Music & Culture

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, with Music Director Robert Spano conducting.

Music & Culture

The Atlanta Symphony Lockout Continues, Musicians Picket On Peachtree Street

8:46am September 29, 2014

by Adam Ragusea

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was supposed to open its fall season last week but, in a scenario that has become familiar, contentious contract negotiations led to a lockout of musicians.

Queue Listen Now

Clubgoers dance at a Stockholm club that forbade its patrons from drinking Friday night.

Sober And Sold-Out: Dance Club In Sweden Cuts Booze For A Night

4:49pm September 28, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Breathalyzers were placed in the doorway of a nightclub in Stockholm this weekend, with an unusual purpose: to ensure no guests had been drinking any booze.

Mac Wiseman revisits lyrics his mother transcribed from the radio during his childhood on his new album, Songs From My Mother's Hand.

Music & Culture

Mac Wiseman Returns To The Songs Of His Childhood

12:54pm September 28, 2014

by Jewly Hight

The 89-year-old Mac Wiseman gained fame for his relaxed, articulate style and ability to adapt to many genres. On a new album, he dusts off a few family heirlooms.

Queue Listen Now

"The music's kind of oozing out of not just his hands, but his whole body," Boston Symphony managing director Mark Volpe says of the orchestra's new music director, Andris Nelsons.

Music & Culture

New Boston Symphony Music Director Andris Nelsons: 'It's Not A Job — It's Life'

12:22pm September 27, 2014

by Jeff Lunden

The 35-year-old Latvian conductor brings a sincerity and enthusiasm to his position, marking the end of a three-year period of uncertainty for one of America's oldest and most respected ensembles.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

First Listen: 'Become Ocean' By John Luther Adams

7:17am September 26, 2014

NPR's classical producers Tom Huizenga and Anastasia Tsioulcas discuss a composition by U.S. composer John Luther Adams. "Become Ocean" is a symphonic piece that take its cues from the natural world.

Queue Listen Now

Jonah Tolchin performs at Grimey's in Nashville during the Americana Music Festival on Sept. 20.

Music & Culture

Roots, Plugged In

11:10am September 25, 2014

by Ann Powers

The standout acts at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville last week wove electricity, individualism and rule-breaking together with tradition to create a joyful noise.

André Benjamin plays Jimi Hendrix in the new film Jimi: All Is By My Side.

From Sideman To Star: A New Film Captures Jimi Hendrix's Pivotal Year

4:33pm September 23, 2014

Jimi: All Is By My Side focuses on the year Hendrix changed his name and recorded his first album. Director John Ridley and star André Benjamin (a.k.a. André 3000) talk about portraying the guitarist.

Queue Listen Now

Cover art for the Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross Gone Girl soundtrack.

Music & Culture

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Share Four Songs From Their New 'Gone Girl' Score

1:20pm September 23, 2014

by Robin Hilton

Much like the duo's previous soundtracks for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network, the Gone Girl score is extraordinarily creepy.

The new collaboration between PC Music's A.G. Cook and affiliated producer SOPHIE is a combination singer and energy drink (neither of which might actually exist) called QT. Seriously.

Music & Culture

A Rational Conversation: Is PC Music Pop Or Is It 'Pop'?

1:04pm September 23, 2014

by Eric Ducker

The dizzy, saccharine music of the London-based record label PC Music is invested in the most addictive pop of modern history, but the label's songs feel detached, almost cynical.

Music & Culture

The Song That Never Ends: Why Earth, Wind & Fire's 'September' Sustains

2:23am September 21, 2014

by Dan Charnas

It begins, "Do you remember?" — and we supply the memories. Dan Charnas tells the origin story of the Earth, Wind & Fire hit that still unites generations on the dance floor.

Queue Listen Now