World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN - WXPN Listener Supported Radio

Del McCoury was there at the beginning of the bluegrass movement May 20, 2022

For this new album, Almost Proud, quarantine gave Del McCoury the time and space to dig through a box of collected music to find some gems to record.

Beach House's latest album embraces maximalism in both size and sound May 10, 2022

Once Twice Melody was released in four chapters over the course of several months and embraces maximalism in both size and sound.

Get swept away in Spiritualized's latest album, 'Everything Was Beautiful' May 06, 2022

In this session, Jason Pierce of Spiritualized talks about their latest album, Everything Was Beautiful, how it grew and changed in unexpected ways as he worked on it, and how he let himself get lost in the process.

Judy Collins shares live stories on 'Spellbound' Apr 29, 2022

In our conversation, Judy shares some of those stories, talks about her songwriting process and the advice she's gotten from some of her very well-known songwriter friends.

Hear Magdalena Bay perform a dreamy mini-concert for World Cafe Apr 28, 2022

The duo makes dreamy electro-pop that nods in the direction of Charli XCX.

Why Beastie Boys' 'Check Your Head' album still matters 30 years later Apr 26, 2022

A lack of interest and supervision from its label allowed Beastie Boys to experiment, resulting in their critically acclaimed third album, Check Your Head.

'Local Valley' was José González's opportunity to explore — to take more chances Apr 25, 2022

González's classical guitar sound and dreamscape vocals are still there, but there's more layers, more percussion, more synthy sounds and more forward momentum.

Old Crow Medicine Show on how Nashville has changed since the mid-'90s Apr 22, 2022

Ahead of their time in igniting interest in the String Band tradition, Old Crow Medicine Show was also ahead of the curve, landing in Nashville in the mid-'90s, well before it was declared the It City.

No one does a cover song quite like Cat Power Apr 18, 2022

Don't go into Chan Marshall's latest album, Covers, expecting a karaoke party — Chan transforms, inhabits and recreates them, makes them entirely new and entirely hers.

Hear a performance from Hayes Carll at AMERICANAFEST Apr 14, 2022

Hayes Carll is a Texas singer-songwriter with an easygoing, everyman style of storytelling that's earned him comparisons to John Prine and Townes Van Zandt.

AHI lives like someone before his time is counting on him Apr 12, 2022

AHI's third album, Prospect, is informed by the past but paving the present road toward the future.

Ben Bridwell's resilience led to one of the best Band of Horses albums Apr 11, 2022

In this session, Ben Bridwell takes us through the events that led to Things Are Great in his usual self-deprecating charm.

Hear Tré Burt's performance at AMERICANAFEST 2021 Apr 07, 2022

Burt's latest album, You, Yeah, You, builds on his previous work as he grows ever more sophisticated, empathetic and razor-sharp as a storyteller and musical philosopher.

Buffalo Nichols on his self-titled debut album Apr 05, 2022

The last few years, Buffalo Nichols' heart led him back to the blues, in the process releasing one of the beat blues albums in recent memory.

St. Paul and the Broken Bones on 'The Alien Coast' Apr 04, 2022

The foundation of the group remains, but they've added psychedelic- and stoner-rock influences in their latest album.

Erin Rae's voice on her new 'Lighten Up' album is both arresting and intimate Mar 31, 2022

Erin tells Nashville correspondent Jessie Scott that the idea of "lightening up" wasn't about the outside world, but her own inner world.

The Culture Corner: Arrested Development's impact on the sound of Atlanta in the '90s Mar 29, 2022

The hip-hop group's album, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..., turned 30 this year.

Lawrence Rothman drops two deeply personal records Mar 28, 2022

The first release, Good Morning, America, features appearances from Lucinda Williams, Katie Pruitt, Mary Lattimore and Amanda Shires.

Stevie Van Zandt reflects on his career's highlights in 'Unrequited Infatuations' Mar 25, 2022

The memoir spans his time with Bruce Springsteen, his diverse and underrated solo career, and of course his work on The Sopranos as Sylvio Dante.

Hear a performance from Sierra Ferrell at AMERICANAFEST Mar 24, 2022

Hear Sierra performing live in her adopted home city, starting off with a song from her debut album, "The Bells of Every Chapel."

ÌFÉ explores the distance between the seen and the unseen worlds Mar 22, 2022

As Otura Mun's connections to Afro-Cuban rhythms have deepened, so has his commitment to Afro-Cuban spiritual traditions. Hear a live performance.

Punch Brothers reinterpret an album by one of their heroes Mar 21, 2022

Mandolinist Chris Thile and guitarist Chris Eldgridge share their love of Tony Rice's music, their longtime friendship with Tony himself.

Hear a performance from Sue Foley at AMERICANAFEST Mar 17, 2022

Her love of the blues drew her to Austin, Texas, when she was 21 years old, and she's never looked back.

Rüfüs du Sol used the big pause to learn some self-care, record new album 'Surrender' Mar 11, 2022

After years of touring, the trio realized that they'd developed some bad habits — COVID presented the band a much-needed opportunity to hit pause.

Hear a performance from Brandy Clark at AMERICANAFEST Mar 10, 2022

Not only did she co-write the hit song with Kacey Musgraves and Shane McAnally, she's also written for Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rimes, Sheryl Crow, and Keith Urban.

Janis Ian ties the bow on a long, prolific career as a singer-songwriter Mar 08, 2022

In this session, Janis Ian joins World Cafe for a conversation about her career, her creativity and her first new album of new material in 15 years

Tears For Fears share a unique bond, heard on their new album 'The Tipping Point' Mar 07, 2022

In this session, Roland and Curt join us for a conversation about making a new record 17 years after the last, as well as their past, their present and the future of Tears for Fears.

Michael Stipe shares stories and mementos from his life spent creating art Mar 04, 2022

Since R.E.M.'s amicable end in 2011, the frontman has continued to create and write. He spoke to World Cafe about revisiting New Adventures in Hi-Fi and what it's like making new music on his own.

Geese prefers instruments to Mario Kart Mar 01, 2022

Realizing they were spending more time playing instruments than Mario Kart they formed a band and, by the time they graduated high school, Geese had hit its stride.

The Black Opry: a joyful, supportive celebration of Black artists Feb 28, 2022

The Black Opry was founded in Nashville by Holly G, starting as a website that's now grown into a collective of artists. Hear from members of the Black Opry Revue in the World Cafe studio.

Amos Lee wants to remind us that there is a path to mental wellness Feb 25, 2022

Lee acknowledges how hard it can be to live with anxiety and talks about how he was finding ways to heal.

The Black Innovators Of Rock And Roll: Part 4 Feb 22, 2022

In our final entry, we look at innovators of the new millennium — including the music of Santigold who, John Morrison says, has a unique way of combing rock with lots of other genres.

Hurray for the Riff Raff's 'Life on Earth' is an affirmation of humanity Feb 18, 2022

Alynda Segerra talks about making the new record, alongside a whole host of topics including astrology, life in New Orleans and why she calls the band's music "nature punk."

Chris Pierce speaks up with his latest album, 'American Silence' Feb 17, 2022

At a certain point, it's time to speak up — that's what Pierce has done with his new album, American Silence. And, as maybe you can guess from the title, he's hoping other people join him.

The Black Innovators Of Rock And Roll: Part 3 Feb 15, 2022

This week, our ongoing series focuses on the end of the '80s and the '90s, starting with two of the biggest Black rock acts of the '90s: Living Colour and Fishbone.

Hear Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram's AMERICANAFEST performance Feb 14, 2022

The blues musician is known for his transcendent live shows. We'll hear one in this session of World Cafe.

Spoon captures the energy of the stage on 'Lucifer on the Sofa' Feb 11, 2022

On its 2017 album Hot Thoughts, Spoon wove in new, electronic textures in the studio. Now, for its follow-up, the band tried a totally different direction.

The Black Innovators Of Rock And Roll: Part 2 Feb 08, 2022

In celebration of Black History Month, today's episode celebrates Black innovators of rock and roll from the 1970s and '80s: a time of musical experimentation.

The Linda Lindas' music is incredibly fun — and has something to say Feb 07, 2022

A video of the teenage group playing in the Los Angeles Public Library went viral last year; since then, the group has released new songs and earned a spot on the Epitaph Records roster.

Questlove breaks down the process of directing his celebrated doc 'Summer of Soul' Feb 04, 2022

Extensive footage and recordings from the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969 were packed away in a basement for decades. And then, Questlove was approached to make all of it into a documentary.

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