Music Interviews

Elliott Smith relaxing at an outdoor cafe in early 1998, while on tour for the album Either/Or.

Music & Culture

+1: Remembering Elliott Smith's Masterpiece, 'Either/Or,' 20 Years Later

2:13pm March 10, 2017

by Robin Hilton

Elliott Smith archivist and engineer Larry Crane discusses the challenges of making Smith's best album sound even better. Either/Or celebrates its 20th anniversary with a deluxe version.

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My Name Is Earl is Earl St. Clair's debut solo release.

Music & Culture

After An Unexpected Rise, Earl St. Clair Is Ready For More Surprises

6:30pm March 09, 2017

by Monika Evstatieva

The soulful singer's EP, My Name Is Earl, weaves a tale of couch-surfing, self-medication and, ultimately, success.

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Marty Stuart's new album is Way Out West.

Music & Culture

World Cafe Nashville: Marty Stuart

4:24pm March 09, 2017

by Ann Powers

Hear a session with the walking, talking, singing, guitar-slinging repository of American popular music in advance of his new album, Way Out West.

50 Song Memoir is Stephin Merritt's latest album as the driving force behind The Magnetic Fields.

Music & Culture

The Magnetic Fields On The Improbably Autobiographical '50 Song Memoir'

8:16am March 09, 2017

Stephin Merritt — by his own estimation, "the least confessional singer-songwriter in history" — unpacks his most confessional work.

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"I'm 75; I've been around the block a few times," Michael Chapman says. "So?"

Music & Culture

Michael Chapman's Road-Weary Guitar Resonates With A New Generation

5:01am March 07, 2017

by Joel Rose

He's been touring for 50 years, but spent decades out of the spotlight. Now, with the help of younger artists like Steve Gunn, the weathered British guitarist is making a comeback.

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Freedom Is Free is the latest album by Los Angeles quartet Chicano Batman. Left to right: Eduardo Arenas, Bardo Martinez, Gabriel Villa, Carlos Arévalo.

Music & Culture

Chicano Batman: A Sound And Vision That Could Only Come From Los Angeles

5:01pm March 06, 2017

by NPR Staff

The band warps traditional Mexican music with traces of lounge, R&B, psych rock — and on the new Freedom Is Free, some explicit politics. Kelly McEvers met up with the group at an LA guitar shop.

Jain performs in the World Cafe studio at WXPN in Philadelphia.

Music & Culture

Jain On World Cafe

4:55pm March 06, 2017

by David Dye

The French pop artist shows her love of African percussion and rhythms on her debut album, Zanaka.

Tennis is the duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore; their latest album is called Yours Conditionally.

Music & Culture

Tennis Thrives In Isolation On 'Yours Conditionally'

8:03am March 05, 2017

by NPR Staff

To write its latest album, the husband-and-wife musical duo returned to a songwriting environment that had proven fruitful for them in the past: the middle of the ocean.

Gary Lucas Uses Film Music 'To Shed Light On Obscure Corners Of Culture'

5:01pm March 04, 2017

by Rick Karr

Gary Lucas, known for playing with the late Captain Beefheart and as the late Jeff Buckley's songwriting partner, built reputation with film music. His latest is for an early Orson Welles comedy.

"Strong Swimmer" is a song from Shelby Earl's latest album, The Man Who Made Himself a Name.

Music & Culture

Shelby Earl Explains 'Strong Swimmer,' An Ode To Trauma And Recovery

7:41am March 04, 2017

by NPR Staff

Earl conceived the song to be about herself getting over a relationship. Then, she realized someone in her life was swimming against an even stronger emotional current.