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Music & Culture

Will Free Lollapalooza Tickets Inspire People To Get Vaccinated?

5:57am June 22, 2021

Like many music festivals, Lollapalooza was called off last year due to the pandemic. It's making a comeback for 2021, and Chicago officials are using it as a vaccine incentive.

Music & Culture

The Foo Fighters Are Going In A Different Direction On Their Next Album

5:48am June 21, 2021

Best known as a rock band, the Foo Fighters are going disco. Their new album Hail Satan will feature covers of four songs by the Bee Gees — including "Night Fever."

Anthony Braxton, conducting his group 100Tubatet in New York on June 4, 2006.

Music & Culture

Jazz Elder Statesman Anthony Braxton Continues To Defy Expectations

10:26am June 17, 2021

by Nate Chinen

Maverick jazz composer Anthony Braxton was set to spend his 75th birthday performing at events around the world, but then... well, you know. He has two new boxed sets out this month.

Lara Downes, with her father in San Francisco, ca. 1975.

Music & Culture

Celebrating Juneteenth And Black Music Month With Classical Classics

3:03pm June 16, 2021

As part of an ongoing series, NPR's Rachel Martin talks to pianist Lara Downes about classical recordings of "Lift Every Voice" and "A Change Is Gonna Come," to mark Black Music Month and Juneteenth.

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A David Bowie Painting That Sold For $4 At A Thrift Store Is Now Up For Auction

2:59pm June 16, 2021

The painting is expected to sell for thousands of dollars. The unnamed seller, who found the painting at a donation center in Canada, paid $4.09.

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Joni Mitchell on the cover of Blue, an album turning 50 in 2021.

Music & Culture

Brandi Carlile Will Join NPR Music's Listening Party For Joni Mitchell's 'Blue'

1:06pm June 15, 2021

by Lars Gotrich

For its 50th anniversary, join us in an online listening party for Joni Mitchell's Blue. NPR Music's Ann Powers will be joined by Brandi Carlile in a live conversation about the album.

The Mexican-American band Los Lobos, newly named as National Heritage Fellows.

NEA Announces 2021 National Heritage Fellowship Winners

12:19pm June 15, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

This year's honorees include the Mexican-American band Los Lobos, the founder of the Irish-American musical group Cherish the Ladies, and Native American and Puerto Rican textile artists.

Tania León is a Cuban-born American composer who won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her piece Stride.

Music & Culture

Tania León Wins Music Pulitzer For 'Stride,' Celebrating Women's Resilience

6:00pm June 11, 2021

by Tom Huizenga

The revered Cuban composer's winning piece was inspired by the life and struggles of Susan B. Anthony and her own poor mother and grandmother in Cuba.

"Solar Power," Lorde's first new song since 2017, is a celebration of sun, sand and saltwater.

Music & Culture

Lorde Drops Surprise New Song, 'Solar Power,' And Music Video

9:32pm June 10, 2021

by Alex Ramos

The New Zealand singer and songwriter, who hasn't released new music since her 2017 album Melodrama, said the song is the first sample of a forthcoming album, also called Solar Power.

After A Break For The Pandemic, Live Music Returns To Band City USA

6:28am June 09, 2021

by Tyler Pratt

In-person activities are coming back. In Allentown, Pa., that meant a return to free concerts in the park, where families gathered Tuesday for an evening of Latin music and even a little dancing.

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