Essential Tremors

Mary Lattimore (Big Ears Festival performer)

A harpist since childhood–as well as the daughter of one–Mary Lattimore’s choice of instrument reveals the simple beauty it contains, transcending the stereotype of it being strictly for use in classical music or as flourishes in movie soundtracks. Her ability to cut straight to the heart in her compositions works the same trick, not relying on the standard glissandos often employed by traditional players, but simply reducing the instrument to its essence. Her most recent release is a duet with Julianna Barwick, Tragic Magic, and came out in January of 2026. The duo will perform at this year’s Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March of 2026. Hear how songs by Debussy, The Cure, and Sonic Youth guided her musical path. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Joe Boyd (Big Ears Festival participant)

Listing Joe Boyd’s most significant accomplishments as a producer, label owner, and music historian is a tall order. A short list of artists he’s worked with includes Nick Drake [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Drake] (heard here), Pink Floyd [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd], Fairport Convention [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairport_Convention], Sandy Denny [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Denny], Richard Thompson [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Thompson_%28musician%29], The Incredible String Band [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_String_Band], R.E.M. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.], Vashti Bunyan [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vashti_Bunyan], Billy Bragg [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bragg], and 10,000 Maniacs [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_Maniacs]. Additionally, he was the founder of Hannibal Records, the label responsible for bringing the term “world music” into the lexicon, as well as serving as a music producer for Warner Bros. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warner_Bros.], where he collaborated with Stanley Kubrick [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick] on the soundtrack [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_%28soundtrack%29] of  A Clockwork Orange [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange_%28film%29] and 1972’s Deliverance [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliverance_%281972_film%29]. His most recent work is as the author of White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, as well as And the Roots of Rhythm Remain: A Journey Through Global Music, which came out in 2024. On this episode, hear how songs by Fats Domino, Fairport Convention, and Carlos Gardel shaped his sensibilities. Boyd will be a part of this year’s Big Ears Festival taking place in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Tara Clerkin Trio (Big Ears Festival performer)

Bristol, UK’s Tara Clerkin Trio first came to our attention last year when they received an invitation from the Big Ears Festival to play its 2025 edition, and, upon listening to their 2023 EP On the Turning Ground as a means of introduction, we were immediately smitten. Members Tara Clerkin, Pat Benjamin, and Sunny-Joe Paradiso have synthesized elements of minimalism, dub, and more traditionally melodic genres to create sounds that are simultaneously patient, intimate, and seductive. Hear how songs by Casino Versus Japan, Frederic Galliano, and Durutti Column were formative for them. They’ll be playing this year’s Big Ears Festival on Friday, March 27, 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The Beths

While to the casual observer it might seem as if New Zealand’s The Beths appeared seemingly out of nowhere in or around the summer of 2023, they’ve in fact been making their extremely catchy brand of indie pop for almost ten years now. The Auckland-based quartet’s most recent album, Straight Line is a Lie, was released last year by Anti-. We spoke to founding members Liz Stokes and Jonathan Pearce for this episode in which they talk about how songs by Rilo Kiley, Ben Folds Five, and The Shins--among others--were formative for them. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Lucrecia Dalt (Big Ears Festival Performer)

Colombia-born singer and musician Lucrecia Dalt began her musical career seemingly suddenly, at least when observed from a distance as a simple biographical factoid: as a civil engineer, she worked in a geotechnical company until giving it up to become a musician. While the exact details of that situation are likely considerably more nuanced, it nevertheless serves as a metaphor for her ambitious and ever-forward artistic inclinations. This is particularly true in her 2021 collaboration with Aaron Dilloway, Lucy & Aaron, which took her work deeper into more fragmented, abstract territory. She continues on this path with her newest release, A Danger to Ourselves, which was released in late 2025. On this episode, she talks about how songs by Rocio Durcal, PJ Harvey, and David Sylvian informed her sensibilities. Dalt will perform at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN in March of 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.