Sense Of Place – Bandwidth

Mammut On World Cafe

WXPN-FM Staff — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:04:02 +0000

World Cafe‘s week-long series Sense of Place: Iceland draws to a close with an unexpected treat. We’d been in Reykjavik for a few days when we learned that June 17 would mark a daylong celebration of Icelandic National Day, the anniversary of Iceland’s independence from Denmark in 1944. Events planned for the holiday ranged from outdoor chess matches to accordion concerts, culminating in a free outdoor show for an audience expected to hit 10,000.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate; torrential downpours derailed the day’s activities, but the evening show went on for the few hundred concertgoers who braved the rain in ponchos and hoodies. This dedicated audience, which included 25 World Cafe Travel Adventurers, saw one of Iceland’s most beloved bands in headliner Mammút.

Mammút formed in 2004 while its members were teenagers; the band’s career took off after it won Músiktilraunir, the annual Icelandic battle of the bands. Ten years later, its third album — 2013’s Komdu Til Mín Svarta Systir — won Best Album and Best Song at the Icelandic Music Awards.

Fortunately, Rás 2 Radio recorded the event and allowed us to pass along this performance by Mammút, live in the rain from Icelandic National Day 2014.

Five Essential Icelandic Albums From World Cafe

WXPN-FM Staff — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 15:55:33 +0000

On World Cafe‘s Sense of Place: Iceland trip, we felt inspired during our visit to Reykjavik’s famed 12 Tónar Records. It’s a homey, welcoming place where the shelves are filled with Icelandic CDs and vinyl.

Behind the counter, fielding all questions, was Einar Þór Kristjánsson, who has worked at 12 Tónar since it opened 15 years ago. We asked him to make a list of some of his favorite Icelandic music; he obliged, giving us the history of the unique store and picking five bands. (Some you may know well, others not so much.)

Bjork On World Cafe

WXPN-FM Staff — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:24:08 +0000

As part of World Cafe‘s week-long Sense of Place series, we resurface this 2000 interview with Björk, recorded in conjunction with the release of Selmasongs. At the time, the singer had just starred in the Lars von Trier film Dancer in The Dark, in which she played the character of Selma. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, where Björk also won the award for Best Actress.

She confesses in this conversation that she felt a little guilty for winning for her first acting experience, and expressed concern that the music world wouldn’t take her back. These days, Björk is set for a retrospective show at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art in 2015.

5 New Bands To Watch At SXSW

WXPN-FM Staff — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

To find out the best new bands in Austin for our Sense of Place visit we went to the source at KUTX Radio, program director Matt Reilly. We asked him to pick five, knowing it wasn’t an easy task. Matt was careful to represent the many styles of music in Austin’s always churning music scene. Today we will hear from Max Frost, Emily Wolfe, Latasha Lee and The BlackTies, Abram Shook, and The Digital Wild.

The Black Angels On World Cafe

NPR Staff — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 09:00:00 +0000

Austin, Texas, goes back a long way with psychedelic music — maybe all the way back when you consider the claim that Austin’s own Roky Erikson’s Thirteenth Floor Elevators was the first psychedelic band back in 1965. Our guests this hour on our Sense of Place: Austin show, The Black Angels, ably carry on the tradition. They are part of the “Reverberation Appreciation Society” that started the Austin Psych Fest in 2010. The festival has now grown into a three day event of like minded bands, and will take place May 2-4 this year. We are happy to welcome The Black Angels back to the show.

We’ll hear a set of music from their 2013 album Indigo Meadow. You can download a song from our set today as well.