Front RowOur favorite new bands, from the best seat in the house.
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Front Row
Our favorite bands, from the best seat in the house
Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan brought her cool, underground electro-pop to globalFEST at Webster Hall in New York City on Jan. 12, 2014.
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A solo artist based in Europe after a childhood split between Lebanon, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Greece, Hamdan blends new material with reworked traditional songs in a smoky-cool electro-pop setting.
The Ukrainian "punk-folk" band DakhaBrakha brought its singular style to globalFEST at Webster Hall in New York City on Jan. 12, 2014.
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The group mixes everything from punk-pop to traditional Ukrainian songs in cool yet beguiling textures, often with the close harmonies usually associated with Balkan music.
Congolese-Belgian artist Baloji started his globalFEST set at New York City's Webster Hall on Jan. 12, 2014 in high fashion — but by the end, he was working hard in rolled-up shirtsleeves.
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America's favorite Syrian wedding singer crossed the Atlantic Ocean to hold court at NPR Music's showcase in New York City. Souleyman performed songs with help from keyboard wizard Rizan Sa'id.
Pusha T performs live at NPR Music's showcase at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
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The rapper pulled no punches during a performance at NPR Music's showcase in New York City. Watch Pusha T perform a set that ranged from his work with Kanye West to his critically acclaimed new album.
Volcano Choir is known in no small part for frontman Justin Vernon, an artist who built legions of fans as Bon Iver. Watch the band give a transfixing performance, recorded live in Washington, D.C.
The Lone Bellow performs at the 2013 Newport Folk Festival.
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Formed as a creative outlet for singer Zach Williams as his wife recovered from an accident that nearly paralyzed her, The Lone Bellow performs with a sense of necessity.
The Lone Bellow, Live In Concert
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Jucifer performs at the Black Cat.
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The duo has been destroying ears and rattling bodies for 20 years. Somehow, the towers of amp stacks have gotten bigger and louder along the way. Watch Jucifer level the Black Cat in Washington, D.C.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra performs live at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 27, 2013.
Lizzie Chen/NPR Musichide caption
Watch the band perform "No Need for a Leader," a tremendous cocktail of riff-rock and Black Sabbath-style psychedelia, recorded live at the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Watch an intimate concert inspired by Muhly's exciting, intrigue-filled opera Two Boys, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera.
Chris Tomson (left) and Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend perform at Apogee's Berkeley Street Studio in Santa Monica, Calif.
Brenda Janario/KCRWhide caption
For this performance, recorded for KCRW, Vampire Weekend took a night off from a West Coast tour to play for a small audience of eager fans at Apogee's Berkeley Street Studio in Santa Monica.
Iggy & The Stooges live from (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City.
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NPR Music and WNYC's Soundcheck present a First Listen Live concert from Iggy & The Stooges. Watch the group rip through songs from its new album, Ready toDie, as well as a handful of favorites.
Watch the rock band Brainstorm blast punchy, post-punk-inspired rhythms at Austin's TenOak during the 2013 South by Southwest music festival. Here, the group performs the thrilling "Maybe a Memory."
Ivan & Alyosha win over new fans during a spirited performance at TenOak in Austin.
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The Seattle natives in Ivan & Alyosha possess cool charisma and an infectious sound that won over listeners at 2013's South By Southwest music festival.
