The Sound of America
The Sound of America
As the United States marks 250 years, The Arts & Everything turns to the sounds, traditions and stories that have shaped the country’s musical identity. In this episode, Chancellor Brian Cole asks artists from across genres to reflect on what American music means to them.
Their answers move through gospel, jazz, blues, roots, classical, rock, musical theater and more, tracing American music as an archive of lived experience, an ongoing conversation and a force shaped by pain, invention, community and hope. Together, they reveal a sound that resists a single definition and is unmistakably shaped by the many people, cultures and histories that continue to make America.
"The Arts & The Sound of America" features Martha Bassett, Ben Folds, Ollie Watts Davis, Justin Poindexter, Aristotle Jones, Eric Slick, Madeleine Peyroux, Steven Banks, Rex McGee, G. Phillip Shoultz III, Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Johnny Gandelsman.
The Arts & The Sound of America Transcript
Music in this episode: "Wayfaring Stranger" performed by Justin Poindexter; Ollie Watts Davis singing "Spirituals No. 3, Deep River" with Jupiter Quintet and Stephen A. Taylor as arranger; "The Ascent of Stan" by Ben Folds; "American" by Madeleine Peyroux; a rendition of "Sally Goodwin" by Rex McGee; Mary-Mitchell Campbell playing "Being Alive" on piano; "Over It" by Eric Slick; "Come As You Are" by Steven Banks; "One More Run" by Martha Bassett; Olivia Davis' "Steeped III," from In a Circle Records, performed by Johnny Gandelsman; "Streets of Osage" by Aristotle Jones; and G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conducting "Redeem the Dream" at a Sing Democracy 250 performance.
The Arts & Everything is a UNCSA Media podcast hosted by Brian Cole and produced by Maria Wurttele and Sasha Hartzell. Executive producers are Katherine Johnson and Kory Kelly, and Louie Poore is the associate producer. Creative Design is Alli Myers Gagnon and Digital Strategy is Natalie Shrader. Theme music was composed by Chris Heckman and performed by Chris Heckman, André Vasconcellos, Miah Kay Cardoza and Gabe Lopez.