Music Interviews

Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck in Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures and BRON Creative's Joker.

Music & Culture

Composer Hildur Guðnadóttir Finds The Humanity In 'Joker'

5:05am October 03, 2019

by Tim Greiving

Joker is a psychological character study of a disturbed man who turns violent. To give the comic book villain human depth, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir had to dig deep and empathize with the character.

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Mattiel performs live at WXPN's NONCOMM 2019 at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Music & Culture

Mattiel's 'Satis Factory' Is Delightfully Unique

12:40pm October 02, 2019

by Stephen Kallao

Mattiel Brown's powerful and assertive vocals lead a pinch of garage rock, a touch of psychedelia and some galloping honky-tonk.

Music & Culture

Meet The Shindellas, A Modern Vocal Group With Classic Stagecraft

9:00am October 02, 2019

by Jewly Hight

Tamara Chauniece, Kasi Jones and Stacy Johnson came to The Shindellas from disparate musical paths – and they wield those differences with poise and polish that stands out in their time.

Music & Culture

Raphael Saadiq Sends A Universal Message On 'Jimmy Lee'

4:15pm October 01, 2019

Named after his late brother, the accomplished musician's latest album raises awareness of substance abuse.

Nella's latest album, Voy, has earned the singer a 2019 Latin Grammy nomination.

Music & Culture

Nella Wants To Be A Voice Of Hope For Venezuela

12:55pm September 28, 2019

by Betto Arcos

Nella's debut album, Voy, is a meditation on the land she's left behind. The work earned her a 2019 Latin Grammy nomination in the category of Best New Artist.

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Kristin Chenoweth's album For the Girls is out now.

Music & Culture

Kristin Chenoweth Is Doing It 'For The Girls'

8:19pm September 27, 2019

On her latest album, For The Girls, Kristin Chenoweth covers classic songs originally recorded by women who inspire her and duets with Dolly Parton, Ariana Grande and more.

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Musician Jane Bunnett, seated second from right, and her band Maqueque.

Music & Culture

Jane Bunnett: Cuban Music's Canadian Connection

11:09am September 27, 2019

by Felix Contreras

The saxophonist, flautist and bandleader has been traveling to Cuba and performing its music for over 30 years.

Talia Schlanger interviewing Sting inside the World Cafe Performance Studio.

Music & Culture

A Farewell Playlist From Talia Schlanger: 'Songs I'm Taking With Me'

8:00am September 27, 2019

by Talia Schlanger

In this farewell playlist, you'll find 100 songs that have challenged or changed Schlanger during her time on World Cafe; songs she'll be taking with her as she goes.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, circa 1950. In 1951, she got married in a baseball stadium and performed a concert in front of thousands of fans.

Music & Culture

'The Most Elaborate Wedding Ever Staged': Rosetta Tharpe At Griffith Stadium

6:13pm September 25, 2019

In 1951, gospel star Rosetta Tharpe got married in front of thousands of fans at a baseball stadium. In some ways, says biographer Gayle Wald, it set the template for today's stadium rock concerts.

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Music & Culture

Western Music Expert Doug Green Revisits The Era Of The Singing Cowboy

1:43pm September 25, 2019

by Terry Gross

Green wrote a book on singing cowboys and is featured in Ken Burns' new PBS series about country music. He says he fell in love with Western music from an early age: "It completely entranced me."

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