Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists—and why people love them.
61 episodes transcribedIn honor of the 50th anniversary of her masterwork, Blue, author and critic Jessica Hopper comes on the show to demystify the groundbreaking genius of...
Do you ever get scared that when you do psychedelics, your brain will break and you’ll get stuck in that place forever and never be normal again? That...
Suzy Exposito, music reporter for the LA Times, joins us to unpack the story and innovative musical style of Deftones, a band from Sacramento that nev...
Alex Pappademas returns to explain Ween, America’s first and only band "sprouted from the demon-god Boognish," and the one-of-a-kind bond between Boog...
REM is your favorite band’s favorite band. They’ve influenced countless musicians and had an immeasurable impact on the following decades of indie roc...
Counting Crows are an essential inclusion to the sensitive nineties male rocker canon, one that is very close to Yasi’s heart. Music critic and author...
Jawbreaker is one of those highly mythologized bands, the kind that feel perfectly cast in the amber of cult band-om. Yasi dissects the lore, the albu...
Superproducer The-Dream, aka Terius Nash, was behind some of the 2000s biggest pop hits: Umbrella by Rihanna, Single Ladies by Beyonce, even Baby by J...
Patron saint of Yasi’s heart and soul, Dave Matthews, finally gets the Bandsplain treatment. Yasi bros down with journalist Grayson Haver Currin on th...
Do waste your time on us, we’re already the voice inside your head with this mega-episode dedicated to Poway, California’s pop-punk pioneers, Blink 18...
Lil' Kim set the blueprint for much of female rap today but her legacy is so often misunderstood. With author Clover Hope, we unpack her history, her...
Juggalos may be the most cult fanbase of all time. With dedicated Juggalo and author Nathan Rabin, we dive into the beautifully twisted world of the D...
So...what happens to the Replacements? Bob Mehr returns for the rest of the band’s story, and we hear about their indelible influence on the future of...
The Replacements are one of rock n’ roll’s greatest cult bands. Also: one of Yasi’s all-time favorites, which is why this gets the two part treatment...
Writer, musician, practicing witch, and Kool Keith megafan Meredith Graves brings us an absolute galaxy-brain analysis of the intergalactic rap legend...
In Bandsplain’s very first crossover episode, we welcome self-proclaimed cultural polymath Chris Black of the elite bro-cast How Long Gone to explain...
Writer Rob Mitchum takes Yasi deep into the world of one of the most dedicated, enduring, and (some may say) mysterious fandoms of all time: Phish Hea...
Poet, critic, and author Hanif Abdurraqib joins us this week for a thoughtful examination of the enduring fandom of emo-era breakouts My Chemical Roma...
In tribute to the late MF DOOM, Yasi is joined by rapper, comedian, and podcaster Open Mike Eagle to explore the fantastical world of perhaps the most...
Yasi invites music journalist Alex Pappademas on the show to explain the sound, impact, and fandom of the world’s ultimate dad band: Steely Dan. Alex...
