Npr

Bartees Strange and his band performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert in the basement of his studio in Falls Church, Virginia — not too far from both his and NPR’s home base in Washington, D.C. The indie artist played several songs from his debut album Live Forever , released last year; in light of the intimate setting, Strange smoothed out the hardcore and emo-inspired rough edges of tracks like “Boomer” and “Mustang” into a sound more reminiscent of neo-soul. Between songs, Strange took the time to shout out artists and music from the past year that he  enjoyed, including Yves Tumor’s Heaven to a Tortured Mind and the work of Aaron Dessner , who Strange called “the indie rock Michael Jordan.” “The dude inspires all of us,” Strange said. “The work he did this year — the Taylor [Swift] records, Big Red Machine stuff, the National stuff…As a producer and a person who makes stuff, it’s so wildly inspiring to see someone work like that.” Last month, Strange made his … [Read more...] about Bartees Strange Performs ‘Live Forever’ Songs for NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk’

Kirk Franklin performed with his band and choir in the latest “at-home” Tiny Desk concert from NPR , playing live from his studio Uncle Jesse’s Kitchen in Arlington, Texas. And leave it to the gospel legend to bring the energy of a euphoric church service right through the computer screen. “I know you’re at home right now, in your draws, listening to some Jesus music,” he said straight to the camera. “It’s OK. Jesus loves you in your draws!” Franklin performed with a gospel choir made up of Melodie Pace, Darian Elliot, Michael Bethany, Eboni Ellerson, Deon Yancey, and Tia Rudd, with Terry Baker on drums and percussion, Matthew Ramsey on bass, and Grammy-winning producer and musician Shaun Martin on keyboard. After opening with a joyous rendition of “Love Theory,” the group gave a tender performance of the classic “Silver and Gold,” followed by “Melodies From Heaven,” and the infectious “Smile,” complete with Franklin grinning at the camera while passionately playing the … [Read more...] about Kirk Franklin Raises the Roof in NPR ‘Tiny Desk’ Show From Texas Studio

On Christmas Eve, Steven Brandenburg, a Milwaukee-area pharmacist, attempted to destroy more than 500 doses of coronavirus vaccine, because, he admitted, he feared the Moderna drug would “alter the recipient’s DNA.” Described in law-enforcement documents as a “conspiracy theorist,” Brandenburg, 46, had reportedly warned his wife that “the world is crashing down around us” and that “the government is planning cyberattacks and plans to shut down the power grid,” according to divorce-court documents. If you’re surprised that a scientifically educated medical professional, trusted with dispensing lifesaving medicine, could suffer a rebellion against reason and give himself over to discredited conspiracy theories , you haven’t been paying attention. In the America of the 2020s, respectable men and women surrender to this kind of unreal thinking every day. (Brandenburg pleaded guilty to federal tampering charges in January; his lawyer would not discuss Brandenburg’s conspiratorial … [Read more...] about How the Anti-Vaxxers Got Red-Pilled

On the first day of the fall 2009 semester at George Washington University in Washington D.C., professor H.G. “Hache” Carrillo marched into his own creative writing class 10 minutes late, clutching a copy of The Norton Anthology of English Literature in one hand. “He pulls it above his head and we all look at him, thinking this is going to be a required book,” says former student Tarek al-Hariri. “And he slams it so hard on the table, and we all jump three feet. And he says, ‘Now that I have your attention…’ ” Carrillo then reached into his bag, pulled out an orange, and placed it on the table alongside the book. “ ‘Now, I want all of you to take out paper and I want you to write the orange,’ ” al-Hariri remembers Carrillo saying. “And I’m like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about?’ ” Bewildered, the students picked up their pens. “It was the most boring, torturous exercise ever, and I was really pissed at him.” Later, the lesson became clear. “ ‘The point is you cannot write … [Read more...] about The Secret Life of H.G. Carrillo

In September of 2008, an unusual performance took place at downtown New York club Le Poisson Rouge. At stage right, opposite fellow six-string adventurer Marc Ribot, sat Lou Reed , conjuring clouds of free-rock energy from his guitar. Behind them, avant-garde mainstay John Zorn sent forth piercing, impassioned blasts of alto sax. And at the center of it all, churning with the fury of a whirlpool and dancing across his hand-painted drum kit with the control and flair of a flamenco master, was Milford Graves — the percussionist, healer, and interdisciplinary seeker who Zorn had once called “basically a 20th-century shaman,” and who died on Friday at 79 after a battle with amyloid cardiomyopathy, NPR confirmed . “Lou was cool, man,” Graves recalled in 2015 , looking back on a then roughly 50-year career in which he’d also worked with jazz liberators Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock, and the New York Art Quartet, as well as South African vocal giant Miriam Makeba, and honed one of … [Read more...] about How Milford Graves Reawakened the Spirit of the Drum