Music News

Draco Rosa: A Pop Survivor Returns From The Brink, With Friends

Mandalit del Barco — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:03:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHRjWauwpvE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3UVw3a7qIQ

Giving It Away

NPR/TED Staff — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:59:00 +0000

"It feels good to be able to change something. It feels good to give." -- Ron Finley

You can give away almost anything — your time, money, food, your ideas. Giving helps define who we are and helps us connect with others. And thanks to the Internet and a rise in social consciousness, there's been a seismic shift not only in what we're giving, but how. In this hour, stories from TED speakers who are "giving it away" in new and surprising ways, and the things that happen in return.

Andris Nelsons Named Music Director Of The Boston Symphony

Anastasia Tsioulcas — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:08:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyjr4A_9haI

Google Launches A Streaming Music Service

Laura Sydell — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:39:00 +0000

The competition for your ears — and dollars — just got a little tougher. On Wednesday, Google launched a paid music subscription service that will put it in direct competition with other streaming services like Spotify and Pandora. The announcement may just be the beginning for Google.

As it gets easier to access the Internet, more fans are streaming their music — not downloading it.

The Canadian Astronaut's Accompanist

Ann Powers — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:39:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reFNaIUq3u0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM5AYG53shw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzku68158dw

Robots In Ecstasy: Daft Punk's 'Memories' Embraces The Pleasure Principle

Ann Powers — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:11:00 +0000

"Give life back to music," coo the robots on the first track of Daft Punk's new album, Random Access Memories, which showed up yesterday on iTunes after a long period of near-hysterical anticipation and advance marketing. Does the veteran Parisian dance music duo succeed in doing this on its first album in eight years?

Covering Pop Hits On YouTube Is Starting To Pay

editor — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:22:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4THCa0Go1M

The MIDI Revolution: Synthesizing Music For The Masses

Sami Yenigun — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:34:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=401wv1eKc2c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kanNN4RPrgY

Harry Connick, 'Idol' And The Pop Charts: Can You Define 'Good' Singing?

Ann Powers — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:53:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7acuT6Sydc4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZa6kAjK-Bk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpQFFLBMEPI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF8BRvqGCNs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjGSYSMyOJI

20 Years Ago Biz Markie Got The Last Laugh

Oliver Wang — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:59:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OebqNsNRBtU

Big Songs, Big Hype (Oh Yeah, They're Women)

editor — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:17:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fHU0qgqLR0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y7kP98ty1g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuIB8HEmnoY

At Jazz Fest, Photographers Have A Culture All Their Own

Eve Troeh — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:03:00 +0000

The 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival wraps up Monday. This weekend and last, 12 stages have mixed such marquee names as Fleetwood Mac, Phoenix and Los Lobos with dozens of local bluesmen, soul belters and Cajun fiddle players.

'A Truth Never Told': Remembering Slayer's Jeff Hanneman

editor — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:57:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qos9NgJPJ58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBqZCrC3t5o

A Night Of Worship In The Church Of Badu

Frannie Kelley — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:34:00 +0000

Erykah Badu doesn't think she's old enough to be anybody's godmother, and the first time somebody asked her to fulfill that role (Solange, because of course) she said, how dare you. Badu was onstage at the Brooklyn Museum on Tuesday night, an event that's part of the Red Bull Music Academy, a series of shows and lectures happening this month in New York City.

The Beyonce Experiment: How Far Can She Go?

editor — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:23:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESV5YAp2e5s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMok-RBgj1I

What Do You Get Valery Gergiev For His 60th Birthday?

Anastasia Tsioulcas — Thu, 02 May 2013 16:53:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_Ut9pckESw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjR_A5KwDl8

Rapper Chris Kelly Dies, 'Jump' Was Hit For Duo Kris Kross

Mark Memmott — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:08:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=010KyIQjkTk

Remembering Janos Starker, The Cellist 'Born To Be A Teacher'

Sara Wittmeyer — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:00:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpjxj60CKEM

Janos Starker, A Master Of The Cello, Dies At 88

Bill Chappell — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:09:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MEUIGjfHNw

When Clarence Thomas Wrote To George Jones

Melissa Block — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:22:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gtFxUYBDA

The Tyler Interview: Silly, But With A Purpose

Charlie Kaplan — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:06:00 +0000

Interviewing Odd Future visionary Tyler, the Creator is a crapshoot.

Lady Gaga Writing A New Song Is Like A Factory Investing In A New Machine

David Kestenbaum — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

I spoke yesterday with Dan Sichel, a Wellesley economist and a Lady Gaga fan. Both of these facts are relevant for this story.

The U.S. government is about to tweak the way it measures the economy, and some of the biggest changes will affect the entertainment industry.

Under the current system, Sichel told me, Lady Gaga's sales of concert tickets, online songs and CDs all count toward gross domestic product. But the value of the time she spends in the studio working on new songs isn't counted.

Mountain of Blues Festival

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:53:50 +0000

The Mountain of Blues Festival returns to Ruidoso, New Mexico, on Saturday, June 1, from noon-10 pm! Featured acts include the Dirty Mojo Junkies, CW Ayon, Austin Jimmy Murphy, the Zerbe Strut Band, the 24-7 Blues Band, and James Armstrong.

$10 in advance, $12 at the gate. Info: 866.207.4816 or 575.257.9535, or visit http://www.ruidosoblues.com/

Richie Havens, Folk Singer Who Opened Woodstock, Has Died

Tom Cole — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 23:30:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf1B9ktRCkg

Rap Genius Annotates Song Verses

editor — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:13:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

OK, lets me a couple of guys who are big fans of Ghostface Killah.

MAHBOD MOGHADAM: The best Ghostface song, I think, is "a Nutmeg." That's all of his...

GREENE: That's Mahbod Moghadam. He and his friend Tom Lehman co-founded a Web site called Rap Genius.

MOGHADAM: Tom is here looking up...

TOM LEHMAN: These are my favorite lie of Ghost. It's from "Buck 50" where he says: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, docialiexpilisticfragicalsuper Wu-Tang Chamber.

A Minnesotan In Mali, Teaching The Country's Sounds

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:51:00 +0000

Numbers are down at the American International School in Bamako, the capital of Mali.

In just over a year, the country has witnessed a rebellion, a military coup and the occupation by Islamist fighters of the desert northern region, recently largely liberated in a counteroffensive by French-led forces.

The Continuing Relevance Of Child Ballads

Stephanie Coleman — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 13:50:00 +0000

Some stories stand the test of time: Shakespeare's plays, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, and the Child ballads.

If you're unfamiliar with them, they're not for children. They're Scottish and English folk songs from the 17th and 18th centuries and earlier. They're named after Francis James Child, the Harvard professor and folklorist who collected them.

Through the centuries, the Child ballads have been passed down and tweaked to fit the times.

What Nick Drake Taught Me About Art And Love

Ann Powers — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:34:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDcIDr2TEtc

The Diverse Influence Of The 2013 Rock Hall Inductees

editor — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:28:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANiaZvdGO8U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKY8KIt9kqc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PaoLy7PHwk

Coachella's California Hometown Hopes To Cash In On The Festival's Rising Tide

editor — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:27:00 +0000

Like many California cities hit hard by the real estate crash, Indio (near Palm Springs) has been forced to make steep cutbacks to avoid bankruptcy. But unlike other cities, Indio hosts the highest-grossing music festival in the world — Coachella — which wraps up this weekend. It has made city leaders eager to capitalize on Coachella's riches.

Sam Torres, plumber by day, Indio city councilman by night, says he was prepared to become the most hated man in the city, and he very well may have achieved that goal. His offense?