On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Chris Thile (Nickle Creek, Punch Brothers, Goat Rodeo) talks about his new collection of Bach Sonatas & Partitas, and how this set is different from the Bach he recorded in 2013. Chris also explains his “daily practice of Bach” and what it means in his life!

Also, in-studio archives from Grammy nominees Molly Tuttle and Southern Avenue, plus newcomer Treanne, a peek at the upcoming Jose Gonzalez album and more.

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

Acoustic Café Playlist for November 30, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Afraid” – Flock Of Dimes
• “Off Broadway” – Rachael & Vilray ft. Stephen Colbert
• “I’m Listening” – Josh Ritter
• “I Fell In Love” – Treanne
• “Old Me, New Wig” – Molly Tuttle (Acoustic Cafe performance)
• “We Got To Have Peace” – Mavis Staples
• “Gavotte” – Chris Thile (in-studio guest performance)
• “Allemanda” – Chris Thile (in-studio guest performance)
• “Robin’s Egg” – Iron & Wine (w/I’m With Her)
• “Emily’s Song” – Daniel Caesar
• “Pajarito” – Jose Gonzalez
• “Music By Men” – Florence & The Machine
• “Beck N Call” – Waterbaby
• “Hold On To The Light” – Jack Johnson, Hermanos Guiterrez
• “Long Is The Road” – Southern Avenue (Acoustic Cafe performance)
• “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger” – Buddy & Julie Miller (Acoustic Cafe performance)
• “Pretty Ideas” – Amber Mark
• “Baby Man” – Fruit Bats
• “If God Is A Woman” – Larkin Poe
• “Gentle On My Mind” – Alison Krauss
• “I Made This For You” – Chris Thile (in-studio guest performance)
• “Allegro assai” – Chris Thile (in-studio guest performance)

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

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, we dip into the archives for Words + Music from past in-studio guests, including greats Lyle Lovett, Alison Krauss, Gregory Porter, Joan Baez and many many more!

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

Acoustic Café Playlist for November 23, 2025 (all in-studio stuff!)

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “God Is God” – Joan Baez
• “On My Side” – AHI
• “All Day I Dream About” – Joe P
• “Brown Eyed Lover” – Allen Stone
• “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
• “Bring My Flowers” – Tanya Tucker
• “Everything Old Is New Again” – Barenaked Ladies
• “Stolen Moments” – Cautious Clay
• “Ain’t Got Time For Hate” – Shemekia Copeland
• “Telepathic” – Ani Difranco
• “Whooping Crane” – Lyle Lovett
• “The Moment Has Passed” – Jeff Tweedy
• “Oh, Miss Claudia” – Rodney Crowell
• “Hill Country Love” – Cedric Burnside
• “Back To Me” – Grace Potter
• “Rake” – Cowboy Junkies
• “Sweet Talk” – Iron & Wine
• “When You Give It Away” – Bruce Cockburn
• “Don’t Lose Your Steam” – Gregory Porter
• “Gentle On My Mind” – Alison Krauss
• “El Invento ” – Jose Gonzalez
• “Steppin’ Out” – Joe Jackson w/Graham Maby

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

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, Madi Diaz returns as our guest, telling the second half of the story started on last year’s album “Weird Faith”. Her new one, “Fatal Optimist,” chronicles the relationship coming apart!

Also, some archived performances from Wilder Woods, Ben Taylor, I’m With Her, Bobby McFerrin and much more!

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

Acoustic Café Playlist for November 16, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Joni” – Brandi Carlile
• “Free Man In Paris” – Joni Mitchell
• “Flip A Coin” – Cautious Clay
• “Offering” – Wilder Woods (in-studio performance)
• “The Joker” – Fruit Bats
• “Take The Joker And Run” – The Steve Miller Band
• “Haevy Matal” – Madi Diaz (in-studio guest)
• “Lone Wolf” – Madi Diaz (in-studio guest)
• “Night And Day” – Ringo Starr
• “Song For Arthur” – Natalie Bergman
• “Run It Back” – Madison McFerrin
• “Every Time” – Bobby McFerrin (in-studio performance)
• “First Timer” – Elliott Smith
• “Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands” – Brad Mehldau
• “You Can Close Your Eyes” – Jacob Collier
• “Nothing I Can Do” – Ben Taylor (in-studio performance)
• “Tonight, Tonight” – Leslie Odum, Jr.
• “Thirty Three – Smashing Pumpkins
• “Tie You Down” – HAIM ft. Bon Iver
• “Mother Eagle (Sing Me Alive)” – I’m With Her (in-studio performance)
• “Partita No. 3 in E Major – Preludio ” – Chris Thile
• “If Time Does” – Madi Diaz (in-studio guest)
• “Fatal Optimist” – Madi Diaz (in-studio guest)

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

“Old Man” – N’dea Davenport (Acoustic Cafe recording, 1998)

On this week’s episode of Acoustic Café, the trio from Australia’s Northern Beaches, Sons Of The East, return as our in-studio guests. During their first time in America in 2018, they had only an EP to their name… now, on their second full-length release called “SONS,” they are making their second appearance!

Also, some archived performances from Richard Thompson, Arlo Parks, Joy Clark and much more!

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

Acoustic Café Playlist for November 9, 2025

• “Million Dollar Intro” – Ani DiFranco
• “Petrichor” – Jon Batiste
• “Time In A Bottle” – Lucy Dacus
• “Just A Stranger” – Diana Silvers
• “Die Alone” – Marcus King
• “Black Dog” – Arlo Parks (in-studio performance)
• “Mellow Out (demo)” – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
• “It’s Alright” – Sons Of The East (in-studio guests)
• “Pour The Wine” – Sons Of The East (in-studio guests)
• “A River Runs Through” – R.T. & The Sessionmen
• “Instead Of Calling” – Flock Of Dimes
• “Fluorescent Light” – Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover
• “Falling For Me” – Johnnyswim (in-studio performance)
• “The Highway Knows” – Molly Tuttle
• “Over” – Robert Glasper ft. Yebba
• “Wilderness” – Sarah McLachlan
• “Nevermind” – Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel
• “Shine” – Joy Clark(in-studio performance)
• “Keep Your Distance” – Danny Burns
• “Lotteryland – Richard Thompson (in-studio performance)
• “The Best of You” – Amber Mark
• “After The Ball” – Waylon Jennings
• “Time Will Tell” – Sons Of The East (in-studio guests)
• “Sweet Thing” – Sons Of The East (in-studio guests)

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

Former Critics are a five-piece Detroit group that blend elements of punk, hard-rock, and maybe even a little bit, just a bit, of shreddy-metal, post-hardcore and Midwest emo!

Now, what do any of these attributive compounded nouns and sub-genres actually mean, you ask? Well, we explore that together on this week’s MI Local—fitting since the group’s name conjures a vocation that I, myself, use to have, (read: a music ‘critic’) who would often get preoccupied with these cryptic descriptors, like, say, for example, “graveyard punk!”

Former Critics started ten years ago and have since released two EPs and two full-length albums. Their most recent album, “I Wanna Be Dramatic”, came out just two weeks ago, hot on the heels of their recent mid-summer tour!

The band formed out of a high school friendship between singer Jessica Murray, guitarist Doug Luenner, and drummer Mike Pakulski, initially beginning as an acoustic trio. Bassist Branden Szymanski and guitarist Dave Holm round out the current lineup, althought Szymanski wasn’t able to join us in-studio due to a recent injury, (he’s okay and will still be performing with them live, later this weekend)!

Former Critics’ arrangements blend breakneck tempos with exceedingly catchy, headbanging-inducing hooks and anthemic choruses, typically laced with distortion-shredded guitars and lyrics that cut with blunt social commentary, heart-wrenching confessionals coated in a goth/macabre-adjacent vocabulary.

And their live shows absolutely match the frenetic energy of their recordings: you can see them live this Saturday at the Loving Touch in Ferndale!

I premiered “Black Hole,” the third single from Former Critics’ latest album back in June and the group has since released a music video that you can watch below!

But what a treat, because they ALSO performed that song live, acoustically, during this week’s MI Local! And yes, you can translate hard-rocking graveyard punk to a softer acoustic side, I saw it and heard it with my own eyes and ears.

Also new this week: We heard new synth-pop sounds from the Detroit duo known as Deadbeat Dad, and an in-case-you-missed-it spin of the latest single by Matthew Smith, current leader of The Matthew Smith Group and former leader of Outrageous Cherry!

Another notable spin this week was the latest from the psych-folk singer/songwriter known as Santiparro, a born/raised Metro Detroiter who recently collaborated with well-known alt-folk pioneer Bonnie “Prince” Billy. You can see Santiparro perform live this Saturday at Third Man Records!

Speaking of shows happening around the region, the throwback pop stylists known as Lyons Lane will join Drey Skonie at El Club this Friday night for a prom-themed concert, and organist John Szymanski will be busy this week, performing with his post-punk art-rock group Eck! on Friday night at the Paris Bar then traveling to Ann Arbor at the Great Honk Fest at Olson Park.

Lastly, we also spun a great new track by Detroit-based R&B dynamo Beth, with “Call Me.” WDET recently featured Beth during our Sounds Like Detroit Showcase, a live concert hosted at Batch Brewing last month! Check out the new music video by Beth below, and scroll further for the full playlist from this week’s show.

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

• “Runaway” – Light Scene Factory
• “DANCE TRACK” – deadbeatdad
• “Call Me” – Beth
• “Fall” – Tariq Gardner & the Evening Star
• “Remember Me” – Bevlove
• “Others” – The Matthew Smith Group
• “Chaos Incarnate” – Santiparro
• “Babytalk” – Lyons Lane
• “Woke Up” – Eck!
• “Can You Feel It” – Former Critics
• “I Wanna Be Dramatic” – Former Critics