Big Sonic Heaven featured some bands hittin’ the road this year! Tricky is touring North America for the first time in eight years, and his first show is right here in Detroit at El Club on September 16. We heard his latest track “Out of Place” (feat. Marta).

Gene’s first American Tour in 24 years starts this November. The limited tour doesn’t include Detroit, but if you want to travel, they’ll be in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, DC, and NYC. The same goes for The Tear Garden. The closest shows to Detroit are Chicago on September 24 for the Cold Waves festival and Cleveland at the Grog Shop on September 26. 

Check out the playlist below and listen to the episode on-demand for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Big Sonic Heaven playlist for May 18, 2026

• “Black Metallic” – Catherine Wheel
• “No One’s Listening” – Goodbye Ranger
• “Jovano” – Gergana Dimitrova & Lisa Gerrard
• “Jerusalem” – Sinéad O’Connor
• “Out of Place (feat. Marta)” – Tricky
• “This Far” – Cranes Come
• “wake up (clean version)” – The Haunted Youth
• “Michael” – Beachy Head
• “Next Life” – Mint Julep
• “Just One Kiss” – The Cure
• “Drink the New Wine” – Bauhaus
• “Olympian” – Gene
• “Mon Amour Sauvage” – Dead Can Dance
• “Lovelife” – Lush
• “Alfie” – deary
• “Long Distance Lover” – Locust
• “Souvlaki Space Station” – Slowdive
• “You Are The One” – Kilbey Kennedy
• “Slivered Kisses (feat. Danella Hocevar)” – She Shone
• “Pale Clouded White” – Cocteau Twins
• “Always There” – The Churchhill Garden
• “Floating” – Julee Cruise
• “8th Deadly Sin” – Miki Berenyi Trio
• “Pause The Rain” – Masal & Emma Anderson
• “This Life” – Mandalay
• “Além” – Summer of Hate
• “Ophelia” – The Tear Garden
• “Home” – Depeche Mode
• “One Day” – Future Islands
• “Untitled 8″ – Sigur Rós”

This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Mac Saturn return, plus more Detroit tunes from Dames Brown, The Detroit Emeralds and Inner City!

Also this week, a couple advance performances from The Leon Loft (for Acoustic Cafe), classics from The Bar-Kays and ELO, plus forthcoming coolness from Kelela!

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

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 16, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “Holy Ghost” – The Bar-Kays
• “Cold April” – Allison Russell
• “Takes Time” – Mac Saturn
• “Can’t Be Wrong” – Low Cut Connie
• “Eastside Girls” – MUNA
• “Need Your Love” – Inner City feat. Steffanie Christi’an
• “Fifty Mission Cap” – The Tragically Hip
• “Crawl Space” – Art Farmer
• “Moonflower” – Devon Gilfillian
• “Kiss That Frog” – Peter Gabriel

HOUR TWO:

• “Idea 1” – Kelela
• “When The Love Is New” – Shaky Graves
• “You Want It, You Got It” – The Detroit Emeralds
• “Why You Got Me Crazy” – Dames Brown
• “Poker” – E.L.O.
• “Blessings” – Chance The Rapper
• “Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds” – Mountain Goats
• “No Invite” – Tank & The Bangas
• “In Your Ocean” – Iron & Wine (at The Leon Loft)
• “Good News” – ROZZI (at The Leon Loft)
• “Sunlight To My Soul” – Angelique Kidjo
• “What Is Left To Say” – Thundercat
• “Lost In My Mind” – The Head & The Heart

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org

This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we introduce you to Detroit artists Ayla Ottenbreit, plus a new cover from Detroit favorite Jill Jack!

Also this week, new work released from The Womack Sisters, The Rolling Stones, Taj Mahal and Ziggy Marley… And there’s the (just announced) Sonic Lunch series coming to Ann Arbor this summer, and a fun Yacht Rock event on the Detroit River June 7!

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

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for May 9, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “Chauffeur” – The Womack Sisters
• “You’re The Man” – Brother Wallace
• “Lie” – ROZZI
• “In The Stars” – The Rolling Stones
• “Slow Learning” – Aylah Ottenbreit
• “It’s A Shame” – Aaron Frazer
• “It’s A Shame” – The (Detroit) Spinners
• “It’s A Shame” – First Aid Kit
• “Show You The Way” – Thundercat
• “Nightshift” – The Commodores
• “Freaking Out” – Michigander (Sonic Lunch 2026)
• “Ready Set Go” – Grace Potter (Sonic Lunch 2026)
• “Chicago” – Mavis Staples (Sonic Lunch 2026)

HOUR TWO:

• “Soulshine” – Jill Jack
• “Senses” – Arlo Parks ft. Sampha
• “Spirit 2.0” – Sampha
• “Doom Mood” – Pearl & The Oysters
• “Yell Fire” – Michael Franti
• “Are You One Of Us” – Rodney Crowell ft. Guy Clark
• “Talkin’ Blues” – Taj Mahal ft. Ziggy Marley
• “Big Stick” – MUNA
• “The Payoff” – Father John Misty
• “Only You Do” – GoldFord
• “Darwin Derby” – Vulfpeck

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org