WFUV's Take Five

From 2012: The multi-talented Clarence Greenwood has spent the last 20 years perfecting his poetic and soulful approach to rock, and as Citizen Cope he's gained one of the most dedicated audiences around. To celebrate Cope's fifth album, 'One Lovely Day,' Clarence and a string quartet performed a fantastic FUV Live set at Electric Lady Studios, hosted by Rita Houston.

From Jan. 2013: Portland, Oregonians are pretty lucky to have Sallie Ford and The Sound Outside as a hometown band. The quartet dedicates itself to blending the best elements of rock, roots, swing and country, with a bluesy swagger and a gospel sense of testimony. The band's sophomore album 'Untamed Beast' brought Sallie and the guys to FUV for a visit with host Alisa Ali.

From 2012: Beth Orton is one of those rare artists who's had a genre coined entirely for her. Labeled 'Folktronica' back in the mid-nineties, Beth has moved away from dark beats and into a literary folk that shimmers around her low-key alto. Her gorgeous album, 'Sugaring Season,' was her first in 6 years, and she performed a few of the songs - solo, acoustic - in a Studio A session with host Claudia Marshall.

From FUV's Alisa Ali, January 2013: 'The lovely Erin McKeown graced the WFUV studios again, this time in support of her latest album, 'Manifestra.' The title is certainly appropriate, and during the interview Erin admited that, at first, she didn't even realize she'd made up a new word. As with all of Erin's albums, 'Manifestra' showcases her wide love of musical genres from pop to jazz, soul to folk. It is also a very political record, but it goes down like a sugar pill. In our conversation, I found Erin's warmth and humor so endearing and her political and musical perspective both unique and inspiring. I'm so pleased that we have video of the performances too, so you can see what I saw the day she stopped by Studio A.' [Video at wfuv.org]

From 2012: It's been quite a ride for The Lumineers, partly due to the release of the Colorado band's self-titled debut album, but also because their high-energy folk-rock sound has reached a lot of ears. Sold-out shows, SNL, and Grammy nominations aside, it's also been a long road to this success, and FUV's Alisa Ali got more of the story when The Lumineers stopped by Studio A to perform live.

From March 2013: Alabama native and current Brooklyn resident Matthew Houck has been releasing music under the moniker Phosphorescent ever since 2003. He's now on his sixth album, 'Muchacho,' and it's some of his best work yet. After FUV's Russ Borris caught up with Matthew at SXSW, he hung out with the whole band in Studio A where they treated us to some great live performances.

From 2009: There are only two brothers in the North Carolina indie-folk group The Avett Brothers, Scott and Seth, but when one of the specialties of your sound is the three-part harmony it helps to have two other band members. When they played a gig at Terminal Five in 2009, FUV’s Alisa Ali was able to have a chat with them backstage as they toured to support their album, 'I and Love and You.'

From 2004: From The Jam to The Style Council to his own solo records, the UK's Paul Weller has made seamless moves between genres throughout his career. In 2004, he tackled songs from other writers on the album 'Studio 150' and performed a few of the tunes in a live interview with WFUV's Rita Houston.

From March 2013: After taking some time off from music to advocate for the rights of women prisoners in California, Thao Nguyen returned to music with a renewed sense of optimism and hope. It's reflected on her latest album, 'We The Common,' and Thao and The Get Down Stay Down performed a few of the new tunes in Studio A during a visit with host Russ Borris.

From 2010: Kim Richey started out being labeled a country artist, but as her career has gone on so has her musical range, exploring folk, pop, and blues. After the release of her album 'Wreck Your Wheels,' she stopped by FUV to talk with host Claudia Marshall.

From March 2013: The Waterboys first shaped the poems of W. B. Yeats into song 25 years ago on 'Fisherman's Blues,' and now a lifelong labor of love brings us a full album of that combination on 'An Appointment With Mr. Yeats.' After its live U.S. premiere at Town Hall, we were lucky enough to have Mike Scott and bandmate Steve Wickham stop by FUV where they talked with host Eric Holland about the project.

From 2010: Lissie’s music is usually described as folk or Americana, but if you listen closely — especially to her covers of artists like Lady Gaga, Nelly Furtado, and Kid Cudi — you’ll hear a lot of other influences too, along with a very powerful set of vocal cords. With her full-length debut album, 'Catching A Tiger,' just out, Lissie talked with FUV's Alisa Ali backstage before a performance at Manhattan’s Hiro Ballroom.

From 2010: David Ford was signed by a major label a few years back after wowing the crowds at SXSW, but for his album 'Let the Hard Times Roll,' he went back to his DIY roots — playing most of the instruments and releasing it on an indie label. In 2010, he stopped by FUV to play some new music, and tell host Claudia Marshall that in spite of his UK roots he's more Springsteen than the Stones.

From 2012: The Alternate Side's Alisa Ali talks with Canadian musician Diamond Rings (a.k.a. John O'Regan), about his sophomore album, 'Free Dimensional.' With his band, he also performs live versions of the songs 'I'm Just Me' and '(I Know) What I'm Made Of' in WFUV's Studio A.

From 2011: After releasing the ambitious, two-part 'Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart' in 2008, Rachael Yamagata took the DIY route to make new album, 'Chesapeake.'  Fortunately that route also led her to Electric Lady Studios for an FUV Live show hosted by Rita Houston.