Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Musician Rob Townsend Changes Tune With Gay Advocacy

9:37am July 31, 2016

Rob Townsend went from a successful Americana band in Texas to New York City, where he came out and is now writing music for the LGBT community. NPR's Elise Hu talks to him about his journey.

Music & Culture

It Runs In The Family: Stella Santana Releases Debut Album

8:55am July 31, 2016

Stella Santana, the daughter of Carlos Santana, has played music for years but is only now coming out with her own debut album. NPR's Elise Hu speaks with her about the album, "Selfish."

Park Boram is in many ways a model of the experience of K-pop stars. Her debut single is officially called "Beautiful," but the Korean title translates to "I became pretty."

Music & Culture

For Women In Korean Pop, 'Making It' Can Mean A Makeover

8:38am July 31, 2016

by Elise Hu

Female K-pop performers can face strong pressure to meet the industry's beauty standards. Some, like Park Boram, are starting to sing about it, while others are bucking the trend.

J Dilla (front) is pictured here in 2005 at Madlib's studios in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Collaborators MED, Eothen Alapatt and Madlib (left to right) surround him.

Music & Culture

'A Lot Of Detective Work': Piecing Together J Dilla's 'The Diary'

5:01pm July 30, 2016

by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi

The late hip-hop producer left behind troves of unfinished music. How do you dig into the vault of an artist like Dilla and assemble an album that remains true to their creative vision?

Over 40 Broadway performers gathered to sing "What The World Needs Now Is Love" at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.

Music & Culture

Come Together (Or Not): Music At The Democratic National Convention

12:58pm July 30, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

A chaotic week of fractured loyalties surged into buoyant affirmations for Hillary Clinton's candidacy. But are all those left-leaning musicians just singing into an echo chamber?

What Music For The Dying Sounds Like

9:19am July 30, 2016

by Paige Pfleger

Jennifer Hollis is what's called a music-thanatologist. She plays the harp and sings for dying patients once a week at Lahey hospital outside of Boston.

Music & Culture

'Quiero Creedence' Covers Creedence Clearwater Revival With A Latin Beat

9:19am July 30, 2016

NPR's Scott Simon talks to La Marisoul and Juan Manuel Caipo, two of the musicians on a new collection of covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It's called Quiero Creedence.

Prospective customers browse the effects at Bill Monroe's estate sale.

Music & Culture

Bill Monroe's Estate Sale: The Stuff Of Bluegrass Legend

9:19am July 30, 2016

by Blake Farmer

The Father of Bluegrass died 20 years ago. Now, Monroe's family is cleaning out the closets — and for music fans, even some of his most mundane possessions are meaningful.

Queue Listen Now

Composer John Powell, in a photo taken by his late wife Melinda Lerner.

Music & Culture

In The Sounds Of Jason Bourne's World, A Story Of Creation And Loss

8:44am July 30, 2016

by Tim Greiving

British composer John Powell swore off working on action movies for years, unsettled by their violence. The latest in the Bourne series, for which he's scored every film, marks his return.

Dinosaur Jr's Give a Glimpse of What You're Not comes out this August.

Music & Culture

Weekend LISTening: 5 August Albums To Beat The Summer Doldrums

8:00am July 30, 2016

by David Dye

Autumn tends to be prime new-music season, but the summer's not over yet. Preview five albums due during next month's relative calm.