RF Shannon is the KUTX Artist of the Month for August. Photo by Jess Williamson.

A Texas-transplant friend of mine, on RF Shannon’s music: “I thought all Texas bands would sound like this.” The Austin group’s use of space and spaciness certainly brings to mind long, Lone Star drives. It’s country music for dreamers. Rain On Dust, RF Shannon’s new album, tightens the focus a bit, but not at the expense of the expanse.

This week on My KUTX, the band’s singer and songwriter Shane Renfro is our guest DJ and sonic tour guide. Dr. John, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Molly Burch, and more are riding shotgun. Hear RF Shannon’s My KUTX on Saturday, August 24 at 6 p.m. or listen at any time in the player below.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

[intro music: RF Shannon – “Don’t Be Shy”]

1. Dr. John – “Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya”

2. Roberta Flack – “Compared To What”

3. Ted Lucas – “Plain & Sane & Simple Melody”

4. Fleetwood Mac – “Albatross”

5. Harry Nilsson – “Mucho Mungo/Mt. Elga”

6. Jess Williamson – “Awakening Baby”

7. Jerry Jeff Walker – “Sangria Wine”

8. The Flying Burrito Brothers – “Sin City”

9. Alfonso Cruz Jimenz – “La Zandunga”

10. Elvis Presley – “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears”

11. Jesse Woods – “U.F.O.”

12. Molly Burch – “Only One”

Photo by Julia Reihs/KUTX

Chuck Klosterman is a writer and essayist who has a healthy appetite for just about any subject. His work can thread together pop culture criticism, sports, futuristic hypotheticals, and the soul-affirming merits of hair metal, often in the same essay. Klosterman is probably best known for this non-fiction work, appearing in best-selling books like Sex, Drugs, And Cocoa Puffs; Fargo Rock City; and But What If We’re Wrong?, as well as Spin, GQ, and Esquire. But he’s also an inventive fiction writer, the author of two novels and now Raised In Captivity, a collection of short stories.

Klosterman is also a huge music fan. I don’t know too many people who think that deeply about Aerosmith’s body of work and Carly Simon’s empathetic songwriting, but Klosterman sits squarely in the middle of that particular Venn diagram. He’s our guest DJ this week on My KUTX, playing an hour of music that will leave you thinking just as deeply. Hear Klosterman’s My KUTX on Saturday, August 17 at 6 p.m. or listen at any time in the player below.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Dusty Springfield – “I Only Want To Be With You”

2. Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks – “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’”

3. Quarterflash – “Valerie”

4. Dean Friedman – “Ariel”

5. ABBA – “Hey, Hey Helen”

6. Judas Priest – “Victim Of Changes”

7. Black Sabbath – “After Forever”

8. Funkadelic – “Super Stupid”

9. Van Halen – “Dance The Night Away”

10. Aerosmith – “Draw The Line”

11. Carly Simon – “Jesse”

12. John Prine – “Pretty Good”

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft

El Dusty is a Latin Grammy-nominated producer out of Corpus Christi who’s helping redefine cumbia for the 21st century. His critically-acclaimed song “Cumbia Anthem” is a window into his particularities: it samples a track from Colombian cumbia pioneer Andrés Landero and combines it with club-ready beats and an electronic sheen. In El Dusty’s musical world, the old is a dance partner with the new.

On August 17, El Dusty brings his sound to Stubb’s. He’s playing a ten year anniversary party thrown by Austin music PR firm Press Junkie, who’ve partnered with SIMS for the event and will be collecting donations and featuring a raffle for the foundation. And this week on My KUTX, El Dusty selects the tracks, dancing between reggae, cumbia, hip-hop, and more. Hear My KUTX on Saturday, August 10 at 6 p.m. or listen at any time in the player below.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. Tony Curtis – “Dreaming”

2. Andrés Landero Y Su Conjunto – “Bailando Cumbia”

3. Koffee – “Toast” (3:12)

4. Chronixx – “Sell My Gun”

5. Los Mirlos – “Sonido Amazonico”

6. Los Ángeles Azules – “Cómo Te Voy A Olvídar”

7. Kumbia Kings – “Insomnio”

8. Ozomatli – “Cumbia de los Muertos”

9. Cypress Hill – “How I Could Just Kill A Man”

10. The Pharcyde – “Passin’ Me By”

11. Dengue Dengue Dengue – “Simiolo”

12. A Tribe Called Quest – “Electric Relaxation”

13. Sunny & The Sunliners – “Smile Now, Cry Later”

14. El Dusty – “Cumbia Anthem” (feat. Happy Colors)

Photo by Michael Minasi/KUTX

One of the great lessons of punk rock? Just keep going. John Doe helped invent a new punk vocabulary with the band X, dressing the sound in California country duds. But he’s also a writer, actor, and now an Austin bar owner. And this weekend, Doe practically takes over his adopted home town. Catch him at Book People on Saturday at 2 p.m. for a reading/signing of his new book, More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of L.A. Punk. On Saturday and Sunday, KUTX and the Austin Film Society also present a series of films curated by Doe. Right in the middle of all this fun, he returns as our guest DJ, bringing his musical expertise and curious mind to the airwaves. Hear John Doe’s My KUTX on Saturday, August 3 at 6 p.m., or listen at any time in the player below.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

1. The Cramps – “Human Fly”

2. Big Boys – “Red/Green” (Live At Raul’s)

3. Howlin’ Wolf – “Forty Four”

4. John Doe – “Wheels”

5. Particle Kid – “Lucky Penny”

6. Cat Power – “Woman”

7. The Modern Lovers – “I’m Straight”

8. Lee Dorsey – “Ride Your Pony”

9. Peter Case – “I Hear Your Voice”

10. Folk Uke – “Don’t Bite Beyonce”

11. Skating Polly – “Louder In Outer Space”

12. The Flesh Eaters – “Miss Muerte”

Photo by Shea Carley

When Dan Le Vine uploaded a bunch of looping, guitar-based instrumentals to his Bandcamp page a few years ago, he thought he was done with the songs. But Jared Leibowich heard them, and heard more. He recorded quick vocal parts over the instrumentals and sent them back to Dan, and all of a sudden, the two realized they needed to work together. The Infinites are a testament to collaboration, to combining a few rudimentary ingredients: Le Vine’s serpentine guitar playing; Leibowich’s open-hearted, narrative-based lyrics; the nervy rhythm section laid down by guitarist Ian Rundell, bassist Miles Kelley, and drummer Sam Jordan. Together, they move as one, finding something bigger and deeper to say than any of the ingredients could on their own. The Infinites–as a band name, as a concept–makes perfect sense once you hear the music. It’s not content to stay on the ground.

This week on My KUTX, Leibowich and Le Vine touch on a few more inspirations as our guest DJs. They’re thoughtful listeners, zeroing in on the exact reasons why they like certain artists and songs. Hear My KUTX on Saturday, July 27 at 6 p.m. or at any time in the player below. Catch the Infinites at Cheer Up Charlie’s on August 17.

–Art Levy // producer, My KUTX

Playlist:

[intro music: The Infinites – “Jimmy Smith”]

1. The Hermits – “Chemicals Gon’ Bad”

2. The Nerves – “Hanging On The Telephone”

3. Crumb – “Nina”

4. Exploded View – “Orlando”

5. Value Void – “Back In The Day”

6. Women – “Shaking Hand”

7. Greys – “Arc Light”

8. Total Control – “Flesh War”

9. Chris Cohen – “In A Fable”

10. Portishead – “The Rip”

11. Broadcast – “I Found The F”

12. Dirty Beaches – “True Blue”

13. Wreckless Eric – “Paris In June”