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Iron & Wine artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Iron and Wine's Sam Beam continues to wring inventive sounds out of the American folk-music form. His band's latest collection, Around the Well, is a reminder of just how far Beam has come since his days as a self-recorded singer-songwriter.
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Half a century after it was founded, the Newport Folk Festival is celebrating its 50th birthday with an eclectic mix of artists, from towering figures like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez to Neko Case, The Decemberists and Mavis Staples. NPR Music will be there to webcast and broadcast the full slate of concerts, with dozens of live performances starting at noon ET on Saturday. All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen recently spoke with festival producer Jay Sweet about what's in store for the weekend celebration.
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When soft became the new loud in indie circles a few years ago, Iron and Wine quickly stepped ahead of the pack as the most arresting of the whispery, lo-fi new-folk artists. Led by the gentle-voiced Sam Beam, the group makes morose and mysterious music. Hear the band in a full concert.
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New-folk artists Iron and Wine join the roots rock group Calexico for a night of music, recorded live at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club. Hear and download the full concert by both bands, originally webcast live on NPR.org on Nov. 30.
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Iron and Wine recorded its latest CD, The Shepherd's Dog, in Beam's new home studio outside of Austin, Tex. On record, it's full of dense arrangements, but on this studio session from KUT, Beam performs solo, including the old favorite "Sodom, South Georgia."
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Iron and Wine's diverse, progressive new album (The Shepherd's Dog) has already earned strong sales and excellent reviews. In this performance and interview segment, singer Sam Beam plays songs and talks about the disc's status as a "headphone record."
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All Songs Considered's list of the 50 most important recordings of the decade continues with Kelly Clarkson to Jay-Z.
()Half a century after it was founded, the Newport Folk Festival is celebrating its 50th birthday with an eclectic mix of artists, from towering figures like Pete Seeger and Joan Baez to Neko Case, The Decemberists and Mavis Staples. NPR Music will be there to webcast and broadcast the full slate of concerts, with dozens of live performances starting at noon ET on Saturday. All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen recently spoke with festival producer Jay Sweet about what's in store for the weekend celebration.
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Iron and Wine's "Belated Promise Ring" finds Sam Beam basking in the sweet spot between darkness and delicacy, turning the melancholy near-misses of a star-crossed couple into four almost impossibly dreamy and graceful minutes of pop music.
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Each obsessive music fan views the obligatory year-end Top 10 list differently, but best-ofs tend to be most effective when the selections are purely a matter of personal taste — "favorites" rather than "best." Here are Song of the Day editor Stephen Thompson's picks.
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Writer and reviewer Will Hermes shares his favorite albums of the past year. Hermes is a frequent contributor to NPR's 'All Things Considered' and writes for 'Spin' magazine, 'The New York Times' and 'Entertainment Weekly.' He's also the co-editor of 'Spin: 20 Years of Alternative Music.'
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Reviewer Meredith Ochs shares her top ten albums for 2007. Ochs notes her picks are ones that look back to bygone decades: The Dap-Kings, who back Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones, sounding like the house band of a long-lost R&B label that might be resurrected by Numero Group, or Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam) getting his Crosby, Stills & Nash on.
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The best albums of 2007 include a plethora of reliable favorites, whether they're treading new stylistic ground (Iron and Wine), returning to roots (Wilco) or merely holding steady (Spoon). And, of course, a few new favorites join the mix, too.
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KUT music director Jeff McCord hears dozens of new songs a week. Good and bad tend to get stuck in his head, but here he picks the 10 best of the year — the ones whose company he most enjoyed.
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Host Bob Boilen talks with reviewers Carrie Brownstein, Will Hermes, Tom Moon and Meredith Ochs about the year's biggest surprises and letdowns in music. Hear their picks for the year's most innovative album, the best new band of 2007, the year's best song and more. Featured songs and artists are listed below.
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Steve Seel, afternoon music host on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, offers his picks for the Top 10 albums of the year.
()Iron and Wine's "Lovesong of the Buzzard" gets a wonderfully warm-blooded arrangement, as organs and steel guitars contribute to a sound that's downright springy. The arrangement may be a cool glass of lemonade, but singer Sam Beam spikes it with something potent and satisfying.
()1980s-inspired pop from Canada's Stars; Master sitar player Anoushka Shankar; Psychedelic folk-pop from Iron and Wine; Guitarist Bill Frisell and Floratone; Jenny Lewis returns with Rilo Kiley; A feast of frenzy from Animal Collective; My Bloody Valentine-inspired rock by Maps.
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Countless music fans have attempted to craft the perfect mix CD — just the thing to put a soundtrack on special occasions. But an hour of love-themed dinner music for a wedding reception isn't as easy to assemble as it may seem.
()Halfway through the year and the songs are strong. Newer artists like Bright Eyes and Flotation Toy Warning are pushing the boundaries of new-folk or acoustic art rock, while veterans like Bruce Springsteen return to their roots. Before the summer slips by and fall accelerates into winter, we offer this show as a chance to catch up on the great sounds of 2005 (so far).
()Hear an interview with Ron Roeker from the Recording Academy on how the Grammy selection process works, plus music from the Best New Artist category.
()Tributes to boxer Jack Johnson from Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis; An intimate home recording from Cantinero; A look at opposite day with Andrew Bird; The Who sung a Capella by Petra Haden; Brother/sister duo The Fiery Furnaces; A new EP from folk hero Iron and Wine; L.A. singer/songwriter Mia Doi Todd; Norwegian jazz: Tord Gustavsen Trio; Latin percussionist Roberto Rodriguez.
()New artists like Iron and Wine; a self-professed has-been with little music ability (William Shatner); old-school artists like Brian Wilson and favorites like Wilco and Interpol ... you picked quite a list. Thanks to all participants and to all the musicians that made 2004 a great year for new music.
()2004 was a year when a handful of artists with their best days long behind them surprised us with their strongest music; Loretta Lynn and Brian Wilson come to mind. It was also a year when a lot of new musicians recorded some of the most personal and fragile songs you'll hear — Iron and Wine, Bright Eyes, Joanna Newsom and Sufjan Stevens to name a few.
()Halfway through the year and the songs are strong. New artists like Iron and Wine and M. Ward are writing powerful song poems. Their words and beats have the mystery of such revered artists as Wilco, Modest Mouse and Sam Phillips. Before the summer slips by and fall accelerates into winter, we offer this show as a chance to catch up on the great sounds of 2004 (so far).
()Lo-fi folk from Miami's Iron and Wine; Avant-garde jazz pianist Marilyn Crispell; Polynesia's 126-member Tahitian Choir; Light chamber pop from Camera Obscura; An album never meant to be from Ric Menck; Israeli Beatle pop from the Rockfour. Featured Artist: Arto Lindsay.
()Iron and Wine's "Belated Promise Ring" finds Sam Beam basking in the sweet spot between darkness and delicacy, turning the melancholy near-misses of a star-crossed couple into four almost impossibly dreamy and graceful minutes of pop music.
()Writer and reviewer Will Hermes shares his favorite albums of the past year. Hermes is a frequent contributor to NPR's 'All Things Considered' and writes for 'Spin' magazine, 'The New York Times' and 'Entertainment Weekly.' He's also the co-editor of 'Spin: 20 Years of Alternative Music.'
()Iron and Wine's "Lovesong of the Buzzard" gets a wonderfully warm-blooded arrangement, as organs and steel guitars contribute to a sound that's downright springy. The arrangement may be a cool glass of lemonade, but singer Sam Beam spikes it with something potent and satisfying.
()NPR reviewer Tom Moon shares his picks for the year's best CDs, from the lo-fi, indie folk of Iron and Wine to a newly discovered live recording by Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.
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John Brady reviews In the Reins, a seven-song collaboration between soft-voiced Florida folk singer Sam Beam, who records under the name Iron and Wine, and the band Calexico — border rockers from Tucson, Ariz., known for their eclectic tastes.
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Weekend Edition Sunday music director Ned Wharton reviews some new CDs that harken back to the sound of the '60s: The Greenhornes' East Grand Blues, Iron & Wine's Woman King and Man Alive! by Stephen Stills.
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