Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'chamber'

'Silent Echo Chamber' Captures Private Moments

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:39:00 EST

Harry Shearer is best known for voicing Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders on The Simpsons. For years, he has also caught politicians on video just moments before they go on live TV. The clips are compiled in his installation, "Silent Echo Chamber."

Democrats Await Illinois Court Ruling On Burris

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:07:00 EST

Senate leaders, using conciliatory language, point to a route that could formally make him Barack Obama's successor in the chamber.

Fol Chen: 'No Wedding Cake'

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:55:00 EST

Fol Chen is a Los Angeles-based electro-pop band recently signed to Asthmatic Kitty, a record label known for being co-founded by chamber pop artist Sufjan Stevens. The group's debut isn't set for release until February 2009, but Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made has already garnered online buzz with the first single, "Cable TV." The wildly infectious dance tune begins with a dash of sitar before digital blips and drum machine hand claps jump in, with singer Melissa Thorne's smooth vocals.

Can Sen. Stevens Still Serve Despite Conviction...

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:28:00 EDT

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens' criminal conviction raises the question of whether he can continue as a member of the upper chamber of Congress if he wins re-election next week.

Fredrik: 'Black Fur'

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:03:00 EDT

When asked about Swedish pop music, one might pick out names like the sweetly whimsical Jens Lekman or the playful chamber pop outfit I'm From Barcelona. But on Na Na Ni, the debut album from experimental sextet Fredrik, the band from Malmo, Sweden shows that its country's musical output is capable of offering up even more.

God Wins In Nebraska Court

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:00:00 EDT

A Nebraska state senator last year filed a lawsuit against God. Ernie Chambers sought an injunction against God because of widespread death and destruction. Judge Marlon Polk has thrown out the lawsuit. He says there's no way to properly notify the defendant. You can't serve papers on a man with no address. Chambers says he may appeal. He contends that God is aware of the charges, since God is all-knowing.

Unexpected Classics from Uncommon Combos

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:40:00 EDT

This week From the Top highlights five remarkable young chamber music groups from past programs. In this "uncommon combos" show, six bassoons play a lively march, three percussionists share one marimba in careful choreography, and an ensemble of teenage string players performs a serenade by a gifted 18-year-old composer.

Alisa Weilerstein: The Art Of Chopin's Cello

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:17:00 EDT

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein was born into a musical family with a love for chamber music. Her passionate performance of Chopin's Cello Sonata at WGBH is the sign of a young musician well on her way to a major career.

Jeremy Messersmith: 'Franklin Avenue'

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:01:00 EDT

It's hard to listen to The Silver City, the new CD from Minnesota chamber-pop artist Jeremy Messersmith, without thinking of Sufjan Stevens. Both artists have similar voices and a love of richly orchestrated story songs. They also find inspiration in geography.

Loch Lomond: 'A Field Report'

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

A nine piece chamber folk group out of Portland, Ore., Loch Lomond is a gifted ensemble that manages to sound intimate despite the band's sprawling size. Drawing their name from a lake in the Southern Highlands of Scotland, the group makes brilliantly crafted chamber folk that's lush and richly textured, but cozy.

Trouble Books: 'Shaky Science'

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:21:00 EDT

It's easy to get lost in the eclectic soundscapes of Ohio-based band Trouble Books' fourth self-released album, The United Colors of Trouble Books. The album plays out like a wandering trip through a 13 year-old's subconscious, set to beautifully unique experimental music. The gorgeous mix of meandering instrumental arrangements, expansive ambience, and wonderfully earnest vocals creates a sort of spacey chamber pop that seems to float wherever the wind may take it.

Clare & the Reasons: 'Science Fiction Man'

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:35:00 EDT

The Movie, the debut album from New York-based band Clare & the Reasons, is quirky, to say the least. The record is an 11-track foray into theatrical, space-themed chamber pop that falls somewhere between the score of a Broadway musical and a collection of sweet and playful nursery rhymes.

In Senate, a Dilemma for 19 Superdelegates

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:02:00 EDT

Every Democrat in the U.S. Senate is a superdelegate. That makes the chamber the most intimate of all primaries or caucuses. Two of the Senate's own -- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- are competing for superdelegates leading up to the party's convention in Denver. Obama has a narrow lead.

Dust Up in San Francisco over Wheelchair Ramp

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:00:00 EDT

San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Michela Alioto-Pier is vowing to sue the city unless it builds a wheelchair ramp to enable her to reach the board chamber's main podium. The city says the cost, estimated to top $1 million, is prohibitive.

Bluegrass Suite Packs a Progressive 'Punch'

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:13:00 EST

Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile has long been at the vanguard of progressive bluegrass music. But his new work is his most ambitious yet: Part chamber music, part song cycle, "The Blind Leaving the Blind" is a four-movement, 40-minute suite for bluegrass instruments.

New Hampshire Ponders New Death Chamber

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:00:00 EST

A federal court judge has ordered New Hampshire to put a murderer to death, which hasn't happened in the Granite State since 1939. What is required to create an up-to-date death chamber and how much might it cost?

Lott Looks Back on a Complex Legacy

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:29:49 EST

One year ago, Trent Lott asked the voters of Mississippi for six more years in the Senate and the voters said yes. Now he wants to leave after serving just one of those years. Some of his constituents are sure to feel abused by the turnabout. But is Lott really quitting early? That's got to depend on what you mean by early. Lott may be only 66, but his 40 years in Washington already span a great gulf in the history of the Congress, not to mention the history of his state, region and country. Lott's lifetime has seen the decline of many traditions, not a few of which he defended personally. These include the race-based customs of the Deep South and also the time-honored courtesies of a Senate where even mortal political enemies knew they eventually had to get down to dealing with one another. How you feel about Lott's departure depends on how you feel about those traditions, and for more than a few people in Washington that stirs a strong brew of emotions. The shadow of the Old South seemed to hover just behind this Mississippian at every juncture of his career. He first arrived on Capitol Hill in 1968 as an Ole Miss law school grad on staff for William Colmer, the last Dixiecrat to chair the House Rules Committee. When Colmer retired in 1972, he helped Lott shift the seat to the GOP (breaking a tradition that dated back nearly a century). Lott went to work encouraging his region's partisan shift, campaigning for underdog Republicans in Southern districts. One whom he championed in the 1970s was a Georgia college professor named Newt Gingrich. Lott rose during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, becoming the No. 2 Republican in the House. At the time it was the highest any member from the Deep South had risen in the ranks of the House GOP. In 1988 he made the move to the Senate, replacing the legendary John Stennis, the last Democrat from the state to serve in the chamber. Lott's roots also led to the transgression that cost him his job as Senate Majority Leader in 2002. It began with a remark at Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party and farewell. Lott said his own state of Mississippi had voted for Thurmond in 1948 when Thurmond was the presidential candidate of the segregationist States Rights Party. Lott added that if more states had done the same, the country might have avoided a lot of problems that came after. Lott always maintained he was just being nice to his retiring colleague and meant nothing racial with his remark. But lots of ears heard it differently, including some at the White House. The president bailed out on Lott and within days Lott was out as Senate leader. Many expected him to retire when his term ended. Then Hurricane Katrina ravaged his beloved Gulf Coast (leveling his own home), and Lott got his groove back. He took on insurance companies and the Bush administration and easily won re-election in 2006. Then he went after the Number Two job in the Senate GOP and won it by a single vote. It was a double shot of redemption. It also happened at a moment when Democrats had clawed back on top by a narrow margin in the chamber, making cantankerous Harry Reid the new Senate Majority Leader. The new Republican boss was to be the equally battle-ready Mitch McConnell. Lott looked like the guy who could dilute that otherwise combustible mix and make it possible for both sides to do business. After all, that had been part of his history as party leader in the 1990s, when he still saw himself as preserving the courtly ways of the Senate of yore. The mid-1990s saw nearly constant combat between President Bill Clinton and the newly-elected Republican majorities in Congress, symbolized by Gingrich, the new House Speaker. Lott had celebrated his party's new majority status in the Senate by getting elected whip, and when Majority Leader Bob Dole stepped down to concentrate on his presidential bid in 1996, Lott became his party's Number One. What followed in the middle months of that year was a remarkable catalog of bipartisan achievement. Bridging the partisan divide within the Senate, and also the chasm between Gingrich and Clinton, Lott was the vital center for one deal after another. The Congress and White House enacted a minimum wage increase and a historic overhaul of the welfare system few had thought possible. They also struck a bargain permitting health insurance portability and a new law protecting drinking water. By so doing, Lott made it easier for Republicans to retain majority control of both chambers in the 1996 elections. He also made it easier for Clinton to win re-election over Dole that same November. It was a tradeoff that made sense to Lott, an institutional pragmatist who preferred moving the merchandise to closing the store. So why did Lott pull the plug so abruptly now, leaving the Senate he clearly loved? Perhaps he was hoping to become the next chancellor at Ole Miss, his alma mater. Or perhaps, as most assume, he will surface soon as a million-dollar lobbyist. But he may also have concluded it's no longer possible to practice the politics he knew best: talking tough but coming to the table. Before dismissing Lott as one more former leader on the make, or as one more reminder of the Southern past, we should also ask who will fill his role as a deal maker in this Congress, and the next. It may not be a skill that inspires admiration or presidential nominations, but it is sorely missed in the current leadership in both parties in both chambers of this wartime, war-torn Congress. Related NPR Stories Political Junkie: Lott's Move Leaves Miss. with Two Seats to Fill

Australian Lawmaker Eats Earwax on Camera

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 06:00:00 EDT

If nothing else, technology can inspire us all to improve our personal hygiene. An Australian lawmaker was sitting absentmindedly in the chamber. He picked his earwax, and apparently ate it. We know this because the 6-year-old footage recently surfaced on YouTube.com.

Texas Prosecutors Wait for Lethal Injection Ruling

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:15:00 EDT

A day after the Supreme Court halted a Mississippi execution, two prosecutors in the state with the busiest death chamber say they will not ask judges to set execution dates until the justices decide on lethal injection procedures.

Jesca Hoop: Abstract and Compelling

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 17:48:00 EDT

The L.A.-based singer-songwriter's music can seem at once rustic and cosmopolitan, as she draws on everything from chamber music to murder ballads to artists such as BjÃ¶rk. Hear Hoop give an interview and in-studio performance.

Nebraska Senator Sues God

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 09:10:00 EDT

Ernie Chambers is a Nebraska state senator. He does not participate in the chamber's morning prayers. And now he's filed a lawsuit against God. Sen. Chambers learned of a lawsuit he considered frivolous. So he's suing God to make the point that anybody can sue anybody.

Playful Yet Sophisticated, Breezy Yet Bittersweet

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 17:43:00 EDT

Featuring stylized '60s chamber-pop instrumentation -- everything from banjo and Mellotron to clarinet and glockenspiel -- The Brunettes' glossy production and entangled vocal harmonies make "Her Hairagami Set" sound rich and fully developed.

Pelle Carlberg: 'Clever Girls'

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 11:09:00 EDT

Pelle Carlberg makes cozy, feel-good chamber pop in the spirit of Belle and Sebastian, with sweet harmonies, infectious melodies and upbeat rhythms. Hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, Carlberg previously fronted the six-piece group Edson before embarking on a solo career.

Camera Shows 'Survivable Space' in Utah Mine

Sat, 11 Aug 2007 16:00:00 EDT

Authorities lowered a camera into the chamber of a Utah mine where six men are believed to be trapped. The camera revealed a "survivable space," but the men have not responded to signals. There's been no word of them since Monday. Debbie Elliott gets the latest on the rescue effort from Jeff Brady.

Ornette Coleman Wins Music Pulitzer

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:23:00 EDT

Ornette Coleman, 77, has won the 2007 Pulitzer prize for music. As a musician he's erased as many borders as he's crossed. Whether he's writing symphonic works, chamber music, or playing alto saxophone, trumpet or violin, Coleman continues to surprise audiences.