World Cafe Guests

WXPN Radio

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

Listen Xpo

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.
Listen Live
Photo Credit Christopher Wilson Following the success of their last record, the 2010 Grammy nominated album, Infinite Arms, alternative country rockers Band of Horses released their fourth studio album, Mirage Rock, on September 18. The record was produced by famed English musician/engineer/producer Glyn Johns,
Published in Guests
Sidi Touré Sidi Touré is a Songhai blues singer/songwriter who hails from northern Mali. Although Touré had a privileged upbringing growing up in a royal family in Mali, he still knows a thing or two about the blues that has influenced his music.
Published in Guests
Dirty Projectors Yale dropout and prolific indie songwriter Dave Longstreth is back with a new CD, Swing Lo Magellan, released July 10. Dirty Projectors had a breakthrough in 2009 with the album Bitte Orca, and released a much-anticpated new album in July on Domino Records.
Published in Guests
Eme Alfonso We travel to Cuba today with the first of four shows about the music scene in Havana as part of World Cafe's Sense of Place Havana.
Published in Guests
In this installment of the Latin Roots series, Raul Pacheco from the Grammy award-winning Latin band Ozomatli talks with WXPN’s David Dye about how politics influence music. Pacheco knows a lot about this topic, as Ozomatli have been a politically-driven band from their inception.
Published in Guests
Melissa Etheridge Iconic folk-rock songstress Melissa Etheridge grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas. Etheridge has been making music since she first picked up a guitar at eight years-old and played in country groups throughout her teens in her home state of Kansas. Winner of two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female and an Academy Award for her song “I Need to Wake Up” from the documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
Published in Guests
credit Marina Abadjieff Sometimes known as the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Antibalas is exactly that: a large group of talented musicians playing rhythmic Afrobeat in perfect synchronous harmony. The New York-based band has come a long way from its Harlem roots but has never forgotten them.
Published in Guests
Influential singer/songwriter Paul Simon’s 1986 Grammy award-winning album Graceland is one of the few records from that decade that made history.
Published in Guests

Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage atWorld Cafe Live


Listen to this week's Live Friday Free At Noon and other Live Shows in the
Concert Archive

Cheers Elephant Philadelphia's own Cheers Elephant is a folk-rock four-piece. Dubbing themselves as the dudes with the best indie rock haircuts, Derek Krzywicki (guitar, lead vocals), Travelin' Mat (bass, vocals), Jordan del Rosario (lead guitar, vocals), and Roberto Kingston (percussion) know how to best blend playful humor, pure rocking energy, and some really great three-part harmonies. Since coming together in 2007, they've toured across the US, sharing the stage with the likes of Chubby Checker, The Go! Team, and DMC. Cheers Elephant has a thing for British pop and good ole American rock 'n' roll , which comes through in their '60s-flavored psychedelia, especially on stage. The chemistry between these four friends and bandmates is almost palpable, and they always draw the audience into their rollicking fun with singalongs and plenty of special effects.

Now on their third album, Cheers Elephant are revealing a maturer yet just-as-energetic sound. Like Wind Blows Fire is scheduled for release on April 24, and it promises to be a good one! Playing a show in honor of the release at World Cafe on March 2nd, Cheers Elephant certainly didn't skimp on the visual effects or mischievious melodies. Like Wind Blows Fire is focused and clean, and hasn't lost any of the zest of previous Cheers Elephant releases. The band is playing Kung Fu Necktie on Front Street with The Spinto Band on May 29.

Watch the new video for Cheers Elephant’s "Doin’ It, Right" on TheKey.xpn.org.

WXPN’s Record Store Day 2012 Weekend Tour with Cheers Elephant

Cheers Elephant will be celebrating the release of their new album, Like Wind Blows Fire over the weekend of April 20-21. In honor of Record Store Day, XPN is celebrating the locally-owned independent record stores in our area. Main Street Music, Siren Records and Repo Records will be here with special offers on Friday, April 20, 2012. For more information on XPN's Record Store Day activities on April 21, click here.



Website: cheerselephant.com/home
Myspace: myspace.com/cheerselephant
Facebook: facebook.com/cheerselephant

Recent Release: Like Wind Blows Fire
Release Date: March 2, 2012 (Local), April 24th, 2012 (National)
Label: Cheers Elephant
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.

Published in Free At Noon

Hear a Live Friday XPN Free At Noon Concert at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast Live Fridays from the stage at World Cafe Live



Tommy Stinson Profile: Bass Player for Guns N' Roses and the legendary Replacements, Tommy Stinson's latest album is called "One Man Mutiny." He'll be here for an XPN Free At Noon on Friday, March 9!

Tommy Stinson is perhaps best known as the spiky-haired, charismatic bassist for hard rock outfit Guns N'Roses, but he's also now on top of a budding solo career. But Stinson is no spring chicken--he's been playing bass since the tender young age of 11, and not too much later, he was on stage with his brother in punk legend outfit The Replacements. Given his natural guitar talent, sophisticated song writing skills, and endless drive, it's little wonder he's been called "the hardest working man in rock'n'roll these days" by the press. He's currently playing bass for both GNR and Soul Asylum, and he also recently released his latest solo offering.

"One Man Mutiny" is certainly bluesy, perhaps partially influenced by one of Stinson's other groups, alt-rock outfit Bash & Pop. Also containing not-so-little hints of country, such as the pedal steel in a couple of the later tracks, "One Man Mutiny" is still based on solid rock'n'roll, gritty and visceral. Singing of relationships and liquor, Stinson is backed by the resonating vocals of his fiance, Emily Roberts. The album turns out to be a good showcase for the talent and the many influences of an iconic rocker. Also, Stinson is donating a portion of the proceeds from "One Man Mutiny" towards struggling Haiti schools--this is great music for a great cause.

Don't miss Tommy Stinson this weekend, stopping in at the World Cafe for a Live Friday performance. It's the Free at Noon, and there's no better way to start the weekend!

Website: tommystinson.com/
Myspace: myspace.com/tommystinsonofficial
Facebook: facebook.com/tommystinson
Recent Release: One Man Mutiny
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Label: Done To Death Music
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN

A co-production of WXPN and NPR.org/music.
Made possible by support from XPN Members, and Comcast.

Published in Free At Noon
Page 2 of 5

World Cafe Guest Search

Make Music Philly Spotlight: Sylvia Platypus

If the name alone wasn’t enough to pique your curiosity, then the bagpipes will. Philly’s own six-piece...Read More

Light Heat’s new album now streaming at The New York Times website (appearing on XPN Philly Local...

Light Heat‘s self-titled debut is due out on June 25th via Ribbon Music, but if you’re itching to hear it now, the album...Read More

Folkadelphia Session: Balto (performing at Lickety Split this Wednesday)

Because you love to discover great music, this week we’ll be debuting 3 new Folkadelphia Sessions for you to fall in love with....Read More

How some Philly punk rockers are giving back to the community with the Big Footprints Project

Brendan Lukens is used to watching things grow right before his eyes. The frontman and founder of Philly local pop punk band Modern...Read More

Watch a conversation with instrumental duo El Ten Eleven, shot at the North Star (playing Johnny Brenda’s on...

El Ten Eleven is a duo that doesn’t like to be captured in a label.  They make powerful instrumental music that spans various...Read More