Bandsplain
Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists—and why people love them.
Latest Episodes
Chris Ryan and Amanda Dobbins join Yasi to revisit the Strokes and their influence on the guitar rock that followed in their wake. They discuss the band's meteoric rise, Julian Casablancas’s distinctive songwriting, the model-filled audiences that helped fuel the band’s early buzz, and how their debut album, 'Is This It,' somehow lived up to the overwhelming hype. Plus, the pressure following their early success, the band’s uneven output in the years that followed, and their resurgence in the TikTok age.
Episode Playlist
Listen to The Strokes Playlist here
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CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Amanda Dobbins @akdobbins, Chris Ryan @crashactivated
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Sarah Lewitinn (music journalist, restaurateur, and the artist formerly known as Ultragrrrl) joins Yasi to revisit Interpol and the early 2000s New York landscape they emerged from. They discuss their international origins, the dogged Joy Division comparisons, and the pressure to follow up on an instant classic, as well as the steady and surprising arc of their career and output leading up to their latest album, this year’s 'This Mirror Weighs a Ton.'
Episode Playlist
Listen to the Interpol Playlist here
Subscribe on YouTube
CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Sarah Lewitinn @ultragrrrl
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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It’s draft day, and Yasi is joined by Rob Mahoney and Sean Fennessey for a generational Indie Sleaze Draft. But first, what actually counts as indie sleaze? Are the Strokes so important that they get their own category? And can you win by simply drafting Yeah Yeah Yeahs in every category? (You can if you draft with your heart.) Plus: the return of Sparks (not the band)!
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CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Rob Mahoney @robmahoney and Sean Fennessey @seanfennessey
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Jason Stewart (How Long Gone) joins Yasi to talk about “House of Jealous Lovers,” the Rapture’s cowbell-powered anthem that fused punk and dance and helped define the electroclash era. They discuss the band’s early days on Sub Pop, the song taking shape in the hands of James Murphy and DFA, the band’s move to a major label, and the fallout that followed. Plus, a look back at Cinespace Tuesdays in Hollywood, DJing across the globe, and an important question: Why was will.i.am everywhere all the time?
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CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Jason Stewart @themjeans
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Journalist Jenny Eliscu joins Yasi to talk all things Yeah Yeah Yeahs, from their wild early days in New York to their place as one of the most important bands of the 2000s. They discuss the term indie sleaze, debate whether the Yeah Yeah Yeahs deserve the crown as the era’s best band, break down why “Maps” remains an all-time classic, and explore the tensions that have shaped the band throughout its career. Plus, growing up in the spotlight, surviving the hype, and where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs fit in today’s music landscape.
Episode Playlist
Listen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Playlist here.
Subscribe on YouTube.
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Jenny Eliscu @jennylsq
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Music journalist and EIC of Shaad Magazine Shaad D’Souza joins Yasi to talk about the best new music coming out of the U.K. right now. They discuss how they find new artists, gimmicks vs. authenticity, the Windmill scene, and the importance of going to shows in the algorithm era.
Next, one of our favorite new U.K. bands, Mary in the Junkyard, sits down with Yasi to talk about coming up in south London, the not-very-secret identity of the old man on their album cover, and the benefits of tumbling. Plus, a reenactment of the very important phone call that brought the band together.
Episode Playlist
Listen to the Best New U.K. Music Playlist here
Subscribe on YouTube
CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guests: Shaad D’Souza @shaad, Mary in the Junkyard @maryinthejunkyrd
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Whitmer Thomas ('Terminal Crew of Dudes,' 'Weapons') joins Yasi to break down "Iris," the Goo Goo Dolls hit that became one of the defining songs of the late ’90s. They discuss the song’s origins on the 'City of Angels' soundtrack, the band’s punk beginnings, John Rzeznik’s singular and deeply inspiring (to Whitmer) hairstyle, and that iconic, rain-drenched performance of "Iris" in their hometown of Buffalo that somehow made a perfect song even more perfect.
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CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Whitmer Thomas @whitmerthomas
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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It's time for a loaded mailbag, and Yasi is handling this one solo. She’s tackling questions on skin-care routines, the importance of physical media, and the best venues for seeing a show. Plus: Learn whether 24 is too old. (Spoiler: It’s not.)
Next, Iceage’s Elias Bender Ronnenfelt and Johan Suurballe Wieth join Yasi to discuss their new album, 'For Love of Grace & the Hereafter.' They talk about the Copenhagen music scene, the epiphany of direction, scoring films, and befriending crows.
Check out Iceage’s ‘For Love of Grace & the Hereafter’ here
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CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Elias Bender Rønnenfelt and Johan Suurballe Wieth @iceage
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrien Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Sean Fennessey joins Yasi to build the Music Biopic Hall of Fame, from the 1940s to today. Along the way, they consider what makes a great music biopic, why rock and roll lends itself so well to the genre, and why a great central performance doesn’t always mean a great movie. Plus: Yasi’s cocurated Criterion Channel collection, the movies that belong in the trash, and the TV movie that ‘Odyssey’ star Matt Damon really deserved an Oscar for.
Check out the curated Criterion Channel collection here.
Plus: Yasi and Sean on 24 Hour Party People
And the Top 20 on Letterboxd
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CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Sean Fennessey @seanfennessey
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Jon Jones
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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Yasi is joined by returning guest Patrik Sandberg to revisit the soundtrack to 1980 cult film ‘Times Square.’ They cover the scrapped love story between its two leads, the producer’s efforts to turn the project into the next ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ and the decision to market its sprawling punk and new wave soundtrack ahead of the movie itself. Plus: Patrik’s mini deep dive on legendary producer Robert Stigwood and why the greatest influence 'Times Square’ had might be on the generation that followed it.
CREDITS:
Host: Yasi Salek @yasisalek
Guest: Patrik Sandberg @patriksandberg
Producer: Rob Sundermann
Editor: Adrian Bridges
Additional Production Supervision: Justin Sayles
Theme Song: Bethany Cosentino
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