Encore: Eric Gales on reclaiming his place as a blues guitar icon
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly spoke with guitarist and singer Eric Gales about reclaiming a career stalled by drug addiction and prison time.
Music Features
On '¡Ay!', the tropical music of Lucrecia Dalt's childhood becomes avant-garde sci-fi
On her surreal, sci-fi and decidedly romantic new album ¡Ay!, the Colombian, Berlin-based electronic artist crafts an alien narrative drawing inspiration from the genres of her youth.
For Chileans blinded in police violence, making music has become one path to healing
All members of Hacía la Victoria ("Onward to Victory") sustained eye injuries during clashes with police in anti-government protests in 2019. Their lyrics focus on police brutality and their own pain.
Personifying a country ideal, Loretta Lynn tackled sexism through a complicated lens
Rather than extol Lynn in ways she rejected, we should appreciate the agency with which she so impressively crafted her identity in country music.
Revisiting San Juan Hill, the neighborhood destroyed to make way for Lincoln Center
In New York City, the area dominated by Lincoln Center was formerly home to Black and Puerto Rican communities. Etienne Charles' new musical work addresses that difficult past.
Stripped to the bones: Why a new NYC concert hall sounds so much better
The new David Geffen Hall in Lincoln Center, home of the New York Philharmonic, opens this week. And while the outside is the same, everything inside has changed.
Open Mike Eagle makes himself a mixtape
The referential artist discusses hip-hop's repurposing spirit, reconciling zonal versions of himself, making sense of rap's "golden era" and his new album, Component System with the Auto Reverse.
Unreleased for decades, Joyce Moreno's 'Natureza' is a snapshot of newfound freedom
Recorded with Claus Ogerman, Natureza could have made the Brazilian singer-songwriter an international star. Now released, the long lost album captures a turning point in her approach to music.
The Syrian Cassette Archive, preserving a disappearing history
When Yamen Mekdad and Mark Gergis met in 2018, the pair combined their love of Syrian cassettes into a project aiming to save them — and share them more widely.
Mexico's Son Rompe Pera bang the marimba at the crossroads of cumbia and punk
Tradition and modernity coexist peacefully within Son Rompe Pera, where punk collides with the cumbia the band grew up playing.