World Cafe is a cutting edge, two-hour program of alternative contemporary music. It offers a broad range of innovative sounds drawn from American as well as international music. It includes music that is familiar but also showcases works by new and emerging artists.
Often, an artist can be defined by his or her influences. Woody Guthrie's legacy demands instead that he be remembered for the legendary writers he influenced. Guthrie's music inspired musicians from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen, and his career as a Dust Bowl troubadour became representative of more than just American folk music.
Originally published on Fri April 6, 2012 11:24 am
Credit Courtesy of the artist
On this seventh segment of the Latin Roots series, Josh Norek joins World Cafe to explore the cultural roots of Latin funk — a mix of Latin grooves and Afro-American funk. Norek is the co-host and executive producer of The Latin Alternative, as well as a musician, producer and journalist who currently works for the Latin indie label Nacional Records.
John K. Samson, known for his eloquent lyrics and tenure as the frontman of Canadian indie-rock band The Weakerthans, just released his first solo album. Three years in the making, Provincial arose out of Samson's stated wish to capture the feel — a "musical map" — of three locations in his native Winnipeg.
Though Robert Glasper Experiment is a fairly new entity, Glasper himself has been experimenting in genre mash-ups for his entire musical career. First and foremost a jazz pianist, Glasper grew to love hip-hop and began to incorporate it into his music. He's played in a jazz trio and toured the world playing at jazz festivals, but recently, he's become renowned for his ability to mix unlikely elements into something startlingly original — even if he's covering the work of another artist.
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, known as The Milk Carton Kids, are getting a lot of well-deserved buzz. When the folk duo released its second album Prologue for free online last year, more than 60,000 fans downloaded the tracks. Acoustic, soothing, rich in ballads — the signature Milk Carton Kids form of fusing two voices into one sound is mesmerizing.
