Now Playing

Loading streams...

Music

Pages

Music
6:55 am
Tue June 11, 2013

Photos: Blues, Brews & Barbecue 2013

Next imagePrevious image
James Supra Blues Band
James Supra Blues Band
James Supra Blues Band
James Supra Blues Band
James Supra Blues Band
The crowd enjoying James Supra Blues Band's performance.
James Supra Blues Band
A man looks on during James Supra Blues Band's performance.
The crowd enjoying James Supra Blues Band's performance.
WDIY's Joe Cassano introducing the B.C. Combo.
The B.C. Combo
The B.C. Combo
The B.C. Combo
The B.C. Combo
The B.C. Combo
The crowd dances during B.C. Combo's performance.
The crowd dances during B.C. Combo's performance.
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski joins the B.C. Combo on stage to play drums.
Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski sits behind the kit for a song during B.C. Combo's performance.
The B.C. Combo
The B.C. Combo
The B.C. Combo
WDIY's Jack Adams with Alexis P. Suter
WDIY's Jack Adams introducing the Alexis P. Suter Band.
WDIY's Jack Adams introducing the Alexis P. Suter Band.
The Alexis P. Suter Band kicks off their set with a rendition of "John the Revelator."
Alexis P. Suter Band
Alexis P. Suter Band
Alexis P. Suter Band
Alexis P. Suter Band
Alexis P. Suter Band
The audience watching the Alexis P. Suter Band's performance.
Alexis P. Suter Band
The crowd dances during the Alexis P. Suter Band.
Kids cooling off.
Sweet Heat Gourmet from State College, PA dishing out some free samples of hot sauces.
Sweet Heat Gourmet uses local ingredients to make a variety of hot sauces.
David Mierwald from Sweet Heat Gourmet.
Lehigh Valley-based catering truck Fat Boys House of BBQ.
Crytsal Calla from Fat Boys House of BBQ takes orders from hungry attendees.
Artist Bobby Zeik, one of the founders of the Alternative Gallery in Allentown, working on some new pieces.
In addition to the music, food, and beverages--there were plenty of opportunities to pick up some new clothes from local merchants.
Barbecue fans had a chance to enjoy Allentown's own Grumpy's BBQ Roadhouse.
Front Porch Family Farms from New Ringgold, PA serves up its pork products. The small family-operated farm prides itself on raising animals locally and allowing them to exhibit their natural behavior.
Guy & Lady Barrel from Dover, DE was on hand with alcohol-infused cigars.
Trixie's Treats says they are the first mobile bake shop in the Allentown area.
And, of course, there was ice cream too if you needed to cool off.
There were plenty of options for barbecue lovers at this year's event.
Alexander Clare, who works with the Bethlehem Brew Works desigining bottle labels, displays some of his paintings and illustrations.
The sun shines over the Allentown skyline giving attendees a nice day to spend outside.
Children taking a ride on tractor-pulled carts.
Kids could enjoy a moonbounce and a giant inflatable slide.
Kids taking turns on the inflatable slide.
For older kids, there was a football toss and basketball hoop.
Share
E-mail
Comments
By Shamus McGroggan

The Blues, Brews & Barbecue festival is quickly becoming an early summer tradition in the Lehigh Valley. The annual summer event returned to Allentown last weekend marking the sixth appearance of the festival which debuted in 2008. Vendors lined the 800 block of Hamilton Street while eight bands played throughout the day on Saturday including WDIY favorites the B.C. Combo and the Alexis P. Suter Band.

Read more
Music News
3:16 am
Tue June 11, 2013

Background Singers Hit Center Stage In 'Twenty Feet From Stardom'

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Radius/TWC
Darlene Love, one of the background singers featured in Twenty Feet From Stardom, didn't receive credit for singing hits in the 1950s and '60s and says her career was derailed by legendary producer Phil Spector.
Credit Radius/TWC
Jo Lawry, Judith Hill and Lisa Fischer are three of the backup singers featured in Twenty Feet From Stardom.
Share
E-mail
Comments
By

Originally published on Tue June 11, 2013 10:22 am

Twenty Feet from Stardom, filmmaker Morgan Neville's new documentary, is a reminder that most of pop music's catchiest hooks, riffs and refrains were sung by voices harmonizing in the background. Neville says he wanted to put backup singers — black, female and honed in church — front and center.

"I was really more interested in people who were voices for hire," he says, "who were able to walk into sessions never knowing what they had to do and could bring it."

Read more
Music
5:25 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

Apple's Music Streaming Service Smaller Than Anticipated

Share
E-mail
Comments
By

Originally published on Tue June 11, 2013 8:11 am

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Now to another topic in tech. Today, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference launched in San Francisco. The company made a slew of announcements: new MacBooks, a new operating system, and the most anticipated announcement - Apple's entry into the streaming music market with iTunes Radio. But as NPR's Laura Sydell reports, many analysts are underwhelmed.

Read more
World Cafe
5:14 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

World Cafe Next: Last Good Tooth

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Last Good Tooth.
Share
E-mail
Comments
By

Last Good Tooth shares a hometown — Providence, R.I. — with The Low Anthem, and the two bands have both shown a penchant for experimenting with fiddles and Appalachian music.

Led by songwriter Penn Sultan, the son of sculptor Donald Sultan, Last Good Tooth crafts free-wheeling songs, marked by delightful extended breaks and smart lyrics. The group recently relocated to New York City, and its new album (Not Without Work and Rest) is out now on Conor Oberst's Team Love Records.

Read more
Music
5:12 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

Stuck On The Tarmac, Orchestra Gives Impromptu Concert

Share
E-mail
Comments
By editor

When some members of the Philadelphia Orchestra were stuck on the tarmac last week for three hours waiting to fly from Beijing to Macao, they decided to give an impromptu performance for their fellow passengers. Melissa Block and Audie Cornish have more.

Music Interviews
4:32 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

Jason Isbell: A 'Southeastern' Songwriter's Path To Sobriety

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Michael Wilson / Courtesy of the artist
Jason Isbell's new album is called Southeastern.
Credit Melissa Block / NPR
Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell outside their home in Nashville, Tenn.
Credit Melissa Block / NPR
A match made in ink heaven: Jason Isbell has the lines from Bob Dylan's "Boots of Spanish Leather" on his arm, while his wife, singer-songwriter Amanda Shires, has lines from Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" on hers.
Share
E-mail
Comments
By NPR Staff

Originally published on Tue June 11, 2013 4:17 pm

There are a few things worth knowing about singer-songwriter Jason Isbell: The round softness of his speech comes from his roots in rural Alabama. He has lyrics from a Bob Dylan song inked on his forearm.

Read more
Music
4:15 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

The Creole Choir Of Cuba: Reviving Caribbean History In 'Santiman'

Credit Courtesy of the artist
The Creole Choir of Cuba's latest album, Santiman, has a satisfying flow from celebration to solemnity.
Share
E-mail
Comments
By editor

Originally published on Tue June 11, 2013 8:11 am

Read more
All Songs Considered
3:11 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

Question Of The Week: What's Your Favorite Song Of 2013 (So Far)?

Credit Courtesy of the artist
Share
E-mail
Comments
By

Originally published on Fri June 14, 2013 1:03 pm

Earlier this week, while we were prepping our list of favorite songs and albums of 2013 (so far), we asked you to tell us your own No. 1 track for the first half of the year.

Read more
Tiny Desk Concerts
2:28 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

The National: Tiny Desk Concert

Credit Hayley Bartels / for NPR
Share
E-mail
Comments
By

Originally published on Wed June 12, 2013 9:21 am

The first thing you might notice about this video is the change in surroundings: NPR recently moved to a new building, and though we worked to make the Tiny Desk as visually similar as possible to the old space — a process we recently documented with the help of OK Go — the ceilings are higher, the square footage more generous and the surfaces lavishly unsullied.

Read more

Pages