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World Cafe Nashville: Colter Wall

Colter Wall's self-titled debut album is out now. Melissa Stilwell/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Melissa Stilwell/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

World Cafe Nashville: Colter Wall

XPN

The country singer's startlingly deep voice and the hard-won wisdom in his songwriting belie his young age. Hear a performance and interview.

World Cafe Nashville: Colter Wall

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All Songs +1: Brandi Carlile Reflects On 10 Years Of 'The Story'

Cover Stories, a new compilation of artists covering Brandi Carlile's The Story, released on May 5. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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All Songs Considered

All Songs +1: Brandi Carlile Reflects On 10 Years Of 'The Story'

NPR Music's Ann Powers talks with Brandi Carlile about the singer's efforts to raise money and awareness for children who are affected by war and conflict.

All Songs +1: Brandi Carlile Reflects On 10 Years Of 'The Story'

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alt-J Talk Chasing Excitement And Magic On A Confident New Album

alt-J's new album, Relaxer, is out June 2. Mads Perch/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Mads Perch/Courtesy of the artist

alt-J Talk Chasing Excitement And Magic On A Confident New Album

Gus Unger-Hamilton and Joe Newman tell Ari Shapiro about their songwriting process, how alt-J put its spin on a classic folk song and how the band has progressed over the years.

alt-J Talk Chasing Excitement And Magic On A Confident New Album

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40 Years In, Blondie's Having More Fun

Blondie performs live at WXPN's Non-COMM 2017 in Philadelphia, Pa. Rachel Del Sordo /WXPN hide caption

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Rachel Del Sordo /WXPN

World Cafe

40 Years In, Blondie's Having More Fun

XPN

Original members Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, and drummer Clem Burke are back with a new studio album, Pollinator. Hear an ecstatic performance recorded live at World Cafe.

Blondie On World Cafe

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Doo-Wop Singer Dion Pays Homage To His Musical Influences

Fresh Air

During a 2000 visit to the Fresh Air studios, the former teen idol performed old songs, new songs and songs by blues and country performers who influenced him.

Doo-Wop Singer Dion Pays Homage To His Musical Influences

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Old 97's Goes Back To The Beginning

The latest album by Old 97's is called Graveyard Whistling. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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World Cafe

Old 97's Goes Back To The Beginning

XPN

The alt-country band recorded its major-label debut 20 years ago in a remote studio in Tornillo, Texas. For its new album, Graveyard Whistling, it returned to the very same spot.

Old 97's On World Cafe

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Why The 'Sgt. Pepper's' Cover Art Matters As Much As The Music

Pop artist Peter Blake poses beside a copy of the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover, which he co-designed in 1967. Matt Cardy/Getty Images hide caption

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Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Why The 'Sgt. Pepper's' Cover Art Matters As Much As The Music

As the album turns 50, critic Colin Fleming argues that the cultural impact of Peter Blake's iconic record sleeve equaled that of the music.

Why The 'Sgt. Pepper's' Cover Art Matters As Much As The Music

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A New Orleans Company Shines A Light On Opera's Diverse History

From left to right: Aria Mason (Rosalia), Ebonee Davis (Piquita) and Kenya Lawrence Jackson (La Flamenca) star in OperaCréole's production of La Flamenca. Cedric A. Ellsworth/Courtesy of OperaCréole hide caption

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Cedric A. Ellsworth/Courtesy of OperaCréole

Deceptive Cadence

A New Orleans Company Shines A Light On Opera's Diverse History

Givonna Joseph, founder of OperaCréole, explains why it's so important to perform the works of composers of color, which she says were historically "hidden on purpose."

A New Orleans Company Shines A Light On Opera's Diverse History

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Khalid's Timeless Pop Anthems For American Teens

Khalid's debut album, American Teen, explores timeless themes of love and loss. Kacie Tomita/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Kacie Tomita/Courtesy of the artist

Khalid's Timeless Pop Anthems For American Teens

On his breakthrough debut album, American Teen, Khalid Robinson proves that the emotional turbulence of youth can be timeless. Michel Martin talks to him and his biggest influence: his mom.

Khalid's Timeless Pop Anthems For American Teens

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In A Lost Concert, Jaco Pastorius Sounded The Rhythm Of The City

Jaco Pastorius performs in 1982, around the time when Paul Blakemore engineered his concert at Avery Fisher Hall for NPR's Jazz Alive!. Tom Copi/Courtesy of Resonance Records hide caption

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Tom Copi/Courtesy of Resonance Records

In A Lost Concert, Jaco Pastorius Sounded The Rhythm Of The City

In 1982, NPR's Jazz Alive! recorded a big-band performance led by the inventive bassist at New York's Avery Fisher Hall. Engineer Paul Blakemore has remastered the tapes for a new album.

In A Lost Concert, Jaco Pastorius Sounded The Rhythm Of The City

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Hear Pokey LaFarge Perform 'Riot In The Streets'

Pokey LaFarge's latest album is Manic Revelations. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Hear Pokey LaFarge Perform 'Riot In The Streets'

XPN

In a live session, the St. Louis roots performer shares a song he wrote in response to the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., just outside his hometown.

Pokey LaFarge On World Cafe

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A Rock Star In Space: Juanes Seeks The Universal On 'Mis Planes Son Amarte'

"I'm not gonna be afraid of anything anymore," Juanes says. "I don't want to follow any trends in music. I just wanna [make] music from my heart and my soul — as I did it before." Omar Cruz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Omar Cruz/Courtesy of the artist

Alt.Latino

A Rock Star In Space: Juanes Seeks The Universal On 'Mis Planes Son Amarte'

The Colombian superstar's new visual album is a collaboration with director Kacho López Mari. Juanes stars as a character in search of eternal love and self-knowledge.

Juanes On His Journey Of Self-Discovery

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From Paris With Love: A Kansas City Musician Gets Distance And Perspective

Kansas City musician Krystle Warren, whose forthcoming album is titled Three the Hard Way, has lived in France for nine years. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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From Paris With Love: A Kansas City Musician Gets Distance And Perspective

Missouri native Krystle Warren digs into American history on her new album Three The Hard Way. She talks about what it's like to observe the U.S. from France, her home for the past nine years.

From Paris With Love: A Kansas City Musician Gets Distance And Perspective

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Ramen Rock: These Japanese Punk Legends Sing About Food

For our interview, Risa, Naoko and Atsuko changed into their signature outfits: geometric-patterned dresses, designed by Atsuko, reminiscent of a Mondrian painting. Ariel Zambelich/NPR hide caption

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Ariel Zambelich/NPR

The Salt

Ramen Rock: These Japanese Punk Legends Sing About Food

For over 35 years, the all-female Shonen Knife has been serving up catchy punk titles like "Wasabi," "Hot Chocolate" and "Sushi Bar." But don't mistake them for bubblegum pop. These ladies are legit.

Ramen Rock: These Japanese Punk Legends Sing About Food

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Hang Out In The Basement With Pinegrove

Pinegrove's latest release is Elsewhere. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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World Cafe

Hang Out In The Basement With Pinegrove

XPN

Listening to this band's music gives you that warm feeling of spending time with old friends. Hear a performance of songs from 2016's Cardinal, recorded live for World Cafe.

Pinegrove On World Cafe

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Meet Me At The World Cafe: ÌFÉ Performs Live In Philadelphia

ÌFÉ performs at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Tiana Timmerberg /WXPN hide caption

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Alt.Latino

Meet Me At The World Cafe: ÌFÉ Performs Live In Philadelphia

XPN

Alt.Latino joins forces with WXPN'S World Cafe to host an electric performance by the Puerto Rican band. Back in the studio, we speak with the band about its innovative approach to Yoruba culture.

Meet Me At The World Cafe: ÌFÉ Performs Live In Philadelphia

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Mac DeMarco: You Can Teach 'This Old Dog' New Tricks

Mac DeMarco's latest album is This Old Dog. Coley Brown/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Coley Brown/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Mac DeMarco: You Can Teach 'This Old Dog' New Tricks

XPN

The Canadian rocker has always been known for bringing the party, but his latest album includes more sober reflection on his relationship with his father.

Mac DeMarco On World Cafe

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This Was It: Inside The Whirlwind That Was The NYC Rock Revival

The Strokes backstage in San Francisco in October 2001, the month the band released its debut album, Is This It in the United States. Anthony Pidgeon/Getty Images hide caption

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Anthony Pidgeon/Getty Images

The Record

This Was It: Inside The Whirlwind That Was The NYC Rock Revival

Author Lizzy Goodman talks about living through — and revisiting — the explosive rock scene in New York during the early 21st century to write her oral history, Meet Me In The Bathroom.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever On World Cafe

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever inside the World Cafe studio. Galea McGregor/WXPN hide caption

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Galea McGregor/WXPN

World Cafe

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever On World Cafe

XPN

The Melbourne band consists of a pair of brothers and a pair of cousins, plus one. Hear its Cinderella story — from playing bedroom jams to signing with Sub Pop — in this session.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever On World Cafe

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