Music Interviews

alt-J's new album, Relaxer, is out June 2.

Music & Culture

alt-J Talk Chasing Excitement And Magic On A Confident New Album

5:34pm May 30, 2017

Gus Unger-Hamilton and Joe Newman tell Ari Shapiro about their songwriting process, how alt-J put its spin on a classic folk song and how the band has progressed over the years.

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Blondie performs live at WXPN's Non-COMM 2017 in Philadelphia, Pa.

Music & Culture

Blondie On World Cafe

11:46am May 30, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

Original members Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and drummer Clem Burke are back with a new studio album, Pollinator. Hear an ecstatic performance recorded live at World Cafe.

Music & Culture

Doo-Wop Singer Dion Pays Homage To His Musical Influences

1:37pm May 29, 2017

During a 2000 visit to the Fresh Air studios, the former teen idol performed old songs, new songs and songs by blues and country performers who influenced him.

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The latest album by Old 97's is called Graveyard Whistling.

Music & Culture

Old 97's On World Cafe

6:00am May 29, 2017

The alt-country band recorded its major-label debut 20 years ago in a remote studio in Tornillo, Texas. For its new album, Graveyard Whistling, it returned to the very same spot.

From left to right: Aria Mason (Rosalia), Ebonee Davis (Piquita) and Kenya Lawrence Jackson (La Flamenca) star in OperaCréole's production of La Flamenca.

Music & Culture

A New Orleans Company Shines A Light On Opera's Diverse History

8:09am May 28, 2017

Givonna Joseph, founder of OperaCréole, explains why it's so important to perform the works of composers of color, which she says were historically "hidden on purpose."

Pop artist Peter Blake poses beside a copy of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, which he co-designed in 1967.

Music & Culture

Why The 'Sgt. Pepper's' Cover Art Matters As Much As The Music

8:09am May 28, 2017

As the album turns 50, critic Colin Fleming argues that the cultural impact of Peter Blake's iconic record sleeve equaled that of the music.

Khalid's debut album, American Teen, explores timeless themes of love and loss.

Music & Culture

Khalid's Timeless Pop Anthems For American Teens

5:53pm May 27, 2017

On his breakthrough debut album, American Teen, Khalid Robinson proves that the emotional turbulence of youth can be timeless. Michel Martin talks to him and his biggest influence: his mom.

Jaco Pastorius performs in 1982, around the time when Paul Blakemore engineered his concert at Avery Fisher Hall for NPR's Jazz Alive!.

Music & Culture

In A Lost Concert, Jaco Pastorius Sounded The Rhythm Of The City

7:59am May 27, 2017

In 1982, NPR's Jazz Alive! recorded a big-band performance led by the inventive bassist at New York's Avery Fisher Hall. Engineer Paul Blakemore has remastered the tapes for a new album.

Pokey LaFarge's latest album is Manic Revelations.

Music & Culture

Pokey LaFarge On World Cafe

3:09pm May 26, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

In a live session, the St. Louis roots performer shares a song he wrote in response to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., just outside his hometown.

"I'm not gonna be afraid of anything anymore," Juanes says. "I don't want to follow any trends in music. I just wanna [make] music from my heart and my soul — as I did it before."

Music & Culture

A Rock Star In Space: Juanes Seeks The Universal On 'Mis Planes Son Amarte'

1:44pm May 26, 2017

The Colombian superstar's new visual album is a collaboration with director Kacho López Mari. Juanes stars as a character in search of eternal love and self-knowledge.