Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'distinct'

Wait Think Fast: 'Cien Fuegos'

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:24:00 EST

Wait Think Fast is one of the current standouts in a burgeoning scene of ethnically and musically diverse Los Angeles-based bands. Fronted by Argentinean-born vocalist and pianist Jacqueline Santillan, the quartet adds distinct flavor to its atmospheric, post-punk sound by utilizing both Spanish and English for its bilingual lyrics.

Competition Between Iraq's Shiites Gains Strength

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:31:00 EDT

The main Shiite political parties in Iraq are locked in a bitter struggle ahead of the upcoming provincial elections. Despite unity on the national stage, the parties face distinct divisions at the local level over control of security forces and services.

The Del McCoury Band On Mountain Stage

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:47:00 EDT

This fall, bluegrass veteran Del McCoury celebrates 50 years in the music business. With his trademark high tenor sounding as distinct and sharp as ever, McCoury shows no signs of slowing down. His band recently performed in Bristol, Tenn./Va., for Mountain Stage.

Krista Detor On Mountain Stage

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:11:00 EDT

With a sweet vocal sensibility and a gift for a good tune, the singer-songwriter instills in her work the distinct cultural flavors of her varied travels. Hear her live performance, recorded for Mountain Stage.

Four Takes On Growing Up On an Iowa Farm

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:59:00 EDT

The Griffieons taught their four children, ages 15 to 25, how to run their 1,100-acre farm in Ankeny, Iowa, in hopes they'll eventually take it over. The siblings' distinct personalities are reflected in how they approach the farm — and may determine their eventual role in running it.

Ratatat: Electronic Rock With A Pulse

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:46:00 EDT

When crafting instrumental music, artists have to convey personality and a point of view without falling back on vocals — or, more to the point, expressions of human emotion. The best, like the Brooklyn band Ratatat, find a way to carve out a distinct sound anyway.

The Wood Brothers Get 'Loaded'

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:54:00 EDT

The Wood Brothers' latest CD, Loaded, enlists some major friends: Amos Lee, Pieta Brown and John Medeski. In a session on WXPN, The Wood Brothers play their own distinct style of jazz, blues and rock.

Derby Calling: The Fastest Two Minutes in Radio

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:52:00 EDT

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. When it comes to calling horse races, David Rodman is a master. He tells Andrea Seabrook you need a distinct set of skills to call a race.

Lizz Wright: Sultry Soul and Jazz

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:03:00 EDT

Southern singer Lizz Wright crafts a distinct mixture of jazz, folk, gospel, and R&B, but she's been most widely celebrated as a rising star in the jazz world. Hear Wright give a performance and interview from WXPN.

What the U.S. Can Learn From Japan's 'Lost Decade'

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Japan's experience with its own real estate crisis offers important lessons for the U.S. America has some distinct advantages compared with what Japan went through in 1990 -- and some disadvantages.

Devendra Banhart: Rolling 'Down Thunder Canyon'

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:59:00 EDT

Banhart constantly adds new instruments and nuances to his songs, playing with their sound and texture. Yet if anything has remained unchanged, it's Banhart's distinct style and his unique voice. Hear an interview and performance.

Mark Knopfler: A Modest Guitar Hero

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:12:00 EDT

With his graceful guitar playing, genial baritone and the ability to create distinct characters in his songs, Knopfler has been an iconic figure in popular music for more than three decades. Hear an interview and in-studio performance with the former Dire Straits guitarist.

Eilen Jewell: Songs from 'Sinners and Strangers'

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:38:00 EDT

With music that combines folk, country, blues and pop, Jewell crafts a distinct sound that draws on roots music without sounding needlessly old-fashioned. Recorded this spring, her new album finds Jewell and her tight band coming into their own as musicians and songwriters.

Cheesemakers Taste a Change in the Weather

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:51:00 EDT

Alpine cheese is as distinct as the milk it is made from Â� milk that tastes of the grasses and flowers eaten by alpine cows. But as the weather changes, some makers of alpine cheese worry that they won't be able to continue producing traditional cheeses.

Don DiLego: Sounds of the '70s

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:47:00 EDT

Influenced by DiLego's admiration for 1970s art, Photographs of 1971 features compressed guitars and a flat drum sound. The disc recaptures the rhythm of '70s movies and photographs, as well as DiLego's own distinct take on alt-country.

Don DiLego: Sounds of the '70s

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:47:00 EDT

Steve Forbert and The Sound Benders in Concert

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:24:00 EDT

Like many rough-voiced singer-songwriters, Forbert has done time as a potential "next Bob Dylan," but he's carved out a distinct niche in an uncompromising career that spans nearly 30 years. Hear Forbert perform a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Texas Presses Ahead in Wine Production

Mon, 14 May 2007 13:24:00 EDT

Texas wineries are growing like multiplying like jack rabbits. In 2000 there were just 43, but seven years later that number has grown to 138. Owners say they're doing a great job, despite the challenges posed by three, distinct climates.

'Spider-Man': Third Time's a Yawn

Fri, 04 May 2007 16:00:00 EDT

At 141 minutes, Sam Raimi's latest supe-opera is seriously overextended, with four distinct subplots and way too much hand-wringing over things like the heroine's singing career.

Scottish and Surly, The Twilight Sad Gets Apoplectic

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:13:00 EDT

A Glaswegian rock band that punctuates its guitar-fueled rock blasts with moody interludes and bits of esoteric instrumentation, The Twilight Sad makes epic songs that sound both punishing and pretty. Singer James Graham paints a vague but distinct portrait of alienation.

VietNam: Rocking Fiercely, Thoughtfully

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:51:00 EST

With full beards, long hair and headbands, the band VietNam resembles a gang of hippie drifters living in a '60s time warp. But the group rocks fiercely and uniquely, incorporating a distinct style of psychedelic, folk-inspired music that's built on a foundation of personal, thoughtful songwriting.

VietNam: Psychedelic Rock Gets Fierce

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:14:00 EST

With full beards, long hair and headbands, the band VietNam might come across as a gang of hippie drifters living in a '60s time warp. But the group rocks fiercely and uniquely, incorporating a distinct style of psychedelic, folk-inspired music that's built on a foundation of personal, thoughtful songwriting.

Smells Like Home: For Fish, Reefs Are Unique

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:16:00 EST

Coral reefs may all smell the same to humans. But to some fish, reefs' smells have distinct qualities -- even when they're several hundred miles away. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argues that some reef fish use smelly ocean currents like New Yorkers use their subway lines -- as the quickest way home.

Joanna Newsom's Miniature Americana Symphony

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:24:00 EST

It's hard not to keep returning to Newsom's "Emily," perhaps because nothing else released last year sounds quite like it. The song comes complete with distinct movements and dramatic, soundtrack-worthy string accents courtesy of Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks, who knows a thing or two about making oddballs palatable.

Sanders Bohlke: Music for a Lazy Afternoon

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 16:47:00 EST

Sanders Bohlke's soulful voice reflects the blues and soul of his native Oxford, Mississippi, but he provides a distinct touch: His powerful voice soars over wailing blues guitar on one track and elegantly glides over a folk-tinged melody in the next.