Music

Loudon Wainwright III Opens Up About The 'Exes & Excess' That Inform His Music

1:40pm December 21, 2018

by Terry Gross

Wainwright's music centers on family, and how we hurt and heal each other. He spoke to Fresh Air in 1992 and '17 about his life as a husband, father and son. His new Netflix special is Surviving Twin.

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Former U.S. President Barack Obama guests on the latest Hamilton remix.

Music & Culture

Barack Obama Brings Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'Hamildrops' Series Full Circle

11:36am December 21, 2018

by Daoud Tyler-Ameen

In a remix featuring Christopher Jackson and BeBe Winans, Obama channels the viral "Yes We Can" video from the 2008 campaign that inspired Hamilton's "One Last Time" in the first place.

David Byrne (left) with World Cafe host Talia Schlanger backstage at the 2018 XPoNential Music Festival.

Music & Culture

10 World Cafe Quotes From 2018 That Still Resonate

10:08am December 21, 2018

by Talia Schlanger

Sage advice from Rosanne Cash, a very David Byrne-ian one-liner and more: These are the quotes that stuck with World Cafe host Talia Schlanger this year.

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City.

Music & Culture

A Paul Winter Solstice Concert 2018: Encore Performance

9:35am December 21, 2018

This year, NPR presents an encore performance of Paul Winter's 2011 Winter Solstice Celebration, held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Upper Manhattan.

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Music & Culture

boygenius On World Cafe

9:00am December 21, 2018

Come for the monster musicianship and harmonies, stay for the shredding and sharp commentary.

Jump, Little Children Returns To Hometown Of Winston-Salem With String Quartet

7:00am December 21, 2018

by Eddie Garcia

The North Carolina-based rock band Jump, Little Children is returning to Winston-Salem for the first time in over a decade.

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A statue of George M. Cohan, prolific Broadway composer and performer, stands in New York's Times Square.

Music & Culture

George M. Cohan, 'The Man Who Created Broadway,' Was An Anthem Machine

4:45pm December 20, 2018

by Bob Mondello

Cohan was a myth builder: Songs like "Yankee Doodle Dandy, "Over There" and "Give My Regards to Broadway" celebrated both life in early 20th-century America and the glowing allure of the stage.

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Pussy Riot's performance at SXSW — one of Ann Powers' favorite concert experiences of 2018 — felt like an occupation of the senses.

Music & Culture

'I Like It Best When It's A Little Loud': Ann Powers' Favorite Live Shows Of 2018

2:50pm December 20, 2018

by Ann Powers

Live music awakens mind, body and soul — and that's what we need more than ever this year. Ann Powers' favorite concerts of 2018 helped create a shelter from everyday life's disorganized noise.

Grammy-winning trumpeter Roy Hargrove passed away at age 49.

Music & Culture

'Jazz Night In America' Remembers Artists We Lost In 2018

11:17am December 20, 2018

Friends of the show offer memories and music of pianist Cecil Taylor, Village Vanguard owner Lorraine Gordon, South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

Lucy Dacus' sophomore album, Historian, tops the list of Bob Boilen's favorite albums in 2018.

Music & Culture

Bob Boilen's Top Albums And Songs Of 2018

9:39am December 20, 2018

by Bob Boilen

All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen shares the albums and songs that stood out even if some were more peaceful than explosive.