World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN

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WXPN's live performance and interview program featuring music and conversation from a variety of important musicians

NPR

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    • Dec 12, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 26m AVG DURATION
    • 747 EPISODES

    4.2 from 330 ratings Listeners of World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN that love the show mention: live performances, delicate, music podcast, npr, great music, songs, otherwise, interviews, full, show, favorite, awesome, thanks, like, love, world cafe.


    Ivy Insights

    The World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN podcast is an absolute gem for music lovers. Hosted by talented interviewers, the show offers listeners a unique view into the world of music and musicians. With each new episode, I find myself eagerly looking forward to discovering new artists that I can now follow and explore further. The hosts are exceptional interviewers, delving deep into the creative process of their guests and providing insightful conversations that give listeners a deeper understanding of the music.

    One of the best aspects of this podcast is the diversity of guests that are featured. From well-known musicians like Sting, John Mayer, and Steve Jones to up-and-coming artists like Waxahatchee, there is always something for everyone. The interviews are informative and introspective, offering a different perspective on these artists that you won't find elsewhere. Additionally, the live performances included in each episode are a real treat. They showcase the talent and artistry of the musicians in a unique way that adds another layer to the listening experience.

    However, one minor drawback of this podcast is the frequency with which one of the hosts identifies herself throughout each interview. While it's not a major issue, it can be slightly annoying and disrupts the flow of conversation at times. It would be better if she took a step back and allowed the focus to remain on the artist being interviewed.

    In conclusion, The World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN podcast is an awesome resource for any music lover. It provides a wealth of knowledge about various artists and genres while also offering unique live performances that showcase incredible talent. Despite a minor annoyance with host identification, this podcast remains highly recommended for its engaging interviews and diverse range of guests.



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    Latest episodes from World Cafe Words and Music from WXPN

    How Jeff Tweedy's sons gave 'Twilight Override' an extra layer of trust

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2025 34:26


    The making of Tweedy's massive triple album was a family affair, with his sons providing percussion, vocals and synthesizer work to the record.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune in to a mini-concert with Amy Millan

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2025 15:05


    The Canadian indie rock musician performs music from her latest album, I Went to Find You.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How living 'by the signs' led S.G. Goodman to her latest album

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2025 37:57


    The Kentucky-born musician's latest album, Planting by the Signs, ruminates on the Appalachian traditions she grew up with.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How Robert Plant's new band 'saved his sanity'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2025 39:22


    Plant's band, Saving Grace, and singer Suzi Dian helped the rock legend access the "backwoods" of his musical inspiration.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tom Skinner pushes his compositional skills on 'Kaleidoscopic Visions'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2025 30:05


    The English percussionist is best known for his work with The Smile and Sons of Kemet, but Skinner refines his own voice on his latest solo album.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune in to a mini-concert with Courtney Barnett

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2025 20:44


    The Australian musician performs a set recorded at the 2025 XPoNential Music Festival.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    In 1985, the smooth sound of Sade's 'Promise' stood out

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2025 13:34


    The mid-'80s were loud and bombastic. World Cafe correspondent John Morrison says that's exactly why the smooth R&B of Sade stood out.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Why My Morning Jacket wrote an elegy and other stories from their back catalog

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2025 20:42


    Frontman Jim James, of My Morning Jacket, joins World Cafe for a new installment of Backtracking.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Acadiana Music Showcase: Dustin Dale Gaspard

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2025 12:27


    He made a splash on The Voice, but Gaspard has been a longtime part of Louisiana's Cajun and swamp pop music scene.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Nate Smith on his latest album, 'LIVE-ACTION'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2025 52:20


    The drummer and jazz bandleader turns his seventh album into a party, including Snarky Puppy's Michael League, guitarist Charlie Hunter and singer Lalah Hathaway.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    David Byrne on his latest album, 'Who Is the Sky?'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2025 42:54


    The Scottish-American rock star teams up with New York's Ghost Train Orchestra.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Lukas Nelson on his debut solo album, 'American Romance'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2025 14:23


    The country singer's record has been nominated for a Grammy Award for best traditional country album.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune in to a mini-concert with Michigander

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2025 21:12


    The Michigan musician performs a set recorded at the 2025 XPoNential Music Festival.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    PUP on their latest LP, 'Who Will Look After the Dogs?'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2025 43:31


    The Toronto punk band pared down their creative process with help from producer John Congleton.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    At first, Amanda Shires wasn't sure she wanted to write about her divorce

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2025 42:22


    On Nobody's Girl, the singer-songwriter offers her perspective on her high-profile split from Jason Isbell.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune in to a mini-concert with Richard Thompson

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2025 24:43


    Listen to the English songwriter and guitarist perform at the 2025 XPoNential Music Festival.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Sports Team change up their sound on 'Boys These Days'

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2025 44:21


    The British rock band talks about life on the road and making their third album in Norway.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune in to a mini-concert with The Happy Fits

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2025 14:30


    The four piece treats you to group harmonies and a fuller sound on their new album, Lovesick.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    The Mountain Goats' new record weaves a tale fit for Broadway

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2025 37:39


    The indie folk band enlisted Lin-Manuel Miranda to tell the story of a shipwrecked crew on Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Mae Martin talks about their debut album, 'I'm A TV'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2025 27:37


    The Canadian comic and actor joins World Cafe to talk about their debut album, I'm A TV.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    For Brandi Carlile, solitude is overrated

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2025 41:34


    The singer-songwriter decamped to Aaron Dessner's Long Pond Studio in upstate New York to record her new album, Returning to Myself.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Blues phenom Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram on his latest album, 'Hard Road'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2025 33:08


    The blues musician from Clarksdale, Miss., also talks about his new record label and searching for the next generation of blues talent.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Celebrating 45 years of Talking Heads' 'Remain in Light'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 10:46


    On their fourth album, the American rock band refined their innovative sound, which had long been inspired by Black music traditions.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Acadiana Music Showcase: Jeffery Broussard & The Nighttime Syndicate

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2025 16:39


    Zydeco veteran Jeffery Broussard teamed up with members of the New Orleans TBC Brass Band and a swing band's rhythm section for Bayou Moonlight, a blend of zydeco, R&B and blues.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    'It was never taped': There's a missing piece to Montreal's jazz history

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2025 14:29


    Historian Dorothy Williams explains why Montreal became a center for jazz music.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How Elisapie turned 10 classic rock hits into ‘true Inuit songs'

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2025 19:06


    The Juno Award-winning Inuit musician, based in Montreal, imbued her favorite childhood songs with new meaning on her covers project, Inuktitut.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Take a tour of Leonard Cohen's Montreal

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2025 13:19


    Expert guide Ruby Roy has given countless tours of the city for Cohen's fans.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Montreal is home, but Pierre Kwenders' heart is in Kinshasa

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2025 16:40


    Kwenders is the co-founder of Moonshine, a Montreal-based collective that spotlights the culture and music of the African diaspora.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Meet the producer behind some of Montreal's finest records

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2025 25:52


    Howard Bilerman went from taping punk shows as a teen to co-founding Hotel2Tango, one of Montreal's most iconic recording studios.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    'DIY will never die': No Joy remembers the heyday of Montreal's Mile End

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2025 13:26


    Jasamine White-Gluz takes us back to the early aughts, when the city was experiencing a boom of DIY music.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    'Have I gone too far?': Sarah McLachlan faces her toughest critic on new album

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2025 38:16


    The Grammy Award-winning musician is used to playing for big crowds, but there was one person whose opinion mattered more than anyone else's: her eldest daughter.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Expect a lot of Puerto Rican pride at Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2025 13:48


    Days before Bad Bunny's Super Bowl announcement, World Cafe spoke to Alt.Latino hosts Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras about his 31-date residency in Puerto Rico.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Kassa Overall connects the dots between jazz and hip-hop on 'CREAM'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2025 39:20


    The jazz musician reimagines hip-hop classics by The Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan and more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Little Dragon's Yukimi embraces the feminine on 'For You'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2025 21:09


    The Swedish musician branches out into jazz and soul on her debut solo album.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    'I don't feel like getting up': Spinal Tap gets real about rocking into your 70s

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2025 18:59


    David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel, of the legendary rock band, talk about their long-awaited reunion, plus what they really think about Paul McCartney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Adrian Sherwood ponders 'The Collapse of Everything'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2025 25:20


    The British record producer talks about releasing his first non-collaborative album in 12 years, plus Sherwood looks back on the U.K.'s electrifying dub scene.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    The Culture Corner: Santana's 'Abraxas' was a blend of musical traditions

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2025 11:23


    World Cafe correspondent John Morrison revisits the rock band's chart-topping sophomore album from 1970.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How Stephen King helped The Beths' Liz Stokes write again

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2025 31:21


    Lead vocalist and songwriter Liz Stokes took pointers from Stephen King's On Writing to get the New Zealand band's creative energy flowing.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Pulp returns with 'More'

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2025 48:49


    The British rock band talks about their latest album, More.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    World Cafe: Watchhouse

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2025 25:49


    The folk duo's new album is about lowering your defenses in a post-pandemic world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Acadiana Music Showcase: Festivals Acadiens et Créoles

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2025 14:13


    What started as a three-hour concert in 1974 has grown into three-day event celebrating Southern Louisiana's music and culture.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Lord Huron explores 'the big mysteries' on the band's latest album

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2025 32:55


    Lord Huron frontman Ben Schneider talks about the band's latest album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. Plus, the band performs live.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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