First Listen: Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram, 'Kingfish'
The 20-year-old guitar phenom understands the blues as a lifeline, a malleable language, a way of being in the world.
Music
First Listen: Brad Mehldau, 'Finding Gabriel'
The jazz pianist's swing-for-the-fences opus references Old Testament prophets and collides retro-futurist synthesizers with horns and strings.
'A Song For Any Struggle': Tom Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' Is An Anthem Of Resolve
Petty's song has been used by striking workers in defiance, by political candidates to show grit, on national stages in the aftermath of tragedy. We asked what "I Won't Back Down" means to you.
The Thistle & Shamrock: Season Of Light
Celebrate the coming of summer, the fertility of the season and the greening of the earth with one of four ancient, annual Celtic festivals that mark the passage from one season to the next.
Leyla McCalla Has The Capitalist Blues
Although the topics are heavy, McCalla's music is danceable. This is a treatment informed by the artist's Haitian roots and adopted New Orleans traditions.
Station Breaks: The Best New Songs From NPR Music Stations
Hear Dirty Honey play tomorrow's classic rock today, Sonia Barcelona embark on a hauntingly beautiful journey to the depths of the sea and more in this month's list.
Pianist And Coder Dan Tepfer Composes Music With The Help Of Artificial Intelligence
NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Dan Tepfer, pianist, composer and coder, about how he uses artificial Intelligence and virtual reality to bring his music to life.
Tiny Desk Contest Contestant Bernie Dalton Dies After Battling ALS
The musician won our hearts with his deeply moving 2018 Tiny Desk contest entry as Bernie and The Believers. He'd been fighting bulbar-onset ALS, an aggressive form of Lou Gehrig's disease.
Woodstock 50 Promoter Claims Former Funders Drained $17 Million From Festival
Michael Lang, one of the founders of the original Woodstock and the promoter behind the tentative 2019 event, accused his former investor, Dentsu Aegis Network, of taking the money improperly.
Decades Later, Nat Turner Rebellion Makes Its Debut With 'Laugh To Keep From Crying'
The R&B group recorded in Philadelphia in the early '70s, but their debut is only just being released. The album is all over the map, but its passion and bristling intelligence is noteworthy.