Festival Report | Jul 02, 2009

The Mother Hips Family Hipnic

One tends to get a little suspicious of anything billed as a "new annual tradition," but the First Annual Mother Hips Family Hipnic in Big Sur this weekend, looks like it'd be a welcome alternative to the traditional barrage of patriotic festivities. By Ben van Houten

Mix Tape | Jun 29, 2009

Sympathizing with the Summertime Blues -- June 2009

California pop has always had a moodier side in addition to songs about sand, surf, and fun.

Pop Culture | Jun 26, 2009

How Michael Jackson Taught Me to Dance

We did a piece inspired by the moves we'd seen Michael Jackson do to "Dancing Machine" on TV. The beginning and end of the dance was done in unison, but the center section was an extended "robot" that I improvised alone. By Mark Taylor

The Bay Bridged | Jun 24, 2009

Papercuts

This week's podcast profiles Papercuts, the indie rock-pop band led by San Franciscan Jason Quever.



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Event | Jun 23, 2009

Preview: Battlehooch's Piecechow

There may be a chicken-egg debate about whether Battlehooch the identity preceded Battlehooch the band, but I know that the former was definitely what I saw first, as the band's members grabbed the attention of the local music community by attending local shows in packs, dressed in headbands ("Battlerags") emblazoned with the group's name. By Ben van Houten

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NPR Topics: Music
  • Johnny Cash's 'Big River'

    Classical violinist Mark O'Connor's boyhood hero was a country musician. O'Connor says that he'd spend hours on end learning the songs of Johnny Cash — and to this day, his great passion is the tune "Big River."

  • Poetic License Raises A Star-Spangled Debate

    Rene Marie grew up in the segregated South, and has become one of the few jazz singers today whose talent and devotion to social issues have both won her attention. Case in point: her personal take on the national anthem.

  • Courtly Confusion: Rossini's 'Voyage To Rheims'

    The opera has a scatterbrained story, full of decidedly goofy characters. Yet Rossini's gift for musical profiling, plus a raft of bravura arias and ensembles, make this La Scala production a comic gem.

  • Jackson Memorial Is Tuesday; L.A. Rushes To Plan

    In Los Angeles, city officials are scrambling over the holiday weekend to try to figure out how to accommodate a public memorial service for Michael Jackson at a venue that can hold no more than 20,000 people.