Displaying items by tag: world cafe

Live Concert Broadcast and Webcast Fridays At Noon

From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.

Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
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May 8, 2009
Fastball at World Cafe Live

XPN Free at Noon at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.

Starting out as a typical '90s garage-punk outfit, Fastball went through the normal basement practices and nearby venues in Austin. While building local buzz, they caught the attention of some record execs, and soon they had a deal with Hollywood Records. They changed their initial name from Magneto USA to Fastball (after their favorite porno), released their debut, and began touring the U.S. However, the band was still something of a side-project for all three members. Joey Shuffield, Miles Zuniga, and Tony Scalzo were all working part-time up until the release of their breakthrough album in 1998, All the Pain Money Can Buy.

Suddenly, Fastball was a household name. The catchy single "The Way" was heard on radios all over the country. Teens and adults alike were flocking to stores for cassettes and CDs, and sales reached the million mark at the end of the year. Fastball hit the road for world tours and TV appearances with two Grammy nominations under their belts. Audiences around the globe fell in love with the Fastball's alt-country and '70s balladry.

Since that time, Fastball has been recording, performing, and collaborating with artists including Al Anderson and Bowling for Soup. Each of their subsequent four albums have stayed true to their infectious pop-rock sound. Their latest album is no exception, yet it also shows how much the band has evolved since those late-night garage practices. Little White Lies was produced by Miles Zuniga and C.J. Eiriksson (Blue October, Jack’s Mannequin) and mixed by Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie). Fastball wowed audiences with some of their new songs from the album at the SXSW Festival this past March, and they have a nation-wide tour scheduled to support the release. After over a decade of shows and music, Fastball are proving that quality guitar rock will never lose its appeal.

Fastball is in town to play the Tin Angel on Thursday night, May 7.

Website: fastballtheband.com
MySpace: myspace.com/fastballtheband
Recent Release: Little White Lies
Release Date: April 14, 2009
Label: MRI/RED Distribution
Origin: Austin, TX

Song Clips:
Little White Lies | The Way

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Serving People in Need - Help Drive Hunger from Our Communities

When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!

WXPN and NPR Music Live Friday Free At Noon Concert Archives Include:

Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...

WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!

Live Concert Broadcast and Webcast Fridays At 12 Noon ET

From NPR Music and WXPN, hear a live mix of roots rock, folk, country and more.

Made possible by XPN Members, and Comcast.
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March 6, 2009
Celebrating the 4th Anniversary of XPN Free At Noon with
Shemekia Copeland & Indigo Girls at World Cafe Live

Shemekia Copeland & Indigo Girls join us for the XPN Free at Noon show at World Cafe Live.
A co-production of WXPN and NPR Music.

Grammy Award winning rock duo Indigo Girls officialy began performing under the now famous moniker in 1985, signing their first record contract to Epic Records three years later. Now celebrating their 20 year career, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers remain as creative as ever. Though they are associated with a major label, they have always retained an independent feel with their warm and crisp acoustic guitars and intertwined melodic vocals. With an incredible career behind them, it is not surprising that a great deal of excitement is building up in anticipation of Poseidon And the Bitter Bug, expected to be released at the end of March.

Recorded in a short three-week period in Atlanta, the album intends to focus less on perfection and more on the rich mixture of textures explored. According to Ray "... it was very much an in-the-moment recording... we had to trust our instincts." Following the successful release of their 2006 album Despite Our Differences, the girls have a lot to live up to; however, circulating previews are already labeling the album as one of their best. Though they retain the very qualities of folk and Americana music that fans adore, they have embarked on new musical explorations by incorporating styles such as R&B. The album will also feature acoustic versions of all the songs in order to give fans an idea of how they sound without a back-up band.

Website: indigogirls.com
MySpace: myspace.com/indigogirlsmusic
Origin: Decatur, Georgia
Recent Release: Poseidon and the Bitter Bug
Release Date: March 24, 2009
Label: Vanguard

Song Clips:
Closer to Fine | Hammer and a Nail

The daughter of blues guitarist/singer Johnny Copeland, the young Shemekia Copeland was greatly influenced by her father's work. As a child she would often accompany him on tours, making her own mark in the blues circuit. The unfortunate turn in her father's health pushed her to embrace her incredible vocal talent and share it with the rest of the world. In 1998, the 19-year-old established herself as raving new artist with the release of her debut album Turn the Heat Up! The soulful intensity of the album was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and landed her several features in motion pictures. Her style, which integrates elements of blues, soul, funk and jazz, is rich and mind-blowingly powerful. Though she is not yet 30, the passionate singer has already won several blues awards, recieved a Grammy nomination, and opened for top acts such as the Rolling Stones, B.B. King, and Taj Mahal.

The incredible list of accomplishments hasn't quite struck the young artist. In fact, the humble Copeland continually strives to strengthen her singing and grow and an individual. Her fifth album, Never Going Back, is a powerful and soul-drenched compilation of tracks. While she remains true to her blues roots, she takes a step further in her career by experimenting with new styles of music and new approaches to singing (including a silky cover of Joni Mitchell's "Black Crow"). She is not afraid to step outside of her comfort zone; and as the album demonstrates, she does so with both grace and unbelievable power.

Prepare to be blown away by the future Queen of Blues, this Friday at noon!

Website: shemekiacopeland.com
MySpace: myspace.com/shemekiacopeland
Origin: Chicago, Illinois
Recent Release: Never Going Back
Release Date: February 24, 2009
Label: Telarc

Song Clips:
Never Going Back to Memphis

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Serving People in Need - Help Drive Hunger from Our Communities

When you come to XPN's Free At Noon Concerts, bring a can of food to support Philabundance, Delaware Valley's hunger relief organization. We have drop-off boxes to collect canned goods for the needy. Current priority items include: canned pasta, chili, beef stew, tuna, mac & cheese, ready to eat cereal, pork & beans/ baked beans, green beans, corn, fruit cocktail, creamy peanut butter and/ or grape jelly (plastic containers only), and boxed sugar. Thanks!

WXPN and NPR Music Live Friday Free At Noon Concert Archives Include:

Dr. Dog, Carrie Rodriguez, Annuals, DeVotchKa, Adele, Angel Taylor, Winterpills, Sharon Little, Ollabelle, Andrew Lipke, The low Anthem, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Sean Lennon, Chris Smith, California Guitar trio, Joan Osborne, Disco Biscuits, Damien Rice, Cold War Kids, Marc Broussard, The Slip, Arlo Guthrie, Alice Smith, The Dears, Barenaked Ladies, and more...

WXPN Free at Noon Photo Gallery at Flickr
Click to visit our gallery for photos of the Free At Noon Concerts! Previous concerts include Hall & Oates, O.A.R., Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show, Kaki King and many more!

Welcome to ground zero for music discovery! For more than 30 years, World Cafe has been the place where public radio audiences get their first “before they were famous” look at emerging musicians and connect deeply with legendary performers.

A celebrated music tastemaker, World Cafe spans an array of genres including singer-songwriter, classic rock, indie rock, Americana, alt-country, blues, world music, R&B and soul. Along with a carefully curated music mix, the central element of each daily show is a conversation with an artist focusing on his or her craft, songwriting, and inspirations, and combined with an exclusive musical performance.

World Cafe is hosted by Raina Douris along with contributing host Stephen Kallao.

Ways to Listen:

• Tune to WXPN broadcast or livestream starting at 2:00 pm ET on weekdays
• Stream studio sessions anytime from NPR Music
• World Cafe: Words and Music podcast provides listen anywhere, anytime excerpts of key live performance and conversations from the show

Show Features:

• Sense of Place takes listeners around the world to meet the local artists who bring the music scene alive and enlighten audiences about the ways geography and culture influence their work. Locations have included cities in Brazil, Ireland, Iceland, and Cuba, as well Portland, Memphis, Austin, Charlottesville, and Detroit.
• Latin Roots is a biweekly segment that explores and exposes American audiences to the vast variety of work from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking musicians.
• Reports from World Cafe Bureaus in Nashville and New Orleans connect audiences with artists, journalists, and music historians from these music-rich locations, showcasing the breadth of artistic expression in each city.

Fun Facts:

• World Cafe is produced by WXPN and distributed to more than 250 US radio stations via NPR.
• World Cafe reaches more than 6 million music fans each month via broadcast, digital streaming and archives, video, and social platforms
• Winner of two NFCB Golden Reel Awards, five “Best of Philly” awards, NARAS Philadelphia Chapter’s “Hero Award,” ASCAP Deems Taylor Award, and numerous radio industry trade citations.
• The first episode of World Cafe aired on October 14, 1991.