On today's show, Sun Ra Arkestra guitarist DM Hotep. Philadelphia-born DM Hotep has been a part of the Sun Ra Arkestra for over 25 years. The musical group was originally formed in the 1950s by the keyboardist known as Sun Ra. Ra's all-encompassing imagination claimed his origins were from the planet Saturn, and with light shows, flamboyant costumes and group chants and a musical palette elaborately versed in both the earthly and celestial, the Arkestra were forerunners of the concept of “Afrofuturism,” contributing to the African diaspora's interaction with culture, technology, astronomy and sci-fi themes. “Space is the Place” was one of Sun Ra's main credos, with interstellar exploration and space reoccurring as a regular motif. Sun Ra's band the Arkestra has continued on since his passing in 1993, today led by the 101 year old longtime Arkestra saxophonist Marshall Allen.
We talk to DM about his fascination with the guitar, how he got pulled into the reestablished Arkestra's orbit and how he found his musical place amongst the sometimes 20-plus conglomeration. DM's musical adventures go beyond the Arkestra, he also performs and records with his partner, Arkestra vocalist Tara Middleton in Jupiter Blue, in Kevin Diehl's collaborative Airlft while also curating the residency of Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons, regularly bringing brave musicians from around the world to perform and be conducted by the legendary Marshall Allen. We'll hear samples of DM's work, including some of his film scoring, throughout the conversation.
We also discuss DM's upcoming performance at The Rotunda in Philadelphia, 4014 Walnut Street. At 7pm on Thursday July 10th, DM will be perform a solo ambient set, followed by a screening of Jerome Bixby's THE MAN FROM EARTH, a speculative sci-fi feature, presented by Bright Bulb Screenings.
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On today's show, Sun Ra Arkestra guitarist DM Hotep. Philadelphia-born DM Hotep has been a part of the Sun Ra Arkestra for over 25 years. The musical group was originally formed in the 1950s by the keyboardist known as Sun Ra. Ra's all-encompassing imagination claimed his origins were from the planet Saturn, and with light shows, flamboyant costumes and group chants and a musical palette elaborately versed in both the earthly and celestial, the Arkestra were forerunners of the concept of “Afrofuturism,” contributing to the African diaspora's interaction with culture, technology, astronomy and sci-fi themes. “Space is the Place” was one of Sun Ra's main credos, with interstellar exploration and space reoccurring as a regular motif. Sun Ra's band the Arkestra has continued on since his passing in 1993, today led by the 101 year old longtime Arkestra saxophonist Marshall Allen.
We talk to DM about his fascination with the guitar, how he got pulled into the reestablished Arkestra's orbit and how he found his musical place amongst the sometimes 20-plus conglomeration. DM's musical adventures go beyond the Arkestra, he also performs and records with his partner, Arkestra vocalist Tara Middleton in Jupiter Blue, in Kevin Diehl's collaborative Airlft while also curating the residency of Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons, regularly bringing brave musicians from around the world to perform and be conducted by the legendary Marshall Allen. We'll hear samples of DM's work, including some of his film scoring, throughout the conversation.
We also discuss DM's upcoming performance at The Rotunda in Philadelphia, 4014 Walnut Street. At 7pm on Thursday July 10th, DM will be perform a solo ambient set, followed by a screening of Jerome Bixby's THE MAN FROM EARTH, a speculative sci-fi feature, presented by Bright Bulb Screenings.
On today's show: music historian Elijah Wald. I was just hanging out in my South Philly neighborhood when I happened to get introduced to Elijah, a music historian who has written over a dozen books, mainly on the subject of roots music but also on subjects as diverse as hitchhiking, the cultural phenomenon known as “the Dozens” and the genetics industry. Elijah won a Grammy for his liner notes in 2002, had the book he co-authored with Dave Van Ronk adapted for the Coen Bros. 2013 film, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS as well as making the scene as a guitarist rooted in the folk blues tradition.
It's just one of Elijah's books that we focused on in this episode, the 2009 publication, “How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music” from the Oxford University Press. The Beatles don't actually appear until near the book's climax, the book's main focus is as a corrective to past musical tomes that distort 20th century history by focusing on the canon of artistically “important artists” at the expense of minimizing many of the commercially dominant artists of their day. It's a rich and challenging book, impeccably researched as well as being highly-readable. We'll dive into the books many ideas, along the way discussing, Guy Lombardo, Paul Whiteman, Tom Waits and Ricky Nelson, as well as The Stones, The Beatles, Dylan and the Three Degrees as well as examining how gender biases cloud the story of 20th century music. You can find out more about Elijah at elijahwald–dot-com
Fun 2 Know Podcast
On today's show, Sun Ra Arkestra guitarist DM Hotep. Philadelphia-born DM Hotep has been a part of the Sun Ra Arkestra for over 25 years. The musical group was originally formed in the 1950s by the keyboardist known as Sun Ra. Ra's all-encompassing imagination claimed his origins were from the planet Saturn, and with light shows, flamboyant costumes and group chants and a musical palette elaborately versed in both the earthly and celestial, the Arkestra were forerunners of the concept of “Afrofuturism,” contributing to the African diaspora's interaction with culture, technology, astronomy and sci-fi themes. “Space is the Place” was one of Sun Ra's main credos, with interstellar exploration and space reoccurring as a regular motif. Sun Ra's band the Arkestra has continued on since his passing in 1993, today led by the 101 year old longtime Arkestra saxophonist Marshall Allen.
We talk to DM about his fascination with the guitar, how he got pulled into the reestablished Arkestra's orbit and how he found his musical place amongst the sometimes 20-plus conglomeration. DM's musical adventures go beyond the Arkestra, he also performs and records with his partner, Arkestra vocalist Tara Middleton in Jupiter Blue, in Kevin Diehl's collaborative Airlft while also curating the residency of Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons, regularly bringing brave musicians from around the world to perform and be conducted by the legendary Marshall Allen. We'll hear samples of DM's work, including some of his film scoring, throughout the conversation.
We also discuss DM's upcoming performance at The Rotunda in Philadelphia, 4014 Walnut Street. At 7pm on Thursday July 10th, DM will be perform a solo ambient set, followed by a screening of Jerome Bixby's THE MAN FROM EARTH, a speculative sci-fi feature, presented by Bright Bulb Screenings.
