Music can unite us in grief

Composer John Adams was inspired to write his work “Gnarly Buttons” in part as a response to losing his father to Alzeimer’s disease. Steve Seel features “Put Your Loving Arms Around Me” from that work on this week’s show, in addition to works by Aleksandra Vrebalov, Molly Herron, Edie Hill, Jennifer Higdon and more. 

Steve Seel is the host of YourClassical’s weekly SymphonyCast and the trailblazing music show Extra Eclectic. He possesses a broad knowledge of many musical genres, having hosted radio programs ranging from classical to jazz and even avant-garde music at radio stations around the country. Steve began his love affair with public radio at 24 working whatever shifts he could at his hometown station of WUSF-FM in Tampa, Florida, and from there worked his way to snowy Buffalo, New York, and its renowned classical station WNED-FM, where he hosted middays and the weekly experimental-music show Present Tense.  In 2005, Steve became one of the founding voices on Minnesota Public Radio's eclectic station, the Current. While there, he hosted afternoons and mornings, and conducted in-depth interviews with pop music luminaries ranging from Brian Eno to David Byrne to Tori Amos. Steve is a basement composer obsessed with all things both minimalist and slow, and might actually be incapable of writing anything that exceeds 75 beats-per-minute.


Steve Seel

Composer John Adams expresses grief through a beautiful piece, “Put Your Loving Arms Around Me.” Listen to that and more on this week’s episode of Extra Eclectic, with host Steve Seel.


A woman leans her head on a man's shoulders.