Mar 4th, 2010 · Brains, beauty and beats collide in the music of Nigerian-born newcomer Nneka. A small woman with an afro bigger than most, the singer was warm and engaging from the start of one of her first U.S. radio appearances.
Mar 4th, 2010 · Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft are working on using bio-acoustic sensors and teeny-tiny projectors worn in armbands. The projectors beam images onto the skin of your forearm — when you tap on them, ripples run through your skin and bones. Sensors pick up on these waves, and convey those commands to your MP3 player or other device.
Mar 1st, 2010 · The songs on July Flame orbit around Veirs' acoustic-guitar playing and voice. But it's her idiosyncratic lyrics and melodic flourishes that imbue her music with sun-dappled warmth; hers is the sound of immense, wide-open spaces. When a very pregnant Veirs settled in for this performance behind Bob Boilen's desk, that same kind-hearted intimacy shone through.
Feb 23rd, 2010 · Cheery melodies, colorful lyrics and acoustic arrangements have earned the folk-rock band favorable comparisons to Modest Mouse and The Shins. Led by guitarist, pianist and singer Eric Johnson, Fruit Bats' members have developed a reputation for forward-thinking music.
Feb 23rd, 2010 · Get the insider's perspective on the music business from the co-founders of an independent record label and hear how banjo player Alison Brown has pushed her instrument into new musical territory to secure an international following from fans of jazz, bluegrass, and new acoustic music.
Feb 19th, 2010 · Jack Rose was a big man who coaxed a big sound from his acoustic guitar. Friends say he was just as vigorous when he wasn't playing, so it came as a shock when Rose died suddenly in December at 38. The last record he completed, Luck in the Valley, comes out next week.
Feb 18th, 2010 · Making eiderdown-plush folk-pop songs buoyed by sweet harmonies, the Norwegian duo takes a surprisingly bold political stance on its recent album Declaration of Dependence. As its members' voices met in perfect confluence at WFUV, accompanied only by acoustic guitar, those in Studio-A quickly went from casual fans to happy acolytes.
Feb 11th, 2010 · With her latest project, The Long Play, singer-songwriter Sam Phillips stretches an extended release of her sparse acoustic work over the course of a full year. She gives World Cafe an update in this interview.