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World
Cafe with David Dye - Listen to the Live Interview
and Performance
World Cafe Archives on WorldCafe.NPR.org!
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 Page McConnell- Known as "The Chairman of the Boards" for his work as a keyboardist for the jam-rock band Phish — his improvisational work was integral to the group's renowned live show — McConnell has come into his own as a solo artist after 20 years as a supporting player.
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 The Black Keys- The prolific duo tinkers with its sound constantly, recording on dated and obsolete tape tracks and in its own basement studio. The pair released its fourth full-length album (Magic Potion) in September, and is collaborating on a disc with Ike Turner for release later this year.
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 Lucinda Williams- Though Williams has been showered with acclaim and awards in the past decade, she spent the first 20 years of her career toiling on music's margins. It wasn't until the late '80s that she began to win over tastemakers and develop her reputation as a go-to songwriter and performer.
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 Bright Eyes- As the primary musical vehicle for Omaha wunderkind Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes has experienced a meteoric rise in the past few years, as fans and critics have embraced the literate, emotional songs of a singer often tagged "The New Bob Dylan."
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 Fountains of Wayne- Fountains of Wayne's immensely catchy pop-rock songs come with a powerful undercurrent of sly cynicism, but also a keen understanding of everyday people and the way they live. The band's new album is titled Traffic and Weather.
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 Nanci Griffith- Griffith merges the elegant acoustic folk of her early years with country-rock attitude. Though she often plays cover songs on her records, critics praise her songwriting for its emotional breadth and keen observations. Her newest disc is last year's Ruby's Torch.
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 Ry Cooder- The Grammy-winning singer/guitarist has spent his decades-spanning career experimenting with rootsy American music — from Dust Bowl folk to blues, gospel and world music. He's released more than 20 albums, counting his film scores, dating back to the early '70s.
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 Lily Allen- Lily Allen's ska-infused pop music has officially achieved ubiquity: She's gone from a buzzed-about underground sensation to a mainstream darling in the span of only a few months. Her sly lyrics and joyful energy have helped make her a star.
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 John Butler Trio- John Butler grew up in a small Australian town, where he learned to play guitar and absorbed musical styles. A subsequent obsession with the acoustic guitar and world music led to his development of an eclectic sound, which he honed as a busking guitarist.
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 Mary Chapin Carpenter- Carpenter's music is often classified as country, for lack of a more accurate term. In reality, the multiple Grammy winner blends folk, rock and country, all intertwined with her own original melodies and lyrics. Her new disc, The Calling, touches on thorny political matters.
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 TV on the Radio- The band's music is generally classified as indie-rock, but its songs incorporate old and new elements of punk, hip-hop, techno and pop. The recent The Return to Cookie Mountain stands as one of 2006's most enthusiastically reviewed albums.
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 Neko Case- Upon the release of 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Case had already established herself with The New Pornographers, as well as stellar live performances, often in duos or with a mixed bag of collaborators. The disc turned out to be her biggest commercial hit yet.
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 Angelique Kidjo- The title of Kidjo's latest album, Djin Djin, roughly translates to "seize the day" — an appropriate directive from the West African singer, whose career spans 20 years. Kidjo fuses Afro-funk, salsa, reggae, gospel, jazz and more with shades of American rock, pop and soul.
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 The Bird & The Bee- An indie-pop duo from Los Angeles, The Bird and the Bee combines futuristic rhythms and beats with ethereal vocals and catchy hooks. Singer Inara George (daughter of the late Little Feat frontman Lowell George) earned her own critical success with 2005's excellent All Rise.
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 The Walkmen- The Walkmen's members have been friends since they were in elementary school in Washington, D.C., but only formed in 1999 out of the ashes of Jonathan Fire*Eater and Recoy. Since then, the group has become one of rock's rising stars, with a taut, infectious sound and a gift for bold pop hooks.
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 Amos Lee- A singer-songwriter who takes his inspiration from the soul and folk artists of the '70s, Lee first gained wide recognition when he toured with Norah Jones in 2004. On last year's Supply and Demand, he tackles the issues of money, success and power.
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 The Good The Bad & The Queen- The band is the brainchild of Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz. The project was originally going to be a solo effort, but soon evolved into a group after he recruited the talents of Paul Simonon of The Clash, Simon Tong of The Verve and respected Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen.
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 John Mellencamp- Now on his 21st album, John Mellencamp has proven himself to be one of rock's most venerated and consistently popular performers. Ubiquitous again thanks to the placement of "Our Country" in a series of car commercials, Mellencamp remains tuned in to the pulse of populist Americana.
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 Snow Patrol- Snow Patrol's newest release, 2006's Eyes Open, is the band's most cohesive and accessible statement yet. Beautiful and epic, it spawned a popular single in "Chasing Cars," which cemented Snow Patrol's status as a go-to band for romantic movie soundtracks.
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 The Birth of Rap- World Cafe celebrates Black History Month with a special on the birth of rap, in which rapper Kurtis Blow, DJ Grand Wizard Theodore, and museum curator Jim Fricke help host David Dye explore the story of rap's early years in the 1970s.
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 Yoko Ono- Being arguably the most controversial woman in rock history isn't easy. While widely known as the reason for The Beatles' breakup, Yoko Ono has always been, first and foremost, an artist. With her career entering its sixth decade, her work sounds just as relevant now as it did in the '60s and '70s.
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 Peter Bjorn and John- It may conjure up '60s rock, Big Star-esque power-pop and new wave, but the music of Swedish trio Peter, Bjorn & John sounds refreshingly timeless and original. The band's new Writer's Block captures virtually everything appealing in the indie-pop world today.
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 Cassandra Wilson- Wilson, one of the top jazz singer-songwriters of the '90s, continues to make fine albums that draw heavily from her Southern background. She's constantly tweaked her sound along the way: Last year's Thunderbird even dabbles in hip-hop.
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 KT
Tunstall - The Scottish singer KT Tunstall writes
songs that are earthy and quirky in equal parts.
Her dynamic live performances and emotional connectivity
distinguish her from other singer/songwriters.
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The
Radiators - After nearly three decades of non-stop
performing, New Orleans natives the Radiators are
less a rock band then they are an insitution. With
their signature fusion of blues, R&B, funk, soul,
and rock n'roll all sewn together by their incredible
musicianship, The Radiators have been delighting fans
(known as "fish heads") both in The Big
Easy and nationwide for decades. |
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 Cold
War Kids is a four-piece indie band out of
Fullerton, California. At first listen, The Cold
War Kids' music seems almost haphazard, but don't
be fooled. Listen a little more and the deliberate
intricacy and precision become readily apparent.
The piano and guitars set the emotional mood for
each song, whether its reckless abandon or a more
mellow vibe, and the bass guitar does a great job
of jacking up the intensity when its needed most. |
 Rhythms
Del Mondo: Pop Music Gets Worldly - The album
combines Cuban sounds with well-known musicians
to create a unique fusion of pop and world music.
For the series' first release, the Cuban band Buena
Vista Social Club laid down new instrumental tracks
that blend and engage with popular songs from Sting,
Coldplay, Radiohead, Jack Johnson and more.
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 Damien
Rice: From "O" to "9" in Four
Years - At once spare and elegant, with an equal
flair for whisper-quiet simplicity and orchestral
bombast, Rice's music conveys emotional intensity
and straightforward beauty at the same time. His
latest album, the lovely 9, was released
in November.
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 Jerry
Lee Lewis: Rock's Last Man Standing - Any history
of rock 'n' roll is sure to acknowledge the influence
of piano master Jerry Lee Lewis, who popularized
his own brand of rock, often getting so enthusiastic
that he'd kick the piano bench out from under him
and play standing up.
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America:
Soft Pop Reinvented - After more than 30 years
of making music, the band America could easily be
flailing away on the county-fair circuit. But the
group has reinvented itself in recent years, drawing
inspiration from younger generations while still holding
on to the gentle pop sound that helped make it famous. |
 Portastatic:
Pop and Brazilian Folk with Strings - As the force
behind Portastatic, Mac McCaughan mixes everything
from straightforward pop to lush string arrangements
to masterful reproductions of Brazilian folk. Also
known as lead singer of the indie-rock band Superchunk,
he often uses Portastatic as a vehicle for his odd
and compelling flights of fancy. |
 The
Refugee All-Stars: Sounds from Sierra Leone -
The Refugee All-Stars formed after civil war forced
a collective of Sierra Leone musicians into refuge
in the Republic of Guinea. The 11 performers, led
by vocalist and songwriter Reuben Komora, were discovered
in a documentary film by Zach Niles and Banker White |
Bruce
Hornsby: From Jazz to Folk to Rock - Pianist,
singer and songwriter Bruce Hornsby has sold more
than 10 million records since releasing his multi-platinum
debut in 1986. That album generated three Top 20 hits,
and it laid the groundwork for a wildly diverse career
encompassing jazz, pop, classical, bluegrass, folk,
rock and Vaudeville. |
| Sierra
Leone Refugee All-Stars - The Refugee All-Stars formed
after civil war forced a collective of Sierra Leone
musicians into refuge in the Republic of Guinea. The
11 performers, led by vocalist and songwriter Reuben
Komora, were discovered in a documentary film by Zach
Niles and Banker White |
 The
Shins: Airy Pop Hits It Big - When Zach Braff
featured two of The Shins' songs in his hit movie
Garden State, the one-time side project
was firmly entrenched as a mainstream success. Wincing
the Night Away, The Shins' eagerly anticipated
third album, is primed to be the band's biggest
yet.
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 The
Slip's music seems at first like straightforward
indie-rock, but its subtle and intricate layers -
the likely product of the group's jam-band roots -
reveal themselves over time. Its three members have
been together since the early '90s, when they attended
high school together. |
 Fink,
a.k.a. Finian Greenhall, has taken a roundabout journey
to his career as an acoustic musician. Greenhall began
recording techno music in the late '90s, but as his
interest in electronica started to wane, he began
to prefer composing. He released his second album,
Biscuits for Breakfast, in 2006. |
 Having
paid his dues with 300-show years and a bad major-label
deal, singer Teitur
Lassen has finally gained some of the exposure
his music warrants. Borrowing from folk, rock and
pop influences, Teitur has released two fine albums
of emotional balladry, built on a quiet but sturdy
folk-pop framework. |
 Drawing
from '60s pop, hard rock and punk, the arena-rock
legends in Cheap
Trick have enjoyed influential and decades-spanning
careers. Their first new album in six years, Rockford,
finds the group returning to its roots, with catchy
and powerful new songs that sound equally suited to
old and new fans |
 Sarah
Assbring sings with a melancholy and longing that
suggests she's never been a part of anything. Under
the pseudonym El
Perro Del Mar, the Swedish sin—r recently
released her self-titled debut full-length - which
features songs of loneliness, heartbreak and dogs. |
 Yusaf
Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, recently
returned to the world of popular music with An
Other Cup, his first secular studio album in
28 years. The disc contains old songs that were never
recorded, songs he wrote in the last couple of years,
and songs that he came up with once he reached the
studio. |
 The
Hold Steady might just be the best bar band in
America. With its riff-heavy mixture of classic rock
and Craig Finn's lyrically dense storytelling, the
group crafts intricately detailed musical universes
that have already made it a critical darling and fan
favorite. |
 Michael
Franti and Spearhead, formerly of The Beatnigs
and Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Franti now leads
the San Francisco-based Spearhead, and his ability
to provoke debate hasn't waned since his revolutionary
beginnings. His latest album, Yell Fire!, draws on
Franti's recent travels to Iraq, Israel and Pakistan. |
Green Gartside is the driving force behind the various
incarnations of Scritti
Politti, which has been making music on and off
for 35 years. Driven by Gartside's childlike voice
and uplifting melodies, Scritti Politti's smooth pop
sound surfaced on the Top 40 in 1985, but has mostly
been heard on pop culture's margins. |
 Elton
John was one of the most successful musical acts
of the '70s, but he's remained in the spotlight ever
since, thanks in large part to his versatility. Trafficking
in rock, disco, pop, adult-contemporary, soul and
even country, John has become an icon. |
 Aimee
Mann - After making a name for herself as the
wild-haired lead singer of the '80s new-wave band
'Til Tuesday, Mann spent years carving out an iconoclastic
career in pop music's margins. Mann's new disc is
a collection of holiday songs titled One More Drifter
in the Snow. |
 Robyn
Hitchcock Robyn Hitchcock's career has played
out on his own terms: prolific, odd, uneven and frequently
brilliant. Since his early years with The Soft Boys
- a late-'70s college-radio staple that helped inspire
bands like R.E.M. - Hitchcock has been ahead of his
time. |
 The
Changes - Blending bouncy, new-wave-inspired
rock with hooky keyboards and jazzy rhythms, The Changes'
Today Is Tonight has all the makings of a major breakthrough.
After forming in 2002 and releasing a pair of EPs,
the band found itself at the center of major buzz
and soon played at the 2005 Lollapalooza festival. |
 Arlo
Guthrie & The Family Legacy Tour - Arlo Guthrie
is the oldest son of folk-music legend Woody Guthrie
and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, a dancer in the Martha
Graham Company. He has become a musician of international
renown without ever experiencing what can be classified
as a hit. Still, he remains a hard-working icon, even
after four decades in the business. |
 The
Fray - The Denver band The Fray has made a major
national splash with its 2005 debut album, How to
Save a Life. The group, formed by a couple of former
schoolmates, has been ubiquitous throughout the year. |
 JJ
Cale and Eric Clapton - Cale has been an inspiration
to Clapton for decades. In a collaboration ages in
the making, the iconic guitarists recently released
The Road to Escondido, a mix of rock, country, folk
and blues which still retains the fingerprints of
both musicians. |
 Lindsey
Buckingham: After Fleetwood Mac - Lindsey Buckingham
is best known for his work as a guitarist and songwriter
with Fleetwood Mac, but his solo output has also earned
him a place in the rock canon. His work has influenced
a generation of would-be folk-rockers and endeared
him to millions of fans. |
 Emily
Haines & The Soft Skeleton: Quietly Beautiful
- Haines recruited darlings of the Canadian indie-rock
world to help with her first proper solo album. The
Metric leader's Knives Don't Have Your Back recalls
the warmth and intimacy of a '70s singer/songwriter's
record blended with jazzy, experimental pop. |
 Sting:
From The Police to the Elizabethan Era - Sting
first became known as the lead singer of the immensely
popular pop/rock/punk group The Police, but he's maintained
success throughout his ever-evolving solo career,
which began after the band broke up at the height
of its popularity in 1984. |
 Paul
Simon: Half a Century on Top - Simon is one of
music's most venerated icons: His career started 50
years ago, when he and Art Garfunkel and began writing
pop songs tinged with folk, rock and world music.
As a solo act, Simon has found critical and commercial
success with the likes of Graceland and the
recent Surprise. |
 Petra
Haden and the Sellouts: Unclassifiable - Petra
Haden and her occasional cohorts in The Sellouts make
wonderfully unclassifiable music: Their music is so
varied that one category can't suffice. Haden mixes
classical, jazz, blues, rock, folk and pop, often
performing some unusual combination a cappella. |
 Sasha
Dobson: Jazz with Many Twists - Sasha Dobson has
spent the last ten years crafting a unique fusion
of Brazilian and American jazz. Her sultry voice and
extensive performance experience foretells success,
especially with Modern Romance, which includes
genre-bending covers of Duke Ellington and the Yeah
Yeah Yeahs. |
 Joseph
Arthur: Etheral Elegance - Arthur's music is driven
by simple melodies and soaring vocal harmonies. Each
song has its own driving force - a wistful backup
groove, a driving guitar riff or Arthur's own mournful
voice. His music sounds heavily influenced by R.E.M.'s
Michael Stipe and Coldplay's Chris Martin, but the
inspiration may not be one-sided. |
 The
Decemberists: Literate and Charming - Hyper-literate
as ever, The Decemberists' newest album is loosely
based on an old Japanese folk tale, which songwriter
Colin Meloy first encountered in a children's book.
Though it's the band's most ambitious work to date,
The Crane Wife maintains an air of weird accessibility. |
 Sean
Lennon: More Than A Legend's Son - With his second
solo album in eight years, Sean Lennon returns with
Friendly Fire. His parentage is legendary - and by
no means a qualifier for musicianship - but his beautiful,
simple melodies and evocative voice are more than
enough for him to make his own mark. |
 Ben
Kweller: Accessible but Atypical - Ben Kweller
continues to make charming pop-rock and find success
as a young adult. Starting music at a very early age,
the native Texan already knew major-label fallout
by his teens, but returned in 2000 as a solo performer.
He now has four albums to his belt, including a new
self-titled effort. |
 Mojave
3: Sparkling As It Soothes - The decade-old band's
latest disc, Puzzles Like You, sees Mojave 3 incorporating
bouncier and poppier melodies after years spent infusing
laid-back pop-rock with Americana and folk. |
 What
Belle and Sebastian Learned At University - Belle
and Sebastian was formed by Stuart Murdoch while he
was a student at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
The band was supposed to be a side project, but it
has become a decade-long success known for its easygoing,
'60s-sounding music. |
 Jennifer
O'Connor: Rock and Folk, Essentially - Jennifer
O'Connor strips her instrumentation down to the bare
essentials, yet retains the rock sensibilities of
her musical past. The New York City musician's two
albums are both fodder for breakthrough that craft
simple, unpretentious folk music. |
 Trey
Anastasio: A Busy Life After Phish - Best known
as the former lead singer of Phish, the legendary
jam-rock band with a devout following reminiscent
of The Grateful Dead's, Anastasio is a gifted songwriter
and talented singer. Trey explores a variety of sounds
in his solo work, experimenting with heavy bass lines
and howling guitar riffs. |
 Psapp
- The joy of Psapp lies in the duo's combination of
electronic and percussive beats, unusual sound effects
and sensual vocals, all of which somehow blend together
to create strange and elegant, highly addictive music. |
 Gruggenheim
Grotto - The music of The Guggenheim Grotto blends
classical instruments such as the viola, the glockenspiel,
the Wurlitzer and the Hammond organ with the more
conventional guitar, bass and piano for a haunting
and melodic sound that often evokes tragic love stories. |
 Eric
Church - On his debut album, Sinners Like
Me, Church plants his feet in traditional-country
territory, but his depth and ambition remain a constant.
His thoughtful lyrics -- delivered in a rough baritone
voice -- help make the record stick. |
 Los
Lobos - Los Lobos' music is hard to classify:
Its members play raucous rock 'n' roll, but they often
incorporate elegant melodic ballads into the mix.
Sometimes they play blues or rockabilly or folk, but
each song incorporates at least a touch of their Mexican-American
heritage. |
 The
Indigo Girls - Countless trends have come and
gone, but the popularity of The Indigo Girls has barely
waned since the late '80s. It helps that the duo's
folk music is just as heavily influenced by rock and
world music as it is by the likes of Joni Mitchell,
but consistency has also played a significant role
in The Indigo Girls' longevity. |
 Evan
Dando - recently re-formed his celebrated band
The Lemonheads to record a new self-titled album.
The new incarnation, which includes the rhythm section
from California punk band The Descendents, picks
up where he left off, trafficking in the sly, winsome
pop that made Dando omnipresent 15 years ago.
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 The
Long Winters - The indie-pop vehicle for singer-songwriter
John Roderick, has included members of likeminded
Pacific Northwest bands such as Death Cab for Cutie,
Built to Spill and The Posies. Having toured all over
Europe and North America, the group has become known
for its smart, evocative lyrics and sharp rock instincts. |
Rodrigo
Y Gabriela - The music of Rodrigo Sanchez and
Gabriela Quintero attempts to reconcile their love
of heavy metal music with their traditional style
of Mexican guitar playing. Their self-titled debut
combines Sanchez's intricate fingerpicking with Quintero's
smooth melodic style - and works wonderfully. |
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