As frontman of the New Pornographers, Zumpano, and Superconductor, A.C. Newman has been at the forefront of some the most lauded indie power pop bands of the past two decades. As a part-time solo artist for nearly a decade, Newman has been equally well-received, though noticeably different as a songwriter. Newman’s solo work has often been more melancholic than his playful party-pop efforts with the New Pornographers, starting with his 2004 solo debut record The Slow Wonder.

The four main members of the Swedish band The Amazing play in many other successful music acts (Dungen, et al), some of which are shared projects. The overlap makes for obvious chemistry within this experimental, genre-bending folk-rock supergroup.

In light of the ongoing conflict in Northern Mali, and specifically the events of the last few days, we checked in with Chris Nolan, an organizer of Festival in the Desert. The festival takes place each January in the Sahara region where most of the recent fighting has occurred. The festival is postponed this year and in our show today, Chris Nolan elaborates on how this decision was made. He also discusses the festival’s history.

It's Trey Anastasio acoustic today. Listen to a rare solo set from the leader of Phish with songs from his new Traveler solo album.

The dB's secured a place in rock history as one of the pioneering jangle-pop bands of the early '80s. Deftly combining new wave and power-pop, it created a melodic niche for itself among its Southern peers — bands like The Feelies and R.E.M.

Hailing from Beavertown, Oregon, singer guitarist Brandon Summers and drummer-keyboardist Benjamin Weikel started playing together in 1996. Three years later, the duo self-produced their first EP and officially formed The Helio Sequence. After years of crafting their musical style, the duo garnered a significant amount of recognition with the success of Keep Your Eyes Ahead (Sub Pop Records).

If Aaron Embry's name doesn't sound familiar, the names of his previous collaborators certainly will. Embry recently played as a pianist in Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, but also worked with Elliott Smith, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. Multifacted and multi-talented, in 2009 alone, Embry both composed a score for Yukio Mishima's silent film, Patriotism, and also produced Avi Buffalo's debut album. Yet throughout his diverse, nearly two-decade career, Embry never released a solo album - until now.

Father John Misty is quite a character. And he is a character invented by Josh Tillman to hang his rock and roll persona on.

"Foxygen blend their love of classic rock and psychedelic music in to something fresh and new and very well crafted. They manage to spin the past into the future like magicians."

I Bet on Sky, the recent release by alt-rock band Dinosaur Jr. has generated highly favorable reviews for its explosive energy and its perfect use of feedback and distortion. Attempting to reemerge in the rock scene, the band spent a significant amount of time crafting and strategically engineering its albums following the trio’s reunion. Performing at a variety of well-known music venues, the trio has been sharpening their musical talent in order to capture the attention of all music aficionados.