Three Cities, Four Festivals, One Alt.Latino Weekend
Philadelphia, New York and Chicago hosted four Latin Alternative music festivals within 48 hours of each other. Somehow, we managed to get to all of them.
Music & Culture
Chris Forsyth & The Solar Motel Band: Tiny Desk Concert
There's a point when a jam is just a jam, but when a jam becomes a journey... man. Here, the instrumental rock band turns and churns its long-form compositions into new forms.
An Opera Percussionist Traces Her Path 'From Juilliard to the Orchestra Pit'
Patti Niemi has been a percussionist for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1992. She speaks with Fresh Air's Sam Briger about performance anxiety, muscle memory and her memoir, Sticking it Out.
Watch Big Thief Collaborate On A New Song
One of 2016's best new bands has just released a new song. It's part of a series documenting the creative process. So watch Big Thief play its new song "Mother."
Songs We Love: St. Paul & The Broken Bones, 'Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like)'
Explosive frontman Paul Janeway offers a salve — not just between lovers, but also for hard times.
Michael Kiwanuka Performs Live In The Studio
The U.K. soul singer took time off after the release of his 2012 debut to figure out what he really wanted to say next. Watch him perform "The Final Frame" live for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Songs We Love: Brent Cobb, 'Solving Problems'
The Nashville songwriter's smoke-stained voice conveys calm insight, his words capturing the creative process with no excess romanticism.
First Listen: The Amazing, 'Ambulance'
Playing with an unhurried improvisational spirit, the Swedish band unspools melodies that don't grab you so much as slowly burrow under your skin.
First Listen: Elysia Crampton, 'Presents: Demon City'
A collaborative musical "epic poem," Demon City elaborates on a disorienting and threatening world by amplifying marginalized voices.
David Cameron, Musical Muse?
An odd little tune the outgoing British prime minister sang in front of No. 10 Downing St. has inspired a bit of analysis — and a rash of arrangements and tributes.