Messing With Perfection: Why The Flaming Lips Took On 'Sgt. Pepper'
Wayne Coyne says his band was dying to take The Beatles' masterpiece apart and see how it works.
Music & Culture
What Is It About Kendrick Lamar?
In two years since releasing his major label debut, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Lamar has moved into hip-hop's spotlight full time. Microphone Check's Frannie Kelley and Ali Shaheed Muhammad explain why.
A Musician Writes A Soundtrack For His Grandparents' Love Story
"I wanted a chance to have other conversations with him," Peter Miller says of his late grandfather, whose letters to his wife inspired Miller's new album with We Are the Willows.
'Twinkle' Sparks Fireworks As Fiddler Guts Violin Method
Fiddler Mark O'Connor claims Shinichi Suzuki, creator of the popular Suzuki Method of violin instruction, was a fraud. O'Connor has created his own teaching system.
Uncovering The Heart Of Chopin — Literally
It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel. But a secret group of 13 gathered earlier this year to exhume the preserved heart of one of the world's most beloved composers, Frederic Chopin.
As A Lyricist And Novelist, The Mountain Goats' Lead Man Writes About Pain
John Darnielle's novel, Wolf in White Van, is about a man who survives a trauma. The songwriter tells Fresh Air about his difficult childhood and finding shelter in music and the Incredible Hulk.
When The Lights Go Down, Who Will Hear 'The Last Transmission'?
Famed film director Melvin Van Peebles joined the band The Heliocentrics to create music inspired by the sounds and signals of deep space exploration.
Brilliance In Bumps And Bruises, On Air And On Screen
New Jersey radio station WFMU prides itself on radically open programming — like three hours of "Eleanor Rigby" covers. But as a new film shows, it can be tough to pay bills and maintain a mission.
Eric Hofbauer Takes On Stravinsky, Messiaen
The Boston jazz guitarist tackles the Rite of Spring and Quartet for the End of Time on a pair of new CDs.
Why The Caged Bird Raps
Caged Bird Songs pairs some of the late Maya Angelou's poems and lyrics to hip-hop beats — but producer Shawn Rivera says the rhythms were already there.