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The premier guide for new and significant artists in rock, blues, and folk - including NPR-syndicated World Cafe ®

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24/7 Musical discovery. A unique mix of emerging and heritage blues, rock, world, folk, and alt-country artists.

Singer Songwriter Radio

Featuring classics from heritage troubadours to new musicians and bands in the singer-songwriter tradition.

Folk Radio

Folk music radio streaming on the web; Americana, Roots Music, recordings, and stories from folk's best.
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Wednesday, 16 January 2013 11:41

Jody Stephens on Ardent Studios and Big Star

Our Sense of Place visit to Memphis moves away from Soul music to the place where the seminal albums of American power-pop were created. Ardent Studios is where the Memphis band Big Star made the three albums that define the genre.
Published in Guests
Wednesday, 16 January 2013 11:39

Lucero

We meet the blue collar heart of Memphis, the band Lucero, today on the World Cafe. Lucero has their own history with Ardent studio. Today we hear a stripped down session with the band recorded in Ardent Studio A where they worked on their breakthrough album 1372 Overton Park.
Published in Guests
Our World Cafe Sense of Place trip to Graceland makes a stop on Elvis Presley Blvd to visit the humble home of The King. You can view our special tour as we linger in the Jungle Room here. In this session we hear from Elvis’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, It Came From Memphis author Robert Gordon, Kevin Kern, the Director of Public Relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises, and Kevin Kern, the Director of Public Relations for Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Published in Guests
Tuesday, 15 January 2013 12:12

Sam Phillips

Memphis Tennessee – Soul music, Barbeque and Elvis Presley. Today’s show focuses on Sun and Graceland. For Sun, we have an interview with none other than Sam Phillips, the founder of the famed studio! Recorded in 2002, a year before the accomplished producer died.
Published in Guests
Monday, 14 January 2013 00:00

Steve Cropper And Booker T. Jones

As part of World Cafe's Sense of Place series on Memphis, Tenn., we've dug up archival interviews with two legendary Stax Records performers: guitarist Steve Cropper and organist Booker T. Jones, both of Booker T. & The M.G.'s.
Published in Guests
Monday, 14 January 2013 16:00

Stax Records on World Cafe

Memphis Tennessee – Soul music, barbeque and Elvis Presley. World Cafe is spending this week getting the vibe of Memphis, Tenn., a city that — like New Orleans — has had an undeniable influence on all of American culture.
Published in Guests

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Non-COMM Recap: Going introspective with John Murry (photos, audio, setlist)

With just his guitar and his voice, Bay Area by way of Mississippi songwriter John Murry played an emotional, powerful set Wednesday...Read More

Non-COMM Recap: Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside dabble in retro rock (photos, audio, setlist)

Portland retro group Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside showed the Non-COMM crowd its rockability in a feisty set that closed out...Read More

Non-COMM Recap: The late night gets weird with Foxygen (photos, audio, setlist)

Quirky upstate New York four-piece Foxygen got crazy in a late-night Non-COMM set yesterday that blended Doors-esque poppy psychedelia...Read More

Non-COMM Recap: Robert Randolph makes steel strings sing and the crowd dance (photos, audio)

Slide guitar wizard and XPN favorite Robert Randolph got the downstairs crowd at World Cafe Live dancing in his Non-COMM set....Read More

Watch Surgeon perform “Greed” at Garage Mahal (playing Johnny Brenda’s on Sunday)

Local thrash / metal band Surgeon has been readying its long-in-the-making new full-length Chemical Reign for the past couple years...Read More