Jun 21 Watch 4:30 Why Cole Porter's melodies and lyrics produce musical magic By PBS News Hour The sophisticated rhymes and erudite imagery of Cole Porter’s lyrics made him one of the nation’s preeminent songsmiths. But an overlooked element of Porter’s legacy is the music underlying those lyrics, which Rob Kapilow argues is essential to understanding the… Continue watching
Jun 14 Column: A banker-turned-banjo player finds payoff in her passion By Alison Brown Here’s a story you don’t hear too often: An investment banker leaves it all behind to become a touring banjo player. Alison Brown is a three-time Grammy winner, a USA Artists fellow and co-founder of Nashville-based Compass Records. But she… Continue reading
Jun 02 Watch 6:18 Judy Collins still turn, turn, turning with new album at 77 By Anne Azzi Davenport, Jeffrey Brown Folk legend Judy Collins, known for her critically acclaimed covers of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” and Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn!” has been making music since the 1960s. Now, at the age of 77, she is still going… Continue watching
May 26 Watch 5:39 D.C.'s music scene goes 'Live at 9:30' By PBS News Hour For more than 30 years, D.C.’s 9:30 Club has been widely acclaimed as one of the best music venues in the country, topping Billboard’s annual club rankings an unprecedented 11 times. Now, the new PBS show “Live at 9:30” sets… Continue watching
May 26 5 ways to take great concert photos without being a jerk By Larisa Epatko At concerts, camera phones have replaced cigarette lighters to show audience appreciation. Here are five tricks of the trade by a professional concert photographer. Continue reading
May 26 This D.C. rock house was born from punk and suits By Larisa Epatko WASHINGTON -- In 1980, a nightclub opened in Washington, D.C., away from the tourists' Candie's sandals and Polaroid cameras, and among the bail bondsmen and porn shops. Continue reading
May 20 Watch 6:00 NPR's "All Songs Considered" host Bob Boilen on the songs that change our lives By PBS News Hour Continue watching
May 19 Watch 2:57 Pell tells his story through trial, some error — and lots of 'experimental soul' By PBS NewsHour How 'experimental soul' has become artist's guiding force… Continue watching
May 12 Watch 2:54 Concerts for Cats? Dances for dogs? Yes, it's come to this By PBS News Hour Humans tend to view animals as a source of entertainment, but anthropologist Laurel Braitman is more concerned with entertaining them. That’s why she started putting on music concerts for everything from wolves to miniature donkeys. The only rules: no people,… Continue watching
May 06 Watch 5:04 A contemporary composer considers the musical legacy of Johannes Brahms By PBS News Hour Saturday will mark the 183rd birthday of the celebrated German composer and pianist Johannes Brahms. A complicated and utterly self-guarded man, Brahms liked to claim that his music didn’t flow from his heart, but the soulful and passionate nature of… Continue watching