Best Shaefer Podcasts (2025)

1
Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O, In-Studio (Encore Edition) 35:50

Play Pause

1d ago35:50

35:50

New York-based drummer and educator Matt Wilson has performed with and/or played on many recordings by other musicians - Joe Lovano, John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Lee Konitz, among others - and leads ensembles of his own, but at this time of year, the thing he might be best known for is his Christmas Tree-O. And yes, he went there – putting a pun r…

1
EP. 186 – Finding purpose beyond law (Jodi Ettenberg, Legal Nomads) 52:47

3d ago52:47

52:47

This episode features a conversation with Jodi Ettenberg, a former lawyer who left her corporate practice in 2008 to travel the world and become a successful travel writer and entrepreneur. Host Janelle Wrigley explores Jodi's unconventional journey from billing 3,000 hours as a first-year attorney in New York to building Legal Nomads, a pioneering…

1
Jerome Henry Brudos | The Lust Killer - Part 1 29:24

3d ago29:24

29:24

He was breathing heavily, although it had taken so little effort to swing the length of two-by-four against her head and feel the satisfying impact when it hit. She had dropped like a stone, collapsing without a sound beyond the initial thud. He knelt beside her and checked to see if she was still breathing. He thought he detected a slight movement…

1
Jazz-Leaning Donny McCaslin Band Grooves With Crunch, In-Studio 37:00

4d ago37:00

37:00

Saxophonist and composer Donny McCaslin has been playing with jazz luminaries like Maria Schneider and Dave Douglas, and leading his own band, for a couple of decades. But he’s best known for his work with David Bowie, who basically hired Donny’s whole ensemble to be the band on his final album Blackstar. His latest, Lullaby for the Lost, is a guit…

1
Composer and Producer Kelly Moran's Prepared Piano Meets Electronica, In-Studio 41:51

9d ago41:51

41:51

New York-based classically trained composer and musician Kelly Moran’s music draws on everything from classical to dance to metal, but ends up sounding like none of those. She has become known for her music for prepared piano – a regular piano whose strings have things like metal or wood placed on the strings to alter the sound. Moran has also work…

1
Montreal's Psych-Art Rockers The Besnard Lakes, In-Studio 38:39

12d ago38:39

38:39

The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse. The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night. The Besnard Lakes Are The Last Of The Great Thunderstorm Warnings. The Besnard Lakes are a rock band from Montreal with a knack for intriguing album titles. Their latest is The Besnard Lakes Are The Ghostly Nation, a collection of arty, often psychedelic songs about a so…

1
Brooklyn Band Momma Plays Unplugged, In-Studio 32:32

16d ago32:32

32:32

The Brooklyn band called Momma revolves around the singing and songwriting team of Etta Friedman and Allegra Weingarten who combine gauzy vocal harmonies with walls of roaring guitars. Their 2022 album Household Name was a critical favorite, and their 2025 album, Welcome To My Blue Sky, builds on that success with songs about longing, infidelity, l…

1
Rourke O'Brien on the Impact of Spending by Different Levels of Government 32:10

16d ago32:10

32:10

There has been a lot of research on the impact of levels of public expenditures on a variety of social outcomes, including health and economic mobility. But beyond the dollars spent, some researchers say that we should also be considering what level of government oversees that spending. For this episode, Dr. Rourke O'Brien joins us to discuss his r…

1
EP. 185 – Navigating the return-to-office landscape (Kate Dodd, Pinsent Masons) 40:14

17d ago40:14

40:14

This episode examines the post-Covid trend among many employers to increase the number of days staff are expected to attend their place of work. Host Yasmin Sheikh sits down with UK employment law expert Kate Dodd to discuss the evolving landscape of workplace culture and the legal considerations surrounding hybrid work. Kate is a partner at Pinsen…

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 8 29:39

17d ago29:39

29:39

Blake rested his hand on his service revolver, weighing the morality of gunning Boone down on the courthouse steps, when he heard the news. Boone didn’t have the cash. He possessed neither valuables sufficient to pawn nor property to offer a money lender. By the end of the day, during which he had performed some truly fantastic work, Mr. Bishop beg…

1
Icelandic Pianist Eydís Evenson Shares Elemental Lessons of LIfe and Nature 37:41

19d ago37:41

37:41

The Icelandic keyboardist and composer Eydís Evensen has released three albums of music that blends classical lyricism with the repeating patterns of post-minimalist music. "Her compositions, guided by emotion, are intimate explorations of mourning, hope, reflection, and renewal—creating a world that invites listeners to feel their way through the …

1
Boyish Brings Walls of Guitars to the 'Gun' Show, In-Studio 34:27

23d ago34:27

34:27

The L.A-based, Brooklyn-born band called Boyish is built around the songwriting of India Shore and Claire Altendahl, and while they’ve been releasing music since 2018, they’ve just put out their debut album, called Gun. The album presents a series of scenes and character studies from a fictional American town called Gun, which seems to be haunted –…

1
English Singer Patrick Wolf Plays Artful Baroque Pop, In-Studio 40:52

26d ago40:52

40:52

English singer and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Wolf built his sizable reputation on a blend of Baroque pop and arty, classically-informed folk-rock. But a series of setbacks kept him from the music scene for a decade, before he returned with an EP in 2023, and in June of 2025, his latest LP called Crying The Neck. Patrick Wolf joins us at the pia…

1
Dusty Psych-Soul and Fiery Groove From Black Pumas (Archives) 32:20

30d ago32:20

32:20

Both old and new, Austin-based band Black Pumas is centered around guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada and 27-year-old songwriter Eric Burton. Grammy Award-winning Quesada has played in Grupo Fantasma and Brownout, and accompanied artists from Prince to Daniel Johnston. Burton grew up in church and then got heavily involved in musical theater. He…

1
Soundcheck Special - American Musicians Ashley Jackson and Ken Pomeroy 57:44

1M ago57:44

57:44

Listen to music from American musicians, the harpist Ashley Jackson and the Oklahoma-based Cherokee singer and songwriter Ken Pomeroy. Both sets come from our Soundcheck series of live performances and interviews, available as a twice-weekly podcast, wherever you get podcasts. With her clever guitar playing and powerful stories, Oklahoma-based Cher…

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 7 28:55

1M ago28:55

28:55

His first victim stood blind drunk, pissing on the side of the trading post. Boone simply strolled up behind him, placed the pistol barrel to his nape, and pulled the trigger. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theserialkillerpodcast Website: https://www.theserialkillerpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theskpodcast Instagram: https://www…

1
Irish Folk Duo Ye Vagabonds Go Backwards to Look Forwards 38:07

1M ago38:07

38:07

Ye Vagabonds are brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn. They grew up in rural Carlow but moved to Dublin in 2012 and became known on the traditional Irish, blues and folk scenes in the city, playing folk songs as well as their own original material, (Bandcamp). They’re part a wave of bands who’ve remade or extended the folk tradition; they’ve also…

1
Indigenous Latin-Jazz-Ambient-Soul From Cochemea, In-Studio 37:23

1M ago37:23

37:23

Cochemea is a sax player, composer and arranger who spent some years playing vintage-style soul with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, as well as stints with Amy Winehouse, David Byrne, hip hop duo Run The Jewels and dozens more. Born Cochemea Gastelum into an Indigenous Yaqui family in California, he’s found time over the past few years to release thr…

1
EP. 184 – What your headshot says about your practice (Chris Gillett, lawyer turned photographer) 51:15

1M ago51:15

51:15

In this episode, Teneé Frazier sits down with Chris Gillett, owner of Chris Gillett Photography and a former trial attorney, to explore how lawyers can strategically use headshots to communicate their professional brand. Discover why your headshot is more than just a photo – it’s your first impression, a confidence booster, and a tool for shaping h…

1
Polish Pianist and Composer Hania Rani Expands Her Sonic Palette with 'Non Fiction' 34:38

1M ago34:38

34:38

The now London-based Polish pianist and composer Hania Rani quickly attracted fans with her 2019 album of solo piano works in the post-classical style, a blend of classical lyricism and minimalist patterns. Her later albums expanded to include electronics, and her voice; she is equally versed in the music of composers like Philip Glass and bands li…

1
Master Violinist, Vocalist, and Composer L. Shankar, In-Studio 34:47

1M ago34:47

34:47

Master violinist/vocalist/composer L. Shankar (aka Shenkar) has spent the past four decades developing a personal style that ranges from strict Indian classical music to Western instrumental pop although usually he lands somewhere in the middle. Since playing his first solo concert at the age of seven, he has gone on to accompany many of South Indi…

1
Luke Shaefer on the RX Kids Cash Transfer Program 39:35

1M ago39:35

39:35

Unconditional cash transfers programs are being piloted across the country. For this episode, Dr. Luke Shaefer shares his work with RX Kids—the nation's first-ever, community-wide, prenatal and infant cash prescription program, which is taking place in Michigan. This innovative model uses a mix of TANF funds in combination with philanthropic dollar…

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 6 32:35

2M ago32:35

32:35

Burton tried to speak, to beg for mercy, but his throat had clamped shut, parched and brittle as ancient parchment left too long in the sun. His voice only clawed its way back in a ragged, desperate croak the instant Boone pressed the knife down against the flesh of his right leg, just above the knee, and the first thin, crimson line of blood welle…

1
Tommy Emmanuel, C.G.P., Chases the Ecstatic Via Guitar Instrumentals, In-Studio 37:06

2M ago37:06

37:06

The Australian-born musician and songwriter Tommy Emmanuel is a virtuoso guitarist and Grammy winner who has played with everyone from the legendary Chet Atkins to younger guitarists like Jason Isbell and Billy Strings. Long based in Nashville, he’s been releasing solo albums pretty regularly since 1979. His new record is called Living In The Light…

1
Guitarist and Songwriter Brad Barr Stretches Out In a Trio, In-Studio 43:01

2M ago43:01

43:01

The Barr Brothers, the indie-folk-rock band from Montreal, have just released their first album in eight years called Let It Hiss. Brad Barr, the band’s singer, guitarist and songwriter is a versatile collaborator and risk-taker who revels in making unusual sounds. The latest songs can be folk-leaning, or may draw from the blues and American songwr…

1
EP. 183 – Reforming health laws for better outcomes (Mandeep Dhaliwal, United Nations Development Programme) 50:52

2M ago50:52

50:52

Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of the HIV and Health Group at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) joins host Janelle Wrigley to discuss how legal frameworks and governance shape health outcomes worldwide. Drawing on more than 25 years at the intersection of health policy and human rights, Mandeep explains the UNDP's mission and her experien…

1
Portuguese Singer Carminho Distills the Fatal Romanticism of Fado 31:31

2M ago31:31

31:31

The Portuguese singer and songwriter Carminho is one of the leading singers in the style known as fado – the deeply soulful, melancholy music that is somewhat akin to Spanish flamenco or American blues. She has collaborated with the iconic Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso, performed for the late Pope Francis, recorded with Steve Albini, and made a…

1
Mexican Songwriter and Producer Silvana Estrada Shares Her Heart And Finds Joyful Melodies 35:02

2M ago35:02

35:02

The Mexican singer Silvana Estrada made an immediate impression with her debut LP Marchita back in 2022. Quickly hailed as a unique voice in Latin music for her blend of jazz, chamber music, and traditional folk, Estrada took her time making her follow-up album, and it appears to have been time well-spent: Vendrán Suaves Lluvias, or “there will com…

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 5 47:19

2M ago47:19

47:19

A few of the abandoned men, their wills broken, staggered blindly after Boone and Burton once they finally realized the terrible deception. But in tragically little time, they were completely snow-blind and hopelessly lost, staggering aimlessly away from the faint path and each other as the relentless, creeping tendrils of hypothermia finally took …

1
Singer-Songwriter Meklit Embeds Ethiopian Traditions and Connects Cultures, In-Studio 38:01

2M ago38:01

38:01

The singer Meklit, born Meklit Hadero in Ethiopia, is based in the Bay Area, where she has released a number of albums that blend jazz, pop, and soul with the echoes of Ethiopian pop. Her latest album, A Piece of Infinity, finds Meklit singing mostly in Amharic, and looking back to what is sometimes called the Golden Age of Ethiopian music – the ti…

1
Canadian Singer and Composer Patrick Watson Features Other Voices, While Recovering His Own 42:54

2M ago42:54

42:54

Canadian singer and composer Patrick Watson has been making records for almost a quarter century – with a cinematic blend of indie rock, cabaret pop, and chamber music that has made him a favorite of film directors and music supervisors. His latest record, Uh Oh, is the result of a pretty big uh-oh moment for a singer: Watson lost his voice. He tho…

1
The Antlers Consider Nature Under Siege in New Song Cycle, In-Studio 33:59

2M ago33:59

33:59

American indie rock band The Antlers began almost 20 years ago as a solo project from singer and songwriter Peter Silberman. While the previous album, Green To Gold, was a pastoral, almost folky affair, the new album, Blight, is almost like a classical song cycle, and is a musical warning about nature under siege. “The consequences of accelerating …

1
Bell Jazz Award Winner Sullivan Fortner's Joyful Piano Adventures, In-Studio 42:48

2M ago42:48

42:48

GRAMMY-winning musical omnivore Sullivan Fortner merges New Orleans grit and spice with invention (and not just J.S. Bach), for an alchemical jazz that is wise, feisty, mischievous, and dynamic. His exposure to R&B, soul, and gospel at home; his time at Oberlin and the influence of various teachers in jazz and classical disciplines; and his longtim…

1
IRP Book Talk: Diana Hernandez and Jennifer Laird on Energy Insecurity 41:07

2M ago41:07

41:07

Millions of households in the United States struggle to maintain access to the energy necessary to heat and cool their home, to have power to cook and have hot water, and to literally keep the lights on. And a disconnection—or even the threat of having your power turned off—can be devastating. For this episode, Dr. Diana Hernandez and Dr. Jennifer …

1
EP. 182 – Lucy Letby: the role of expert testimony in criminal trials 38:19

2M ago38:19

38:19

This episode delves into the infamous case of Lucy Letby – a neonatal nurse convicted of multiple murders and attempted murders of babies at a UK hospital. Our guest is Dr Sarah Bennett – a lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University's School of Law and Justice Studies. Sarah's conversation with host Becky Annison explores the complexities of expe…

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 4 47:36

2M ago47:36

47:36

When the sun finally rose, he methodically availed himself of the dead's belongings, precisely as he always did, but for the first time, he could not bring himself to look directly at the body. Usually, he felt absolutely no sting of remorse or burning shame—he had successfully convinced himself that he was entirely immune to such weak human frailt…

1
Spanish-born Pablopablo, Bending Latin Music Traditions 32:09

2M ago32:09

32:09

The Spanish-born singer, songwriter and producer Pablopablo recently released his debut LP, but he’d already built up an impressive array of writing and producing credits, winning Latin Grammys back in 2022 under his given name, Pablo Drexler. Those awards were for his work on a collaboration between his father, the popular Uruguayan-born musician …

1
The Sensational Blues Guitarist Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, At Last, In-Studio 31:38

3M ago31:38

31:38

Christone "Kingfish" Ingram has been steeped in the Blues since he was eight years old, when he visited the Delta Blues Museum as a student in Clarksdale, Mississippi (Jackson Advocate). He played drums, bass, and GUITAR and was recognized at a young age for his exceptional musical talent with his debut album Kingfish, in 2019 on Alligator Records.…

1
47SOUL Brings the Shamstep Party With a Message (Archives) 32:39

3M ago32:39

32:39

“Shamstep” band, 47SOUL, take their name from the Arabic name for the Levant region – Bilad al-Sham, with members from Jordan, Washington DC, and Israel - spanning the divides of the Palestinian Diaspora. The music is a mix of dubstep, hip-hop and electro-Arabic dabke with lyrics in both Arabic and English, which are intensely political in their ca…

1
Revisiting The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (From the Archives, 2019) 30:05

3M ago30:05

30:05

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is a musically free-ranging band of brothers from the south side of Chicago. Their music draws from funk, funky jazz, Afrobeat, hip hop, rock, reggae, and R&B, and they’ve performed with Tony Allen, Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, Prince, Femi Kuti, Gorillaz, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), and the B52's, to name a few. Growing up, …

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 3 32:46

3M ago32:46

32:46

She fought him off when she could, her arms straining against his weight, her breath hitching as she prayed for him to collapse into a drunken stupor. On good nights, he’d pass out mid-act, his body slumping onto her like a felled oak, his breath hot and sour against her neck. She would shove him aside, her muscles trembling, and crawl to the edge …

1
Rumbo Tumba Crafts Argentinian Electro-Traditional Music, In-Studio 33:35

3M ago33:35

33:35

Rumbo Tumba is the project of the Argentine musician Facundo Salgado, who uses a looping station and a battery of handmade, traditional South American instruments to create brilliant musical conversations between South American traditions and modern technology. Rumbo Tumba can make an improbable amount of sound, live and alone, constructing sounds …

1
Bill Frisell & Skúli Sverrisson Live at the 2025 New York Guitar Festival 40:08

3M ago40:08

40:08

From the 2025 New York Guitar Festival, hear music from legendary American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and Icelandic bass player Skúli Sverrisson, who were about to go into the studio and record their second album as a duo. Part of the New Sounds Live concerts, the music was recorded at the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn, and wa…

1
EP. 181 – Judith Resnik (Impermissible Punishments) 1:02:28

3M ago1:02:28

1:02:28

Professor Judith Resnik and host Teneé Frazier discuss Judith's book 'Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy' – which explores the complex relationship between punishment, democracy, and social justice. Judith, a Professor of Law at Yale Law School, delves into the historical evolution of prisons in the UK, US, and Eur…

1
Homegrown Brooklyn Bluegrass From Cole Quest & The City Pickers 30:21

3M ago30:21

30:21

Cole Quest & The City Pickers are a bluegrass band from Brooklyn, and if that surprises you, well, the fact is New York City has had a long, strong bluegrass scene going back to the 1950’s. Cole Quest draws on that tradition, and his own family tradition - he’s the grandson of the folk icon Woody Guthrie – in originals and updated versions of Guthr…

1
Soundcheck Special – “Blues Is the Roots” 57:52

3M ago57:52

57:52

The Soundcheck Podcast series offers up music from recent sessions, all revolving around The Blues –at the root of so much popular music, and where the roots have grown into other fruits worldwide. Listen to French-Moroccan band Bab L' Bluz and their hot psychedelic blues spiked with the Gnawa trance rhythms of northern Africa's Maghreb. There’s th…

1
Wry and Lyrical Balladeer Ron Sexsmith, Solo, In-Studio 38:10

3M ago38:10

38:10

Canada’s Ron Sexsmith is a songwriter whose fans include Elvis Costello, Elton John, Paul McCartney, and a few other folks who know a thing or two about that mysterious process. Sexsmith is now forty years into his career, with 18 albums, three of Canada’s Juno Awards, and a novel to show for it. His latest album is called Hangover Terrace, and it …

1
Levi Boone Helm | The Kentucky Cannibal - Part 2 28:07

3M ago28:07

28:07

He’d deliberately pick fights with men leaving the tavern, a predator stalking his prey. Experience had honed his dangerous edge; he was now a skilled brawler, a calculated bully, and stronger than any man had a right to be. The young women of the town, caught in the romantic fantasy of taming a wild man, were drawn to him. But at home, the attenti…

1
Songwriter Cass McCombs Addresses the Mundane and the Mythic 29:16

3M ago29:16

29:16

Distinctive songwriter Cass McCombs takes a broad view of the American experience – from the mundane to the mythic. His new songs from a wide-ranging double album - Interior Live Oak contain “specific detail amid strange painterly settings” (The Guardian) and remain hopeful despite the feeling of listening to someone who has lived the extreme aspec…

1
Omar Sosa Trio Goes Outside the Box, In-Studio 41:50

4M ago41:50

41:50

Pianist and composer Omar Sosa draws on his own Afro-Cuban heritage, American jazz, and spiritual and meditative practices from around the world to create music that defies categorization. He’s traveled widely, especially in Africa, recording the sounds of the people, the animals, and the instruments of those places and sometimes incorporating them…