A Martínez
A Martínez is one of the hosts of Morning Edition and Up First. He came to NPR in 2021 and is based out of NPR West.
Prior to NPR, Martínez was the host of Take Two at KPCC in Los Angeles since 2012. During his tenure, Take Two created important forums on the air and through live events that elevated the voices and perspectives of Angelenos, and provided nuanced coverage of the region's challenges including homelessness, climate change and systemic disparities in health and education. He is also a familiar voice to sports-talk radio listeners in Los Angeles as a former host of 710 KSPN's In the Zone, and he was a longtime pre- and post-game show host for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers.
Before he joined KPCC, Martínez had never listened to public radio. He views his path in public radio as proof that public radio journalism can be accessible, relatable and understandable to anyone, regardless of their background or educational pedigree, and says it has changed both his career and his perspective on life.
With a career that has lately been focused on Southern California, Martínez is excited to get to know the rest of the U.S. through Morning Edition.
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With the release of the Rolling Stones' latest studio effort, "Foreign Tongues," NPR Music's Ann Powers reviews that album and makes the case for Mick and Keith to keep going as long as they want.
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A member of the pop band Maroon 5, PJ Morton hasn't forgotten his roots in gospel music. He splits his influences down the middle on the new double-album, "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning."
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Thirty years ago, Brad Nowell, the lead singer of '90s ska band Sublime, died of an overdose. His son Jakob was an infant. He's now Sublime's lead singer, releasing the band's first album since 1996. -
Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil writes about the ascent of the first grunge band to sign with a major label and the death of lead singer Chris Cornell in his memoir, "A Screaming Life." -
A new HBO documentary by Questlove tells the story of the R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire. Morning Edition host A Martinez speaks with band members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson. -
Jack Antonoff explores marriage, grief and the current moment in Bleachers' latest album, everyone for ten minutes. -
Linda Perry wrote a series of hits in the early part of the 2000s, like Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful." Now, Perry's releasing her own album called "Let It Die Here."
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The bass player known as Thundercat is cherished by fans of funk and jazz, and he recently revealed his love of "yacht rock" in a popular documentary. His new album is called "Distracted."
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Known for playing bass guitar in the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Flea is releasing his first solo album -- and it features his first love: jazz trumpet. It's called "Honora."
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Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, founding members of the band Squeeze, recently unearthed their very first attempts at songwriting. Their new album "Trixies" is based on those sketches.
