Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Bill Arhos, 'Austin City Limits' Founder, Dies At 80

10:05pm April 17, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Terry Lickona, executive producer of Austin City Limits, about the life and legacy of the show's founder, Bill Arhos. Arhos died Saturday at 80.

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Happy Fangs drummer Jess Gowrie, getting it done.

Drum Fill Friday, With Jess Gowrie Of Happy Fangs

10:00am April 17, 2015

Our recurring puzzler for careful listeners, this week featuring a selection of fills handpicked by Jess Gowrie, drummer for the band Happy Fangs. Hear the fill and match it to the song.

Music & Culture

Demand Increases For Vinyl Records

7:35am April 17, 2015

Saturday is World Record Day, a celebration of independent record stores. Jay Millar of United Record Pressing, says people have a connection to vinyl that you just can't get with a digital download.

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Music & Culture

Wiz Khalifa's 'See You Again' Breaks Spotify Streaming Record

7:40pm April 16, 2015

by Andrew Limbong

The song by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth broke the record this week for Spotify streams in a single day with 4.2 million plays.

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Mark Ronson is a music producer, DJ and guitarist who's recorded with Adele, Paul McCartney, Ghostface Killah, Lily Allen and Duran Duran, among others.

Music & Culture

The Story Behind Mark Ronson's Hit Song 'Uptown Funk'

4:43pm April 16, 2015

The producer says there was a moment when his co-writers thought, "Maybe this song wasn't meant to be." He also describes working with Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars.

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Sufjan Stevens' album Carrie & Lowell is out this week.

Music & Culture

How To Be Alone: Musicians Confront Solitude

1:15pm April 16, 2015

by Ann Powers

On new albums, Sufjan Stevens, Kendrick Lamar and Laura Marling all hold the world at a distance in order to embrace creation.

Superchunk frontman and Merge Records co-founder Mac McCaughan (left) will put out his first album under his own name next month. Katie Crutchfield just put out her third album as Waxahatchee on Merge.

Music & Culture

A Rational Conversation With Mac McCaughan And Waxahatchee

12:30pm April 16, 2015

by Eric Ducker

Songwriter Katie Crutchfield and her boss, Merge Records' Mac McCaughan (who has a new solo album) talk about motivation, listening to their own music and the differences between DIY in 1994 and 2015.

Music & Culture

Winston-Salem Finalizes Busker Rules

8:05pm April 15, 2015

by Neal Charnoff

Winston-Salem is moving forward with rules governing street musicians, also known as buskers.

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Percy Sledge performs in Montgomery, Ala., in 2010.

Music & Culture

Percy Sledge Had A Voice The Whole World Heard

7:45pm April 14, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

Best known for 1966's iconic hit "When A Man Loves A Woman," the Alabama singer found success blending R&B with a hint of country. Sledge died Tuesday at 74.

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Soul Singer Percy Sledge Dies

7:06pm April 14, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Sledge is perhaps best known for his hit "When A Man Loves A Woman." He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.