Heather Barringer of Zeitgeist has a not-so-secret confession…she is a headbanger, and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” holds a special place in her heart.

MPR’s Chris Roberts presents Open Ears, an ongoing series of audio features that explores how contemporary musicians' listening habits shape their music-making. Each installment features a Twin Cities musician talking about a favorite piece of music from a genre outside his or her own. The series taps musicians' wide-ranging tastes and deep musical knowledge as it explores the surprising and revealing influences that affect today's sounds.