World Cafe Words and Music Podcast: Recent Episodes
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WXPN's live performance and interview program featuring music and conversation from a variety of important musicians
Founded in the wake of a young musician's passing, this 23-year-old nonprofit has become a critical resource for the music scene in Athens, Ga.
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World Cafe talks with Adam Wayton, frontman of the five-piece punk band from Athens, Ga., about their debut record, Ad Nauseam.
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R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Danger Mouse are just some of this indie record store's former staffers.
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The music venue in Georgia regularly hosted performances by bands like Pylon, R.E.M., of Montreal, and more.
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Welcome to WUOG, the University of Georgia's student-run radio station.
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The Ohio band talks about collaborating with Beck, Juicy J and Noel Gallagher on their latest record.
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The former Dire Straits frontman talks about his latest solo album, "One Deep River."
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The French electronic duo return with their first album in over seven years.
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Escovedo joins World Cafe to talk about covering his own songs, plus he shares live performances.
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Watch Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal perform at the 30A Songwriters Festival.
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The Texas musician offers a glimpse into what someone goes through on their path to being a successful touring artist.
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Watch Grace Potter perform at the 30A Songwriters Festival.
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World Cafe takes a look back at the British music collective's impactful debut album.
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The Nashville-based musician modeled her latest album as a video game journey, complete with a character named Miss Freedomland.
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The singer-songwriter spent just five days at Electric Lady Studios making her latest record.
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The LA-based psychedelic pop band performs songs from their latest album, I Wish You Way More Than Luck.
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The musician, and founder of punk band Against Me!, talks about her latest solo album.
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The Nashville singer-songwriter's latest album features collaborations with Jerry Douglas and Billy Strings.
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The Chicago band showcases their nostalgic, yet fresh, sound on This House is Made of Corners.
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The brother duo perform a blissed-out set recorded at last year's AMERICANAFEST in Nashville.
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One of the best acoustic guitarists in the world performs a live set for World Cafe.
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The Chicago-based songwriter and poet talks about her latest album, Water Made Us.
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The British musician talks about the fourth installment of his ambitious Djesse project.
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The Grammy Award-winning songwriter drew inspiration from the 19th Amendment to pen her latest album, All My Friends.
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The songwriting legend wrote songs for the likes of Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin and more.
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The Atlanta rock band return with their first album in over a decade.
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The Grammy-winning artist talks about embracing a more collaborative spirit on her latest record.
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The Grammy Award-winning artist talks about her latest album.
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The Texas singer-songwriter talks about getting older, signs from the beyond and finding inspiration in nature.
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The film and TV composer talks about his second solo album, plus scoring hit shows like The Midnight Gospel.
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The Chicago band performs songs from their latest album, Careful!
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The Scottish rock band talk about their eight studio album.
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The California producer and sampling pioneer talks about his latest album, Action Adventure.
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The British rock band talk about their new album, Where's My Utopia?.
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For Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison explores the trends that have defined dance music in the 2000s and beyond.
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The award-winning actor, singer and fashion icon talks about Black Mona Lisa and the road to becoming a pop star.
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The Chicago multi-instrumentalist performs songs from his latest album, Diagnosis.
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The psychedelic pop band turn their attention toward love and stability on their fifth record.
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The Canadian multi-instrumentalist talks about her sophomore solo record.
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For Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison recounts the proliferation of dance music subgenres in the '90s.
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The Alabama native talks about the inventive process behind her sophomore solo album, plus she performs live for World Cafe.
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The Mercury Prize-winning musician talks about his arresting sophomore album.
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For Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison walks us through the synth-driven boom of electronic music in the '80s.
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Lead vocalist Emily Massey joins World Cafe to talk about the indie rock band's sophomore album.
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Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker talk about the band's 11th studio album, Little Rope.
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The frontman of the experimental indie band talks about living in Valparaíso and turning inward on the band's latest record.
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For Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison dives into the rise of disco in the '70s and the genesis of dance and club culture.
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The Sacramento-based singer-songwriter drew from early memories of listening to music with his late grandfather for his new album, Traffic Fiction.
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The former member of Arcade Fire plays songs off his band's new album.
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The Austin, Texas, band talks about the follow-up to their Grammy Award-nominated self-titled debut.
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The Los Angeles-based DJ and music producer talks about his latest record, This Mixtape is Fire TOO.
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James Curran, who goes by the moniker JTM, talks about striking a balance between making secular hip-hop music while also wanting to share his faith.
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Philly-based Shamir talks about his latest album and exploring an alternative pop rock sound on Homo Anxietatem.
Joe, Kevin and Nick Jonas make their World Cafe debut to talk about The Album, their second record since reuniting in 2019.
As we celebrate 50 years of hip-hop, World Cafe takes a look at the history of the genre in Philly.
Los Angeles musician Sabrina Teitelbaum talks about the making of her self-titled debut album, Blondshell.
The Australian musician Genesis Owusu talks about making his sophomore album, Struggler.
One of country music's go-to songwriters leaned into a more personal, Americana sound with the help of Carlile.
The vocalist and guitarist for Best Coast strikes out on her own with Natural Disaster.
Bully's Alicia Bognanno talks about how losing her longtime companion influenced the making of Lucky For You.
The legendary hip-hop group's back catalog is finally available on digital platforms. They look back on their genre-shaping career and remember their bandmate Trugoy the Dove.
In this bonus episode of WXPN's Artist To Watch, we meet Denitia, a soulful singer-songwriter whose poetic lyrics and retrospective music exhibit elements of country and folk.
The live music program celebrates 40 years on air this year, and to celebrate, host Kathy Mattea shares some of her favorite performances and memories from her time as a listener, guest and now host.
The Brooklyn-band explores what they call "pop essentialism" on their latest self-titled album.
In this bonus episode of WXPN's Artist To Watch, we meet Nashville-based twin brothers Brandon and Derek Campbell, who harmonize, write and perform as The Kentucky Gentlemen.
We dig into a genre-defying album that captured the feel of the final years of the 20th century.
The leader of the folk band talks about their latest album, plus the band performs live for World Cafe.
Plus, Emma Hardyman talks about how her Utah band wrote the song that won them 2023's Tiny Desk Contest.
The Atlanta rapper dives into Michael, his autobiographical new album and his first in a decade.
In this bonus episode of WXPN's Artist To Watch, we meet Grace Givertz, a Boston-based folk artist and multi-instrumentalist whose witty and honest lyrics bring a refreshing energy and sound to folk music.
The singer-songwriter talks about her debut album, plus she performs live for World Cafe.
The four-piece rock outfit formed in 2019, weathered the pandemic together and came out an even stronger band.
The songwriter and producer melds elements of contemporary electronic music and hip-hop with traditional Spanish sounds.
Following Francisco Franco's death in the 1975, a counterculture movement known as La Movida Madrileña took root in the Spanish capital.
The duo bring vibrant and incisive dance tracks off of their debut album, Topical Dancer, to World Cafe.
Jason Isbell talks about his latest album, recorded with his backing band The 400 Unit.
The North Carolina band Wednesday performs songs off their critically acclaimed record, Rat Saw God.
The singer and actress says her nearly 60 years in show biz is thanks to a series of chance encounters, but her talent is undeniable.
Her autobiography, Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You, coincides with the release of a new album, Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart.
World Cafe celebrates 35 years of one of the most influential albums of all time: Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.
The musician talks about her new record, and shares exclusive live performances for World Cafe.
Highly sought after as backing vocalists, the Nashville duo chat about making their latest album, "Holler."
In this week's bonus episode from WXPN's Artist To Watch podcast, we meet Samantha Rise, a Philadelphia singer-songwriter who was selected for the Black Opry Residency project.
Here's a bonus episode from WXPN's new podcast, 'Artist To Watch.' Black artists in Americana and country music are challenging the outdated notion that their lack of representation is due to a shortage of interest or talent. Their rich melodies, soulful harmonies, and artful lyrics are the newest contributions to a body of work that has for too long been overlooked. Join host John Morrison as he presents five stories of up-and-coming Black Americana musicians seeking to reclaim country music as an inclusive genre. In this episode of Artist To Watch: Tylar Bryant's story.
Five acts (Tylar Bryant, Grace Givertz, Denitia, Samantha Rise and The Kentucky Gentlemen) joined World Cafe to chat about their young careers and perform live.
Plus, the North Carolina musician talks about collaborating with symphony orchestras and how a trip to Australia inpsired one of the songs on What Matters Most.
Watch the folk musician from Mobile, Alabama perform songs from his latest album, Love in the Dark.
The two country music veterans talk about navigating the industry and how they became friends.
Mercury Prize-winner Arlo Parks chats about her new album, My Soft Machine, plus catch live performances.
The musician talks about making Shabang with the help of his group, THE EVER-EXPANDING.
Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus chat about group therapy, Rainer Maria Rilke and the making of their debut album as boygenius.
The Philadelphia native chats about the story behind her breakout record, five seconds flat.
The pop star talks about the myriad sonic and visual influences behind her new record, Desire, I Want To Turn Into You.
What started as a casual experiment evolved into the U.K. duo's first studio album in 24 years.
The Seattle musician performs songs from his latest album, which features Lucius, Guy Garvey of Elbow, and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek.
The musician's first full-length album since 2017 was influenced by the birth of her daughter and the death of her father.
The fierce independence behind their polka music has taken Brave Combo from Japan to an episode of The Simpsons to playing at David Byrne's wedding.
Join us as we attend a rehearsal and talk with University of North Texas' One O'Clock Lab Band's director, Alan Baylock.
Whether they're just starting out or they're big stars, like Leon Russell, it's a place to see live music almost nightly in Denton, Texas.
The record is all instrumental — no vocals, no lyrics — and was written and recorded on a road trip from LA to New York.
Frontman Carl Newman talks about the band's new album and why he steers clear of the internet.
The singer-songwriter calls it a foundation. In this session, hear a live performance of songs from The Weakness.
The Irish crooner talks about his recent EP and offers details about his new album, Unreal Unearth, due out later this year.
Hakim stopped by World Cafe for a mini-concert featuring live performances of songs off his latest album, COMETA.
Plus, Chris Thile and Sara Watkins join World Cafe to talk about the making of and meaning behind Celebrants.
One of the greatest artists of all time, Warwick joins World Cafe to recount stories from throughout her career.
Vocalist Piya Malik talks about how the Brooklyn band formed and their debut album, Prism.
World Cafe correspondent John Morrison dives into Rundren's 1973 album, A Wizard, a True Star.
World Cafe sits down with guitarist The Edge, who produced and curated the band's new collection of re-recordings.
Enjoy this mini-concert featuring songs from Shufflemania!, Hitchcock's latest album of surrealistic rock.
Country music belongs to anyone with a story. Adeem The Artist asks big questions about privilege, race and toxic masculinity on their new album White Trash Revelry.
The Okkervil River frontman plays songs from his debut solo album in this mini-concert recorded live for World Cafe.
The Philadelphia musician shares his fears and observations on an increasingly anxiety-inducing world.
The musician, who also plays with Eyedress, Simps and U.S. Velvet, explores the ways their hometown has grown and changed over the years.
Jason Singer's mix of optimism and vulnerability has been one of indie rock's most exciting stories in the last few years.
World Cafe caps off its exploration of the Black roots of R&B with a look at the genre in the 2000s, forward.
The Birmingham, Ala.-based eight-piece band play songs from their entire catalog in this mini-concert for World Cafe.
The Utah band talks about how they grew closer during the making of their second album, Waiting to Spill.
From Prince to Whitney Houston, the '80s was a pivotal decade for R&B music in the mainstream.
With six platinum records and a career going on its fifth decade, "Weird Al" went from parodying the biggest artist to becoming one.
Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger talk about the indie rock band's sixth studio album, Physical Thrills.
To celebrate Black History Month, World Cafe is exploring the Black roots of R&B through the decades, beginning with the '70s.
World Cafe asked veteran music journalists Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot of Sound Opinions to choose the definitive Chicago album.
Chicago's Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church played a pivotal role in the evolution of gospel.
The "beat scientist" and composer chats about his musical upbringing and his approach to remixing live music.
Ayana Contreras, host of WBEZ's Reclaimed Soul, talks about what makes Chicago soul special.
The city's Chicago Music Exchange boasts a massive showroom that looks more like a museum of musical instruments.
DePaul University student Eli Schmitt hosts live performances from local bands as part of his New Now series.
The Puerto Rican rapper and educator travels all over the city and the world using hip hop as a way to connect.
Born in Chicago, Mayfield was responsible for so much music over the course of his career, from soundtracks to his work with The Impressions.
The musician talks about her latest album, It Was A Home, and the creative community she's fostered in Chicago.
The man behind albums by Nirvana, the Pixies and more opens the doors to Electrical Audio and details his egalitarian approach to working with musicians.
Industrial music heavyweight Martin Atkins pulled from his personal collection of memorabilia to create Chicago's new Museum of Post Punk and Industrial Music.
Demi Lovato reflects on the limitations of the "hyper-feminine pop star" and embracing a hard rock sound on her latest album, HOLY F***.
For a long time, singing was something Danielle Ponder did on the side, but with the release of her debut album, Some of Us Are Brave, last fall, it's become her main focus.
Captain Kirk Douglas, the guitarist and vocalist for The Roots, talks about his second solo album, New Unknown.
Alvvays frontwoman Molly Rankin talks about the stolen demos and recording experiments that led to the Canadian band's latest album, Blue Rev.
Copeland, widely considered one of the greatest blues singers of her generation, talks about the third installment in a trilogy of albums.
Hear Honey Harper's blend of cosmic country and southern rock in this mini-concert recorded live for World Cafe.
The Philadelphia-based musician performs covers from Baker's classic record, Chet Baker Sings.
Chad Kroeger and Ryan Peake talk about the band's 10th record, Get Rollin', and how the public perception of Nickelback has changed in recent years.
The band's new record, Love Songs for Losers, was recorded in the rock and roll icon's old Nashville home.
The Boss' 21st studio album is a collection of faithful covers from some of his favorite soul and R&B acts like the Four Tops, Jerry Butler, and Commodores.
Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood formed a new band, and they share this exclusive mini-concert, recorded at the 2022 Montreux Jazz Festival.
Guided by their former music teacher turned producer, the gospel group crafted a powerful new album.
Diaz is an in-demand songwriter who's worked with Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and Kesha.
In his new memoir, titled Still Alright, Kenny Loggins chronicles his journey to becoming one of the best-selling artists of the 1980s.
The British band sought to be more earnest in their exploration of love on their fifth album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language.
Hear Tamino perform a mini-concert, including two songs from his latest album, Sahar, recorded live for World Cafe.
Fans of the Mexican singer-songwriter were surprised to hear Julieta Venegas embrace disco and synth pop on her latest album, but the artist has never shied away from new sounds.
The Los Angeles-based band reacted a little differently to the "Summer of Love" with their 1967 album, Forever Changes.
Calexico's new album, filled with Latin influences including cumbia and ranchera music, is about introspection and connectivity.
On her latest solo album, the Indigo Girls member finds positivity and love in places some folks might give up on.
For his ninth album, the Philadelphia artist branched out and enlisted the help of different studios and engineers for the first time.
The Philadelphia band taps into the sounds of Americana and country without abandoning its indie rock roots. Hear a live mini-concert in this session of World Cafe.
Marcus King's new album, Young Blood, sounds almost jubilant — but is the product of some very difficult years for the guitarist.
In this session, Marcus Mumford talks about sharing a message of hope and healing on his solo debut album, self-titled.
With Surrender, Rogers is figuring out what she can control, what she can't and exactly what it means to accept and give in.
Hear a live performance from Phoenix recorded in their dressing room before a concert in Boston earlier this fall.
Though Black Thought and Danger Mouse have known each other for a very long time, it took a while to complete their debut collaborative album, Cheat Codes.
It was recorded during the early stages of the pandemic with his friend and fellow songwriter/producer extraordinaire, Butch Walker.
Janet Jackson experimented lyrically on the 1997 album, which included exploring new sexual themes she'd never sung about before.
In this session, MGK opens up about the ups and downs he's faced in the music industry, his relationship with fame and how being a father has shaped his music.
The music industry is known for hype and drama and flash-in-the-pan stars who are up-and-coming one day and gone the next. But Belle & Sebastian are an exception.
The London-based artist's latest album is a genre-blending record that was produced by a much smaller team than her previous releases.
Whether singing stories she wrote herself or those written by others, Bonnie Raitt is a brilliant storyteller.
NPR Music's Alt.Latino new co-host, Anamaria Sayre, joins us to showcase some of the best new Latinx music out right now.
In this session, The Lumineers talk about how they improvised more than ever while writing their latest album, Brightside.
The Filipino-British songwriter fashioned her new album with help from the colorful, imaginary world she created when she was just 7 years old.
On 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.
Getting 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.
The 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.
Miller 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.
Felix 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.
Hear Shelley perform a mini-concert of songs from her latest album, "The Spur," recorded live for World Cafe.
In 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 performs songs from his latest album, in the great tradition of Ray Charles and Aaron Neville.
In this session of World Cafe, Shires shares about getting to a place of confidence again after thinking she was finished with making music.
We 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.
To 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.
On 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.
For 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.
Emerging 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.
Vienna 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.
With some time back in the studio, and working on better ways to communicate, the band release their latest album, Every Shade of Blue.
There'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.
Vienna 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 offers something for almost everyone. Hear it for yourself in this mini-concert session.
It turns out the music Michaela Anne was making was just what she needed to hear herself, in an incredibly uncertain time.
In 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.
In this session of World Cafe, we caught up with Indigo De Souza to talk about the album and growing up in North Carolina.
Bragg'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.
Cruel 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.
The 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' 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.
Enjoy this mini-concert of songs recorded by Elizabeth King inside Sam Phillips Recording's Studio B in Memphis.
Warpaint's rhythm section talks about how the whole band shared writing credits on their latest album, as well as some of their extracurricular collaborations.
In this edition of Culture Corner, explore how Missy Elliott completely shifted the sonic palette of hip hop and RNB, in particular.
His latest album, Blessings and Miracles, is a not-so-subtle reference to his current outlook on life.
The 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.
We're thrilled to welcome Dehd back to World Cafe for a mini-concert, starting with a performance of "Bad Love."
In 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.
The British musician and record producer shares how crossing the Berlin Wall border and a secret concert helped change the course of history.
Recorded live in Berlin's Hansa Recording Studios, hear Sofia perform new singles in front of an audience for the very first time.
First finding success with her band Gurr, World Cafe's Sense of Place: Berlin series explores Laura Lee's new solo project.
Why 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.
While 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.
What 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.
World 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.
It might surprise you to know that when Bob Marley was making the internationally beloved album, things weren't very relaxing at all.
A major change for the band taken during the pandemic showed the group's willingness to make concessions to their aspirations.
Their latest album, Iré, was released in January and features a rhythmic foundation rooted in Afro-Caribbean transcendence, bewildering chants, booming drums and psychedelic distortion.
Written 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.
Lucius seem to somehow know everyone — including Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow and Paul McCartney — they share those stories in this session.
John Morrison talks about how important Jimi Hendrix's Are You Experienced was, how it happened and what its legacy has been for the culture at large.
In this session of World Cafe, The Dip talks about its journey from playing house parties to having a million Spotify listeners a month.
For this new album, Almost Proud, quarantine gave Del McCoury the time and space to dig through a box of collected music to find some gems to record.
Once Twice Melody was released in four chapters over the course of several months and embraces maximalism in both size and sound.