French indie-rock band Phoenix performs on stage at the 13th Annual Non-COMMvention in Philadelphia in May.Joe Del Tufo/WXPNhide captioni toggle captionJoe Del Tufo/WXPNPhoenix On World Cafe WXPN
Neko Case.Courtesy of the artisthide captioni toggle captionCourtesy of the artistNeko Case On World Cafe WXPN
Kopecky Family Band.Courtesy of the artisthide captioni toggle captionCourtesy of the artistKopecky Family Band On World Cafe WXPN
Antonio Aguilar in The Undefeated. Wikimedia Commons hide caption itoggle caption Wikimedia Commons Latin Roots Latin Roots: Essential Ranchera WXPN-FM December 4, 2014 Ranchera, a sort of Mexican country music, began as a way to comment on the tastes of the rich. Listen Loading… 17:05 Playlist
Ex Hex. Jonah Takagi/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Jonah Takagi/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Ex Hex On World Cafe WXPN-FM December 4, 2014 The D.C. band plays sharp, hooky, energetic highlights from its debut album, Rips. Listen Loading… 18:11 Playlist
Alice Gerrard. Irene Young/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Irene Young/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Alice Gerrard On World Cafe WXPN-FM December 2, 2014 The 80-year-old folk mainstay performs warm, spare songs with Hiss Golden Messenger's M.C. Taylor. Listen Loading… 28:01 Playlist
Cookies. Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist World Cafe Next World Cafe Next: Cookies WXPN-FM December 1, 2014 Music For Touching draws from house, contemporary R&B and West African guitar music. Listen Loading… 9:40 Playlist
TV On The Radio. Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions TV On The Radio On World Cafe WXPN-FM December 1, 2014 The songs on Seeds are punchy, pleasurable, searing and concise. Hear a performance in the studio. Listen Loading… 21:44 Playlist
Jessie Ware. Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Jessie Ware On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 26, 2014 The British singer and songwriter's voice fills subtle, muted arrangements with color. Listen Loading… 24:49 Playlist
Shakey Graves. Kelsey Stanger/XPN hide caption itoggle caption Kelsey Stanger/XPN Studio Sessions Shakey Graves On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 26, 2014 The Austin-based musician brings his lived-in Americana to today's episode. Listen Loading… 26:38 Playlist
Pink Floyd (from left): Richard Wright, David Gilmour and Nick Mason. Andy Earl/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Andy Earl/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions David Gilmour On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 26, 2014 The Pink Floyd singer, songwriter and guitarist talks about his band's so-called final album. Listen Loading… 28:50 Playlist
Springtime Carnivore. Eddie O'Keefe/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Eddie O'Keefe/Courtesy of the artist World Cafe Next World Cafe Next: Springtime Carnivore WXPN-FM November 24, 2014 Greta Morgan writes concise, breezy pop songs, each wrapped in a warm layer of psychedelic fuzz. Listen Loading… 8:30 Playlist
Sylvan Esso. Elizabeth Weinberg/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Elizabeth Weinberg/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Sylvan Esso On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 24, 2014 The duo performs three of its burbling electronic pop songs live in the studio. Listen Loading… 22:55 Playlist
Bobby Charles. Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist Sense Of Place Bobby Charles On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 21, 2014 Revisiting an archival interview with the late Louisiana songwriter. Listen Loading… 19:11 Playlist
Sonny Landreth. Brittany Salerno/WXPN hide caption itoggle caption Brittany Salerno/WXPN Sense Of Place Sonny Landreth On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 21, 2014 The inventive and unpredictable slide-guitar player performs some of his zydeco-influenced songs. Listen Loading… 19:11 Playlist
Cedric Watson. Lucius Fontenot/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Lucius Fontenot/Courtesy of the artist Latin Roots Latin Roots: Essential Latin Accordion Music WXPN-FM November 20, 2014 KRVS' Diego Martin makes the Cajun-Latin connection for World Cafe. Listen Loading… 17:54 Playlist
The Lost Bayou Ramblers. John Vettese/WXPN hide caption itoggle caption John Vettese/WXPN Sense Of Place The Lost Bayou Ramblers On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 20, 2014 The band plays a revved-up version of Cajun music, injected with punk energy and psychedelic fuzz. Listen Loading… 29:28 Playlist
Herman Fusilier. John Vettese/WXPN hide caption itoggle caption John Vettese/WXPN Sense Of Place The History, And Future, Of Zydeco WXPN-FM November 19, 2014 Herman Fusilier, the host of The Zydeco Stomp, has made zydeco music his life. Listen Loading… 11:50 Playlist
CJ Chenier. Noah Silvestry/XPN hide caption itoggle caption Noah Silvestry/XPN Sense Of Place CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 19, 2014 The son of the "King of Zydeco" took over the Red Hot Louisiana Band after his father passed away. Hear the band's fiery set from the XPoNential Music Festival. Listen Loading… 14:39 Playlist
Soul Creole. John Vettese/WXPN hide caption itoggle caption John Vettese/WXPN Sense Of Place Soul Creole On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 19, 2014 The young band, led by Grammy-nominated fiddler Louis Michot and zydeco accordionist Corey Ledet, fuses Cajun and Creole sounds in a wild, boundary-blurring mix. Listen Loading… 13:44 Playlist
Michael Doucet. John Vettese/XPN hide caption itoggle caption John Vettese/XPN Sense Of Place 'Heathens From The Bayous': Cajun And Creole Culture In Lafayette WXPN-FM November 18, 2014 "All this was community," BeauSoleil's Michael Doucet says. "This was not meant for the world, in a sense. It was just for the community to get together and have a good time and share." Listen Loading… 29:05 Playlist
Royal Teeth. Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist Sense Of Place World Cafe Next: Royal Teeth WXPN-FM November 17, 2014 The show begins its Sense Of Place look at Lafayette, La., with a new song by the cheerful pop band. Listen Loading… 29:15 Playlist
Sam France of Foxygen. Kelsey Stanger/XPN hide caption itoggle caption Kelsey Stanger/XPN Studio Sessions Foxygen On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 13, 2014 The band re-creates the shambolic pop brilliance of '60s and '70s rock music with casual virtuosity. Listen Loading… 25:39 Playlist
Honeyblood. Laura Coulson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Laura Coulson/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Honeyblood On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 12, 2014 The Glaswegian guitar-and-drums duo makes punchy, direct songs on its self-titled full-length debut. Listen Loading… 23:34 Playlist
Lia Ices. Jersey Walz/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Jersey Walz/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Lia Ices On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 11, 2014 On her new album, Ices, the California singer-songwriter looks around the globe for inspiration. Listen Loading… 23:34 Playlist
The Twilight Sad. Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist World Cafe Next World Cafe Next: The Twilight Sad WXPN-FM November 10, 2014 Download two songs by the Scottish trio, whose thick-accented rock can be rousing, bleak or both. Listen Loading… 9:07 Playlist
Milky Chance. David Ulrich/Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption David Ulrich/Courtesy of the artist Studio Sessions Milky Chance On World Cafe WXPN-FM November 10, 2014 The German duo explores folk, R&B and reggae, all buoyed by a catchy electronic foundation. Listen Loading… 20:57 Playlist
Ana Tijoux. Inti Gajardo G./Courtesy of the artist hide caption itoggle caption Inti Gajardo G./Courtesy of the artist Latin Roots Latin Roots: Essential Latin Hip-Hop WXPN-FM November 6, 2014 The Latin Alternative's Josh Norek guides listeners through a few of the genre's crucial highlights. Listen Loading… 17:46 Playlist