Musician Tucker Zimmerman is a bit of a musical Forrest Gump. In his 83 years he has sipped coffee with the Beats in San Francisco, taught David Bowie how to record in a studio, and now he has made an album with Big Thief. Dance of Love is a freewheeling album that brings intergenerational hippies together into one common feeling.

This week for What Where When-sday, we discuss Concert and Conversation: Night Train to Lovenoise: A Generation Journey of Black Music in Nashville. The event is taking place this Saturday at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum from 2:30 to 4.

A.G. Sully grew up in Hartselle, Alabama, just a few hours away from Nashville. She describes it as very small and very conservative, but it’s a place that shaped her to become who she is today. She said she started writing around sophomore year of college writing her first songs "Lil Mama" and "FOMO" which she wrote inside one of the practice rooms at MTSU. The music she started to make was a far cry from the Christian music she was used to singing. She describes her songwriting as linear and wouldn’t say it was super structured. Like many artists, she takes inspiration from what’s going on in her personal life. Her life between Space to Think and her new record, Premonition of Rain, has been vastly different and its reflected in the songwriting.

Alt-rock legends Violent Femmes are touring in 2024 celebrating the 40th anniversary of their sophomore release 'Hallowed Ground.' But in certain cities -- including Nashville on October 9 -- they're playing a wide selection from their discography with the accompaniment of symphony orchestras. Femmes frontman Gordon Gano shared with WNXP about the experience playing with so many instrumentalists, and also the sustained musical chemistry with bandmate Brian Ritchie.

This week for What Where When-sday, we discuss the Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival happening this Saturday at Centennial Park.

Our special guest this week is former Nashvillian JD McPherson. He explains why the new record, Nite Owls, took seven years to arrive, how his daughter inspired one its greatest songs and how his covers EP opened the door to the new album’s direction.

Our Record of the Week is with newly crowned guitar god, MJ Lenderman, where he talks about his new found attention, the character studies of Manning Fireworks and learning about rock music through Guitar Hero.

After her single “labour” took the internet by storm, audiences worldwide impatiently awaited Paris Paloma’s debut full length. Luckily, Cacophony lived up to the hype. Inspired by Stephen Fry’s book of Greek myth retellings “Mythos,” Cacophony processes anxiety, oppression and trauma through brilliant songwriting and ethereal vocal layering. It’s hauntingly beautiful and unexpectedly textured.Watch Paris Paloma perform “my mind (now),” “bones on the beach” and “labour” from Cacophony live at WNXP’s Sonic Cathedral here.

Honeyglaze, the South London trio whose Fat Possum debut Real Deal has already produced two singles you’ve heard on WNXP in “Don’t” and “Pretty Girls” and whose ability to add soaring melody and nuanced vocals to a post-punk foundation helps them jump the line of soundalikes.

This week for What Where When-sday, we discuss Show Yourself Music and Activation Fest with Alex Wong and Leah Light. Happening this Sunday at the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition in South Nashville, the fest will feature music from Wong, Mike Floss, Ruby Amanfu, Brassville, Vienna Teng and Steph Jacques, and will be hosted by comedian Cortney Warner with appearances from Equity Alliance and TIRRC Votes.

Chicago’s indie music scene is bursting at the seams with young talent. Yet few are as cohesive as laid-back quartet Slow Pulp. Country-tinged indie rock with a hint of shoegaze combined with emotional songwriting makes Slow Pulp’s music sink into your body like a warm cup of coffee. It’s breezy and welcoming. Their latest full length Yard embraces that sense of comfort, blending fuzzy guitars with sweet instrumental arrangements that showcase Slow Pulp’s undeniable chemistry as a band.Watch Slow Pulp perform Yard standouts “Doubt,” “Slugs” and “Cramps” live at WNXP’s Sonic Cathedral here.

Nada Surf's "Moon Mirror" the veteran indie rock band's 10th LP now out on New West Records, is WNXP's Record of the Week. The band's front man Matthew Caws dropped by our studio to talk about the record and play songs solo acoustic.

There’s a sub-genre of documentaries that track down figures who’ve disappeared from public view. A new film called “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” captures Shane as a powerhouse R&B performer and a Black, trans woman who got her start in Nashville, then took the Toronto scene by storm in the 1960s. She eventually stopped performing and no one knew where she was. Decades later, Shane was excited to be found by a filmmaker, but she died before they could really get to work. Senior music writer Jewly Hight says the challenge became figuring out how to do justice to a performer who’d never been properly appreciated even in life.

Hinds is the duo of Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote who hail from Madrid, Spain and have made "VIVA HINDS" our Record of the Week.

Legendary singer, songwriter, and producer Swamp Dogg has a new documentary called "Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted" which you can check out during Americana and Nashville Film Fest. Director Isaac Gale and editor Paul Lovelace joined us to talk about the film and the subject of the film Swamp Dogg talks Americana Fest & new album Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th ST.

One name that has kept popping up in the Nashville hip-hop scene since the late 2010s is Lul Lion. At shows, on projects and in collectives, she was often the only woman in the mix. And her music is really the only record there is of her story — she’s rarely given an interview.The Tennessee native seemed to drop off the radar last year. Senior music writer Jewly Hight tracked her down in her current home LA, where she’s been reinventing herself. Her new EP, “Speed of Love,” is WNXP’s Record of the Week.

After six full length records, indie rock veterans Real Estate show no sign of slowing down or staying complacent. Their latest record Daniel showcases the band’s ability to create consistently hooky songs that are universally approachable and pleasant, but it also pushes their sound to new bounds. Recorded at the historic RCA Studio A in Nashville, the New Jersey quintet embraced a bit of twangy tradition, following the current trends of many of their indie peers. Still, Real Estate stays loyal to the jangly guitars and sweet songwriting fans have come to expect.Watch Real Estate perform “Water Underground,” “Flowers” and “Haunted World” live at WNXP’s Sonic Cathedral here.

This week for What Where When-sday, we talk Hispanic Heritage Month with WPLN’s own Rachel Iacovone.

Most artists move to Nashville to be part of the music community and land opportunities in the business. Not Conner Youngblood. He’s the WNXP Nashville Artist of the Month. And he’s quietly done his thing here for a dozen years. Senior music writer Jewly Hight met up with him at the one place that tenuously connects his new latest project to Nashville.

This week for What Where When-sday, we discuss Silent Book Club with the founder of Nashville’s chapter and the owner of the local bookstore that’s co-hosting. Silent Book Club is happening at various locations throughout the month of September, and on.