Music & Culture

The Prisonaires, a band formed in a Memphis-area prison, created one of Sun Records' early hits.

Music & Culture

The Dawn Of Sun Records: 15 Hours Of Blues

1:52pm September 06, 2013

by Ed Ward

In 1950, a red-haired Alabama boy who'd learned about radio and electronics in the U.S. Army opened a recording studio to document the blues and country music he loved. A new box set compiles the beginnings of Sam Phillips' Memphis Recording Service, and the record label he would soon create.

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John Zorn's latest album is Dreamachines, which is inspired by Brion Gysin and William Burroughs' cut-up techniques.

Music & Culture

At 60, 'Challenges Are Opportunities' For John Zorn

1:25pm September 03, 2013

At 60, New York City composer John Zorn is wiser, sure, but no less prolific, thoughtful and antagonistic than before. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that, at his age, "there are no more doubts."

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American composer Irving Berlin sings his song "God Bless America" in front of Boy Scouts troop members and spectators gathered at a tent in Monticello, New York in 1940. Instead of collecting royalties from "God Bless America," Berlin created a fund that

From Peace To Patriotism: The Shifting Identity Of 'God Bless America'

10:47am September 03, 2013

by NPR Staff

In the new book God Bless America: The Surprising History of an Iconic Song, author Sheryl Kaskowitz explores the lyrical evolution of Irving Berlin's enduring song and explains how its early popularity reflected the anxiety of the pre-war period and sparked a surprising anti-Semitic and xenophobic backlash.

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Jason Isbell was previously a member of Drive-By Truckers. His solo albums include Sirens of the Ditch and Here We Rest.

Music & Culture

Jason Isbell Locates His Musical Compass On 'Southeastern'

2:26pm September 02, 2013

The singer-songwriter earned a name for himself while playing with Drive-By Truckers and The 400 Unit, but on his new album — written after he got sober — Isbell finds a new level of emotional honesty. Here, he talks with Terry Gross about his life and plays songs from Southeastern.

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Kathleen Hanna (center) is the frontwoman of The Julie Ruin. The band's debut album is titled Run Fast.

Music & Culture

Kathleen Hanna On Working Through Illness And Focusing Anger

6:18pm September 01, 2013

by NPR Staff

The icon behind two pioneering bands, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, has a new project called The Julie Ruin. It comes after years of being sidelined from sickness and some deep thought about her own long career.

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Typhoon, the Portland, Ore. band led by Kyle Morton, features a dozen musicians playing precise and complicated arrangements.

Music & Culture

Typhoon: Songs For A Lost Childhood

11:59am August 31, 2013

by NPR Staff

Kyle Morton, leader of the Portland, Ore. musical collective Typhoon, can trace the start of his songwriting career back to one life-altering bug bite.

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Over the Rhine is the married duo of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. The pair's new double album, Meet Me at the Edge of the World, is its 15th studio release.

Music & Culture

'We Grow Songs': Over The Rhine On Making Untamed Music

10:29am August 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist are approaching their 17th wedding anniversary, and they've been making music together even longer. Meet Me at the Edge of the World, their latest album as Over the Rhine, grows from the couple's deep and tangled roots in rural Ohio.

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Iowa City librarian Jason Paulios reviews recently donated CDs. Paulios says donations of old music give the library greater freedom to purchase new stuff, as well as license digital versions directly from smaller artists.

Music & Culture

A Unique Digital Music Service, For Locals Only

1:30pm August 28, 2013

by Clay Masters

Just as e-books have begun working their way into libraries, librarians are grappling with how to embrace digital music. At the Iowa City Public Library, an unusual licensing arrangement with local artists is having some success.

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Sam Baker's Say Grace is his fourth album since he started making them in 2004, at age 50.

Music & Culture

Sam Baker's 'Say Grace' Is At Once Beautiful And Broken

6:31pm August 27, 2013

by Robert Christgau

The Austin singer-songwriter's latest album is his fourth since he started making them in 2004, at age 50. Critic Robert Christgau says Baker's backstory, which includes surviving a terrorist attack, "must be told."

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The Renaissance Street Singers give a performance at the Winterdale Arch, near the West 81st Street gate in Central Park.

Music & Culture

Atheists Take Old Hymns Out Of The Chapel And Into The Streets

10:16am August 26, 2013

by Joel Rose

For 40 years, the Renaissance Street Singers have given free public performances of sacred music. But they insist that their mission is not religious in nature.

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