Music Interviews

BANKS' second album, The Altar, comes out Sept. 30.

Music & Culture

'I Feel More Comfortable Being Confrontational': BANKS Comes Into Her Own

9:04am September 15, 2016

As she prepares to release her second album, The Altar, the singer talks about overcoming stage fright, embracing the power of her femininity and the importance of her grandmother's house.

When The Beatles embarked on tour in the U.S. in 1964, reporter Larry Kane was along for the ride.

Music & Culture

The Reporter Who Almost Said No To Touring With The Beatles

7:16am September 15, 2016

by NPR Staff

Larry Kane was 21 years old when he was invited to join the Fab Four on their 1964 U.S. tour. (He eventually agreed.) Kane appears in Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years, a new film about the band.

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On the Recycled Orchestra's recent visit to New York, we brought members of the ensemble to play on a midtown Manhattan rooftop.

Music & Culture

From Trash To Triumph: The Recycled Orchestra

7:49pm September 14, 2016

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Young musicians from a Paraguayan slum have toured the world with instruments made of garbage. They've played with Stevie Wonder and for the Pope. Now they're in a documentary.

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"I was a cheerleader in high school, for example, and I quit because I was not very good at being in a good mood when I needed to be," Angel Olsen says. "I'm still a cheerleader in a lot of ways."

Music & Culture

Angel Olsen Is Ready To Have Fun

6:26pm September 13, 2016

by NPR Staff

Olsen's music has earned her critical acclaim, but also a reputation as a tortured soul. The 29-year-old songwriter's third album, My Woman, showcases a more lighthearted side.

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Joseph performs live at the 2016 Non-COMMvention at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Music & Culture

Joseph On World Cafe

4:28pm September 12, 2016

Hear the three Closner sisters' gorgeous, powerful harmonies, recorded live in Philadelphia.

"We're making our own kind of anti-status symbol, in our own language that's kind of subliminal," Kim Gordon says.

Music & Culture

Hear Kim Gordon's First Song Released Under Her Own Name

9:08am September 12, 2016

by Maria Sherman

On "Murdered Out," recorded with producer Justin Raisen and drummer Stella Mozgawa, the former Sonic Youth member takes inspiration from cars painted matte black to obscure identifying features.

Black Eyed Peas Hit 'Where Is The Love?' Remixed In 2016 To Remind

8:22am September 11, 2016

In 2003, the pop group's song "Where Is the Love?" was in the top 8 on the Billboard 100. Now will.i.am has rewritten the song. He tells Rachel Martin it's been adapted to reflect the issues of 2016.

Jack White's latest album is Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016.

Music & Culture

Jack White On Detroit, Beyoncé And Where Songs Come From

5:48pm September 10, 2016

by NPR Staff

White's latest album is a career retrospective, but without the big electric sound he's been known for since the late 1990s.

The members of Grandaddy are back with the band's first new music in a decade.

Music & Culture

Grandaddy Is Back! Frontman Jason Lytle Talks About New Album, Shares Two New Songs

12:02pm September 09, 2016

by Robin Hilton

Ten years after Grandaddy's last album, the Modesto, Calif. band has released two new songs. Singer Jason Lytle reveals the emotional turmoil behind his return to the band's signature distorted pop.

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Music & Culture

M.I.A. Takes 'AIM' At A Global Message

7:49am September 09, 2016

by NPR Staff

The British rapper remains both successful and controversial, but she tells NPR's David Greene she's just trying to widen the conversation.

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