© 2024 KSUT Public Radio
NPR News and Music Discovery for the Four Corners
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sole Of A Band, May 22

To what musician do these sparkly boots belong?
Bob Boilen
/
NPR
To what musician do these sparkly boots belong?

Baggy pants make different music than skinny jeans. Cowboy hats sound different than fedoras. T-shirt-and-jeans bands make a different noise than suit-and-tie bands. You can often look at a band's clothing and have a pretty good idea what it'll sound like.

But what about shoes? Over the last few months, I've been photographing the shoes of bands I see live, and I've come up with a test, a music quiz of sorts. Imagine this: If I play you a song and then show you four photos of shoes worn by musicians, will you be able to match the shoe to the song? Lace up your thinking boots: I give you the fifth installment of Sole of a Band.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

In 1988, a determined Bob Boilen started showing up on NPR's doorstep every day, looking for a way to contribute his skills in music and broadcasting to the network. His persistence paid off, and within a few weeks he was hired, on a temporary basis, to work for All Things Considered. Less than a year later, Boilen was directing the show and continued to do so for the next 18 years.