Music Interviews

Music & Culture

Oratorio Tackles The Issue Of Leaks From 'The Source'

11:57am October 25, 2014

by Jeff Lunden

The oratorio is a time-honored way for classical composers to tell a big story. Composer Ted Hearne thinks so too. His new oratorio, The Source, takes on the story of Chelsea Manning and WikiLeaks.

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Music To Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat

11:57am October 25, 2014

Conductor John Mauceri's latest album is filled with renditions of the most-chilling music from Alfred Hitchcock's films. He talks with NPR's Scott Simon.

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Herbie Hancock's new memoir is titled Possibilities.

Herbie Hancock: 'On A Path To Find My Own Answer'

10:26am October 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

In a candid interview, the ever-innovative pianist traces the lines between Buddhist chants, Sly Stone and Miles Davis, while shedding new light on some hard facts about his past.

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Michael Keaton stars in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). It's a dark comedy about an actor who once played a superhero and later stages a vanity production on Broadway.

Michael Keaton: As An Actor, You Must Lock In And Let Go

8:53am October 17, 2014

by NPR Staff

"I've got to stay 100 percent present," Keaton says. He is currently starring in Birdman, a dark comedy about an aging movie star who once played a superhero — a role he can't quite get over.

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J.K. Simmons plays brutal music teacher Terence Fletcher in Whiplash.

J.K. Simmons Won't Throw A Chair At Your Head, But His Character Might

10:40am October 15, 2014

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with actor J.K. Simmons about his much buzzed about performance as a brutal music teacher in the new film Whiplash.

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Neil Young Writes Of His Love Affair With Cars

1:14pm October 12, 2014

Neil Young loves his cars so much he wrote a second memoir, Special Deluxe, devoted to them. He speaks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about music, the environment and, of course, automobiles.

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Mary Lambert's new album is called Heart On My Sleeve.

Music & Culture

Mary Lambert: 'You Change People's Opinions By Opening Your Heart'

6:33pm October 11, 2014

by NPR Staff

As a gay Christian, Mary Lambert says singing the hook on Macklemore's "Same Love" is the best introduction she could have hoped for. She speaks with NPR's Arun Rath about finding her own audience.

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The Oxford a cappella group Out of the Blue.

Music & Culture

No Lie: Shakira's 'Hips' Gets An Oxford Makeover

3:13pm October 01, 2014

by NPR Staff

The Oxford University men's a cappella group Out of the Blue has its own version of "Hips Don't Lie" — and an endorsement from the pop star herself.

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Between 2006 and 2010, Jason Hamacher made many trips to Syria to photograph and record ancient chants.

Music & Culture

Before War, A Punk Drummer Preserved Syrian Chants

10:01am October 01, 2014

Jason Hamacher wasn't trained as a photographer, a musicologist or a member of a religious community. The former Frodus drummer simply felt compelled to document this music.

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Ty Segall's latest album is Manipulator.

Music & Culture

Ty Segall Rocks Out — Acoustic-Style, And With More Polish

9:59am October 01, 2014

by NPR Staff

The garage rocker performs stripped-down versions of songs from his new album, Manipulator, and tells NPR's Arun Rath why the new songs are less rough around the edges than some of his earlier work.

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