Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'keyboards'

The Cure: Renewed And Rocking

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:07:00 EST

With The Cure's renewed rock edge driven by original guitarist Porl Thomson, and signature keyboards and synths pushed to the background, the raw energy of 4:13 Dream is infectious. The band performs classics and new songs in a session from WXPN.

Oscar Peterson: Piano Master

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 05:12:00 EST

The famed virtuoso commanded the entire keyboard with incredible dexterity, drive and precision, while performing around the world for more than 50 years, accruing countless honors, awards and critical accolades.

Arliss Parker: 'Taken To Antrim'

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:07:00 EST

Arliss Parker is really Chris Parker, a former Colorado resident turned Brooklyn transplant. After arriving in New York in 2006, Parker dove into his music, transforming his acoustic guitar compositions into folktronica pieces, using toy keyboards, glockenspiel and any other random instrument he came across. The result became his recent debut EP, Handsome Like a Lion.

Faded Paper Figures: 'North By North'

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:46:00 EST

Southern California-based Faded Paper Figures wears its inspirations on its sleeve. On its MySpace page, bands such as The Postal Service and Stars are listed as major influences Â� a fact that's easy to hear on the electro-pop trio's debut, Dynamo. It features intriguing lyrics, the occasional duet, and plenty of drum machines and programmed keyboards.

Chairlift: 'Bruises'

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:28:00 EST

Brooklyn-based electro-pop trio Chairlift may not seem familiar to you at first, but no doubt you've heard its ridiculously catchy single, "Bruises," on a colorful iPod Nano commercial. It's the perfect song for the ad: between its boy/girl duet, keyboard swells, drum machine beats and sweetly innocent lyrics, it's pretty colorful and bright itself. It's also one of the highlights of Chairlift's debut album, Does You Inspire You.

Obi Best: 'Who Loves You Now'

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:24:00 EST

Up until this summer, Los Angeles-based singer Alex Lilly had been known mostly for her role as backup singer for pop duo The Bird and the Bee. Recently, however, Lilly embarked upon a new project and took the spotlight for herself. With the help of 10 of her friends, she's created the band Obi Best and recorded the keyboard-driven pop debut, Capades.

Kids, Keyboards and Classics

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST

From the International Institute for Young Musicians in Lawrence, Kan., it's an all piano program featuring kids from ages 12 to 16, playing Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Chopin.

Internet Grass Roots Changing Political Machine

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT

The Obama machine is new kind of hybrid of top-down leadership and bottom-up energy. While many of its activities are initiated from above, it is also benefiting from a huge outpouring of voter-to-voter self-organizing. By putting the power in supporters' keyboards, the political machinery of 2008 has differed dramatically from that of previous election years. Guest Host Alison Stewart talks with Micah Sifrey, of TechPresident.com and Chuck DeFeo, of Townhall.com about how both parties have used technology to reach out to voters and change campaigning in the future.

Hercules And Love Affair: First Time On-Air

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:40:00 EDT

It was quite a feat for KEXP to get the whole Hercules and Love Affair crew on the air. But even early in the morning, the band sported funky, Stevie Wonder-style keyboard, over four-on-the-floor beats and a lively horn section to get people moving at the Gibson Showroom during New York City's CMJ Music Festival.

Jimmy Smith: Organ Grinder Swing

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:01:00 EDT

Once described as an "excitement merchant" for his soul-stirring sound, the keyboard whiz brought the Hammond B-3 organ from novelty status to the forefront of the jazz community through innovation and prolific recording.

George Duke Puts His Stamp On Funk

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:22:00 EDT

Duke has put out more than 30 albums, which have incorporated jazz, pop, Latin and R&B to critical and commercial success. On his latest album, Dukey Treats, the legendary keyboard player, composer, arranger and bandleader pays tribute to funk, soul and Sly Stone.

Kenny Barron: Live At The Village Vanguard

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:30:00 EDT

A pianist who bridges multiple generations of jazz musicians, Barron has long been known as one of New York's most talented and tasteful keyboard players. He brings a quartet of young instrumentalists to the Greenwich Village outpost.

Herbie Hancock At The Newport Jazz Festival

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:11:00 EDT

One of the true public faces of jazz, the keyboard giant brought a stellar group of musicians to the JVC Jazz Festival Newport to help perform classics from his catalog, as well as recent reconfigurations of pop music.

Glitter And Doom: Tom Waits Live

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:55:00 EDT

Recorded at Atlanta's historic Fox Theater on July 5, Waits delivers a stunning and epic two-and-a-half hour performance, including songs he says he's never attempted outside of the studio before. Backing Waits is a five-piece group featuring Seth Ford-Young (upright bass), Patrick Warren (keyboards), Omar Torrez (guitars), Vincent Henry (woodwinds) and Casey Waits (drums and percussion). "They play with racecar precision and they are all true conjurers," says Waits. "They are all multi-instrumentalists and they polka like real men."

Live In Concert: Herbie Hancock And More From The Newport Jazz Festival

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:44:00 EDT

Top-flight artists from many walks of the jazz world once again fill the program at the Newport Jazz Festival. NPR Music and WBGO will webcast performances from keyboard legend Herbie Hancock, as well as many all-star collaborations, live from Newport on the weekend of Aug. 9-10.

The Bloodsugars: 'Purpose Was Again'

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:12:00 EDT

The Bloodsugars's sound is either a descendent of the best aspects of '80s synth rockers or the offspring of trance and power pop. The Brookyln-based foursome takes radio-ready melodies and power chord guitar rock and blends them with dance floor beats, keyboards, and synths. The group's debut EP, BQEP, rides on the neon glow of its six tightly wound pop songs riddled with hooks.

Dosh: 'Don't Wait For The Needle To Drop'

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:14:00 EDT

Martin Dosh is a percussionist from Minneapolis, Minn., but his solo work is far from simple drum work. With Wolves and Wishes, Dosh's fourth full-length release on the Anticon label, Dosh has composed a series of richly orchestrated, mostly instrumental electronica tracks with a cinematic grandeur. With collaborative help from such well-known artists as Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Andrew Bird, the record finds a nice balance between Dosh's trippy synth, keyboard and drum work, and the album's guitars, violins, clarinets and saxophones.

Mates of State, Sam Phillips, Jethro Tull, More

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:44:00 EDT

Singer-songwriter Sam Phillips makes gorgeously textured, spare acoustic music. Hear a cut from her mesmerizing new CD Don't Do Anything. The keyboard-and-drums duo Mates of State are back with their best album yet, the stunning Re-Arrange Us. Also on the show: the whimsical world of Rupa and the April Fishes, a classic reissued from Jethro Tull, New Orleans pianist Henry Butler, and Rachel Taylor Brown, another great unknown from our Second Stage series.

Marcia Ball Gets 'Right Back in It'

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:36:00 EDT

In "Right Back in It," Ball's awesome mÃ©lange of keyboard styles sets the tone: Call it the Zydeco boogie-woogie blues. Horns chug faster and faster throughout, and a guitar drops by for a rock 'n' roll interlude. In the end, there's even a moral that applies in a post-Katrina age.

Imogen Cooper: Beautiful Hands, Built for Bach

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:24:00 EDT

For decades, British pianist Imogen Cooper has built a solid reputation on the romantic music of Schumann and Schubert. Now she enters a new era, inspiredand awestruckby the keyboard music of Bach.

Myopic: 'As Much As You Can III'

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:17:00 EDT

Myopic is a music project started by Jeff Ryan of the Dallas experimental rock band Pleasant Grove. On his CD, Plays in Pieces, Jeff skillfully orchestrates ambient, electronic grooves using bells, keyboards, and drums.

Sea Wolf: Nostalgic, Yet Experimental

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 16:08:00 EDT

Sea Wolf has a clear sense of nostalgia, at times recalling the likes of Mark Knopfler and Tom Petty. Still, the arrangements hint at a more experimental side, including cello and keyboard. Hear an interview and in-studio performance by Sea Wolf's Alex Brown Church.

St. Vincent: Consistently Captivating

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:21:00 EDT

St. Vincent's Marry Me is a subtly infectious record; propelled by warm strings, horns and keyboards. The songs alternately rock out and break down into noisy deconstructions. Lyrically, she's both serious and tongue-in-cheek, but consistently captivating.

Typist Aims for Instant-Messaging Record

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:03:00 EDT

Norman Perez is attempting to set the first Guinness World Record for the longest computer keyboard typing session -- by instant messaging almost nonstop. Margot Adler stops by the window where he is sitting -- and typing and typing and typing.

Are Computer Keyboards Dishwasher Safe...

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:19:00 EDT

We put pots, dishes and silverware in the dishwasher. But a computer keyboard? Although manufacturers warn against it, NPR's Nell Boyce puts her keyboard in the dishwasher, and it lives to type the story.