Welcome to The Listening Post, where each week we get an insight into the radio listening habits of a guest contributor. Once each person has made their picks, we ask them to nominate someone for the following week's Listening Post...
Our previous Listening Post was provided by Veralyn Williams. Veralyn is an award-winning Journalist who is currently managing BrooklynDeep.org, an online platform documenting neighborhood change in Central Brooklyn, producing podcasts for Slate.com, and is working with WNYC's Radio Rookies, to produce their own stories.
Veralyn has nominated John Asante to provide our latest Listening Post. John is an Associate Producer for WNYC’s The Takeaway. In his spare time, John hosts Play It Back, a podcast about music discovery; recounts deeply personal stories at open mic storytelling shows like The Moth and tries to play his favorite songs on a ukulele!
Check out John's recommendations below...
Read moreHow the music sausage gets made
1. Song Exploder
"As a music nerd, I’m always interested in how my favourite songs are constructed. Why did a guitarist choose to play a riff so high on the fretboard? How did the drummer come up with that fill? And what do those lyrics about love really mean? Song Exploder has answered those questions for many of my favorite bands like Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Toro Y Moi, and Odesza. On each episode, musicians take apart their songs and tell the story of how they were made, piece by piece -- everything from bass lines, to piano plinks, to vocal arrangements. My favorite episodes contain stories where musicians created something really catchy or strange by accident and left it in the finished track. If you really want to know how brilliant musicians think and work without lots of music theory jargon, then this is the show for you."
>> Listen here
Storytelling with a beat
2. Snap Judgment
"When people ask me how I got the idea for my own podcast, I tell them that Snap Judgment was my guide. Each episode is complete with elaborate and dramatic stories of people making quick decisions about their lives. The storytellers from different backgrounds and walks of life take you on a ride, whether it’s through the jungles of South America or just around the corner from their house. What I truly love about Snap is that each story is meticulously scored with a bangin’ soundtrack, which makes it a perfect companion for my long runs."
>> Listen here
Asking all the right (and tough) questions
3. Death, Sex & Money
"I’ve been hooked on this show from WNYC Studios long before I worked at the station. It’s all about the huge questions and hard choices that are typically left out of polite conversation. Everyone from celebrities like Bill Withers and Lucinda Williams to everyday people you’d meet on the street divulge all sorts of stories -- struggles with addiction, debt, family issues and whatever else host Anna Sale gets them to open up about. What separates DSM from the pack is how Anna toes the line between brutal honesty and vulnerability about her own life (her divorce, second marriage, and first pregnancy), which truly makes listener responses even more genuine. She’s along for the wild, unpredictable journey through life with you."
>> Listen here
Let's talk about race
4. Code Switch
"So I’m a bit biased since my friends produce this show, but the Code Switch podcast is really pushing the boundaries for conversations about race, identity and culture. What started as a blogging project for NPR has become a force for nature for discussing topics like daily microaggressions, ethnic identity, national conversations about police shootings. I’ve used episodes from the podcast -- like the one about people of color and their relationship to the outdoors -- to have some really thoughtful talks with friends and family. As a black man in America today, I’m glad there’s an outlet dedicated to complex thoughts and questions that are constantly on my mind."
>> Listen here
Gotta hear both sides
5. Bodega Boys
"I’m pretty picky when it comes to comedy podcasts, as most of them run quite long and don’t seem to be edited much (blame my public radio background for that!), but I give a huge pass to Desus Nice and The Kid Mero. Sure, the show content is pretty irreverent and controversial, and each episode is at least an hour long. But the Bronx natives remind me so much of my friends back home in Atlanta when we bicker and comment about pop culture and news. Plus, the references to life in New York City (bodegas, subways, sports teams that give you the slightest bit of hope every year) always make me giggle in my seat as I ride the train home. This podcast isn’t for everyone, but if you choose to be part of the Bodega Hive, you won’t be disappointed."
>> Listen here
The next Listening Post
"I'd like to nominate Katie Shepherd to do the next Listening Post. Katie works for Listening Booth, a podcasting company focused on storytelling, where she is the host and co-producer of the forthcoming podcast called What's Happening Here. The first season of her show takes place at an international high school in Manhattan."
Keep an eye out on our Twitter for Katie's post soon...
