On Demand
World Music
Call Me Ishmael
Studio 360: American Icons
November 27, 2009
The composer and performer Laurie Anderson was so taken with Moby-Dick, she composed a strange, cool, modern opera called Songs and Stories from Moby-Dick. Anderson tells us how Melville hooked her in the first few pages.
Beijing Bands to Rock NYC This Weekend
November 20, 2009
Three indie rock bands from Beijing are performing in New York this weekend, wrapping up a three-week tour of the U.S. It's their first time touring in this country. The bands are signed to one of Ch....
Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
Studio 360
November 20, 2009
"Set the sails; I feel the winds a'stirring." So begins the song, "Charlie Darwin," by the rock band The Low Anthem. Frontman Ben Knox Miller describes how the band came up with the tune and its darker message, "Who could heed the words of Charlie Darwin? Fighting for a system built to fail."
Bill Frisell Scores Buster Keaton
Studio 360
November 13, 2009
Old-timey piano music isn't the only way to watch the silent films of Buster Keaton. A new DVD features three Keaton classics with gorgeous and strange music by acclaimed jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. Frisell tells Studio 360's David Krasnow about his awe for Keaton and his attempt to capture the emotion of each scene.
Del The Funky Homosapien
Studio 360
October 30, 2009
This West Coast hip-hopper hit stardom in 2001, but he wasn't born for the limelight. His reputation as hip-hop's oddball stems from his raps about science fiction, "Dungeons and Dragons," and public transit. Del explains to Kurt how his path diverged from that of his cousin, gangsta pioneer Ice Cube.
(Originally aired: April 4, 2008)
Watch the music video for "Flashback" from Del's new album Parallel Uni-Verses with Tame One:
Fela Kuti
Studio 360
October 16, 2009
The Nigerian musician, activist, and father of Afrobeat inspired a generation of artists -- one of whom is choreographer Bill T. Jones. Kurt talks with Jones about his new Broadway musical "Fela!" which celebrates the art and life of a music legend. (Originally aired: December 19, 2008)
BLK JKS
Studio 360
September 11, 2009
BLK JKS blends South African sounds with MTV-inspired art rock. They just released their first full-length album in the US, After Robots. Band members Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata perform and tell Kurt about witnessing the end of apartheid and discovering Nirvana. (Originally aired: March 13, 2009)
Brooklyn Soul Festival
August 28, 2009
This weekend's Brooklyn Soul Festival honors soul legends and highlights under-the-radar artists like Hermon Hitson and Maxine Brown. Festival organizer Richard Lewis. LEWIS: It's not that Al Green ....
Chali 2na
Studio 360
August 14, 2009
LA's underground hip-hop act Jurassic 5 brought tunefulness and fun back to '90s hip-hop. Chali 2na, one of the founders of that group, talks with Kurt about his new solo album and his work as a visual artist. 2na says that writing lyrics is a lot like painting: "I need to see them. I need them to be - beautiful in a way."
Girl in a Coma
Studio 360
July 31, 2009
A junior high bonding moment over tortured Morrissey music led to the formation of the San Antonio band Girl in a Coma. Now the band - Jenn Alva and sisters Phanie and Nina Diaz - is getting attention from rock gods like Joan Jett. Their new album Trio B.C. pays tribute to the sisters' grandfather, who introduced them to the Tejano music he played in the 1950s. Produced by Leital Molad.
Taqwacores
Studio 360
July 24, 2009
When Islamic convert Michael Muhammad Knight wrote a novel about Muslim-American punk rockers, The Taqwacores, he thought it was a fantasy. Turns out he was onto something. Soon he was the guest of honor at the first mosh pit in Pakistan. Produced by Nick Heling.
Ghazal
Studio 360
July 10, 2009
For hundreds of years, musicians from India and Pakistan have taken the poetry called ghazal and set it to music. The songs project such deep longing that you don’t need to know Urdu to feel the pain. Produced by Rob Weisberg. (Originally aired: February 8, 2008)
Afghan Star
Studio 360
June 19, 2009
Afghanistan holds its second presidential elections in August, but an American-Idol-style TV show has already given the country a crash course in the electoral process. On "Afghan Star," ethnic differences that divided the country in wartime play out on the show and inspire fans to rig the votes. Produced by Gregory Warner.
Hamid Sakhizada, the favorite of Afghanistan's ethnic Hazara, performs in the season two finale of "Afgahn Star":
Musical Treasure Trove Closes
June 06, 2009
Brooklyn's Record and Tape Center has existed for nearly four decades, almost in spite of itself. It’s a mish-mosh musical treasure trove and it’s anything but organized. Now the owner has to pac....
Botswana's Big Break
Studio 360
May 08, 2009
"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" finishes up its season on HBO this weekend. It's based on the mystery novel series by Alexander McCall Smith. Botswana music producer Solo B. tells Studio 360's Rob Weisberg about the musicians on the soundtrack. He says "No. 1 Ladies" is a big opportunity for Botswana artists to break out of the shadow of South Africa.
Toumani Diabate
Studio 360
May 01, 2009
The kora is a 21 string instrument played all over West Africa. And Toumani Diabate is considered the greatest kora player in the world. He tells Kurt how growing up he loved the music in spaghetti westerns. Diabate also plays live in the studio.
Nortec Collective
Studio 360
May 01, 2009
Under the stage names Bostich and Fussible, Ramon Amezcua and Pepe Mogt make fantastic dance music that mixes Mexican folk with electronica. Based in Tijuana, they tell Kurt how living on the border feeds their music. Their latest album is called Tijuana Sound Machine.
Connie Converse Walking In the Dark
Spinning On Air
March 15, 2009
During the 1950s Connie Converse lived in New York City writing and singing thoughtful, emotional, smart, witty, personal songs. She accompanied herself on guitar, a "singer/songwriter" before that term or style existed. Connie sang her songs at gatherings of friends, and once on television. The music industry of her day couldn't pigeonhole her, and didn't welcome her. Discouraged, Connie left New York in 1960, and in 1974 she wrote a series of farewell letters to her friends and family, packed up her Volkswagen Bug and disappeared. She has not been heard from since.
Connie Converse Walking In the Dark, a special edition of WNYC's Spinning On Air with David Garland, airs many of Connie's songs for the first time, and tells her story with interviews, commentary, and readings from her letters, journals, and poetry. Joining host David Garland are Oscar-winning animator Gene Deitch, who knew and recorded Connie in New York, and the voices of Connie's brother, Philip Converse, and actress Amber Benson, who reads Connie's writings.
Slideshow: Connie Converse
Related Links:
David Garland's blog entry on Connie Converse
Connie Converse
Lauderette Recordings
order How Sad, How Lovely on Insound
Connie’s story in the San Francisco Chronicle
Connie Converse on MySpace
Gene Deitch
BLK JKS
Studio 360
March 13, 2009
American rock has been cribbing African sounds for years. Now a South African band is poised to make a big splash on our shores. BLK JKS, from Johannesburg, blends African sounds with MTV-inspired art rock. They just released their first album in the U.S., Mystery. Band members Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata perform live, and tell Kurt about witnessing the end of apartheid and discovering Nirvana.
New Take on Indian Classical Music
March 09, 2009
Classical music jumped across continents this weekend. The two-week festival that celebrated the opening of the new Alice Tully Hall came to a close with a concert that showcased a new take on India....
Home of Hip Hop
The Brian Lehrer Show
February 26, 2009
K'naan
Studio 360
February 27, 2009
The current violence in Somalia is painfully familiar to K’naan, who grew up in Mogadishu in the 1980’s. He loved American hip-hop before he understood English. K’naan’s new record is called Troubador. Produced by Matthew Cavnar.
(Originally aired: January 12, 2007)
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