St. Louis in the Air is celebrating one year of monthly music episodes with this new music roundup. Artist development coach and musician Muhammad “Mvstermind” Austin joined producer Miya Norfleet and host Elaine Cha to break down fresh tracks that provide the perfect vibes to transition from summer to fall.
Among them are experimental jazz from Mad Keys and Kaelin Ellis’ “Citrus Punch” and the catchy summer jam “Key West of the Midwest” by Russo & Co.
“Mad Keys is a crazy producer,” Mvstermind said. “What y'all [are] hearing is his mad genius world of how he just cooks up and plays his keys. I was singing the whole ‘citrus punch’ after, my crib [was] clean, I'm sitting back on my couch, I’m chillin [with] real grown people music.”
And there’s “Knives” from yacht punk band Nite Sprites that feels like summer time on a dive bar patio.
“I actually got hip to this band from Kenny [Snarzyk] from Fister,” Norfleet said. “I went home and listened to their self-titled album and I had a hard time picking which song I wanted to feature. I settled on ‘Knives' because I just like the ‘my knives are indifferent to the cries of my enemies’ [refrain]”
In addition to sharing his picks for new local music, Mvstermind talked about his work holding media training and public relations events at the Regional Arts Commission on the second Monday of each month to teach local artists how to communicate with the media.
“The community has been showing up so every single one has been maxed out to capacity, which has been a beautiful thing,” he said. “We know that this is something needed, but people are knocking on the door like, ‘Hey, yo, I'm setting reminders. I need to be here.’”Mvstermind’s mission is to uplift local artists — the same mission, he said, as the St. Louis on the Air monthly new music show's.
“This is a very important initiative,” he said as he shared his congratulations for the show’s one-year anniversary. “I feel like this is a prelude to something very big and very important, even more than what is happening in this moment.”
Here is a list of our favorite new releases:
Mad Keys, Kaelin Ellis - “Citrus Punch”
Album - “Go Where You’re Led”
Russo & Co. - “Key West of the Midwest”
Arionne - “Excuse Me Miss (A Poem)”
Morgan Taylor - “Outside (That’s PeriodT)”
Album - “Knives”
KVtheWriter, Khiro Kano, Volume Speaks - “Feel Good”
Inner City Witches - “Malfunction B.C.”
Album - “The Law Is Not in Heaven”
For more reflections on new releases from St. Louis-area musicians, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube or click the play button below.
Related Event
What: Media Training & Public Relations
When: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 13
Where: Regional Arts Commission - City Foundry 3745 Foundry Way, St. Louis, MO 63110
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Darrious Varner is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Calling all St. Louis-area artists and music fans: St. Louis on the Air wants your recommendations! Help us discover and feature musical talent in the region by filling out this Google Form. All genres are welcome!
