WFUV's Take Five

Songwriter Ben Howard was already a hit in the UK when his debut album, 'Every Kingdom', hit U.S. shores this year. Says FUV's Alisa Ali: 'I used to favor singer-songwriters over other musicians. These days though, I've been listening to louder music: more bands, more electronic-based. But listening to Ben Howard reminded me of my roots. I love that experimental keyboard-based stuff, but man am I a sucker for a good guitarist.  There is just something about watching and listening to a person fingerpick on an acoustic guitar - especially when paired with thoughtful lyrics.  It's really the essence of music, isn't it?  A guitar and a voice: that's all you need. I'm so glad we're doing video now with the Studio A sessions. Now you'll be able to see what we see.' [Video at wfuv.org]

The Alternate Side's Russ Borris talks with the Brooklyn band Yeasayer about the making of its latest full-length album, 'Fragrant World' and the differences between this new record and the last. They also performed live versions of their songs, including 'Henrietta' and 'Longevity' in WFUV's Studio A.

Amy Cook wasn't born in Texas, but she's an Austin gal through and through. Her soulful brand of roots-rock mixes in her love of the Laurel Canyon vibe, and it's earned her some musical comrades in Alejandro Escovedo, Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams. The release of her new album, 'Summer Skin,' recently brought Cook back to FUV for some performances with special guest David Garza, and a chat with host Claudia Marshall.

From FUV's Russ Borris: 'Having released their third record 'Neck of the Woods,' I was excited to talk to Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger of Silversun Pickups about the new album. I've always found the band's music to be a combination of tension and intensity, exemplified by Aubert's guitar style and vocals. But, as people, Brian and Nikki weren't the least bit intense. In fact, they're actually quite funny. We joked about the band showing up to their very first gig with no songs as well as what it was like to record the new album in Brian's hometown of Topanga Canyon in Los Angeles. The duo played a few songs from 'Neck of the Woods,' plus the favorite 'Panic Switch.' Don't be fooled by the acoustic setting. These songs were still intense and definitely rocked.'

With influences from Mexican music and Western Americana, the Tuscon-based band Calexico has been weaving their 'desert noir' soundscape for almost 20 years now. Their eighth album, 'Algiers,' comes out today and was inspired by New Orleans, where it was recorded. To celebrate, the band recently performed an FUV Live set at Hill Country Live here in New York City, and host Dennis Elsas had a chance to talk with Joey Burns about why the band decided on New Orleans and how they all balance being in Calexico with a long list of other projects.

Founder of the shoegaze outfit Slowdive and the very influential Mojave 3, Neil Halstead has grown into an acclaimed solo songwriter in recent years. His new album, 'Palindrome Hunches,' shows us how graceful folk-pop is done on the other side of the pond, and Neil recently brought his guitar by FUV to give us a live taste and to chat with host Alisa Ali.

The Alternate Side's Kara Manning talks with the Brooklyn band Exitmusic about the making of its latest full-length album, 'Passage' as well as how the band got together in the first place. They also performed live versions of their songs 'Passage' and 'White Noise' in WFUV's Studio A.

From FUV's Russ Borris: 'The White Buffalo stopped by to chat and play a few songs from his latest album, 'Once Upon a Time in the West,' his voice sounded as big as ever. When I first heard the music of The White Buffalo, it seemed that he was as elusive as his moniker. There wasn't a lot of info on Jake Smith or his music, but over the last year or so, his story has grown. While there may be some challenges as a grass roots artist, Jake sees them as more of a positive. It's clear, too, that his music and storytelling are evolving. Many characters make their way into these songs. Check out the down-on-his-luck widower in 'The Bowery."

Born in the late '70s but inspired by music in decades before, Nicole Atkins has been crafting her own blend of Brill Building pop and '60s psychedelia, with a modern and dark sensibility. After two strong albums — 'Neptune City' and 'Mondo Amore' — Nicole is now hard at work on a third, and she recently stopped by to treat FUV's Darren DeVivo (and all of us) to a couple of live tunes.

From FUV's Alisa Ali: 'The 'story' behind Field Report is that Chris Porterfield used to be in a band called DeYarmond Edison with Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver) along with brothers Brad and Phil Cook, and Joe Westerlund, who are currently in the band Megafaun. The guys are all still good friends, and there is no bad blood at all. In fact quite the opposite: Vernon actually invited Porterfield and Field Report to his studio to record their debut album, which for the record (pun intended) is gorgeous. The album is very lyrically driven, which is interesting because Chris didn't start writing lyrics until much later in his music career.  He used to consider himself just a 'background player' in DeYarmond Edison. Normally it really is a tragedy when a great band breaks up, but in this case DeYarmond Edison gave rise to three fantastic bands, with Field Report being the last one to form. Hard to say which is best of the three, but easy to see that they are all very talented.'

Songwriter and powerful singer, Brandi Carlile, has a spirited charisma, a no-nonsense appeal, and a brand new album called 'Bear Creek' — which is named after the studio where it was recorded. A recent NYC stop brought Brandi and her bandmates, Phil and Tim Hanseroth, back to our studio, and they performed beautiful, stripped-down versions of a couple of the songs during a visit with Rita Houston.

The Stockholm trio Niki & The Dove talks with The Alternate Side's Alisa Ali about the making of their full-length debut, 'Instinct,' and explains the division of labor in the band. They also performed live versions of their songs 'Mother Protect' and 'DJ Ease My Mind' in WFUV's Studio A.

Jackson Browne's first-ever Newport Folk Festival set was part of FUV's live Newport coverage last month, and it featured a very full stage, with Dawes, Jonathan Wilson, Sara Watkins and Tom Morello all helping out. It was just as busy backstage throughout the weekend, and that's where FUV's Rita Houston caught up with Jackson for a quick chat.

Sara Watkins was only 8 when she began playing fiddle with her future Nickel Creek bandmates, but she has since stretched her wings into a solo career. Her latest album, 'Sun Midnight Sun,' ranges from progressive bluegrass to West Coast folk and indie pop, so Sara - and her brother Sean - stopped by Studio A for some beautiful live performances and a chat with FUV's Claudia Marshall.

Brothers Joseph and David Dunwell lead the British quintet The Dunwells, in which everyone sings, and 4 out of 5 play strummed instruments. So you can imagine the layers of jangly harmonies they're able to add to song after song on their debut album, 'Blind Sighted Faith' — and in a live performance at FUV, hosted by Darren DeVivo.