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Category: Music Interviews

D.C. punk band Bad Brains is one of many punk groups photographed by Glen E. Friedman.

Counterculture Photographer Glen E. Friedman: ‘I’m Trying To Wake People Up’

Glen E. Friedman doesn’t have a smartphone. He doesn’t like to give out his number. And he’s relentlessly protective of…

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Dexter Story's new album, Wondem, comes out Oct. 23.

Review: Dexter Story, ‘Wondem’

What happens when a veteran L.A. soul and jazz instrumentalist discovers the music of Ethiopia? The answer: a world of influence and possibility.

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"This is a big deal for me, to put my guitar down," says Girl in a Coma leader Nina Diaz, now pursuing a solo career.

Nina Diaz Of Girl In A Coma: ‘The Person I’m Becoming Now, I Actually Like’

As guitarist, singer and songwriter for San Antonio rock band Girl in a Coma, Nina Diaz has toured tirelessly and…

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Laura Burhenn's latest album with The Mynabirds arrives after the dissolution of a long-term relationship.

The Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn: ‘Our Generation Doesn’t Have Faith In Long-Term Love’

The Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn, a D.C. native, knows how tough committed relationships can be. Her band’s third album, Lovers Know,…

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death-smithsonian-tour

Video: Death Has Been Called The First Punk Band. Now They’re In The Smithsonian.

In the early 1970s, years before punk rock exploded in the U.S., three brothers from Detroit started a band called Death. David…

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A 2010 photo of Father Yeznig Zegchanian of Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Aleppo, Syria.

An Unlikely Archivist For Armenian Aleppo: A Punk Drummer From D.C.

He’s not a musicologist, but he’s documented several of Syria’s religious minorities, including the Armenians of Aleppo. And his work has become all the more timely — and pressing.

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Ira Kaplan (left) and James McNew of Yo La Tengo in NPR's New York City studios.

Yo La Tengo: ‘When We Let The World In, It Can Be So Profound’

The New Jersey band’s members say their longevity comes from not projecting ideas onto themselves. Their new album, Stuff Like That There, features covers and reworked songs.

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Nick Hall's documentary 'I Need A Dodge: Joe Strummer On The Run' premieres in D.C. Saturday.

Nick Hall On ‘I Need A Dodge,’ His Film About Joe Strummer’s Soul-Searching Years After The Clash

It’s the mid-1980s and The Clash is imploding. Frontman Joe Strummer ejected drummer Topper Headon in ’82, and guitarist Mick…

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The Weather Station: "I have a lot to say about the inherent sexism of the industry... [but] I think things are getting better."

The Weather Station’s Tamara Lindeman: ‘I’m Not Sure Why Music Is Still Overwhelmed By Dudes’

Canadian songwriter Tamara Lindeman’s songs each offer a vivid yet fleeting mise en scène. Her specific, detailed visuals are not…

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Adolescent metalheads Unlocking the Truth got famous on YouTube. What's next for the band?

Teen Metal Band Unlocking The Truth: We Want To Be Huge ‘Not Just Because Of Race’

It’s any musician’s dream to have a video on YouTube lead to a record deal and performances with some of…

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Jon Fine's 'Your Band Sucks' captures an era in indie-rock history — and what it got wrong.

‘Your Band Sucks’ Author Jon Fine: ‘I Got A Job. That Was A Big Failure’

In the late 1980s, Jon Fine was a founding member of a band that even he admits is obscure. Fine…

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Microphone Check onstage with Organized Noize in Atlanta. From left to right: Frannie Kelley, Ray Murray, Rico Wade, Sleepy Brown and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Microphone Check Live: Organized Noize

We went to Atlanta to talk to the three-man production team behind some of the greatest songs ever: Ray Murray, Rico Wade and Sleepy Brown.

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Nora Jane Struthers' new album is titled Wake.

When Nora Jane Struthers’ Identity Was Stolen, She Created A New One

The former English teacher may never have become a singer-songwriter if her identity hadn’t been taken. “I was just ready for a brand new start,” she says. And soon she was on the road to Nashville.

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Faith No More (from left): Mike Bordin, Mike Patton, Roddy Bottum, Billy Gould, and Jon Hudson.

Faith No More’s Mike Patton: ‘You Create Your Own Freedom’

The lead singer of the mercurial rock (and funk and rap and whatever else will fit) band talks about the long path to Sol Invictus, the first Faith No More album in 18 years.

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D.C.'s Rare Essence (shown in 2015) made Kato Hammond, founder of TMOTTGo-Go, a lifelong go-go fanatic.

The Story of Kato Hammond, The D.C. Go-Go Scene’s Best News Source

Kevin Hammond was 14 when he saw D.C. go-go band Rare Essence — in matching red sweatsuits — perform at Prince George’s Community…

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John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, seen here with his band Public Image Ltd at the 2013 Glastonbury Festival, is the former frontman of the Sex Pistols.

John Lydon: The Foul-Mouthed Yob Sets The Record Straight

“After reading so much rubbish written about me over the years, it became obvious that I had to just tell it like it is,” Lydon tells NPR’s Arun Rath. Lydon just wrote his memoir, Anger Is An Energy.

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Beauty Pill's Chad Clark (center): "I'm never interested in being willfully obscure."

Beauty Pill’s Chad Clark On His Lyrics: ‘I’m Always Interested In Being Understood’

Beauty Pill’s exuberant and adventurous new album, Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are, fully communicates the D.C. band’s depth…

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Cambodian band Baksei Cham Krong.

The Nearly Lost Story Of Cambodian Rock ‘N’ Roll

Before the Khmer Rouge regime, a thriving pop and rock scene adapted Western music heard on U.S. military radio stations. The documentary Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten took 10 years to make.

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Niger-based ensemble Tal National plays D.C. Friday night, touring on its ebullient new record, "Zoy Zoy."

Meet Tal National’s Almeida, A Judge By Day And Electrifying Bandleader By Night

Hamadal Issoufou Moumine works as a judge by day. By night, he plays guitar with his Afropop dance band Tal…

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Rob Watson says his hardcore band Pure Disgust isn't political — his lyrics are just based on his life.

Rob Watson Of Pure Disgust: ‘I Couldn’t Care Less What White People Think Of My Lyrics’

The last two years have felt like a renaissance for D.C.’s once-legendary hardcore scene. Bands like Protester, Red Death and…

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Cellist Wytold teaches music workshops for soldiers at Walter Reed military hospital in D.C. He says the experience has changed his approach to music.
December 16, 2016

Working With Soldiers At Walter Reed, Cellist Finds A New Creative Path

Oddisee's new album, The Iceberg, comes out Feb. 24.
December 15, 2016

Songs We Love: Oddisee, ‘Things’

Maryland hip-hop artists Brain Rapp, Nature Boi and Ezko make up the collective Dope Music Village.
December 13, 2016

To These Maryland Rappers, ‘DMV’ Stands For ‘Dope Music Village’

D.C. label Verses Records says its newest release, a compilation called "Code Red," will benefit the American Civil Liberties Union.
December 7, 2016

In Wake Of Trump Election, Verses Records Rallies 40 Bands To Benefit ACLU

The latest tune from D.C. indie-rock band Brushes is "about the tension we feel between Venus and Mars within ourselves," says leader Nick Anway (left).
November 28, 2016

Premiere: On ‘Mars And Me,’ D.C.’s Brushes Come From Mars And Venus

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A digital project by WAMU 88.5, D.C.’s leading public radio station for NPR news and information, Bandwidth covered the varied landscape of the region’s music scene. Read More →

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