Bob Boilen

Billy Bragg: Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Boilen — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:13:00 +0000

OK Go helped us move the Tiny Desk from our old building to NPR's new headquarters, and The National performed the first full new-building Tiny Desk Concert we posted to the site, but Billy Bragg gave us the first full Tiny Desk Concert we

First Watch: Sonny And The Sunsets, 'Green Blood'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:04:00 +0000

I adore this song, and the video makes me love it all the more. "Green Blood" is from Sonny and the Sunsets' new album, Antenna to the Afterworld. It's a record filled with cinematic tales, told simply with guitars, bass and drums.

Do You Have A Favorite Record Label?

Bob Boilen — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:51:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT5A3Ikosj4

Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale: Tiny Desk Concert

Bob Boilen — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:03:00 +0000

There's something endearing, old-timey and almost vaudevillian about Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale — even the way they bill themselves as "Buddy and Jim." Both veteran musicians are in love with country music in all its many forms and influences; their music incorporates the blues and bluegrass, rock 'n' roll and a good deal of craft.

Buddy Miller is the guitar player to hire if you're playing heartfelt, not-so-shiny country-rock songs.

First Watch: Gary Clark Jr., 'Numb'

Bob Boilen — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:03:00 +0000

In the seven months since Gary Clark, Jr. released his major label debut, Blak and Blu, he's played for the President at the White House with Mick Jagger and blues legend B.B.

First Watch: Alpine's Mind-And-Body-Bending 'Gasoline'

Bob Boilen — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:59:00 +0000

A is for Alpine and it's also the name of Alpine's debut album. Alpine is a six-piece ensemble from Australia with an airy sound led by singers Phoebe Baker and Lou James. The group's album, A is for Alpine, has been out in their home since 2012, but it arrives in the U.S.

Vampire Weekend On New York, Souls Of Mischief And The Secrets Of Its New Album

Bob Boilen — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:25:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weAsC-VTPw8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4xr2665JOk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDxcDjg9P4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_AeEjN8Xvs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enwaAEQcQE0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX46e4GtlXM

Video: Music Meets Random Imagery In Yellowbirds' 'Young Men Of Promise'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:03:00 +0000

Music videos are like funny math, where 1+1=3. That is, images have a meaning on their own, music has a meaning when you listen to it alone, but put images and music together and something new is born. 1+1=3. Try it randomly: put on a piece of music and watch a cartoon or an old movie ...

Interview: The Zombies Remember Their Odyssey

Bob Boilen — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:10:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8BkkFJI910

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWr1YovPECw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqnuI9K5ct4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtdWGGpvY1s

First Watch: People Get Ready, 'Middle Name'

Bob Boilen — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:34:00 +0000

It was probably the best performance piece I've seen in more than a decade. Specific Ocean, a piece by the dance troupe/rock band People Get Ready, which I saw at the New York Live Arts theater in the fall, was a model for the ways musicians can break from the standard, sometimes boring, format of playing on a stage. Some of the songs from Specific Ocean ended up on the group's 2012 self-titled album.