WFUV's Take Five

From Feb. 2013: How lost would be be without the emotional and political firepower of Billy Bragg? In a career that's now three decades strong, he's targeted Reagan and Thatcher, celebrated unions and the working man, and now he's got a new Joe Henry-produced album called 'Tooth and Nail.' Hear how his world view came to be and how it informs his music - plus a few live tunes - as Billy talks with Eric Holland in Studio A.

From 2012: Will there be whistling or violin or looping? You never know what you might find on an Andrew Bird album, but FUV's Alisa Ali got some of the details and the story about 'Break It Yourself,' when she spoke with Bird at Merkin Concert Hall.

From March 2013: After over a decade together, Stars continues to sing about relationships in ways few other bands can. With Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan sharing vocals, they portray characters in various stages of falling in and out of love, but death often comes into play amid the pop song settings as well. Recently Torquil and Amy talked with FUV's Eric Holland about the element of theater in the Stars sound, and the band performed songs from its latest album, 'The North.'

From 2011: Ahead of their 50th anniversary, Preservation Hall Jazz Band stopped by City Winery for an FUV Live show in 2011, and between sets, the man behind the tuba - Ben Jaffe - spoke with host Rita Houston about the history of the band and the hall.

From 2011: Nicole Atkins' album 'Mondo Amore' found her with a new backup band, a new hometown, and a new label--and a sound critics called 'fiery', 'ominous', and 'borderline feral.' That year she talked with Russ Borris and played a few of the new songs live in Studio A.

From 2012: If you think you know all about funk and soul, you'd better know Lee Fields. Long compared with James Brown and Otis Redding, Fields has held fast to his love of the groove, and in recent years has been championed by the new wave of soul fans and aficionados, from the extended Daptone family and beyond. With the release of his album 'Faithful Man,' Lee Fields brought his band The Expressions to FUV for a Studio A session with host Claudia Marshall.

From 2012: Trombone Shorty (a.k.a. Troy Andrews) returns with his band Orleans Avenue and a bunch of special guests on the album, 'For True,' and FUV's Darren DeVivo spoke with Troy making the electrifying blend of hot New Orleans jazz, funk and R&B.

From 2010: After more than twenty years of success as the frontman and founder of the Scottish band Del Amitri, Justin Currie went solo with his 2007 album, 'What is Love For.' A few years later, he spoke with host Claudia Marshall at FUV about his follow-up, 'The Great War.'

From 2012: Glen Hansard is almost too many things to fit into one package: singer-songwriter and guitarist in The Frames and The Swell Season, actor in 'The Commitments' and 'Once,' and Oscar-winning composer for the tune 'Falling Slowly'... to name a few. But Hansard hadn't released a solo album until 2012's 'Rhythm and Repose,' and it's a beauty. That year host Claudia Marshall welcomed Glen back to FUV to talk about his latest adventures and songs.

From 2011: After fourteen years between solo albums, Gregg Allman returned with ‘Low Country Blues,’ and paid homage to some of the great blues songs that influenced his style. He also talked with WFUV’s Dennis Elsas about the album and working with T-Bone Burnett as producer.

From 2012: Staten Island native Ingrid Michaelson traveled into some new, somewhat darker territory with her fourth studio album, 'Human Again,' and shared a few of the songs with host Alisa Ali during a visit to FUV's Studio A.

From 2012: The Alternate Side's Alisa Ali talks with Matthew E. White about his solo debut, 'Big Inner,' the state of the music industry, and whether there is a place for spirituality in music.  White and his band also perform live versions of their songs, 'Big Love' and 'Steady Pace' in FUV's Studio A.

From 2010: Mix the unhinged, screaming voice of Austin's Black Joe Lewis with his backing band The Honeybears bringing the brass and grooves, and you've got blues, funk, rock, and soul in their rawest form. Live or on the record 'Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!' the band proved that a wave of SXSW buzz was no fluke, and continued to make the case during a stop at FUV for an interview with host Rita Houston.

From 2011: When Nick Lowe released the album 'The Old Magic' and headed out on tour with Wilco, he also performed a mix of new and old songs (and magic) in an FUV Live show at The Living Room, hosted by Corny O'Connell.

From 2010: Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips have been playing together since they were in the Velvet Underground-inspired band Luna. As a duo, their third album of original material is 'Thirteen Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests,' which brought them into Studio A for a performance and chat with FUV's Alisa Ali.