World Cafe Words and Music Podcast
565 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★ - 302 ratingsWXPN's live performance and interview program featuring music and conversation from a variety of important musicians
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Episodes
Nilüfer Yanya showcases her growing confidence in her own voice on 'Painless'
October 14, 2022 15:16 - 33 minutes - 60.1 MBThe London-based artist's latest album is a genre-blending record that was produced by a much smaller team than her previous releases.
Bonnie Raitt performs as if no one has ever seen the show before
October 07, 2022 13:30 - 45 minutes - 83.1 MBWhether singing stories she wrote herself or those written by others, Bonnie Raitt is a brilliant storyteller.
Alt.Latino's best new Latinx music
October 06, 2022 14:24 - 11 minutes - 20.7 MBNPR Music's Alt.Latino new co-host, Anamaria Sayre, joins us to showcase some of the best new Latinx music out right now.
The Lumineers are expert chefs when it comes to making songs together
September 30, 2022 13:30 - 31 minutes - 56.8 MBIn this session, The Lumineers talk about how they improvised more than ever while writing their latest album, Brightside.
Welcome to beabadoobee's 'Beatopia'
September 28, 2022 17:46 - 27 minutes - 48.6 MBThe Filipino-British songwriter fashioned her new album with help from the colorful, imaginary world she created when she was just 7 years old.
The Culture Corner: Get to know Cody ChesnuTT, the writer behind The Roots' 'The Seed'
September 27, 2022 13:30 - 14 minutes - 25 MBOn today's edition of The Culture Corner, World Cafe Correspondent John Morrison talks about that song and dives deep into Cody's 2002 album, The Headphone Masterpiece.
Beth Orton makes an uncompromising record that is completely hers
September 23, 2022 13:30 - 31 minutes - 56 MBGetting dropped from your record label isn't a good thing, per se, but for Beth Orton, it gave her the opportunity to take the reins.
Adrian's Quesada's 'Boleros Psycidelico' a love letter to psychedelic bolero music
September 19, 2022 15:45 - 30 minutes - 54.6 MBThe discovery of Los Pasteles Verdes, an experimental Peruvian band from the 1960s, sent Adrian Quesada down a rabbit hole that would, decades later, lead to his new solo album, Boleros Psicodélicos.
Rhett Miller still finds the freedom to experiment and play on 'The Misfit'
September 16, 2022 17:55 - 27 minutes - 68.2 MBMiller talks about the making of the record, how much he missed live performance, his side hustle as a children's author and more on World Cafe Live.
Alt.Latino kicks off Latinx Heritage Month on World Cafe
September 15, 2022 15:39 - 14 minutes - 26.4 MBFelix Contreras and new co-host Anamaria Sayre discuss the evolution of Alt.Latino and give a preview of their month-long takeover of the Tiny Desk Concert series, El Tiny.
Joan Shelley's 'The Spur' is evocative, immediate — and a return to familiar ground
September 12, 2022 17:27 - 15 minutes - 27.7 MBHear Shelley perform a mini-concert of songs from her latest album, "The Spur," recorded live for World Cafe.
Built to Spill spills the beans on the making of 'When The Wind Forgets Your Name'
September 08, 2022 14:30 - 37 minutes - 66.8 MBIn this session, Doug Martsch talks about how discovering a lo-fi punk band from Brazil led to the album's creation and shares advice he'd give to his younger self.
Charley Crockett's 'The Man From Waco' is country music through an R&B lens
September 06, 2022 14:33 - 19 minutes - 34.4 MBCharley Crockett performs songs from his latest album, in the great tradition of Ray Charles and Aaron Neville.
Peeling back the layers of Amanda Shires' life and musical career
September 05, 2022 17:58 - 49 minutes - 89.8 MBIn this session of World Cafe, Shires shares about getting to a place of confidence again after thinking she was finished with making music.
Bilderbuch brings larger-than-life, completely captivating energy to FM4's studios
September 02, 2022 13:30 - 1 hour - 121 MBWe didn't realize quite how big they were until we landed in Vienna — Bilderbuch stops by for a Sense of Place: Vienna studio session in the middle of a sold-out arena tour.
Hear the piano thought to be too perfect by Beethoven
August 31, 2022 19:07 - 7 minutes - 13.2 MBTo find out what made Nannette Streicher's pianos so special, World Cafe visited the Museum of Science and Technology in Vienna, where a couple of her pianos still survive.
Join us on a tour of the Vienna Central Cemetery
August 31, 2022 18:22 - 15 minutes - 28.3 MBOn the outskirts of Vienna, more than 3 million people are buried in the Vienna Central Cemetery — including Beethoven, Strauss and one of Austria's most celebrated musicians, Falco.
Hear a mini-concert by '90s-inspired supergroup My Ugly Clementine
August 29, 2022 18:03 - 23 minutes - 41.4 MBFor the World Cafe's Sense of Place: Vienna series, we knew there would be lots of Classical music. But it turns out, there's also a thriving indie music scene.
Far from the operas and museums of Vienna is a growing hip hop scene
August 26, 2022 16:20 - 18 minutes - 33.3 MBEmerging rap star YUGO takes World Cafe on a tour of the the 15th district on the outskirts of Vienna in this Sense of Place episode.
DIVES is one of the most exciting new bands on Vienna's music scene
August 24, 2022 13:46 - 30 minutes - 55.2 MBVienna is known for classical music, but if you know where to look, you'll find a flourishing indie rock scene, too. Hear a live performance from DIVES in this Sense of Place session.
The Head and the Heart revisit that place where everything felt magical and easy
August 22, 2022 16:30 - 28 minutes - 51.4 MBWith some time back in the studio, and working on better ways to communicate, the band release their latest album, Every Shade of Blue.
Vienna's Sharktank blends and bends genres to create its own unique sound
August 19, 2022 16:00 - 32 minutes - 58.6 MBThere's a whole other side of Viennese music other than grand symphonies or operas performed on gilded stages. Enjoy this live Sense of Place: Vienna series performance by Sharktank.
Sense of Place: Produce shopping for musical instruments in Vienna, Austria
August 17, 2022 13:47 - 13 minutes - 22.8 MBVienna is a city where the streets are alive with the sounds of violins, pianos, clarinets and ... vegetables!? A member of the city's Vegetable Orchestra takes us shopping at a local market for instruments.
Catbite balances styles, from two tone to third wave, with shades of power pop
August 16, 2022 13:30 - 12 minutes - 22.3 MBCatbite offers something for almost everyone. Hear it for yourself in this mini-concert session.
How Michaela Anne's 'Oh To Be That Free' resonates within each of us
August 15, 2022 15:29 - 32 minutes - 59.7 MBIt turns out the music Michaela Anne was making was just what she needed to hear herself, in an incredibly uncertain time.
Nearly 40 years later, 'Stranger Things' boosts Kate Bush's music worldwide
August 09, 2022 14:44 - 17 minutes - 30.6 MBIn this World Cafe session from 1993, Kate Bush spoke with original host David Dye about a range of subjects: from her ambitions to working with Prince to being an Elton John fan as a teenager.
Indigo De Souza showcases her gifts in her latest album, 'Any Shape You Take'
August 08, 2022 16:33 - 21 minutes - 38.7 MBIn this session of World Cafe, we caught up with Indigo De Souza to talk about the album and growing up in North Carolina.
Billy Bragg's music bridges political themes with the intensely personal
August 05, 2022 13:30 - 31 minutes - 56.4 MBBragg's decades of activism and songwriting have only helped to crystallize and empower his thinking on what we need to make the world a better place.
Jeff Tweedy talks about what led to Wilco's first true country album
August 02, 2022 14:30 - 31 minutes - 56.3 MBCruel Country, the group's 12th studio album, is a meditation on the current state of affairs in America, one that is complicated and flawed, as Jeff Tweedy tells it.
Brace yourself, because Grace Cummings will blow you away
August 01, 2022 14:41 - 41 minutes - 75.1 MBThe force of nature talks about her new album, Storm Queen, how she discovered her voice and what "America" means to a person who grew up in Melbourne, Australia.
Maren Morris' latest album, 'Humble Quest,' reflects on her journey
July 29, 2022 14:45 - 35 minutes - 64.7 MBMaren Morris' star has been rising quickly — she's had a bunch of chart hits, taken home a slew of awards, including a Grammy, and she's part of the country supergroup The Highwomen.
Elizabeth King records 'Give Me Wings' a cappella, in-studio with her daughters
July 28, 2022 15:30 - 14 minutes - 26.1 MBEnjoy this mini-concert of songs recorded by Elizabeth King inside Sam Phillips Recording's Studio B in Memphis.
Despite their name, Warpaint's members are seriously good at collaborating
July 27, 2022 15:31 - 25 minutes - 47 MBWarpaint's rhythm section talks about how the whole band shared writing credits on their latest album, as well as some of their extracurricular collaborations.
The Culture Corner: Why Missy Elliott's 'Supa Dupa Fly' still matters 25 years later
July 26, 2022 18:22 - 18 minutes - 34.1 MBIn this edition of Culture Corner, explore how Missy Elliott completely shifted the sonic palette of hip hop and RNB, in particular.
The Culture Corner: Why Missy Elliot's 'Supa Dupa Fly' still matters 25 years later
July 26, 2022 18:22 - 18 minutes - 34.1 MBIn this edition of Culture Corner, explore how Missy Elliott completely shifted the sonic palette of hip hop and RNB, in particular.
It's clear Carlos Santana's motivation is just to make music that will inspire you
July 20, 2022 14:30 - 22 minutes - 41.2 MBHis latest album, Blessings and Miracles, is a not-so-subtle reference to his current outlook on life.
Momma's 'Household Name' is the rise and fall of the rock star
July 19, 2022 16:20 - 21 minutes - 39.2 MBThe Los Angeles indie-rock band pays tribute to and references some of their musical heroes in their latest album. Hear a live mini-concert in this session of World Cafe.
Dehd's 'Blue Skies' is 'a second breakthrough' filled with charm and charisma
July 14, 2022 14:47 - 13 minutes - 24.4 MBWe're thrilled to welcome Dehd back to World Cafe for a mini-concert, starting with a performance of "Bad Love."
'12th Of June' has Lyle Lovett's signature wit, but through a whole new lens
July 11, 2022 14:25 - 18 minutes - 33.4 MBIn this session, Lyle Lovett talks about starting a family and reflects on his long and storied career, going back to when he first got signed at the age of 28.
Across the wall: How Mark Reeder brought punk music to East Berlin in the 1980s
July 08, 2022 11:27 - 22 minutes - 41.4 MBThe British musician and record producer shares how crossing the Berlin Wall border and a secret concert helped change the course of history.
Berlin's Sofia Portanet makes music that blends languages and crosses genres
July 06, 2022 17:04 - 31 minutes - 57.5 MBRecorded live in Berlin's Hansa Recording Studios, hear Sofia perform new singles in front of an audience for the very first time.
Laura Lee & The Jettes bring millennial grunge to Berlin's Hansa Studios
July 01, 2022 13:31 - 33 minutes - 59.6 MBFirst finding success with her band Gurr, World Cafe's Sense of Place: Berlin series explores Laura Lee's new solo project.
Exploring the unexpectedly inspiring places of Berlin with Emperor X
June 29, 2022 16:04 - 13 minutes - 23 MBWhy is Berlin such a hotbed of creativity? American expat and musician Emperor X answers the question in this installment of our Sense of Place: Berlin series.
Berlin indie-pop band Von Wegen Lisbeth shares new music on 'World Cafe'
June 24, 2022 16:02 - 22 minutes - 54 MBWhile you've maybe never heard of them here in America, in the German-language indie rock world, Von Wegen Lisbeth are a pretty big deal.
Mattiel performs an ode to the delightfully unique Jeff Goldblum
June 23, 2022 16:12 - 11 minutes - 20 MBWhat happens when you write an album — Mattiel's latest, Georgia Gothic — in seclusion? Where does it lead? To Jeff Goldblum, of course! Hear a live mini-concert in this session of World Cafe.
Post-punk garage rock band Shybits packs Berlin's 8MM Bar
June 22, 2022 17:18 - 27 minutes - 48.9 MBWorld Cafe kicks off its Sense of Place: Berlin series with a session with local trio Shybits, featuring a live performance and interview from local rock club 8MM Bar.
The Culture Corner: What makes Bob Marley's 'Exodus' so special
June 20, 2022 11:30 - 22 minutes - 22.2 MBIt might surprise you to know that when Bob Marley was making the internationally beloved album, things weren't very relaxing at all.
A move to London, reaffirmed Fontaines D.C.'s Irish identities
June 08, 2022 13:30 - 25 minutes - 44.9 MBA major change for the band taken during the pandemic showed the group's willingness to make concessions to their aspirations.
Hear a live mini-concert performed by Combo Chimbita
June 07, 2022 17:46 - 16 minutes - 28.6 MBTheir latest album, Iré, was released in January and features a rhythmic foundation rooted in Afro-Caribbean transcendence, bewildering chants, booming drums and psychedelic distortion.
Does Sharon Van Etten have an alter ego?
June 03, 2022 15:41 - 35 minutes - 64.3 MBWritten during the pandemic, Van Etten's latest album, We've Been Going About This All Wrong, is an intimate and moving collection of songs that are stronger because of how they all fit together.