Music

May 28, 2023 - 5:00pm

Join us for musical tributes--both solemn and spirited--to those who have served, loved ones fondly missed and faraway friends, times and places.

The Sweet Sound Prince Nico Mbarga

May 27, 2023 - 10:00am

Prince Nico Mbarga dedicated his life to music, and in doing so, he created what became the most popular song in the history of the African continent...

Milwaukee musician Trapper Schoepp draws inspiration from Irish folk in new album

May 27, 2023 - 7:20am

In 2021, Milwaukee-based musician Trapper Schoepp watched a YouTube video of an Irishman moving his fingers up and down the neck of the guitar using a technique called "open D tuning." Two years later, Schoepp released his newest album "Siren Songs" focusing on the technique commonly used by early folk...

Opinion: Life lessons from Tina Turner

May 27, 2023 - 6:55am

By the time Tina Turner released her hit song "What's Love Got to Do With It" in 1984, she had already seen her career rise and fall.

The song had been written by two British guys, Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, who offered it to Cliff Richard,...

Dua Lipa, 'Dance the Night'

May 26, 2023 - 12:02pm

"Do you guys ever think about dying?" asks Barbie. In the trailer for Greta Gerwig's forthcoming blockbuster, the all-too-familiar blonde bombshell (played by Margot Robbie) says this line in the middle of a dance floor and all of the dolls turn around in shock. Death? On the dance floor?!...

Graham Nash finds harmony with his own voice on 'Now'

May 26, 2023 - 9:43am

Graham Nash has spent his career harmonizing with others, but he says his latest album is the most personal one he's ever made.

Now is his first studio album in seven years. Nash has lived in the United States for decades now, but he's originally from the U.K.,...

Fans flock to Tina Turner's hometown museum after her death

May 26, 2023 - 4:11am

Updated May 26, 2023 at 3:23 PM ET

The Tina Turner Museum in Brownsville, Tenn., is seeing a surge in visitors after her death, even staying open late on Wednesday night so fans could pay tribute.

"It's crazy around here," said Sonia Outlaw-Clark, executive director...

Jay Park: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

May 26, 2023 - 4:00am

NPR Music's Tiny Desk is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. These artists represent just a sliver of the cultural diversity that exists within the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

As sunlight filters into the corner of the room, the singer and rapper Jay Park is...

Shirley Collins is an English folk song's bridge between now and then

May 25, 2023 - 12:32pm

The songs that Shirley Collins sings are like time capsules, each with vast histories waiting to be uncovered. Some have journeyed across decades, even centuries, shape-shifting and meeting each moment as they are reborn again and again. At 87, Collins has given herself entirely to this work of ensuring...

Wolf Eyes still mirrors and mutates reality

May 25, 2023 - 12:32pm

Wolf Eyes is charged with a perverse curiosity. If you have experienced even a fraction of the band's hundreds of albums, EPs, collaborations and splits across every format imaginable over the last 25 years, you know the Toxic Avenger that emerges from the gurgling detritus: hideous, heroic and beloved...

2023 Wisconsin music industry award winners

May 25, 2023 - 7:00am

This week marks the 41st annual Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards where locally-grown musicians and industry professionals are recognized for their talent. We speak with the president about the winners.

Wisconsin music award highlights, Fishing tips

May 25, 2023 - 7:00am

Two people fishing on the side of a lake

We tune in to the Wisconsin Area Music Industry Awards to hear which artists made an impact last year. Then we cast out for some fishing tips as the inland fishing season unfolds.

'He gon' get these beats 'n' rhymes'

May 25, 2023 - 4:13am

This story was adapted from Episode 9 of Louder Than A Riot, Season 2. To hear more about Black masculinity, accountability and fatherhood, stream the full episode or subscribe to the Louder Than A Riot podcast.

ACT 1

Of all the hoods rap prepared...

How composer Nicholas Britell created the sound of 'Succession'

May 25, 2023 - 4:04am

The final episode of Succession airs on Sunday, bringing an end to the hit HBO series and, almost as importantly, what some have called "the definitive TV theme of the 21st century."

The opening theme, with its dissonant chords, dramatic strings and 808 beats, has remained a ...

Celebrities and the White House pay tribute to Tina Turner

May 25, 2023 - 2:28am

News of Tina Turner's death reverberated throughout social media, with various celebrities and the White House reacting to the news by sending their condolences. The rock and roll trailblazer's death at her home in Switzerland was announced Wednesday. She was 83.

Actress Angela Bassett, who was nominated for...

Kesha's new album pushes her personal struggles to the forefront

May 24, 2023 - 3:36pm

In the thick of tumultuous and public legal battles, Kesha has released a new album full of the tensions of the recent years.

Who is she? The singer and songwriter, formerly known as Ke$ha, burst onto the pop music scene in the early 2010s with her hit dance songs...

Kaytranada and Aminé come full circle

May 24, 2023 - 2:30pm

In July of 2014, the marketing student and would-be rapper Aminé sent out a wishful Twitter DM attempting to get his fledgling music career off the ground. The then-20-year-old soon-to-be dropout at Portland State University hoped a few beats from a buzzing DJ and producer in Montreal would help give...

Tina Turner, rock and roll icon, dead at 83

May 24, 2023 - 1:58pm

Tina Turner, a soul and rock powerhouse known for her octave-defying voice and mesmerizing stage moves, has died at the age of 83.

She died Wednesday in her home in Switzerland after a long period of illness, according to a statement from her publicist. In her 2018 memoir, Tina...

Animal Collective, 'Dreams'

May 24, 2023 - 1:40pm

There's a boundary-averse quality that makes Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished so rewarding to revisit all these years later. Animal Collective's debut album, originally released in 2000, has been remastered and reissued with A Night at Mr. Raindrop's Holistic Supermarket, an EP of five previously unreleased tracks, including...

Happy Birthday, Bob!

May 24, 2023 - 4:00am

Bob Dylan turns 82 today, so we're taking this opportunity to celebrate some of the legendary songwriter's music, as well as covers of his work over the years.

Born in 1941 in Duluth, Minn., Dylan has a discography that's been covered by a wide range of musicians drawing...

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2023 Memories & Memorials Show

The Sweet Sound Prince Nico Mbarga

Milwaukee musician Trapper Schoepp draws inspiration from Irish folk in new album

Opinion: Life lessons from Tina Turner

Dua Lipa, 'Dance the Night'

Graham Nash finds harmony with his own voice on 'Now'

Fans flock to Tina Turner's hometown museum after her death

Jay Park: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Shirley Collins is an English folk song's bridge between now and then

Wolf Eyes still mirrors and mutates reality

2023 Wisconsin music industry award winners

Wisconsin music award highlights, Fishing tips

'He gon' get these beats 'n' rhymes'

ACT 1

How composer Nicholas Britell created the sound of 'Succession'

Celebrities and the White House pay tribute to Tina Turner

Kesha's new album pushes her personal struggles to the forefront

Kaytranada and Aminé come full circle

Tina Turner, rock and roll icon, dead at 83

Animal Collective, 'Dreams'

Happy Birthday, Bob!

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