Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists—and why people love them.
193 episodes transcribedBob Mehr returns to Bandsplain for an in-depth look at oft overlooked stalwarts of the 90s rock charts, Gin Blossoms. Looking at the history before a...
From Lifter Puller’s scrappy Minneapolis origins to the Hold Steady’s reign as “America’s best bar band,” Yasi is joined by writer Darcie Wilder of Ga...
Gina Arnold—author, academic, and architect of Yasi’s youth—graces us with her perspective on Pixies, the seminal cult indie rock band from Boston. F...
Here is part two of our Metallica episode, because nothing else matters. Journalist Joe Gross takes us through the latter years of Metallica. We inves...
We’re back with guns blazing. Yasi dons her top hat and talks with storied Guns N’ Roses associate Riki Rachtman, former host of MTV’s Headbangers Bal...
Today, Yasi and Producer Dylan open up the listener mailbag to dish out flawless and meaningful life advice, as well as compelling answers to your bur...
The Scottish dreampop progenitors Cocteau Twins have a surprisingly dramatic backstory for being known as the ultimate band of ethereal, cryptic music...
Writer Ann-Derrick Gaillot takes us through the decades-spanning career of Tracy Chapman, whose breakout hit Fast Car propelled her into the canon of...
We strip down the mythical, mysterious layers of foundational band The Doors and the original rock n’ roll martyr, Jim Morrison. Fellow child of LA Je...
Return guest and best friend Rob Harvilla of The Ringer’s 60 Songs That Explain the 90’s takes us through the humble Irish beginnings to era-defining...
Author and critic Ann Powers maps the pioneering path of one of pop music’s most inventive, mystical, and artistic trailblazers: Kate Bush. Follow An...
We dive into the DIY legacy and hardcore lineage of DC legends Fugazi with none other than writer, editor, and artist manager Brandon Stosuy. Follow...
In 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...
