Interviews and In-Studios on Impact 89FM

"Why else is chaos cyclical?" To celebrate his new single Bug and upcoming sophomore album Hang The Moon, singer-songwriter Mike Green chats with Impact 89FM News Producer Emelia Duffield. Mike discusses what he hopes listeners discover in Hang The Moon, his musical inspirations, the influential years he spent abroad and touring with a variety of bands and musicians, and how his work can combine a signature rock sound with powerful commentary on the state of the world. 
Bug is out everywhere you listen to music now. Pre-order Hang The Moon and stay up to date with Mike's work via mi...

Ashe sat down with Whitney Tai, an architect both in the sonic and literal sense, ahead of the release of her third album American Wasteland.

Hosts of the station’s newest jazz specialty show Sound of Color, Mary-Elizabeth Williams (DJ SpinDiva) and Sydney Sims (DJ Sickwitit), sit down with Nigerian-born British jazz guitarist Femi Temowo to explore how personal identity shapes his music. In this candid conversation, Temowo reflects on his upbringing in both Nigeria and the UK, his life experiences, and the ongoing journey of understanding his own identity—both through his own lens and by observing the diverse experiences of others and the complexities they reveal.

Divas, we took a break from our usual Terminally Online trickery to interview the amazingly talented Rinbossanova! From being a Lansing-based DJ to a fashion and graphic designer, we had the chance to talk about it all. Rin also specializes in hyperpop techno and bringing awareness to the LGBTQIA+ influences in electronic music culture. Below is the recording from our live on-air interview where we talked music, futures, early influences, and some extra silly sprinklings in between.

Welcome Wisconsin Folk Punk 5-piece Hemlock Chaser who brought the house down with their incredible set. 

Filmed and recorded in the Michigan State Alumni Chapel, the MSU Gospel choir performs a brief set of songs and discusses what their org means to them. 

Local Lansing indie band Must See Tee Vee delivers on a folkified jangly interpretation of midwest emo. 

Brooklyn Band Cab Ellis plays a set in the abandoned bowling alley of the MSU Union. The band has a unique sound with brass, expressive vocals and dance-worthy drums. See full session video and interview at our YouTube. 

Queen Jayne brought a killer classic rock performance to Impact with showstopping vocals, prominent bass and some great advice for music makers. 

Midwest shoegaze hits the studio with Zora Rooibos. This interview was full of humor, odd would-you-rathers, and an incredible performance. 

Michigan Indie is back at it again with Kalamazoo band Yellowhouse on Impact's Basement. 

Folk/Country Singer-Songwriter Birddog plays original songs that tell the story of struggles with mental health, queer identity and being southern.  

This session features a rare live show with Michigan duo OLIECAT-- two long-time friends making nostalgic Hip Hop over email, now in studio to perform together. 

Join Impact for a session with Drop Rate, veterans of the burgeoning Lansing hardcore scene. Episode includes special guest and genre expert, host of popular radio show The Hourz o' Power.

An interview and concert with Jon Lehrer at MSU's historical Beaumont Tower. Take a look behind the curtain to learn about how the tower works, its history, and to hear the songs that might play as you walk across campus.

The band Studiotone is celebrating 25 years of music with two gigs to end the year. You can see them live on December 20 at Small's in Hamtramck. Then, they'll cross the state to play at Turnstiles in Grand Rapids on December 21. Jeremy and Mckenna talked with Brock and Jeff from the band about their upcoming shows, what their band dynamics look like over two decades in, and how their music holds up. You can find Studiotone's music on their Bandcamp page and on Spotify.

Hold on for dear life, because the shé is coming to play. The Kenyan multi-instrumentalist KABEAUSHÉ is many things, but they are a live performer at heart. Pulsating beats and enthralling visuals capture the minds of listeners, and continues to keep them on board for the full ride. 

Kabochi Gitau, the man behind KABEAUSHÉ, sat down with Impact's Assistant Editor Ashe Burr and gave us a glimpse into the world of KABEAUSHÉ. We discussed his debut music video being shot in a Belgian castle, the importance of cross-cultural collaboration, who’s going to do the dis...

Hold on for dear life, because the shé is coming to play. The Kenyan multi-instrumentalist KABEAUSHÉ is many things, but they are a live performer at heart. Pulsating beats and enthralling visuals capture the minds of listeners, and continues to keep them on board for the full ride. 

Kabochi Gitau, the man behind KABEAUSHÉ, sat down with Impact's Assistant Editor Ashe Burr and gave us a glimpse into the world of KABEAUSHÉ. We discussed his debut music video being shot in a Belgian castle, the importance of cross-cultural collaboration, who’s going to do the dis...

Dropped At Birth shred and chat with Thee Hourz O' Power co-host Ana Wagen during a special in-studio session.

Impact 89FM's Rachel Fulton spoke with Jhariah about his performance at Stoopfest happening this Saturday at 9:30pm at the Impact 89FM stage at Hunter Park in Lansing. More information is available at stoopfest.org.

RB from Get Tuff talked with Impact 89FM's Rachel Fulton about their upcoming performance at this year's Stoopfest. You can catch them on the Impact 89FM stage on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 1:30pm. More information is available at stoopfest.org.

Impact 89FM's Mike Merucci sat down for one last interview with film composer Tyler Durham, who recently released his album Coming Home. In the interview, Mike and Tyler discuss the differences between scoring a film and creating an independent album, the paradoxical freedom of guidelines, Tyler's favorite moments on Coming Home, and more.

Impact 89FM's Jovana Nagj sat down with Detroit techno legend Carl Craig to discuss his musical beginnings, Detroit’s techno roots and the implications of the genre for the greater Detroit community and world.

WDBM's Mike Merucci was lucky enough to chat with Claire Rousay, one of ambient music's foremost figures in the 2020s. They discussed Rousay's upcoming album, sentiment, in addition to covering the soundscapes of Los Angeles, the wonder of going to bars alone, Rousay's reading list and more.

WDBM's Will Misterovich sat down with power pop duo The Lemon Twigs before their performance at The Magic Bag this past October, discussing everything from future releases to Paul McCartney conspiracy theories. The Lemon Twigs are re-shaping sounds of the '60s and '70s, and through this interview, one can tell they're having quite a bit of fun in the process.

Shoegaze and noise fans pay attention: The Impact's Ashe Burr spoke with rising indie rocker Cruel Sister about her artistic process, her second EP, the Irish indie scene, and much more.

WDBM's Ashley Morgan sat down with Connecticut DIY band Cheem at The Goblin Zone in Lansing, Michigan, to talk about their current tour, their DIY experience in the Midwest, their evolution as a band, and more.

Ann Arbor artist Butterfly Chaser gave the Impact a window into the artistic process, sitting down with us to talk about starting off in the music scene, forming bonds in local music, the emotions involved in making a song, and more.

Ahead of the release of his solo debut, Inheritance, composer and sound artist Omar Ahmad sat down with The Impact to discuss the record and the influences behind it. Discussion revolved around the concepts of memory, identity, change and more.

On the final day of Stoopfest 2023, I had the pleasure of speaking with the members of Detroit ska band J Navarro & The Traitors. I last saw the band on April 4, 2022, when they opened for The English Beat at the Majestic Theatre and was thrilled when I heard they were coming to Lansing to perform at Stoopfest. 

The band is made up of varying established Detroit musicians, including Eric Abbey of 1592 and Dirty Notions; Scott Vesey of Trace The Veins; Jason Millbauer of Bad Assets; Steve Kachnowski of Telegraph; CEO of Reverend Guitars Ken Haas and Jay N...

On our final day of SXSW, March 18th, WDBM got to sit down and talk with Nicole Rodriguez of Pearla to discuss her new album Oh Glistening Onion, The Nighttime is Coming and some of the small but special moments that come with the production of an album over the course of several years. We also talked about songwriting advice that helped her hone in on some of the tracks of this record as well as her desire to explore the voice as an instrument. Listen on in!

WDBM got to catch up with Dream Pop/Shoegaze band Knifeplay on the heels of their latest album Animal Drowning at SXSW. I first saw them perform the day before the interview, on Thursday, after a storm warning delayed their set. However tiring it was to huddle into the small inside of this bar for two hours, the weather ended up setting a perfect environment for their brand of stormy music that took hold in the crowd when they did go on stage. We got to talking about fellow Philadelphia bands they enjoy, non-music art forms that inspire them...

WDBM got to go down to Austin, Texas for SXSW this year and see a bunch of great shows and talk to some of the musicians playing. This first interview was with Ian Shelton of the Punk/Post-Hardcore band Militarie Gun on March 16th. We talked about his collaboration with other artists like Woolworm and MSPAINT, the grueling nature of touring, and the process that led up to the amalgamation of two EP’s into the All Roads Lead To The Gun album released this past October. As a personal aside, Big Disappointment has been stuck in my head fo...

On Saturday, April 15, the 2023 Capital City Film Festival comes to an end. But from the ashes comes dancing: The Capital City Film Festival Afterparty will land at the Frandor Sears building at 9 p.m. that night. Headlining the event will be Detroit-based post-punk/techno band Decliner.

In an exclusive interview with Impact89FM, Decliner's lead vocalist, Rob Luzynski, talked about the band's relationship with legendary producer Omar S, The Denny's Grand Slam, how Decliner came to be and more.

Delaney Rogers, Taylor Truszkowski and Matt Cruz connect with Hippo Campus before the band’s performance at the Breslin Center at the MSU 2023 Spring Concert.

Mason Vore, Mike Merucci and Matt Anikiej connect with Danny Brown before his performance at the Breslin Center at the MSU 2023 Spring Concert.

Impact’s music director, Mason Vore, had the fantastic opportunity to sit down and talk with Molly Rankin of Alvvays. The band is in the midst of a large North American/European tour and is at the tail end of an equally massive press tour, so these questions focused on unique details about the band and Blue Rev likely not covered in some other interviews done in this press cycle. For example: their collaboration with Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe for the “Many Mirrors” music video, their non-music-related influences and even some thoughts around Rankin’s interest in fantasy basketball and the...

Sara Tea and host of The Afterglow, Mike Merucci, conversed about the Songs for Discarded Souls EP, inclusivity in music, the magic of libraries, the Midwest’s complicated beauty and much more.

Mike Merucci interviews Joseph Kamaru (KMRU)'s. You will hear them talk about KMRU's most recent albums, Epoch and Limen, along with his tour supporting Big Thief, his methods for listening, and his experience making music in Berlin as compared to his experience making music in Nairobi. We also cover his field recording methods, his favorite sounds to record and listen to, and what musical escapades lie in his future.

Naethan Apollo is a singer-songwriter based out of Iowa who has spent years creating content online. Within the past year or so, Apollo has gained traction for his spoken word rap on TikTok and gained a cult-like following with 1.2 million followers. His newest album, Hello World, is loved by fans, but you likely know his viral hit “Person In The Mirror.” Today we talk about his songwriting process, the impact of ADHD on a creative mind, his live performance experience, the anomaly of Internet fame and more. (edited)