World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN

Founding member of the southern rock outfit Drive-By Truckers, Patterson Hood is an exceptional songwriter painting lyrical pictures of small scenes and real people, very much in the tradition of southern fiction. He has a new solo album, called Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance, with songs that are all about family, in most cases his own. In this performance and interview, Hood talks openly about the people in his life who inspired the characters in the new songs, and we'll hear his outstanding live set from this summer's XPoNential Music Festival with Hood's band, The Downtown Rumblers.

Neo-soul duo, THEESatisfaction, Satsia Irons and Catherine Harris-White, are triple threats. They write, produce, and perform their own blend of soul, hip hop, and jazz. After entering the Seattle music scene in 2008 with a homemade mixtape, THEESatisfaction spent the last few years preparing their recently released debut, awE naturalE. In this interview and performance, the pair explains how their love of science fiction influences their music, and they discuss Seattle's place in the evolution of hip hop.

Michaela Majoun welcomes Sidi Toure on this edition of World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN. The Malian guitarist and band leader has released two very well-received albums over the last couple of years, Sahel Folk and the new one, Koima. Today we'll hear a live set from Toure and his band playing in the songhai blues style, and he'll discuss the various social and political implications of traditional Malian music in his home country.

Best Coast, the songwriting duo of Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno debuted with Crazy For You in 2010, and _Boyfriend_ from that album became a smash summer hit. They have recently released their follow up collection of California pop, called The Only Place. Listen to Cosentino and Bruno discuss how their lives have changed since breaking out two years ago, talk about the making of the new Best Coast record and play live.

Glen Hansard is a founding member of Irish band, The Frames, but Hansard is best known for his acting and songwriting for the movie, Once, with Czech singer Marketa Irglova. The independent film was a huge success, winning the Best Original Song Oscar for Hansard and his then partner. Now he returns with the album, Rhythm and Repose, his first as a solo artist. Listen to Hansard discuss how he came to write a solo record after a career of collaboration, and talk about the influence of Bruce Springsteen and T Bone Burnett on his life.

The Tallest Man On Earth, the solo project of Kristian Matsson. The Swedish singer-songwriter has released his third album here in The States, a new collection of poetic indie-folk called, There's No Leaving Now. His mesmerizing solo shows have been gaining wide attention over the years, thanks in part to a recent tour opening for Bon Iver. Matsson explains how his outlook on the music business changed due to that experience, and also in this interview he'll discuss the challenge of writing lyrics in English, his second language.

Oklahoma singer-songwriter and guitarist JD McPherson debuts his retro sound, rooted in traditional R and B and rockabilly, on Signs and Signifiers. The album was recorded in 2010 with producer and bassist in the band, Jimmy Sutton, and now Rounder Records has released it across the country to wide acclaim. In this interview and performance, McPherson talks about his career path, from middle school art teacher to leading his own band with a hit song, _North Side Gal_ which he performs in this set before a live audience from the World Cafe stage in Philly.

Seattle singer-songwriter Damien Jurado joins us this week. Since the '90s, Jurado has been writing songs that often draw comparison to short-story writer Raymond Carver in their emotional authenticity and offbeat storytelling. While the new album, Maraqopa, is his tenth, Jurado has said it's the first he himself would enjoy listening to. He discusses the progression of his songwriting in this interview, and Jurado will explain how the concept for the new record came to him in a dream.

Musical duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela began making music together in the heavy metal scene of Mexico City, and have found their niche in the more rhythmic Mexican guitar style. Area 52 is their latest release, a reworking of some older songs with the Collective Universal Band Association. In this interview, Gabriela explains the duo's desire to keep the new album traditional, and Rodrigo discusses the influence of Carlos Santana on their music, and they perform live.

Rufus Wainwright joins Michaela Majoun on this edition of World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN. For his catchy new pop record, Out of the Game, Wainwright partnered with Mark Ronson, who is celebrated for his work with Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse, Adele, and numerous hip-hop artists. Like his father Loudon Wainwright III's recent disc, Rufus' new songs were inspired by his family, including the birth of his daughter and the death of his mother, Kate McGarrigle. Wainwright discusses these events in this wide-ranging interview, and we'll also hear great performances with his band, featuring Teddy Thompson, live at Penn Park in Philadelphia.

Singer-songwriter Megan Reilly got her start in Memphis and caught the attention of her mentor, Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, after moving to New York to release her first two records. She has appeared on the Cafe once before accompanying John Wesley Harding, who joins Reilly on a duet on her acclaimed new album, The Well. In this interview and live performance, Reilly tells the stories behind some of her new songs, and discusses the creative leap taken on her new record.

The folk rock band, The Lumineers, formed when guitarist Wesley Schultz and drummer Jeremiah Fraites moved from Brooklyn to Denver and met cellist Neyla Pekarek through a Craigslist ad. Their breakthrough song, _Ho Hey,_ has been featured in TV shows and commercials, and appears on their self titled debut, which just got a national release in April. In this interview, the trio explains their songwriting approach, and discusses the second Lumineers album, which is already in progress, and plays live.

Since the 90s, Spiritualized frontman Jason Pierce has released seven records with his spacey rock outfit, collaborated with premier artists like Dr. John and Yoko Ono, and recently released his first solo disc. Pierce was undergoing chemotherapy for liver disease during the recording of the new Spiritualized album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, and hospital stays were part of the process on the preceding album, Songs In A and E, as well. Pierce discusses his health issues , how they have influenced his music and explains how the best parts of his songs sometimes arise from mistakes.

The folk rock band, The Lumineers, formed when guitarist Wesley Schultz and drummer Jeremiah Fraites moved from Brooklyn to Denver and met cellist Neyla Pekarek through a Craigslist ad. Their breakthrough song, _Ho Hey,_ has been featured in TV shows and commercials, and appears on their self titled debut, which just got a national release in April. In this interview, the trio explains their songwriting approach, and discusses the second Lumineers album, which is already in progress, and plays live.

A band's sound is only as big as its members, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' music is huge. The 10 members are a whirl of of roving horns, as well as whistles, claps, shouts, strummed string instruments and percussion involving drums, hands and anything else they can find.