Inspired by creator and host Carmel Holt’s own 25 year career in radio, and lifetime devoted to music, SHEROES is a podcast that amplifies womxn’s voices in song and conversation. As the third production under the SHEROES name, following her syndicated public radio show SHEROES Radio, and SHEROES: Mixtape Memoir (Sonos Radio), the SHEROES podcast on Talkhouse acts as kind of creative lab, expanding to include mini-episodes that highlight the intersectional feminist heart of SHERO interviews, live tapings, roundtables and more. Carmel’s approach continues to be guided by a fierce commitment to diversity and inclusivity, showcasing a wide range of guests sharing their experiences spanning genres and generations, with a passion for amplifying new voices while recognizing and celebrating the womxn who paved the way.
Episode 3 of The Road To Joni picks up a thread from our conversation with Don Was… and leads us to esperanza spalding. In 2021 esperanza collaborated with her mentor Wayne Shorter on Iphigenia, an opera with a revisionary take on Euripides’ Greek tragedy Iphigenia at Aulis. It was Ipheigenia that led esperanza to Joni’s living room, though her path on the road to Joni started years prior with a track from the 1976 album Hejira. esperanza tells host Carmel Holt how, at a recent Janet Jackson concert, she was reminded that Joni Mitchell has “literally influenced everyone.”
Joni’s influence on powerhouse string players and Joni Jam members Chauntee and Monique of SistaStrings began with “the lady that sings on the Janet Jackson song. (‘Got Til It’s Gone’).” A move from their hometown of Milwaukee to Nashville immersed the sisters in the Americana scene… which led them to a place in Brandi Carlisle’s touring band… which led to that fateful Newport 2022 performance when Joni took the stage. SistaStrings credit Joni for being an example for women to “stand on your own, be who you are, make weird music and be loud about it.”
