Kurt Vile, Liz Phair, Beck & more appearing on Apple Music’s “I Miss…’90s Indie”

Sean Furtado

Apple Music is launching a new six-part Radio series titled I Miss...'90s Indie that will debut on Sunday, May 2 at 1 PM. Hosted by Strombo, the podcast series will explore the heyday of indie rock and indie labels and features interviews with Beck, Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), Mary Timony (Helium), Bob Nastanovich (Pavement, Silver Jews), Liz Phair, Kurt Vile, Perfume Genius, Soccer Mommy, Rostam (Vampire Weekend), Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), Britt Daniel (Spoon), Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Butch Vig (Garbage, Nevermind producer), Scott Plagenhoef (ex-Pitchfork), Nils Berstein (Sub-Pop and Matador PR), and Charles Peterson (Sub Pop in-house photographer).

"There was a time when indie was about having the ideological and literal freedom to operate outside of corporate culture," Brownstein says on the show. "There was definitely a time when it felt like there were a lot of artistic compromises that might come with signing to a major label. There were also benefits of course, and most of those were financial and broader exposure. But there was a real push to be Indie at a certain time."

Says Kurt Vile, "When you talk about that faction, like Neil Young Ragged Glory, that influenced so much of that one faction of that music. I just love that 'Rockin' in the Free World' came out in 89 before the 90s hit. The next thing you know, Sonic Youth is opening for Neil Young for the Ragged Glory era. Just a little later came guitar bands, you got your Built to Spills and Modest Mouse's. They kept a torch burned and then you got your Dinosaur Jr.'s, Ultimate Shredo Hero, Friend of Mine. And that's sort of like a serious kind of guitar-driven, melodic and shouting when needed, but they make their guitars sing a lot. There's a lot of that in the 90s."

Expect lots more of that talk across I Miss...'90s Indie when it debuts on 5/2.