Music Interviews

Pussy Riot, performing at the Lodge Room in Los Angeles, California on December 12.

Music & Culture

Pussy Riot Plays Its First Show In America

10:30pm December 14, 2017

by Eve Barlow

Led and voiced by Nadya Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riot is focused on the mainstream, through an oblique reconciliation with capitalism, in order to spread its message. The contradiction is compelling.

Music & Culture

Emily Haines On World Cafe

6:16pm December 14, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

Metric's lead singer drops the wailing guitars and radical synths for a solo performance behind the piano.

The rapper Vic Mensa performs during a SoundCloud event on Nov. 16, 2016 in New York.

Music & Culture

SoundCloud's New Leader Is Focused On The Fundamentals

6:11pm December 14, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

Kerry Trainor, who replaced co-founder Alex Ljung as CEO in August, tells NPR that SoundCloud is not trying to compete with Spotify, saying creators are his main focus.

For The Oklahoma City Zoo, Hippos Are A Christmas Tradition

4:29pm December 13, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Gayla Peevey, who sang the original version of "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" in 1953. That song helped the Oklahoma City Zoo get its first hippo — and this past week, Peevey welcomed the zoo's newest hippo addition.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Rag'n'Bone Man On World Cafe

3:40pm December 13, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

When Rory Graham was 19 or 20 years old, he sang in public for the first time. And he didn't really think there was anything special about his voice. Turns out the world disagrees.

Kam Franklin (left) is lead singer of The Suffers, a band from Houston that started touring three years ago. Amber Daniel is lead singer and bassist of Blame the Youth from North Carolina. They're preparing for their first tour.

How To Survive Playing To An Empty Room And Other Advice For A Band's First Tour

5:30pm December 12, 2017

by Christina Cala

Blame the Youth, a North Carolina band, is getting ready to embark on its first tour. Lead singer and bassist Amber Daniel talks to Kam Franklin of The Suffers, who began touring three years ago.

Queue Listen Now

Music & Culture

Ranky Tanky Builds On The Music And Culture Of Slave Descendants

2:09pm December 12, 2017

by Terry Gross

Three members of Ranky Tanky perform songs from their self-titled debut. The band's name and music derive from the tradition of the Gullah, slave descendants from the Georgia and South Carolina coast.