Music & Culture

Music & Culture

Review: Valerie June's New LP 'The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers'

4:19pm March 12, 2021

by Oliver Wang

Valerie June has just released a new LP called The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers. The album foregrounds her distinctive voice and mixes reassurance with a yearning for engagement.

Devonté Hynes' new album, Fields, is nominated for two classical Grammy awards this year.

Music & Culture

Play It Forward: Devonté Hynes' Grammys Surprise And Biggest Inspirations

4:19pm March 12, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with artist Devonté Hynes about how his Grammy-nominated classical album Fields came together and the artist he is most grateful for – Angel Bat Dawid.

Louder Than A Riot's Lyrics On Trial playlist.

Music & Culture

Louder Than A Riot: Lyrics On Trial

3:11pm March 12, 2021

From Mac Phipps and C Murder to Snoop Dogg and Drakeo The Ruler, rap lyrics have been used in court cases to try and put rappers behind bars.

Three of the women who sing about their plight — and their hopes — on the album I've Forgotten Now Who I Used To Be. Their names are withheld to protect their physical safety because they have been accused of witchcraft.

Banished 'Witches' Sing Of Their Pain — And Their Dreams

1:15pm March 12, 2021

by Aaron Cohen

In a new recording, women accused of witchcraft in Ghana — and forced to leave their homes — created songs that tell who they are, how they have suffered and what their hopes are.

Music & Culture

Hear Live Performances From All Five 'Best Americana Album' Grammy Nominees

12:21pm March 12, 2021

Hear live recordings of songs from all of the artists up for best Americana album this Sunday: Lucinda Williams, Marcus King, Hiss Golden Messenger, Courtney Marie Andrews and Sarah Jarosz.

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Music venues, like the Metro in Chicago, have gone through a long and uncertain wait for aid passed by Congress in December.

Shuttered Venue Grants Are Coming In April, After A Long Wait

5:49pm March 11, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

The live music industry breathed a sigh of relief when Congress passed a $15 billion grant program for struggling venues. But owners still face uncertainty and delays.

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Music & Culture

A Year Without Live Music

3:40pm March 11, 2021

by Eddie Garcia

Over the past year, some businesses had to change their model to survive. Others, like music venues, had to shut down completely.

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Music & Culture

Mike Campbell Has Written Some Hits

3:29pm March 11, 2021

Best known as a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell aims to make his own hits in his new band, The Dirty Knobs.

Jon Batiste performs at a voter registration event in Brooklyn, N.Y., in June 2020.

Music & Culture

Jon Batiste On Sharing Joy In A Painful Year: 'I Want To Reaffirm People's Humanity'

1:34pm March 11, 2021

by Terry Gross

This year, Batiste took his music to the streets, performing at protests and vaccination sites. "I wanted to articulate ... that we're all in this together," Batiste says. His new album is We Are.

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Chick Corea, holding a freshly won Grammy in the award ceremony's press room in LA on Feb. 8, 2015.

Considering Chick Corea's Grammys Success And The Kitchen Sink Of Genre

12:40pm March 11, 2021

by Nate Chinen

Corea, who died in February, remains the most-awarded jazz musician in Grammys history. But Corea, who always identified as a jazz player, wasn't landlocked by any genre conventions. He wasn't alone.