Cornell University hosts Malian music legends Amadou & Mariam, the Downstairs continues its weeklong Birthday Bash, and Deep Dive presents Bella’s Bartok, Spafford, Melt, and several other stellar bands in the coming week. Plus, Underground Springhouse returns to the Range, and Sunken Cages returns to Sacred Root Kava Bar with a new collaborative project!
-
A new wave of Arab artists are gaining global traction. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with music writer Danny Hajjar about this recent rise and the future of Arabic music.
-
Live from World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, watch performances by The Kentucky Gentlemen, Tylar Bryant, Grace Givertz, Denitia and Samantha Rise.
-
Not everyone who was part of rap's ascent gets included in its story. MC Sha-Rock, of the original Funky 4 and the Funky 4 + 1, reaffirms her role in hip-hop's formative years as the first woman MC.
-
Scientists have sequenced the genome of Ludwig van Beethoven from two-century-old locks of hair, and found clues about the ailments that plagued him in life.
-
Ndegeocello doesn't conform to anybody else's idea of the celestial plane. When she sings of supernovas, she sounds like a witness.
-
Andress writes songs that have a way of digging up clear-headed truths; here, she performs three tracks from across her catalog.
-
Ever since frontman Win Butler was accused of sexual misconduct by several people in 2022, Arcade Fire's hometown scene has struggled with how to respond.
-
Yves Tumor is giving goth, glamorous and godly on this tender yet desperate track.
-
Whether it's the folk-protest music of DeMent, the cutting-edge blues of War or the hard-charging Americana of Price, these three artists create music that stands out.
-
Due to a new Tennessee law limiting drag performances, many drag artists, as well as trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming musicians, worry about their prospects in Nashville and beyond.
-
In this Tiny Desk Contest entry, artists Madeleine Kelson and Evan Phillips perform a moving country ballad about the beauty and mundanity of queer love.
-
Rochester's Out Alliance re-emerges from pandemic closing with a new primary focus — the Lilac Library, which is believed to be the largest statewide collection of LGBTQ books, DVDs, magazines and more.
-
Michael Boatwright, 28, Dedrick Williams, 26, and Trayvon Newsome, 24, were all found guilty and will receive mandatory life sentences at a later date.
-
The pop star has always been an uneasy match for the demands of touring. In the controlled stillness of a Las Vegas theater, she may have finally found her place.
NPR Music News