Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Music Review: 'Faith In The Future,' Craig Finn

10:23pm September 28, 2015

by Tom Moon

Craig Finn has had a prolific rock career with his bands Lifter Puller and The Hold Steady. Now 44, Finn has just released his second solo album, Faith in the Future. Critic Tom Moon says it sounds like a musician looking for his next act.

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Zuhal Sultan is the founder of the Iraqi National Youth Orchestra.

Music & Culture

'We Need To Be Human': Zuhal Sultan On Starting The Iraqi Youth Orchestra

10:23pm September 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

The young woman who founded Iraq's youth orchestra believes in the enduring spirit of her musicians. The group planned to bring its act overseas until it was forced into hiatus by ISIS.

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Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov poses for a portrait at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City in July. The center, a multidisciplinary practice and performance space, opened in 2005.

No Vanity Project: At Art Center, Baryshnikov Tells Artists, 'You're The Boss'

12:23pm September 28, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

You'd think the sign in front of dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov's arts center would have his name in lights — but actually, you can barely see it. He says what happens inside is way more important.

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Julia Wolfe's Anthracite Fields is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music. The official recording of the piece was released this week.

Music & Culture

A Dark But Redeeming Tour Of Coal Country, With Composer Julia Wolfe

10:16am September 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

Wolfe has just released the recording of Anthracite Fields, which won the 2015 Pulitzer for music. The piece is based on the knotty history of coal-mining families in her home state of Pennsylvania.

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Zeb Bangash performs with her band Sandaraa at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City last year. (Left to right: Michael Winograd, Bangash, Yoshi Fruchter, Eylem Basaldi.)

Music & Culture

A Pakistani Pop Star Pulls From The Culture's Musical Past And Present

9:07pm September 25, 2015

Though she's made careful study of the history of South Asian music, Zeb Bangash's career defies easy assumptions about art and Islam.

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Sting talks about setting aside ego to foster creativity.

How Do You Get Over Writer's Block?

9:27am September 25, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

After a nasty bout of writer's block that stretched on for nearly a decade, Sting found inspiration by channeling the stories of the shipyard workers he knew from his childhood.

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Music & Culture

Unadulterated Brass-Band Fun On Banda De Los Muertos' Debut Album

11:16am September 24, 2015

by Milo Miles

The horn-led band updates traditional Mexican party/folk music for modern American listeners on its self-titled album. Critic Milo Miles says Banda De Los Muertos' debut will make you dance.

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Ryan Adams' latest release is a song-for-song cover of Taylor Swift's 1989 album.

Music & Culture

No Blank Space, Baby: Taylor Swift Is The Soul Of Ryan Adams

8:39am September 24, 2015

by Ann Powers

Adams' 1989 recognizes a rock lineage born of a woman. He's not legitimizing Swift's work – he's figuring out how her voice can validate and include his.

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After Copyright Ruling, Let The People Sing 'Happy Birthday'

5:50pm September 23, 2015

Tuesday's ruling by a federal judge that the copyright of the "Happy Birthday" song applies only to specific piano arrangements, not the actual song itself, means the song is now public domain.

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Music & Culture

Federal Judge Rules 'Happy Birthday' Is In The Public Domain

5:38pm September 23, 2015

by Laura Sydell

A federal judge in Los Angeles has ruled that "Happy Birthday" should be in the public domain. Piano arrangements were copyrighted in 1935, but they apparently don't cover the lyrics.

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