Michael May

Reggae music often draws on Old Testament mythology about the exodus and the promised land, but in America its fans are usually pretty secular. A singer named Matisyahu is changing that. He's a Hasidic Jew, and his shows are packed with young Orthodox men as well as dreadlocked ...

In 2005, the rock songwriter collapsed after a show and nearly died from complications of Hepatitis C. Ill and depressed, Alejandro Escovedo put rock and roll behind him. He told us about the gift that got him singing again. His new album is Real Animal. ...

Synesthesia causes people to hear music -– or see letters or numbers -– in color. Neuroscience is beginning to unravel what’s going on in the brains of people with this cerebral phenomenon, but hasn’t yet explained why the genetic mutation exists. V.S. Ramachandran, Director of the Center ...

Country music legend Willie Nelson says that when he was a child, he heard a heavenly tune that's been under his skin ever since. Produced by Michael May.

You might know the band Wall of Voodoo from their oddball hit music video "Mexican Radio." The group's lead singer, Stan Ridgway, says that silly bit of 80s pop was inspired by Eraserhead, David Lynch’s totally creepy experimental movie. Produced by

In 2003, Singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo collapsed after a show in Arizona. He was rushed to the hospital, where he nearly died from complications of Hepatitis C. Escovedo told producer Michael May about the gift that got him singing again.

The members of Refugee All Stars met in a refugee camp in Guinea, near their native Sierra Leone, a country shattered by civil war. KUT's Michael May met up with the band during their visit to South by Southwest festival in Austin, TX.

Dave Alvin founder of the rock band "The Blasters," talks about the time he almost quit music. Produced by Michael May.

Country music legend Willie Nelson says that when he was a child, he heard a heavenly tune that got under his skin forever. Produced by Michael May.

Lisa Fittipaldi was an accountant before she went blind in the early 90s. After she lost her sight, she also lost her job and became depressed. In an act of desperation, her husband bought her a paint set. Fittipaldi began painting, working out the shapes through touch and ...

Legendary singer-songwriter Willie Nelson told Michael May that when he was a child, he heard a heavenly tune that got under his skin forever.

There was a time when Latin American artists believed abstract art could help perfect society. An exhibit called Inverted Utopias, currently running at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, traces this period, which ran from the 1920s to the 1960s. Michael May visits the exhibit and speaks with one ...

In Austin, Texas a movie theater called the Alamo Drafthouse has figured out a dreamy summertime way to screen its movies — an all-day canoe ride. Michael May joined the audience members as they paddled canoes down the Colorado River on their way to watch the movie Deliverance, ...

Lisa Fittipaldi was an accountant before she went blind in the early 90s. After she lost her sight, she also lost her job and became depressed. Her husband finally bought her a paint set and said, here, try this! Fittipaldi began painting, working out the ...

When prohibition ended, the Mafia was well-poised to maintain a grip on the country's burgeoning nightclubs, which featured comedians between the big band music and jazz. Shecky Green, Kaye Ballard and Larry Storch — some of the comics who worked those clubs in the 50s — recall what ...

In 1982 Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb, and Chris Strompolis began recreating their favorite movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, shot for shot. They were all twelve years old or younger. Now the labor of love that engulfed their entire adolescence is starting to get seen. Produced by Michael May.

A Brazilian band refuses to be stuck in any musical pigeonhole, and lives with the consequences. Produced by Michael May.

The twangy sound of the Telecaster guitar makes it the favorite of blues players and most country guitarists. Redd Volkaert has spent the last five years playing for Merle Haggard, and he tells us how he fell in love with the Telecaster. Produced by Michael May.

A Brazilian band refuses to be stuck in any musical pigeonhole, and lives with the consequences. Produced by Michael May.

In the 1990s, Houston-based DJ Screw took popular hip-hop mixes and slowed them down to half their playing speed. The resulting sound has cast a spell over Texas.

(Originally aired: May 16, 2002)