The show opens up with a celebration of reggae and dub on a beautiful day from Bob Marley & The Wailers, Lee “Scratch” Perry and King Tubby, before going on a sonic adventure with James Blake, Nilüfer Yanya, Curtis Mayfield, Gil Scott-Heron and MF DOOM.

Newer releases from Olivia Dean, The Marías, The Bug Club and Kurt Vile bring us home in the closing mix.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for October 13, 2026

• “No Woman, No Cry” — Bob Marley & The Wailers
• “Tom Drunk” — Hopeton Lewis
• “Tears of a Clown” — The Chosen Few
• “Cloud Nine” — Carl Dawkins, Lee “Scratch” Perry & The Upsetters
• “Take Five” — King Tubby
• “Love and Happiness” — Monty Alexander
• “Ice Cream (feat. Matias Aguayo)” — Battles
• “Rice” — Young Fathers
• “Sometime / Someplace” — Cornelius
• “Meu Amor” — Julio Secchin & Maria Luiza Jobim
• “Bye Bye Papaye (Lexx Mix)” — Antena
• “I Had a Dream She Took My Hand” — James Blake
• “A Couple Minutes (A COLORS SHOW)” — Olivia Dean
• “Bless the Telephone” — Labi Siffre
• “OSAKA” — Athletic Progression
• “Rising Son” — Takuya Kuroda
• “Kneel” — Nilüfer Yanya
• “Midnight Sun (King Krule Remix)” — Nilüfer Yanya & King Krule
• “Life Has Its Trials” — Dorothy Ashby
• “T.R.O.Y.” — Heroes Of Limbo
• “Little Child Runnin’ Wild” — Curtis Mayfield
• “Life Is Beautiful” — Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist
• “We Almost Lost Detroit (Live)” — Gil Scott-Heron
• “Make You Feel That Way” — Blackalicious
• “Doomsday (Instrumental)” — MF DOOM
• “A Place to Go” — DJ Day
• “Nobody New” — The Marías
• “Una Mañana” — Caramelo Haze
• “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got (Live)” — Orgone
• “See – Line Woman (feat. Dominique Fils-Aimé) [120bpm]” — Atjazz
• “Can’t Do Without You” — Caribou
• “Charmed” — Σtella & Redinho
• “Ann Wants to Dance” — Papooz
• “Jealous Boy” — The Bug Club
• “Julie’s Place” — Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
• “Zoom 97” — Kurt Vile
• “Too Many People (Remastered 2012)” — Paul & Linda McCartney
• “Can You Get To That” — Funkadelic

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

Julia Jacklin is a big deal back home in Australia.

Some of that fervor is starting to spread to the states now, too, thanks to her signing to the big-time credibility label 4AD and her gorgeous new single “The Hardest Thing.”

Jacklin’s singing is layered over well-produced indie rock that sounds like it was pulled straight from the flannel-coated ’90s. It’s best described as music stylized out of the Liz Phair-assiance, which is essentially a lineage of mainly women musicians following in the footsteps of Phair’s indie rock masterpiece “Exile in Guyville.”

This is a different generation, however, with different perspectives and voices.

The lyrics are vulnerable but the guitars are crunchy. That stays the same. But while the musical arrangements and style certainty ain’t groundbreaking or reinventing the mold, Jacklin’s songwriting stands out and speaks to her strength as an artist.

The hardest thing to do / is believe it when you say, “I love you”
The hardest thing to do / is stick around trying to convince you

As with any great songwriter, it’s in Jacklin’s delivery where you buy into every word she’s singing. There’s a vulnerability there that brings you in as a listener and into her world.

It’s the third single as a part of “The Gem,” released Sept. 25.

Can’t wait to step inside this whole world of a record after a taste of “The Hardest Thing.”

This story was originally published on Midbrow.

The show kicked off with a run of fresh October 2026 releases, including Takuya Nakamura’s collaboration with Greentea Peng, new electronic sounds from Elkka and Resavoir teaming up with Knox Fortune, alongside new tracks from Sparklmami and Spoek Mathambo. Other standouts included Mei Semones’ “Howl,” Michael Kiwanuka’s “Summer Clothes,” Daniele Luppi’s collaboration with Orion Sun and Kiwanuka, and a new Meshell Ndegeocello and Cat Power recording

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for October 12, 2026

• “Shape The Future (feat. Greentea Peng)” — Takuya Nakamura
• “She Makes Me Better” — Elkka
• “In Motion” — Resavoir & Knox Fortune
• “si” — Sparklmami
• “Avant l’aube” — Spoek Mathambo
• “Feminina” — Joyce
• “Howl” — Mei Semones
• “Aquarela Do Brasil (LP Version)” — João Gilberto
• “Para Los Papines (Momoko Gill Remix)” — New Regency Orchestra
• “Motor City Madness” — Waajeed
• “Summer Clothes” — Michael Kiwanuka
• “You Could Be The Sun, I Could Be The Moon (feat. Orion Sun & Michael Kiwanuka)” — Daniele Luppi
• “Chant” — Donald Byrd
• “Flowers” — Gotts Street Park & Pip Millett
• “I Just Wanna Be Your Girl” — The Tiffanys
• “Coming Home Baby” — Marian McPartland
• “Falling In Love With Love” — Les McCann Ltd.
• “Heaven (feat. Andreya Triana)” — The Vision & Prince Fatty
• “Don’t You Want Me” — Meshell Ndegeocello & Cat Power
• “Police & Thieves” — Zara McFarlane
• “Black Magic” — Jarvis Cocker
• “Only You Know” — Dion
• “World on a String” — Jessica Pratt
• “That Summer Feeling” — Jonathan Richman
• “American Music” — Violent Femmes
• “Strange Powers” — The Magnetic Fields
• “Are You Glad to Be In America?” — James Blood Ulmer
• “The Book I Read (LP Version)” — Talking Heads
• “Sycamore” — Bill Callahan
• “Swingin Party” — The Replacements
• “Sunny Afternoon” — The Kinks
• “Care of Cell 44” — The Zombies

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

New music from Michael Kiwanuka, who recently unveiled that he suffered a stroke and has been in recovery. This music is the first taste of his upcoming album “Fudge,” which is due out later this October via Polydor. We close out the show with a trip-hop ocused atmospheric and moody set with Massive Attack, Portishead, Blonde Redhead, Sneaker Pimps and Ghostpoet.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for October 6, 2026

• “Symphonie Pacifique” — Greg Foat
• “Summer Clothes” — Michael Kiwanuka
• “Ulla Dulla” — Traffik Island
• “The Girl from Ipanema” — Charlie Byrd
• “Sun And Moon” — Brittany Davis
• “Afro Golden Line” — Amir Bresler
• “Spellbinder” — Gabor Szabo
• “Right Down Here” — Asha Puthli
• “Alger la blanche” — Nicolas Godin
• “Train on the Island” — Aldous Harding
• “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” — Sufjan Stevens
• “Burnin’ and Lootin'” — The Wailers
• “Straight to Hell (Extended Unedited Version [Remastered])” — The Clash
• “Try a Little Tenderness” — Otis Redding
• “Zero Sun” — Little Barrie & Malcolm Catto
• “Dripping Sun” — Kikagaku Moyo
• “Love and Hate in a Different Time (Original)” — Gabriels
• “The House of the Rising Sun” — Nina Simone
• “100 Yard Dash (Nicky D Remix)” — DeRobert & The Half-Truths
• “1969” — The Stooges
• “Here’s The Thing” — Fontaines D.C.
• “Covet” — Basement
• “Give Me Back My Man” — The B-52’s
• “See Out Loud” — Interpol
• “This Mirror Weighs a Ton” — Interpol
• “Mind’s a Lie” — High Vis
• “Unfinished Sympathy (feat. Shara Nelson) [2012 Mix/Master]” — Massive Attack
• “The Rip” — Portishead
• “23” — Blonde Redhead
• “6 Underground” — Sneaker Pimps
• “Drinking in L.A.” — Bran Van 3000
• “Survive It” — Ghostpoet

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

A gentle show (at least in the first hour), with selections from Bill Frisell, Willie Nelson and Tara Clerkin Trio (who will be in town in January performing at Moondog Cafe), plus new music from Mei Semones (originally from Ann Arbor and back for a hometown show next March at the tiny-but-mighty Ark). 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for October 5, 2026

• “Moon River” — Bill Frisell
• “Do You Realize??” — Willie Nelson
• “The Turning Ground” — Tara Clerkin Trio
• “Yellow and Green” — Slow Pulp
• “Love Hurts” — Julian Lage
• “Blackbird” — Biréli Lagrène & Sylvain Luc
• “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?” — Dolly Parton
• “Tenderly” — Luiz Bonfa
• “Dumb Feeling” — Mei Semones
• “Howl” — Mei Semones
• “It Never Entered My Mind” — Miles Davis
• “October” — Okonski
• “Linus and Lucy” — Vince Guaraldi Trio
• “Maplefunk Diptych [ii]” — Kiln
• “Goldfish” — Michael Andrews
• “Paper Bag” — Fiona Apple
• “Spinning” — Julia Holter
• “The Runner” — Patrick Cowley
• “Mind Your Own Business” — Delta 5
• “Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks” — The Rapture
• “Ceci n’est pas un cliché” — Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul
• “Takahashi Timing” — Yin Yin
• “Guess I’m Fallin In Love” — Spoon
• “Do you wanna” — Astrid Sonne
• “Come On Let’s Go” — Broadcast
• “Tired of Waiting for You” — The Kinks
• “The Rat” — The Walkmen
• “The Book Lovers” — Broadcast
• “Cherry Sunshine” — Somesurprises
• “Strange Powers” — The Magnetic Fields
• “The Chills” — Peter Bjorn and John
• “Just Like Honey” — The Jesus and Mary Chain
• “All I Wanna Do” — The Beach Boys
• “Play the Game” — Beach House
• “Mumma Don’t Tell” — Leifur James
• “Bad Kingdom (DJ Koze Remix)” — Moderat

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

A whole bunch of new and old for throwback Thursday including new music from Allison de Groot and Rich Ruth and their standout adventurous blend of banjo-driven folk and big prog rock guitars on “Nervion,” plus classics from Emitt Rhodes (the one man Beatles!), the Zombies, Led Zeppelin and more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for October 8, 2026

• “I Believe In Love” — Tyler Ballgame
• “Somebody Made for Me” — Emitt Rhodes
• “This Will Be Our Year” — The Zombies
• “Draggin'” — Hannah Cohen
• “Going to California” — Led Zeppelin
• “Goodbye Mr. Blue” — Father John Misty
• “Words” — Big Thief
• “Knife” — Grizzly Bear
• “Quick Canal (feat. Laetitia Sadier)” — Atlas Sound
• “In a Dream” — Misha Panfilov Sound Combo
• “Northern Sky” — Nick Drake
• “Don’t Be Cruel” — Billy Swan
• “Save It for Later (Live)” — Pete Townshend
• “Summer Girl (Bonus Track)” — HAIM
• “Water Me Down” — Vagabon
• “Please Be Mine” — Molly Burch
• “Nervion” — Allison de Groot & Rich Ruth
• “Fire” — Waxahatchee
• “The Joke” — Brandi Carlile
• “When I Was Younger” — Bonny Light Horseman
• “Cello Song” — The Books
• “Fake Palindromes” — Andrew Bird
• “Hold on, Hold On” — Neko Case
• “Pretty Pimpin” — Kurt Vile
• “Macho” — Jaakko Eino Kalevi
• “TOY NO” — MUGRE
• “The Quarterdrawing of the Dog” — Siouxsie & The Banshees
• “Love Like Blood” — Killing Joke
• “It’s No Reason (Remastered)” — The Church
• “Spangle (Non-LP Version)” — Jimmy Eat World
• “Diving Woman” — Japanese Breakfast
• “Hot Scene” — pôt-pot
• “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” — The Velvet Underground
• “Willin'” — Little Feat

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.”

It’s one of the most well-known and beloved sets of hand-painted signs in Eastern Market. 

With a new development of the building at 1401 Gratiot Avenue set to start this fall, however, a major question lingers:

Who will save the bees?

The cartoon bees on the former Busy Bee Hardware building are all that’s left of a century-old business that closed its doors in 2017. They were painted by Martin Hirchak as “MPH Signs,” although it’s unclear how long they’ve been there.

Today, despite being weathered and fading away, they’re still greeting folks heading to Eastern Market at one of the main entry points at Gratiot and Russell.

They’re also under threat. 

Changing habitat

Earlier this summer, Crain’s Detroit Business reported the former Busy Bee Hardware property is undergoing a $12.5 million redevelopment that’ll turn the main gateway into Eastern Market into 17 apartments and more than 6,000 square feet of retail space. It’s being spearheaded by developer Roger Basmajian. Construction is expected to start this fall.

Even in their current condition (and maybe because of their current state), the bee murals feel and look like the character of the market even as it evolves.

Old-school businesses have closed. Developers like Basmajian and others have moved in. The Eastern Market Corporation itself rides the line between embracing new development and maintaining the foundational meat and produce businesses that act as a backbone to one of the largest outdoor public markets in the country.

American folk art like these hand-painted signs are one of Detroit’s defining hallmarks. It’s been well documented in photographer David Clements’ excellent book “Talking Shops: Detroit Commercial Folk Art” from 2004. More recently, photographer Andrew Anderson built an online database of signs painted by Ron Miller (a.k.a. Ron Signs), known for his signature chrome-style hand-painted signs on myriad Detroit businesses.

You could make the argument that signs like these around the city and the Busy Bee Hardware bees themselves were in part the inspiration for Murals in the Market, the longtime mural festival in Eastern Market that brought large-scale murals into the neighborhood between 2015 and 2025. Detroit artist Kobie Solomon even painted a giant beehive on the back of the Busy Bee Hardware building as part of the mural festival, honoring the original bees.

In the same Crain’s article, developer Basmajian told the paper that he was going “restore the building back to its original glory,” adding that “all the artists that put murals on the building, once we do the tuck-pointing, we are going to ask them to come back and touch them up, if we can locate them.”

In a rendering featured in Crain’s, however, the murals — including the busy bees — are nowhere to be found.

Is that an oversight by the architectural firm helping to redevelop the property, or is it simply developer smooth-talk to promise on preserving this piece of Eastern Market’s character and failing to deliver?

As Eastern Market grows and changes, it’s inevitable that things will change. No one is against seeing the market expand and flourish in new ways.

There’s great artistic character to Martin Hirchak’s bees at 1401 Gratiot. It’s small tangible pieces of art like these and countless other hand-painted signs and murals around the neighborhood, however, that help make something a landmark and add to the cultural memory of thousands of patrons flocking to Eastern Market over the years.

Art like that is also what ends up attracting developers to a neighborhood like this to begin with.

Here’s hoping a new development can honor the character of Eastern Market when construction is scheduled to wrap up in 2028.

 This article was originally published in Midbrow. 

New music from Leon Bridges, who clearly wants to make you dance on new single “Watch You Dance,” produced by the folks behind Jungle. Plus, Matthew Dear’s “New Drug” is as addictive as ever. We also explore new releases from War on Drugs, Sierra Ferrell, S.G. Goodman, Twisted Teens and more.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for October 7, 2026

• “Watch You Dance” — Leon Bridges
• “Special” — Babe Rainbow
• “New Drug (Original)” — Matthew Dear
• “Queen” — Perfume Genius
• “New York” — Cat Power
• “Let Me Get There (feat. Kurt Vile)” — Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
• “End of the World” — Sharon Van Etten
• “Jesus, Etc.” — Wilco
• “Stay High” — Brittany Howard
• “Ride Lonesome” — Beck & Sierra Ferrell
• “Highway Anxiety” — William Tyler
• “Don’t Let Go” — Johnny Blue Skies
• “Who’s That” — The War on Drugs
• “Mint Tea” — Johnny Blue Skies & Sturgill Simpson
• “Shine” — Dolly Parton
• “Trying to Love You” — Sierra Ferrell
• “I Dig Love (2014 Remaster)” — George Harrison
• “Out In the Woods (Remastered 95)” — Leon Russell
• “Pepper” — S.G. Goodman
• “When We First Met” — Twisted Teens
• “Stabilise” — Nilüfer Yanya
• “Mirror Test” — Pigeon
• “Nome de Deus” — Sessa
• “Lady Day & John Coltrane (feat. Rahsaan Patterson) [12″ Version]” — Brian Jackson & Masters At Work
• “Low Rider” — Quando Quango
• “Toco madera” — Jorge Drexler
• “Puaj” — Salin
• “22° Halo” — pôt-pot
• “West Side” — Studio
• “There Goes the Fear” — Doves
• “oh baby (lovefingers remix)” — LCD Soundsystem

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

We’ve living in a time where quiet, contemplative music is making a big impact on listeners.

I call it the “Khruangbin effect,” where the Texas (mainly) instrumental trio blend dub, reggae, ’60s psych rock, Thai pop, and other global influences and bring it together in a way that has allowed them to reach millions of streams, millions of fans, and sell out massive theaters around the world. 

What if that slick laidback song playing in the background at just the right level at that fancy restaurant you like was also your favorite band? They’re cool yet also fully adopted by Phish fans. It’s a stunning development.

I can’t think of another band that presents mostly instrumental tracks but has had such a glow up, although Mexican acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela comes to mind.

That means Khruangbin (and others) have opened doors for others doing instrumental music. One of the first that comes to mind is Hermanos Gutiérrez, the insanely attractive Swiss-Ecuadorian sibling duo Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez. Their album ‘Los Ojos Del Cóndor’ released Sept. 25, 2026 via Easy Eye Sound (the label of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who might be a better A&R guy than anything else).

Their single, “Los Andes,” is a great example of this wave of instrumental music making an impact in pop culture. With the interplay of guitar and lap steel, it’s cinematic and vast (much like the mountain range it’s named after). It’s capable of grabbing your full attention even without lyrics.

While I doubt this would make waves on commercial radio, it’s popular on public radio throughout the country and starting to infiltrate major swaths of music fans — many of whom likely listen to Khruangbin and Phish.

That’s right — I’m talking about Jack Johnson fans. Johnson recently collaborated with Hermanos Gutiérrez and took them on tour. It’s actually an endlessly sweet full circle story, with the brothers growing up idealizing Johnson and finally getting to collab with their hero.

With the door wide open for instrumental bands to find footing with new audiences, Hermanos Gutiérrez is by far one of the most captivating entries into this bubbling up genre. They’re great storytellers… even without uttering a word.

This story was originally published on Midbrow. 

New music from Stef Chura, The Tubs, Tyler Ballgame, Sam and Louise Sullivan, Aldous Harding, Westside Cowboy and many more. Plus, Detroit artist Richard Wilson stops by to talk about his favorite Stevie Wonder tracks and his adventure to NYC to see Cleo Sol at Radio City Music Hall.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 28, 2026

• “Danny” — Stef Chura
• “Who’s Gonna Love You Now?” — The Tub
• “Live It Down” — Tyler Ballgame
• “Down on Love” — Sam and Louis Sullivan
• “One Stop” — Aldous Harding
• “Miffed It” — Way Dynamic
• “Up on the Sun” — Meat Puppets
• “Days” — Television
• “Kick Stones (The Boys)” — Westside Cowboy
• “Beige Days” — SOYUZ
• “Midnight (Acoustic)” — Jessie Ware
• “Cha Cha Slide” — Getdown Services
• “Lazy Daisy” — Tara Clerkin Trio
• “If I Let You” — The Womack Sisters
• “Waiting on the Right Time” — Thee Sacred Souls
• “Enchantia” — Domenique Dumont
• “free fall” — berlioz
• “Love Is Stronger Than Pride” — Ian Fink
• “Soul Lament” — Kenny Burrell
• “Crazy He Calls Me” — Aretha Franklin
• “Like Swimwear (feat. Anna Butterss, Jay Bellerose & Josh Johnson)” — Jeff Parker & ETA IVtet
• “This Is How We Walk on the Moon (feat. Tirzah)” — Speakers Corner Quartet
• “Shadows From Nowhere” — Blue Gas
• “In The Middle of the Night” — Ronald Langestraat
• “On the Level” — Mac DeMarco
• “My Love Is On Fire (DJ Spinna Remix)” — Stevie Wonder
• “God in Disguise” — Sault
• “Can We Pretend” — Bill Withers
• “Knocks Me Off My Feet” — Stevie Wonder
• “As” — Stevie Wonder

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

The fall song-a-thon on In The Groove rolls on with so many excellent selections from you. Thank you again for all the great messages and songs—this is by far the most listener-picked songs we’ve ever played on this show! 50+ and counting…

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 25, 2026

• “Golden Brown” – The Stranglers (fall song picked by you!)
• “Boy With a Coin” – Iron & Wine (fall song picked by you!)
• “Out on the Weekend” – Neil Young (fall song picked by you!)
• “First Glimmer” – Paul Westerberg (fall song picked by you!)
• “October (Love Song)” – Chris & Cosey (fall song picked by you!)
• “Pass This On” – The Knife (fall song picked by you!)
• “Sunset” – Thornetta Davis (fall song picked by you!)
• “Your Song” – Elton John (fall song picked by you!)
• “Nervion” – Allison de Groot & Rich Ruth 
• “Last Train Home” – Pat Metheny Group (fall song picked by you!)
• “You Know You Know (with John McLaughlin)” – Mahavishnu Orchestra (fall song picked by you!)
• “Across the Universe” – Fiona Apple 
• “Ask Me Anything” – The Strokes 
• “Alberto Balsalm (Aquarium Drunkard’s Lagniappe Session)” – Dungen 
• “Fallen (feat. Momoko Gill)” – Matthew Herbert 
• “Train Song (Columbia Single, 1966)” – Vashti Bunyan 
• “My Love Mine All Mine” – Mitski 
• “All Mirrors” – Angel Olsen 
• “Transmission” – Joy Division 
• “It’s No Reason (Remastered)” – The Church (fall song picked by you!)
• “The Rip” – Portishead 
• “La Femme d’argent” – Air 
• “Repetitioner” – THUS LOVE 
• “Leave Your Life (Lonely Hearts Mix)” – Alex Kassian 
• “Across That Fine Line” – Nation of Language 
• “Untitled” – Interpol 
• “Plainsong” – Seefeel 
• “Pink Sky” – Loma 
• “words fell out” – Goat Girl 
• “I Don’t Know You” – Mannequin Pussy 
• “only tomorrow” – my bloody valentine 
• “ “Heroes” (2017 Remaster)” – David Bowie 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.”

New music from she’s green, Kurt Vile, Aldous Harding, Courtney Barnett and more of your fall songs (Death Cab For Cutie, Donovan, Big Thief), plus the wonderful Detroit singer-songwriter Stef Chura stops by the show to preview her new album, “Dancing Alone on the Concrete,” due out this Friday via Saddle Creek.

You’ll be the first to hear tracks “Leadweight” and “Babydoll,” plus we chat with Stef about the influences into her new album (the first in 7 years!) and lots more. You can hear the full segment with Stef Chura starting at the 2:06 mark—enjoy!

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 29, 2026

• “Paradis” — Donna Blue
• “Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf)” — Pixies
• “Silver” — Say She She
• “Africa” — Bill Laurance & Michael League
• “Baltimore” — Nina Simone
• “Hey Now (When I Give You All My Lovin’)” — Romare
• “Amor Inteiro” — Bruno Berle
• “Road to Nowhere” — Rogê
• “Chance to Bleed” — Kurt Vile
• “Fall On Me” — R.E.M.
• “Train on the Island” — Aldous Harding
• “One Thing At A Time” — Courtney Barnett
• “The Payback” — James Brown
• “Protection” — Massive Attack
• “Drive” — Deftones
• “mettle” — she’s green
• “When You Sleep” — My Bloody Valentine (fall song picked by you!)
• “Long Division” — Death Cab for Cutie (fall song picked by you!)
• “Hurdy Gurdy Man” — Donovan (fall song picked by you!)
• “Velvet Ring” — Big Thief (fall song picked by you!)
• “A Fond Farewell” — Elliott Smith
• “There She Goes” — The La’s (fall song picked by you!)
• “1979 (Remastered 2012)” — The Smashing Pumpkins

Interview with Stef Chura

• “Leadweight” — Stef Chura
• “The Concrete” — Stef Chura
• “Danny” — Stef Chura
• “Babydoll” — Stef Chura

The rest of the show!

• “Maybe I Got It Wrong” — Ruti
• “Last Forever (feat. Wyatt Waddell)” — Patchwork Inc.
• “Nancy from Now On” — Father John Misty
• “Let ‘Em In” — Wings
• “Clover” — Billie Marten
• “Guns of Brixton (feat. Camille)” — Nouvelle Vague
• “Paper Tiger” — Spoon

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

“It is not easy listening. It’s essential.”

That’s part of the messaging behind Detroit’s own Protomartyr and the band’s seventh album “Hotel Usona,” released September 25 via Domino Recording Co.

The “not easy listening” part is certainly more focused on the lyrics themselves as songwriter and vocalist Joe Casey imagines America’s current state as an aging, sagging hotel. Down every hallway, an issue. Inside every room, a horror to be seen. Sure, there’s continental breakfast but it’s likely contaminated, at least in the eyes of Protomartyr.

Musically, on lead single “Sounds We Cannot Hear,” Protomartyr is the most accessible they’ve ever been. It is the easiest listening they’ve offered up, joining waves of post-punk bands that slowly grow over time, chill out on the aggressiveness, and start applying a lot of texture and sampling that you’d find on a Madlib record.

The result is the same punch you’d want out of a Protomartyr song, but way more sonically to chew on and enjoy. There’s even a brass section on “Sounds We Cannot Hear,” which guitarist Greg Ahee layered with influences from the Middle East and ’50s exotica. 

While Protomartyr released essentially a concept album with a lot of lyrical density, “Sounds We Cannot Hear” suggests it could be their most accessible release yet. For one of the biggest bands to come out of Detroit, I’d predict they’re about to get even bigger and adopt a whole new audience with a more mature, layered sound.

This story was originally published on Midbrow. 

Sept. 23 is John Coltrane’s birthday, and this is his 100^th. Covers and his original works comprise a lot of our show today, but we’re also including new works like “Pursuance” by Nicholas Payton and Butcher Brown. So, sit back and get spiritual with us for today’s In The Groove!  

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 23, 2026

• “Equinox” – Jessica Williams 
• RIP with John Coltrane” – Patchworks 
• “Bright Moments” – Admin 
• “open this wall” – berlioz 
• “why my love?” – aja monet 
• “Lansana’s Priestess (Remix)” – DJ Spinna 
• “Evolution” – Shola Adisa-Farrar & Florian Pellissier Quintet 
• “L.O.V.E. and You & I” –  Jazzanova 
• “Coffee” – Yuna 
• “Thin Lines” – Kidnap 
• “Equinox” – John Coltrane 
• “Pursuance” – Nicholas Payton & Butcher Brown 
• “The Message Continues” -Nubya Garcia 
• “Everybody Loves the Sunshine (feat. José James)” – Takuya Kuroda 
• “Rising Son” – Takuya Kuroda 
• “Roscoe (Beyond the Wizard’s Sleeve Remix)” –  Midlake 
• “free fall” -berlioz 
• “L.A.” – Elliott Smith 
• “It’s Real” – Real Estate 
• “Caring Is Creepy” – The Shins 
• “I AM!” – pôt-pot 
• “Cloudy” – Daphni 
• “The Homeless Wanderer” – Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru 
• “Blue Train” – John Coltrane 
• “A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgement” – John Coltrane 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

Today’s show is your submissions for your fall weather soundtrack into one amazing playlist full of new (like unreleased music from the band Morphine) and old, heard and unheard by many, and we’re thrilled that you guys are continuing to send in! If you want to add your own, call our hotline: (313) 577-3134.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 24, 2026

• “Change” – Alex G (fall song picked by you!)
• “The Shining” – Badly Drawn Boy 
• “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young 
• “Sound & Color” – Alabama Shakes (fall song picked by you!)
• “Move with the Season” – Temples (fall song picked by you!)
• “Another Country” – Shadowfax (fall song picked by you!)
• “Lydia Wears a Cross” -Julia Jacklin (fall song picked by you!)
• “Oscillate Wildly” – The Smiths (fall song picked by you!)
• “Comment te dire adieu (It Hurts to Say Goodbye)” – Françoise Hardy (fall song picked by you!) 
• “Never Known” – The Durutti Column (fall song picked by you!)
• “One Good Spliff” – Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers (fall song picked by you!)
• “Watching The Wheels” – John Lennon (fall song picked by you!)
• “Fall in a River” – Badly Drawn Boy 
• “Camping Next to Water” – Badly Drawn Boy 
• “September Gurls” -Big Star (fall song picked by you!)
• “Northern Sky” -Nick Drake (fall song picked by you!)
• “Some Birds” Jeff Tweedy (fall song picked by you!)
• “Seasons” -Chris Cornell (fall song picked by you!) 
• “Ramble On” -Led Zeppelin (fall song picked by you!)
• “The Rat” – The Walkmen 
• “Walking With Thee” – Clinic 
• “Season of the Witch (Secrets Edit)” – Donovan 
• “Breathe” – Romare 
• “I’m Straight” – The Modern Lovers 
• “I Don’t Want to Get Over You” -The Magnetic Fields 
• “In Spite of Me” – Morphine 
• “Cocoon” – Morphine 
• “Buena” – Morphine 
• “Everything and Nothing” – SOFT PLAY 
• “Words” – Big Thief 
• “Heart Is a Drum” – Beck 
• “Sleeping Lessons” – The Shins 
• “Nu Tones” – NOMO 
• “Water No Get Enemy” – Fela Kuti  

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

Starting off today with Brian Eno (what a good omen for a great call-in show). We’ll be diving into a lot of autumn-inspired tracks along with some classics from The Who, Led Zeppelin and others — many of them picked by you! Thank you to everyone who shared a song on the groove hotline, which is still open & taking fall picks: 313-577-3414. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 22, 2026

• “Taking Tiger Mountain” – Brian Eno (fall song picked by you!)
• “White Winter Hymnal” – Fleet Foxes
• “Love Ain’t for Keeping” – The Who (fall song picked by you!)
• “Who’s That” – The War on Drugs 
• “Balloon Drop Shadow” – The Cleaners From Venus (fall song picked by you!) 
• “September” – David Sylvian (fall song picked by you!)
• “Harvest Moon” – Maya Delilah (fall song picked by you!)
• “Moondance” – Van Morrison (fall song picked by you!)
• “Autumn Leaves” – Lou Rawls (fall song picked by you!)
• “Linus and Lucy” – Vince Guaraldi Trio (fall song picked by you!)
• “Partido Alto” – Azymuth (fall song picked by you!)
• “Enchantia” – Domenique Dumont 
• “False Start Dub” – Kings Of High Speed & JKriv 
• “Black Mountain Side” – Led Zeppelin (fall song picked by you!)
• “Shelter from the Storm” – Bob Dylan (fall song picked by you!)
• “Ordinary People” – Twin Peaks (fall song picked by you!)
• “Southern Point” – Grizzly Bear (fall song picked by you!)
• “Gone by Fall (feat. Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson & Josh Kaufman)” – Bonny Light Horseman (fall song picked by you!)
• “These Days” – Nico (fall song picked by you!)
• “Gold Dust” – Duster (fall song picked by you!)
• “Autumn Sweater” – Yo La Tengo (fall song picked by you!)
• “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” – Wilco 
• “All The Rage” – Wishy 
• “Detroit Has a Skyline” – Superchunk 
• “Lifer” – Wye Oak 
• “Clover” – Billie Marten 
• “Paper Tiger” – Spoon 
• “Chinatown” – Destroyer 
• “The Ones We Loved” – Georgie Sweet 
• “Angles Mortz” – Nightbus 
• “Belong To You (feat. Kate Bollinger)” – Cut Copy 
• “Bloodlines” – Franc Moody 
• “La Ceiba” – Antibalas 
• “QADIR (BADBADNOTGOOD Remix)” – Nick Hakim 
• “Vitamin C” – Can 
• “Dove” – Cymande 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

Coming off the heels of a successful fall fundraiser (a massive THANK YOU to everyone who made a gift during IN THE GROOVE) and considering today’s date being what might as well be a musical holiday, we’re starting with Roy Meriwether and continuing into tracks both modern and classic. We’ve also got Munan’s single “Disco In My Room,” which just dropped last week.

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above.

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for September 21, 2026

• “Marching Into Hell” – Roy Meriwether 
• “Together” -Misha Panfilov Sound Combo 
• “Swing Lo Magellan” – Dirty Projectors 
• “Miffed It” – Way Dynamic 
• “Disco In My Room” – Munan 
• “Blue Nile” – Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics 
• “Sunday Morning” – Amanaz 
• “A Place to Go” – DJ Day 
• “For Pete’s Sake” – Sweetwater 
• “Draft Morning” – The Byrds 
• “San Franciscan Nights” – Gabor Szabo & The California Dreamers 
• “Girl from the Mountain” – Ghetto Brothers 
• “I Wish It Didn’t Bother Me” – Getdown Services 
• “New Drug (Original)” – Matthew Dear 
• “Booger’s Bounce of Joy” – Karate Boogaloo 
• “Bicho auto” – Juana Molina 
• “Acid and Honey” – Babe Rainbow 
• “Macho” – Jaakko Eino Kalevi 
• “TOY NO” – MUGRE 
• “⁠Colour Pillow / Kologo” – Blind Yeo 
• “Brakhage” – Stereolab 
• “Ocotillo” – Ghost Funk Orchestra 
• “Seven Mile (feat. Dames Brown)” – Will Sessions & Amp Fiddler 
• “Sun Circles (John Beltran Project Remix)” – Gratts 
• “On Your Face” – Earth, Wind & Fire 
• “September” – Earth, Wind & Fire 
• “Yeah Yeah” – Will Sessions 
• “Light My Fire” – Africa 
• “Nome de Deus” – Sessa 
• “La torre (feat. Devendra Banhart)” – Gabriel Rios 
• “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing (feat. Yazmin Lacey)” – Ezra Collective 
• “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” – Cécile McLorin Salvant 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.

At some point, it gets hard to just think about the music even if Phoebe Bridgers’s new single is quite the well-produced earworm.

The California artist is lauded as a generational songwriter for Gen Z. I won’t even begin to argue with that. My 20-year-old intern talks about her breathlessly. She’s certainly not alone. As an old man, I like her, too.

As Bridgers gets launches her third album, “Lost Weekend,” it is a major affair — so major that the music feels like a secondary affair.

First, there were the small shows at tiny venues across the U.S. where no phones were allowed and a bevy of clues were leaked out to eager fans. And then, with just about a day’s notice, she sold out Madison Square Garden. After that, Bridgers snapped her fingers and sold out a full arena tour in the U.S. and overseas. That’s an astonishing 500,000 tickets in just a few hours.

Even the release of the lead single, “Lost Boys,” comes with its own merch line, limited edition 7-inch, and a lot of other swag — or “ways to interact with the artist” if you’re less cynical than I am. 

And when you finally do get to the music itself, it’s quite a lovely track. It’s Bridgers at her most anthemic, taking the tiny bedroom moments of her previous releases and amping them up for that run of sold-out arenas later this year. You’ll be able to sing “Lost Boys” at the top of your lungs if you were lucky enough to get a ticket. 

Super producer Jack Antonoff gives “Lost Boys” a hell of a lot of space to build and echo through the room. The result is a track that feels massive, has a nifty little brass section that gives it big time pomp-and-circumstance, and the lyrics are vague enough that anyone can shove their life experiences inside of them and cosplay as Bridgers herself.

If you’re not into Bridgers’ music, it’s going to be a long year for you. She’ll be everywhere, and you might take the route of simply rejecting what’s popular.

But if you can get over the hype machine, you’ll find that Bridgers is in fact writing some of her strongest material and is an artist who still hasn’t missed across three albums. “Lost Boys” proves that she’s not about to take a musical misstep anytime soon.

This article was originally published on Midbrow.

I love when Beck puts on a cowboy hat and tells a twanged-out story of heartbreak. He does this perfectly on “Ride Lonesome,” which dropped back in April as a stand-alone single. No word of an album to follow, but at least a U.S. tour to go with it.

Now, that “Ride Lonesome” single is even better with the voice of West Virginia songwriter Sierra Ferrell dueting with him. Ferrell is a star of the Americana roots scene and Beck knows his way around that musical world. 

This “Ride Lonesome” track with its longingly sad steel pedal guitar and massive, echo-y vocals will remind Beck fans of his excellent “Sea Change” album from 2002, where he stripped it all down and proved he could write a ballad. He did it again in 2014 with spiritual follow-up “Morning Phase,” which won album of the year at the Grammys upon its release.

The biggest strength here, however, is Beck’s willingness to collaborate with Ferrell, who is undoubtedly the star of the track. Without her voice wrapping itself around Beck’s songwriting, it would be an unremarkable affair, which is exactly how I felt about it when it was first released back in April. Dropped last month, this update with Ferrell is oh so welcome and adds an entirely new layer to the work. It’s more lush. It’s grander. It’s still sad, but with a bit of romance now. 

It reminds me of when John Prine collaborated with the Cowboy Junkies for “If You Were The Woman and I Was The Man,” or the countless other examples of great country-roasted duets from throughout the decades (Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn; Johnny Cash and June Carter; Tim McGraw and Faith Hill; you name it).

Who knows if this will lead to more collabs from Beck or even a new album. In the meantime, I’ll keep this one on repeat.

This article was originally published on Midbrow.