Photo by Rae Mascardo

Austin’s Christelle Bofale makes songs that take their time. Her music unfolds at its own pace, asking you to slow down to its level and notice how a few ingredients–a singular voice and finger-picked guitar–can be so powerful. With an EP and a single, Bofale has already crafted her own particular dreamworld where folk, indie rock, and jazz can easily talk to each other. She also recently contributed a track to the compilation To The People Of The Land: Carrizo/Comecrudo Solidarity Compilation, an album that benefits Texas indigenous rights.

This week on My KUTX, Bofale shares a guest DJ set that’s both a perfect introduction to her own style and a nice soundtrack for shorter days and (slightly) cooler weather. Hear Christelle Bofale’s My KUTX on Saturday, October 17 at 6 p.m. or anytime at the top of the page.

Playlist:

[intro music: Christelle Bofale – “Moving On, Getting On”]

1. St. Vincent – “Save Me From What I Want”

2. Beach House – “Sparks”

3. Rotary Connection & Minnie Riperton – “I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun”

4. Terry Slingbaum – “808s In France”

5. Guru – “Loungin'” (feat. Donald Byrd)

6. Nilüfer Yanya – “Baby Blu”

7. Lianne La Havas – “Seven Times”

8. Lamp – “Yume Utsutsu”

9. Lomelda – “Hannah Sun”

10. Michelle Branch – “Breathe”

11. Mereba – “Late Bloomer”

12. Oscar Jerome – “Where Are Your Branches (Where Is Your Fruit)”

Dom Fisher (L) and Trevor Smith (R) are the guest DJs. Photo by Alison Narro.

Bluegrass mainstay Wood & Wire made Austin proud last year with a Grammy nomination for their album North Of Despair. The momentum carried them into this year, before the pandemic wrecked all of their touring plans. Still, the band just released a follow up album with a particularly even-keeled title: No Matter Where It Goes From Here. The mantra fits for a band that’s helped expand the definition of bluegrass, here in Austin and abroad. The new album features political protestations, heart-on-sleeve harmonies, and an assist by inspiration and roots elder Peter Rowan.

This week on My KUTX, banjo player Trevor Smith and bassist Dom Fisher take the reins as our guest DJs. Their hour features local favorites, music that’s helping them this year, and favorite shows at the Cactus Cafe, one of the premier venues that help keep Austin’s folk scene vibrant. Listen to My KUTX on Saturday, October 10 at 6 p.m. or anytime at the top of the page.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Peter Rowan – “Sweet Melinda”

2. Jesse Otis Dalton vs. The State of Texas – “Cold Rain And Snow”

3. MilkDrive – “Benny’s Bus”

4. Some Say Leland – “Ocean Was No More”

5. Punch Brothers – “Movement And Location”

6. Wood & Wire – “Home & The Banjo”

7. Norman Blake – “High Rollers” (feat. Nancy Blake)

8. Christy Hays – “Ribbon Of Highway”

9. The Carper Family – “There’s A Rainbow On The Rio Colorado”

10. Silas Lowe – “Edge Of The World”

11. Graham Wilkinson & Shawn Nelson – “Funny Feeling”

12. Killah Priest – “Rocket To Nebula”

Christopher “Zumbi” Richards (L) and Félix Pacheco of Cilantro Boombox. Photo by Brittany Hallberg.

Austin’s Cilantro Boombox helps get any party started through its sheer size–upwards to seven band members–and undeniable energy. But with no ability to play live shows due to the pandemic, the group brings that same fire to the recording studio. Earlier this year, Cilantro Boombox released two new singles, “Wahoo” and “Y O U.” Both were pieced together remotely, but they still manage to highlight the band’s signature mix of Caribbean, Latin, funk, and punk influences. “Wahoo” is both fun and a cry of frustration–underscored by the band’s Black Lives Matter-inspired video–while “Y O U” is a beach-flavored love song.

This week on My KUTX, bassist Félix Pacheco and trombonist/singer Christopher “Zumbi” Richards take the guest DJ controls. Their set is a mix of sounds, artists, and ideas that continue to inspire Cilantro Boombox, from Prince and Nigerian funk to salsa and Nina Simone’s social consciousness. Hear Cilantro Boombox’s My KUTX on Saturday, October 3 at 6 p.m. or anytime at the top of the page.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Prince – “17 Days”

2. Cilantro Boombox – “Wahoo”

3. KOKOROKO – “Adwa”

4. Altın Gün – “Goca Dünya”

5. Ismael Miranda & Willie Colón – “No Me Digan Que Es Muy Tarde”

6. Tshegue – “Tshegue”

7. Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band – “Gyae Su”

8. Cilantro Boombox – “Y O U”

9. Michael Kiwanuka – “Black Man In A White World”

10. Nina Simone – “Baltimore”

11. Steve Monite – “Only You”

Photo by Limalo

Austin’s Spencer Stephenson makes electronic music under the name of Botany, and there’s something very fitting to his chosen moniker. His songs feel like they were grown more than consciously constructed; they’re dense webs of sound instead of discrete parts. Stephenson’s immersive environments knit together psychedelia, hip-hop, and electronic strains, and at their core is a subtle emotional center, like a memory you can’t quite place or a dream just out of grasp.

Stephenson releases End The Summertime F(or)ever this week, his first album in four years. As our guest DJ, he shares an hour of music that continues to inspire him. From meteor showers to distant thunderstorms, a lot of these songs soundtracked his experiences with the natural world, another element in Botany’s own particular soundworld. Hear Botany’s My KUTX on Saturday, September 26 at 6 p.m. or listen anytime at the top of the page. Also, hear Stephenson talk about his new album, his recording techniques, and more with Soundfounder.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

[intro music: Botany – “Once We Die”]

1. Broadcast – “Echo’s Answer”

2. Four Tet – “Hands”

3. David Axelrod – “Song Of Innocence”

4. Caribou – “Pelican Narrows”

5. De La Soul – “Stakes Is High”

6. The Avalanches – “Two Hearts In 3/4 Time”

7. Colleen – “Your Heart On Your Sleeve”

8. Madlib – “Spanish Bells (High Dreams)”

9. Odd Nosdam – “Profane Bong Sue”

10. Semya – “Mysty Garden”

11. Boards Of Canada – “Bocuma”

12. J Dilla – “Bye.”

13. Botany – “Kirby Overworld Flip”

14. Pharoah Sanders – “Greeting To Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)”

15. Duster – “Gold Dust”

Why Bonnie is September’s KUTX Artist of the Month. Photo by Andrea Garcia/KUTX.

Why Bonnie’s lush and intimate sound hits a high point on the Austin band’s EP, Voice Box. Their songs bob and weave, toggling between dreamy hooks and crunchy, guitar-driven fireworks. This week on My KUTX, singer and guitarist Blair Howerton takes the controls for a guest DJ set that digs into the band’s wide-ranging tastes. She focuses on new classics by Fiona Apple and Austin’s Jay Wile as well as enduring influences like the Magnetic Fields and Yo La Tengo. Hear Why Bonnie’s My KUTX on Saturday, September 19 at 6 p.m. or listen anytime in the player at the top of the page.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

[intro music: Why Bonnie – “Bury Me”]

1. Fiona Apple – “Shameika”

2. The Breeders – “No Aloha”

3. The Magnetic Fields – “Papa Was A Rodeo”

4. Jay Wile – “Real Bad”

5. Chris Cohen – “Monad”

6. D’Angelo & The Vanguard – “Till It’s Done (Tutu)”

7. Mount Kimbie – “Marilyn” (feat. Micachu)

8. SZA – “Anything”

9. The dB’s – “Judy”

10. Yo La Tengo – “Little Eyes”

11. Frank Ocean – “Self Control”

12. New Order – “Age Of Consent”