week on Cultural Manifesto, Kyle Long reveals stories and sounds from the creative frontlines of the past and present. Through music, archives and artist interviews, discover how creators shape meaning with sound, in Indianapolis and well beyond. Tune in each week to this WFYI Public Media show for discoveries that will delight your ears and expand your understanding of our shared world.
Episodes
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Forward Motion celebrates 10 years of musical exploration
Hear an interview with Eric Salazar, clarinetist, composer, and founding member of Forward Motion, an Indianapolis-based chamber ensemble celebrating its tenth anniversary. Since 2016, Forward Motion has commissioned, premiered, and recorded dozens of new works by local and nationally recognized...
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Béla Fleck on Bill Monroe, Zakir Hussain, and his return to bluegrass
Hear an interview with the banjo innovator and 19-time Grammy Award winner Béla Fleck. He emerged from the progressive bluegrass scene in the early 1980s as a member of New Grass Revival. Béla Fleck joins host Kyle Long to discuss the late Zakir Hussain, composing a piece for banjo and string...
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La Vida Arcana mixes Latin punk with magic and mysticism
Hear a conversation with La Vida Arcana, an Indiana-based instrumental trio blending Latin rock with punk, metal and musical influences from West Africa. The group features guitarist Zeke Rodriguez, bassist Lu Figueroa, and drummer and percussionist Abe Rodriguez. Their music combines heavy…
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Rudresh Mahanthappa brings the Hero Trio to Indianapolis
Kyle Long speaks with acclaimed alto saxophonist, composer and educator, Rudresh Mahanthappa, who is widely recognized as one of the leading voices in contemporary jazz. On November 3, he brings his Hero Trio to the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis. The group reimagines music by Charlie Parker, John...
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Las Cafeteras bring Day of the Dead celebration to Indiana
Listen to an interview with Hector Flores of Las Cafeteras. The East Los Angeles group blends son jarocho, an Afro-Mexican folk tradition, with hip-hop, rock and cumbia. Flores joins host Kyle Long to discuss Hasta La Muerte, a multimedia theatrical production inspired by Day of the Dead (Día de...
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Indianapolis Siblings TJ and Teresa Reynolds on their joint album Lineage
Indianapolis-raised siblings TJ and Teresa Reynolds discuss Lineage, their first full-length album together. TJ is a hip-hop artist and producer, while Teresa is a singer and songwriter who has performed internationally with disco legend Gloria Gaynor. Blending hip-hop and R&B, Lineage explores...
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Sitar icon Niladri Kumar on Zakir Hussain, the Zitar, and his work in Bollywood music
Listen to an interview with Niladri Kumar, one of India’s most celebrated sitar players. Kyle Long talks with Kumar about his musical partnership with the late tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, his work in Bollywood film music, and the creation of the Zitar. Kumar will pay tribute to Zakir Hussain in...
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William Shatner on his Indiana connection and work in public radio
Host Kyle Long speaks with actor William Shatner about his connection to Indiana, his work in public radio, and the legacy of Star Trek, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Plus Shatner’s new album with country star Brad Paisley and an upcoming heavy metal project featuring songs by...
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Latin music pioneers of Northwest Indiana
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with words and music celebrating the Latin music pioneers of Northwest Indiana, including Juan Manuel Guerrero, Adela Dalto, Santos Candelaria, and Omar Apollo.
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Clave Caribe - 20 Years of Latin Music in Lafayette
Listen to an interview with members of Clave Caribe, a Lafayette, Indiana band that has been performing Latin music for 20 years. Kyle Long talks with founder Tito Toro, vocalist Sandra Úsuga and percussionist Nolan Warden about the band’s history and its place in Lafayette’s music community.
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Jazz Fest preview with Sheila E and Nikki Glaspie
Kyle Long previews Indy Jazz Fest with two dynamic drummers and percussionists. Sheila E. discusses her roots in jazz and Latin music, and the musical family that shaped her career. And Nikki Glaspie talks about the gospel, funk, punk and metal influences behind her drumming, her years touring…
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“I Will Laugh More Than I Cry” - Comedian Claressa Patton on comedy and healing
Indianapolis comedian, poet, author and victim advocate Claressa Patton, better known as Clara D, has made laughter an important part of her life and work. Patton talks with Kyle Long about her journey into comedy, her work as a victim advocate, and the role laughter has played in her own…
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Colin Blunstone on One Year, the Zombies documentary, and Duncan Browne
Kyle Long speaks with Colin Blunstone, vocalist for the legendary British rock band The Zombies. Blunstone discusses his acclaimed 1971 solo debut, One Year, and his new live recording, One Year and More (Live from Union Chapel). He also talks about the recently released Zombies documentary Hung…
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Secretly Canadian at 30 - How a Bloomington DIY label became a global force in independent music
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Secretly Canadian, the Bloomington, Indiana record label that grew from a small DIY operation into one of the largest and most respected independent music companies in the world. Secretly is celebrating with three nights of concerts in Bloomington featuring...
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Oreo Jones on this year's Chreece
On August 29, Chreece returns to Indianapolis, bringing more than 70 artists, DJs and producers to eight venues in the Fountain Square neighborhood. Founded in 2015 by Indianapolis rapper, producer and community organizer Oreo Jones, Chreece has become a major showcase for the city’s hip-hop...
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Rob Dixon discusses Naptown Soul
Listen to an interview with Indianapolis-based saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator Rob Dixon, one of the leading voices in the Midwest jazz scene. Dixon will discuss his new album “Naptown Soul” — a celebration of the city’s distinctive soul jazz tradition, featuring music by Wes...
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Live from Winchester, Indiana's Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
Winchester, Indiana’s Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival brings together musicians from across generations and cultures, welcoming Native Hawaiian artists alongside performers from across the continental United States. Kyle Long visited the festival and spoke with some of this year’s performers...
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Celebrating two of Northwest Indiana's most acclaimed contemporary musician
Cultural Manifesto can now be heard across Northwest Indiana. To celebrate the show’s arrival on 89.1, Kyle Long revisits his coverage of two of Northwest Indiana’s most critically acclaimed contemporary musicians, Omar Apollo from Hobart and Llin from Gary.
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Herbie Hancock on Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard and his upcoming date in Indianapolis
Kyle Long speaks with Herbie Hancock — one of the most celebrated artists in American music history. His groundbreaking career has earned him 14 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and recognition as an NEA Jazz Master. From his early work with Miles Davis to his genre-defying explorations of jazz,...
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Becky Archibald discusses her new album, Tango for Disobedient Beasts
Kyle Long speaks with Indianapolis pianist, composer and educator Becky Archibald. A native of Anderson, Indiana, Archibald has performed at Carnegie Hall, and her recordings have been featured on NPR's All Things Considered and All Songs Considered. NPR's Bob Boilen, creator of the Tiny Desk...
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Exploring the history of Winchester, Indiana’s Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival
For over 50 years, Winchester, Indiana, has been home to the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Festival, one of the world's longest-running celebrations of Hawaiian steel guitar music. Listen to Kyle Long's conversation with two of the organizers behind this year's festival, musicians Mark Prucha and Bill...
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Steve Wariner discusses his roots in the Indianapolis music scene and his work in visual art
Kyle Long speaks with guitarist, singer, songwriter, and visual artist Steve Wariner, one of Indiana's most celebrated country music artists. Their wide-ranging conversation explores memories of Sammy Terry, Cowboy Bob, Arthur's Music in Fountain Square, the Beatles' appearance at the Indiana…
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Monika Herzig's Transparent uses jazz to confront transphobia
Kyle Long speaks with the internationally acclaimed pianist, composer, educator, and author Monika Herzig. Her latest album, Transparent, is one of the most personal projects of her career. Inspired by her journey supporting a transgender child, the album uses jazz as a vehicle for empathy,...
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Valerie Phelps and Kenny Phelps on the Making of Project 7
Indianapolis musicians Valerie Phelps and Kenny Phelps join host Kyle Long to discuss Valerie's debut album, Project 7. It features performances by Kenny Phelps and the couple's son, Dorian Phelps — two of the most respected drummers in the Indianapolis music scene. Their album release concert is...
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Remembering Indiana's Tom Hensley - keyboard virtuoso and musical adventurer
Look back on the life and music of Tom Hensley — an Indiana-born pianist whose remarkable career took him from Bloomington and Indianapolis to the biggest stages in music. As a session keyboardist, he played on Hall & Oates' hit "Rich Girl," along with recordings by John Lennon, Ringo Starr,...
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Composer Jordan Munson discusses new collaboration with Dance Kaleidoscope
Hear an interview with the Indianapolis-based composer, performer, and multimedia artist Jordan Munson. His latest project, We Walk Beneath A Patient Sky, is a collaboration with Dance Kaleidoscope featuring choreography by Joshua Blake Carter. The work finds Munson expanding his sonic palette by...
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Michael Cleveland on Bill Monroe, Billy Strings, and returning to the Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering
Michael Cleveland is one of Indiana’s greatest living musicians and one of the most celebrated fiddlers in the history of bluegrass. Kyle Long speaks with Cleveland about his remarkable career and his lifelong connection to the Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering.
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Pride Month - LGBTQ+ activist Mary Byrne looks back on her work promoting women’s music in Indiana
Celebrate Pride by looking back at Kyle Long’s 2021 conversation with LGBTQ+ activist Mary Byrne. A key figure in Indiana’s gay rights movement, Byrne also played an important but lesser-known role in the state’s music history as a promoter and curator of women’s music. She owned and operated...
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Marion, Indiana's Lizz Vega on playing harp, songwriting and livestreaming
Before she found an audience as a musician, Lizz Vega built a following online live-streaming video games. Today, the self-taught musician and songwriter still streams live, but her broadcasts now feature performances on harp, guitar and vocals. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Vega currently…
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How Indianapolis Songwriter Bruz Fletcher Became a Pioneer of LGBTQ+ Music
Explore the remarkable life and music of Indiana songwriter Stoughton “Bruz” Fletcher, a groundbreaking artist whose work challenged conventions of gender and sexuality decades before the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Host Kyle Long will talk with author and researcher Tyler Alpern, whose book...
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Indianapolis musician Naomi Pulver is building an audience for her finely crafted pop songs
Hear words and music from Indianapolis-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Naomi Pulver. She is building a growing audience for her finely crafted music, a sound that blends elements of pop, folk, and R&B with deeply personal songwriting. Raised in Colorado as the youngest of eight children…
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Harp innovator Edmar Castañeda merges jazz and Colombian tradition
Born in Colombia, Edmar Castañeda is celebrated worldwide as one of the most innovative harpists in modern music. His work combines the folk traditions of his homeland with contemporary jazz. A Latin Grammy nominee, Castañeda has collaborated with artists including Wynton Marsalis and Béla Fleck...
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Rusty Redenbacher on Mudkids, Nasty Slim, and battling Eminem
For over 30 years, Rusty Redenbacher has been a fixture of the Indianapolis music scene, performing as a vocalist with rock and hip-hop groups including The Mudkids, Birdmen of Alcatraz, and The Last IV. He joins Kyle Long to discuss his history in music, including battling Eminem at Scribble Jam...
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Asian American musicians are shaping Indiana's Sound - celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month
Asian American musicians are shaping Indiana's sound — and this week, Cultural Manifesto celebrates AANHPI Heritage Month with music that proves it. Hear from Indiana artists with roots in Afghanistan, Vietnam, China, India, Myanmar, and beyond.
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Jermaine from the South on rapping in Creole, playing oud, and making psychedelic hip-hop beats
Hear Kyle Long’s conversation with Bloomington-based musician Jermaine Butler— also known as Jermaine from the South — an artist who defies easy categorization. Butler's submission to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, titled "Dan Vi-Çila”, earned a coveted Top Shelf selection, drawing praise from Tiny…
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Indianapolis musician, writer and rapper Foosie on his debut album, All-American Ghetto
Indianapolis-based rapper, musician, and writer Foosie discusses his debut album, “All-American Ghetto.” The album draws on his life — from growing up in Indianapolis’ Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhood to serving a 20-year prison sentence. During his incarceration, he learned to play acoustic…
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The secret history of Radio Free Naptown
In 1968, a group of young Indianapolis broadcasters made history — they built their own radio station from scratch, without a license, and dared the FCC to stop them. For four years, Radio Free Naptown brought underground music to the city, from Captain Beefheart to Gil Scott-Heron, broadcasting...
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Software, the feminist synth-rock band that broke barriers for women and LGBTQ+ musicians in Indianapolis
Hear a conversation with members of Software, a feminist synth-rock band that broke barriers for women and LGBTQ+ musicians in 1980s Indianapolis. Software performed at iconic venues including The Vogue and The Hummingbird. The band also played at Labyris, a feminist bar in downtown Indianapolis...
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Born in Indianapolis to immigrant parents, Trigger Alpert recorded with America’s top musicians
Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with music from the Indianapolis bassist Herman “Trigger” Alpert. Born in Indianapolis in 1916 to Russian Jewish immigrants, Alpert rose to national prominence in the golden age of big band jazz. Despite his remarkable contributions to American music, Alpert...
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Jazz legend Steve Allee reacts to hearing lost tapes
Cultural Manifesto producer Kyle Long recently uncovered a collection of lost tapes featuring Indianapolis jazz legend Steve Allee performing live in local clubs in the 1970s — recordings Allee didn’t even know existed. Many of the tapes document his work with the Von Ohlen/Carter Big Band, a...
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Western wear designer Jerry Lee Atwood discusses his solo exhibition, Cowboy Couture
Indianapolis designer Jerry Lee Atwood carries the tradition and spirit of classic Western wear forward with custom pieces that have appeared in Vogue magazine and in the wardrobes of Post Malone, Lil Nas X, Diplo, and Charley Crockett. WFYI’s Kyle Long spoke with him about a new exhibition of…
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How Indianapolis’ Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell influenced Bob Dylan’s music
Bob Dylan turns 85 this May — and he’s still on the road. Hear how Dylan’s musical career has been influenced by the legendary blues duo, Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell.
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DJ Metrognome and J. Moore celebrate 20 years of Take That Tuesday
For two decades, Take That Tuesday has been a cornerstone of Indianapolis hip-hop DJ culture—providing a space for both emerging and veteran turntablists to share music outside the constraints of commercial club environments. WFYI’s Kyle Long recently spoke with the event’s hosts, DJ MetroGnome…
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Celebrating the women pioneers of Indiana punk, noise, new wave and alternative music
Celebrate Women’s History Month by honoring the women who helped build Indiana’s punk, new wave, alternative, and noise scenes. Join us for words and music featuring Sally’s Dream, Software, Debbie Jaffe, Joyce Fidler, and Lynn Shipley,
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40 Indiana guitar pioneers every Hoosier should know: South Bend, Indiana’s Willie Woods
In the third edition of our new segment, “40 Indiana guitar pioneers every Hoosier should know,” learn about the South Bend guitarist Willie Woods, best known for his work with Jr. Walker & the All Stars.
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Composer and instrument builder Rob Funkhouser discusses Respiratory Cycle
Listen to an interview with the Indianapolis-based composer, performer, and instrument builder Rob Funkhouser. His latest album, “Respiratory Cycle”, features two immersive, long-form suites, “Exhale” and “Inhale.”
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Indiana’s Will Geer fought fascism with art and toured the U.S. with folksinger Woodie Guthrie
Celebrate the life and work of Will Geer by exploring his friendship and artistic partnership with Woody Guthrie. Together they toured the country, performing in union halls and at labor benefits. Geer used his theatrical skills to amplify Guthrie’s music and political message.
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40 Indiana guitarists every Hoosier should know: Gary, Indiana’s Donald Kinsey
In the second edition of our new segment, “40 Indiana guitar pioneers every Hoosier should know,” learn about the Gary, Indiana, guitarist Donald Kinsey, who played with artists including Bob Marley, Albert King, and Peter Tosh.
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Cesar Maldonado on the roots of Mariachi Herencia de México
Listen to a conversation with Cesar Maldonado, founder and artistic director of Mariachi Herencia de México. Based in Chicago, the ensemble grew out of the Mariachi Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving and advancing mariachi music through youth education.
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Wayne Newton on his early work in country music
Listen to Kyle Long’s interview with “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton. With a career spanning more than seven decades, he is among the most enduring figures in American popular entertainment. But Newton’s career began much earlier, in the 1950s, when he was still a child, singing country music...
About this show
Each week on Cultural Manifesto, Kyle Long reveals stories and sounds from the creative frontlines of the past and present. Through music, archives and artist interviews, discover how creators shape meaning with sound, in Indianapolis and well beyond. Tune in each week to this WFYI Public Media show for discoveries that will delight your ears and expand your understanding of our shared world.
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