Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'frontman'

Brian Fallon: The Gaslight Anthem Unplugs

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:16:00 EST

Normally, The Gaslight Anthem performs as a four-piece rock band, but in a session from KEXP, frontman Brian Fallon came alone with an acoustic guitar. Fallon opened up about his songs and what it means to abandon adolescence, both as a performer and as a person.

Steve Wynn Finds Inspiration In Slovenia

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:35:00 EST

Former Dream Syndicate frontman Steve Wynn took a break from his current band, The Baseball Project, to record Crossing Dragon Bridge. Seeking inspiration, he traveled far from his New York City apartment to Ljubljana, Slovenia where he crafted an album that sounds unlike anything he's done before.

Country Music Finds New Star In Darius Rucker

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:14:00 EST

Darius Rucker is country music's shining new star. The former frontman for the 1990s pop group Hootie & the Blowfish has become the first black artist to have a top 10 country music hit since Charley Pride. He talks with Farai Chideya and performs three of his new songs.

Live Monday: Conor Oberst In Concert

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:53:00 EST

Best known as the prolific and gifted frontman for the country-rock band Bright Eyes, Oberst ventured out on his own this summer. He released his first solo album in more than a decade: an eponymous sketchbook of introspective folk and rock, steeped in Americana. The new collection of songs will be the centerpiece of a full concert by Oberst and his backing group, The Mystic Valley Band, webcast live on NPR.org Monday, Nov. 10. The performance will begin online at approximately 10 p.m. ET.

Q-Tip Talks Politics and Longevity

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

Hip-hop icon and former A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip returns to the music scene with his new studio album, The Renaissance. Q-Tip talks about his longevity in the rap business, his new CD, and why getting involved in politics is important for the hip-hop community.

Willoughby: 'Intentions'

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:54:00 EDT

Released last month, Willoughby's I Know What You're Up To is an entirely alluring album with a decidedly retro vibe to it. Imagine a 1960s-era lounge, the sort that James Bond would casually visit for his shaken-not-stirred vodka martini, and you might start to get a feel for what frontman Gus Seyffert has created.

Antony And The Johnsons, Old School Soul, Cuban Jazz, And More

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:32:00 EDT

It's been three years since Antony and the Johnsons released a CD. The band is back with a new EP featuring the strangely haunting voice of frontman Antony Hegarty. Hear "Shake the Devil" from Another World. Also on the show: a live recording of the Buena Vista Social Club performing at Carnegie Hall; old school soul from singer Raphael Saadiq; the vivid imagery of singer David Eugene Edwards and Woven Hand; songwriter Scott Jared, a music therapist by day and Super XX Man by night; and a wrecking ball of an album from the Athens, GA band Dead Confederate.

Oct. 9: Of Montreal, Live in Concert

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:01:00 EDT

The Athens, Ga., band Of Montreal, led by frenetic frontman Kevin Barnes, has built a reputation on meticulously crafted, synth-driven psych-pop, with flamboyant production and gleeful sonic flourishes. Of Montreal brings this musical spectacle to Washington, D.C., for a full concert, webcast live at NPR.org on Oct. 9. The performance will begin streaming online at approximately 10 p.m. ET.

Human Highway: Pop For Day's End

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:06:00 EDT

Years in the making, Human Highway is the awaited collaboration between Nick Thorburn, the Unicorns-turned-Islands frontman, and Jim Guthrie of Royal City. It's a tad more poppier and spacier than either musician's main projects, and comes off like music perfect the conclusion of the day.

Guest DJ: Will Sheff of Okkervil River

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:17:00 EDT

Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff shares some of his favorite (and fairly obscure) music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The two talk about Okkervil River's latest album, The Stand-Ins and listen to some of the songs Sheff has loved and been inspired by over the years. Hear music from soul singer Lorraine Ellison, the 1960s Jamaican group Carlton and the Shoes, former teen idol-turned introspective singer Dion, and The Penetrators — a 1970s band some would call punk, others would call garage rock.

Spiritualized: Songs From The 'A&E'

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:45:00 EDT

Disrupted by a serious bout of pneumonia, Spiritualized frontman Jason Pierce had to wait almost two years to put to disc a collection of songs he wrote in just two weeks. Songs in A&E's intense and emotional songs of survival and near-death experiences are captured in a session from WXPN.

Steve Lillywhite On Peter Gabriel's Third Album

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:02:00 EDT

On Peter Gabriel's third self-titled album, producer Steve Lillywhite made sense of the disparate elements that the sometimes-great second album could not. The 1980 release showcased a more song-oriented Gabriel, but also a more bleak side of the former Genesis frontman.

Paul Wellers Counts Off His '22 Dreams'

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:28:00 EDT

British pop icon Paul Weller has described his new double-disc album, 22 Dreams, as "a year in my life." It tracks Weller's course through the changing seasons. The former frontman of The Jam performs his kaleidoscopic pop music in a session on World Cafe.

Setting Sun: 'What We Wanted'

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:13:00 EDT

Setting Sun is a quintet led by frontman and producer Gary Levitt. The band's third album, Children of the Wild, evokes the laid-back simple life of Levitt's Upstate New York home. Driven by simple acoustic guitar lines, Erica Quitzow's graceful string orchestrations, and Levitt's hushed vocals, Setting Sun's arrangements are dramatic and poignant.

David Byrne: Playing the Building

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:02:00 EDT

The former Talking Heads frontman has turned the inside of a defunct ferry terminal into a giant musical instrument by retrofitting an antique organ and wiring it to the pipes, the beams, and even the plumbing of the Battery Maritime Building.

Journey's New Album, New Frontman

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:26:00 EDT

In advance of Journey's new album, Revelation, which drops Wednesday, Bryant Park Project Producer Dan Pashman looks at Arnel Pineda, the band's replacement frontman.

Dr. Dog Exclusive, Adem, Ratatat, More

Fri, 30 May 2008 10:58:00 EDT

The new album from Philadelphia's psych-rock group Dr. Dog won't be out until the end of July, but we've got an exclusive preview. Hear the song "The Old Days" from their new CD, Fate. Plus, gentle new folk from Adem, San Francisco singer-songwriter Thao Ngueyn, Deerhunter frontman Bradfor Cox's Atlas Sound project, electro-rock duo Ratatat and songs of accidents and emergencies from Spiritualized.

Cavedoll: 'Decoder'

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:09:00 EDT

Cavedoll is prolific, almost to the point of absurdity. The neo-new wave group from Salt Lake City, UT has released 13 albums in the past year, with a total of ten albums due out in 2008. At the root of it all is the hyper-active imagination of frontman, producer and multi-instrumentalist Camden Chamberlain. For Cavedoll's latest release, No Vertigo, Chamberlain and the rest of his band serve up a hip-shaking burst of feel-good energy, inspired by '80s synth pop, electronica and punk.

Brokenkites: 'Prelude'

Thu, 01 May 2008 16:27:00 EDT

A fuge state is a kind of selective amnesia brought on by traumatic events. As the title for the new CD from Brokenkites, Fuge State is a digital world of glitchy electronica, populated by lonely, disillusioned and isolated people. "Fuge State has a medical definition as well as a musical one," says Brokenkites frontman James Willard. "I like the concept that music is directly related to mood or mental state."

Asbury: 'Covered in Acrylic'

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:02:00 EDT

The music of Asbury plays like a soundtrack to a haunted circus. It jangles and rattles with dirge-like rhythms and scratchy, distant voices. The instrumentation — glockenspiel, synths, piano — is drenched in reverb, with the wispy voice of frontman David Franklin tiptoeing delicately through the haze. Asbury's debut CD, Under the Asbury is a calming, if fantastical world, with rich character studies, sometimes haunting narratives and a touch of humor.

Death Cab for Cutie: The Pursuit of Happiness

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:05:00 EDT

"Cath..." contains enough fodder for a feature-length think piece on the state of Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard's mind. A look at a young star whose fleeting fame can't mask her gnawing sadness, the song practically begs to be picked apart, its narrator psychoanalyzed for good measure.

Guest DJ Colin Meloy

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:49:00 EDT

Colin Meloy, frontman for The Decemberists, has earned legions of fans for his affecting story songs steeped in history and romance. Now on tour for his latest solo album, Colin Meloy Sings Live!, he stopped by the NPR studios to chat with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen and share some of his favorite songs. Hear music from The Smiths, Scritti Politti, British folksinger Anne Briggs and selections from Meloy's new CD.

New Music: The Kooks, Mariah Carey and More

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Esquire music critic Andy Langer discusses the week's fresh album releases, including new discs from former Pixies frontman Frank Black, the Black Angels and more.

Guest DJ Ray Davies

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:12:00 EDT

Ray Davies, former frontman for The Kinks, shares some of the songs that have inspired him over the years with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. Hear music from Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Chuck Berry and more, as well as selections from Ray Davies' latest solo album, Working Man's Cafe.

Guest DJ Thom Yorke

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:28:00 EST

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke shares some of his favorite music with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. The two talk about Radiohead's latest work, In Rainbows and listen to some of the artists Yorke admires, including German electronica group Modeselektor, rap collaboration Madvillain, techno duo Autechre and more.