Jan 5th, 2009 · We start the new year with a new mix, featuring an exclusive preview of Andrew Bird's latest album, Noble Beast. The classically trained violinist and singer performs a quirky mix of whistled melodies, Gypsy ballads, folk and art-rock. We've got the song "Oh No" here, but you can also hear the entire album as part of our "first listen" series. Also on the show: classic folk-rock singer Benjy Ferree, the Afro-funk rhythms of Chopteeth, an eclectic mixtape from Malawi-born singer Esau Mwamwaya, the haunting guitars of Begushkin, and the jazz trio Bad Plus covers the music of Pink Floyd.
Keywords: whistle · music · Africans · Jazz · Singer · Malawi · songs · Preview · album · folk · melodies · trio
Jan 2nd, 2009 · Andrew Bird's new CD Noble Beast is the fifth in a series of smart and crafty solo albums. This week NPR Music is giving you the chance to hear the entire record as part of our First Listen series. Then, on Thursday, January 8 at 1p.m., ET, NPR's Bob Boilen will lead a listening party. Come join us for a live chat and tell everyone what you think of this new album from Andrew Bird. You can sign up for a reminder below.
Keywords: NPR Music · album · beast · Bob Boilen · Andrew · Andrew Bird · nobles · Crafty · CD Noble Beast · First Listen · 1pm
Dec 23rd, 2008 · Bird is a classically trained violinist and former swing-jazz musician whose sonic palette includes a quirky mix of Gypsy ballads, jazz, folk and whistled melodies. It's a sound that leaves critics swooning and fans giddy with the kind of devotion normally reserved for pop idols. On Jan. 20, 2009, the singer will release his fifth full-length studio album. Hear Noble Beast in its entirety here, exclusively on NPR Music.
Keywords: whistle · music · Jazz · Singer · NPR Music · entirety · album · folk · studio · melodies · 2009 · beast
Dec 14th, 2008 · Since turning its animated film Beauty and the Beast into a Broadway hit 14 years ago, the Walt Disney Co. has had the stage to itself for large-scale family entertainment. Now DreamWorks is challenging it with Shrek: The Musical. The big green ogre debuts on the Great White Way on Sunday.
Keywords: entertainment · music · Family · animated · Walt Disney Co · Broadway · beast · DreamWorks · Shrek · Great White Way · ogres · emBeauty
Oct 11th, 2008 · Tensions were palpable in Saturday's great pumpkin weigh-off in Warren, R.I. Steve Connolly has spent the summer feeding his pumpkin liquid fish and manure. Connolly's orange beast weighs nearly 1,800 pounds and he's hoping that's enough to edge out last year's champion grower.
Keywords: Warren · beast · liquid · growers · Pumpkin · Orange · R.I · Connolly · Steve Connolly
Sep 23rd, 2008 · Andrew Davidson's debut novel, The Gargoyle, tells the love story of a burn victim and a mysterious sculptress who claims they first met 700 years earlier.
Keywords: victims · mysteries · novel · journey · beast · beauty · sculptress · Dantean · Andrew Davidson · Gargoyle
Jul 16th, 2008 · Dorothy's Toto and Elle's Bruiser have a friend in common: animal trainer Bill Berloni. Berloni has been training stage animals for over 30 years. His new book is Broadway Tails: Heartfelt Stories of Rescued Dogs Who Became Showbiz Superstars.
Keywords: animal · friends · beast · Trainer · Bill · Dorothy · Toto · Elling · Berloni · Bruiser · Bill Berloni · emBroadway
Jan 16th, 2008 · Scientists say they've identified the remains of the largest rodent ever recorded: a more than 2,000-pound beast the size of a bull. Its fossilized skull was found in Uruguay by an amateur paleontologist, and then sat in a museum before being identified.
Keywords: Scientists · 2000 · amateur · museum · fossil · beast · paleontologists · rodent · Uruguay · skull
