Hear Herbie Hancock Do A Buddhist Chant, Discuss His New Book
American musical legend Herbie Hancock appeared on WAMU 88.5’s The Diane Rehm Show today to discuss his new book, Possibilities,…
Category: Music Interviews
Henry Rollins At The Smithsonian: ‘Rock Is Dead—For Gene Simmons’
Tuesday, Smithsonian Associates hosted a lively conversation between Washington Post music writer Chris Richards and “punk poet” Henry Rollins. Considering Rollins’…
Meet Menlik Zergabachew, The Silver Spring Resident On NBC’s ‘The Voice’
NBC’s singing competition The Voice enters its “battle round” tonight. The four judges—Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and Pharrell Williams—have…
Christina Billotte Of Slant 6: ‘I Wanted To Make A Record Where Every Song Was Good’
In 1994, D.C.’s Dischord label released Slant 6’s debut LP, Soda Pop*Rip Off, a collection of jagged uptempo anthems delivered…
Chaz French: ‘I Thought I Would Be Dead’
Raised in a religious household, rapper Chaz French has found his faith tested more than a few times in his…
Dana Murphy On Booking Festivals That Aren’t ‘Just A Bunch Of White Dudes’
Dana Murphy has a way of debunking preconceived notions about feminist DIY. That—as well as offering well-curated and diverse shows—is…
Microphone Check Live: The Stories Of The Notorious B.I.G.
On Sunday, Sept. 14, 20 years and one day after Biggie Smalls’ debut album Ready to Die was released, we gathered four of the musician’s friends in Brooklyn to recall the man they knew.
Carl Newman And Neko Case On What Makes a Pop Song Work
NPR’s Steve Inskeep met the two musicians at the historic Brill Building to talk about their new album with The New Pornographers, Brill Bruisers.
Nick Cave: ‘The Creative Process Is An Altered State In Itself’
Cave is the subject of a different kind of rock documentary called 20,000 Days on Earth, which attempts to debunk the creative process for what Cave says it actually is: “just hard labor.”
Soulside’s Bobby Sullivan: ‘I Wanted To Change The World’
For a couple of years in the late ’80s, Soulside (or Soul Side) was as prominent and as influential as…
Ty Segall Rocks Out — Acoustic-Style, And With More Polish
The garage rocker performs stripped-down versions of songs from his new album, Manipulator, and tells NPR’s Arun Rath why the new songs are less rough around the edges than some of his earlier work.
J. Robbins: ‘The Studio Is A Place Where Your Dreams Become Manifest’
Anyone who’s paid attention to D.C. punk and indie-rock since the 1980s has probably heard of J. Robbins, the vocalist,…
October 31 Frontman King Fowley: ‘Websites Are A Thing Of The Past’
King Fowley started metal band Deceased in Arlington in 1985 and October 31 as a side project 10 years later….
Ian MacKaye: ‘If You Want To Rebel Against Society, Don’t Dull The Blade’
Back in March, WTJU veteran Aaron Margosis borrowed a WAMU studio to interview Mayor of D.C. Punk Ian MacKaye. Their…
Before War, A Punk Drummer Preserved Syrian Chants
Jason Hamacher wasn’t trained as a photographer, a musicologist or a member of a religious community. The former Frodus drummer simply felt compelled to document this music.
Getting Spooky With Spoon
They Want My Soul is the band’s first album in four years. Singer Britt Daniel says the recording process often felt like being in a horror movie.
Baltimore Band Ed Schrader’s Music Beat: ‘Americans Need To Value Art, And We Don’t’
Ed Schrader’s Music Beat started out as a comedian with a floor tom. Now, it’s got just half of a…
Olivia Neutron-John’s Anna Nasty: ‘I’m Post-Bro’
Olivia Neutron-John specializes in emotionally dense, unfiltered electronic music delivered live with throbbing intensity—and it’s safe to say there’s nothing…
She’s Got A Perfect Afro — And A Melodious Vision For African Musicians
Meklit Hadero was born in Ethiopia and raised in the U.S. She’s a folk-jazz artist who’s been likened to Joni Mitchell. And she brings East African musicians together to share their beats.
SMOOTA On Male Nudity, Erotic Trombones, And What ‘Blurred Lines’ Got Wrong
By now, it’s a tired truth in pop culture: Male nudity is considered funny, not erotic. When we see it—in…