

Bandsplain
The Ringer
Bandsplain is a show where host Yasi Salek invites experts to explain cult bands and iconic artists—and why people love them.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 8, 2023 • 2h 3min
The Sundays with Hazel Cills
Two people fell in love at University and then they started writing good pop songs. Decades later they still can’t see what the big deal is, but they released three albums as The Sundays, and people never got over it. NPR editor Hazel Cills joins us to discuss the idyllic sounds and reasonable attitudes of this short lived, yet perpetually ongoing band.
Follow Hazel Cills on Twitter @HazelCills
Listen to the song we detail in the episode HERE
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Jun 1, 2023 • 3h 25min
The National with Jeremy Bolm
Are you a tote carrying member of the Sad Dad’s club? What does it look like if you tell a different guy to draw a man? You’re going to find out, babe. This week on Bandsplain, frontman, writer, label owner and podcast host Jeremy Bolm joins us to discuss Brooklyn’s own Cincinnati band, The National.
Follow Jeremy Bolm on Twitter @JeremyXBolm
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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May 25, 2023 • 2h 1min
Dave Matthews Band Redux: Part 2 with Grayson Haver Currin
Part 2 of the DMB resplaining picks up right where we left off. Dave and the guys are jammed up recording, and things get a little off the rails from there. Host Yasi Salek and returning guest Grayson Haver Currin take the listener from the early internet confusion of the Lillywhite Sessions to present day and the band’s latest album, 2023’s Walk Around the Moon.
Follow Grayson Haver Currin on Twitter @currincy
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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May 18, 2023 • 3h
Dave Matthews Band Redux: Part 1 with Grayson Haver Currin
Sometimes when you really love something, you don’t let it go, you revisit it again and again. That’s why we’re resplaining the Dave Matthews Band, babe. Longtime music critic and newspaper editor Grayson Haver Currin is back with us to give Dave and the Band the full Bandsplain treatment they deserve. This first episode takes us from long before Miller’s bar in Charlottesville to the heights of popularity and fame somewhere in between the Chicago river and an infamous unfinished recording session.
Follow Grayson Haver Currin on Twitter @currincy.
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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May 11, 2023 • 1h 28min
Listener Mailbag with Rob Harvilla
Rob Harvilla joins Yasi to go through listener questions. Should you resent your poser ex boyfriend? Will there ever be a cult band again? And what do you playlist for your HIIT class?? Plus a special guest you’ve all missed as much as we have.
Follow Rob Harvilla on Twitter @Harvilla
Follow Producer Jesse on Twitter @ItsMeJMG
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May 4, 2023 • 3h 56min
The White Stripes with Sean Fennessey
Six Albums, two members. The White Stripes were there and then they weren’t. Breaking through from Detroit’s garage scene and rock n’ roll tradition to worldwide success, you now hear Seven Nation Army in arenas around the world they’ve never been to and will never play week after week. Find out how a complicated sounding relationship was simple, and a legend took shape. This week we are joined by Ringer Head of Content, podcast extraordinaire, and longtime music writer, Sean Fennessey, as we work through how an unlikely group made perfect sense for international glory.
Follow Sean Fennessey on Twitter: @SeanFennessey
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Apr 27, 2023 • 3h 15min
Paramore with Ira Madison III
Paramore exploded into the popular consciousness in the mid aughts only a couple short years after forming, releasing their first records while the members were still hovering between teenagerdom and adulthood. Through all the push and pull this band has managed to grow and continue to put out compelling music with an evolving sound. We are joined by the amazing and prolific writer and podcaster Ira Madison III to discuss how Paramore found their way into so many hearts and minds.
Follow Ira Madison III on Twitter: @iramadisonthree
Listen to the songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Apr 20, 2023 • 3h 11min
No Doubt with Bethany Cosentino
Would you believe us if we told you there was a moment in 1995 when some people wondered out loud if Anaheim was the new Seattle? To find out how this happened, join Yasi and this week’s returning guest Bethany Cosentino as they dig deep into their SoCal roots and traverse the career of Orange County’s No Doubt. From their late 80’s formation to mid 90’s explosion and eventual early aughts pop renaissance, No Doubt emerged as one of the signposts for alternative music at the end of the 20th century. Tune in as we retrace that journey from the beginning to present day.
You Can Follow Bethany on Twitter @Bestcoast
Listen to songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Apr 13, 2023 • 1h 20min
The 2002 Music Draft with Chris Ryan and Rob Harvilla
Chris Ryan and Rob Harvilla return to Bandsplain Arena with our star player Yasi. On this episode we dive into the heart of indie sleaze: 2002. Interpol has New Yorkers up all night and Dr. Dre is teaming up with Gwen Stefani and Eve. Tune in to find out who rates what from this cursed year, and why they love it.
You can follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisRyan77
You can follow Rob on Twitter @Harvilla
Listen to songs we detail in the episode HERE
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Apr 6, 2023 • 2h 34min
Depeche Mode: Part 2 with Patrik Sandberg
That’s right listeners, you’re back taking a ride with your best friend. Our Heroes Yasi and Patrik return to hack their way through the second half of Depeche Mode’s monster career, in which they navigate fame, fortune and the 90s, as well as the spectre of Dave Gahan’s goatee. How did they survive it all? Listen to the opposite of silence to find out.
You can follow Patrik on Twitter @PatrikSandberg
Listen to songs we detail in the episode HERE
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