Mid-Week Intermission Friend Edition: Matt Reilly of KUT News & KUTX 98.9
Okay The Drop-In Season 5 just started and we are riding high on last week’s kick-off performance from Brownout! Not only are we excited for another Drop-In summer, but we’re doubly pumped to be partnering up with KUTX 98.9, Austin’s beloved NPR music station. To get their take on Austin music and everything we’re looking forward to this summer, we caught up with Matt Reilly, Program Director for KUT & KUTX, to learn more about how he plans to Drop-In this summer.
Long Center: Welcome to Mid-Week Intermission! We usually like to ask folks for a song to go with their interview – anything come to mind? Maybe a song from an artist on The Drop-In lineup?
Matt Reilly: How about La Semilla from Superfónicos? Like a seed, this one grows on you.
LC: Speaking of — this is the first year that KUTX is partnering with the Long Center on The Drop-In! And, of course, we’re stoked. Can you talk a little about how that came to be, and why it makes sense?
Matt Reilly: You fine folks at the Long Center have always booked incredibly well for The Drop-In, and we’ve just been biding our time until you asked us to partner with you. And you did!
LC: The Drop-In is just one part of KUTX’s Wet Hot Austin Summer programming. Care to share a little more on that, and what folks can expect?
Matt Reilly: The best soundtrack to your summer in Austin, for starters. We’ll also have ticket giveaways and other events to join us in person.
LC: What’s your favorite part of the summer season at KUTX?
Matt Reilly: We really lean into all the fun that the city has to offer in the summer. If you play it right, summer in Austin can be like to going to summer camp. And we think about that as we’re putting the music together.
LC: What are you most excited about for this year’s Drop-In? Any artists you’re epecially looking forward to?
Matt Reilly: That’s like asking me to pick my favorite child. All of them, of course! I will say though, there is a healthy contingent of former KUTX Artists of the Month and we have lots more to explore on these artists at our webiste — kutx.org. See what I did there?
LC: Lightning Round ⚡ Are you a blanket or lawn chair kinda guy? Hat or sunglasses? Get there when doors open or right when the show starts? How do you Drop-In?
Matt Reilly: Lawn chair, sunglasses, right when the show starts.
LC: Do you remember the first local artist you saw in Austin? And any advice for folks who haven’t come out to The Drop-In before?
Matt Reilly: I remember seeing Alejandro Escovedo at Shady Grove, back when that series was happening many moons ago.
As for the folks that are Drop-In curious, I’d say that these are some of the best Austin artists going right now and the price really can’t be beat. Oh, and there’s a breeze so it gets quite comfortable as the sun goes down.
Thanks, Matt!
Come check out The Drop-In this summer on the H-E-B Stage, and don’t forget to stop by the KUTX tent and say hi!
And did we mention it’s FREE?
At the Long Center, we’ve always got a new partnership or something cool we know you’ll want to check out! Find and follow us @longcenter on your social media platform of choice, and we’ll see you real soon.
