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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    • Mar 4, 2026 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekdays NEW EPISODES
    • 26m AVG DURATION
    • 784 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

    Kashus Culpepper's first 'Act' started just 6 years ago, when he picked up a guitar

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2026 32:56


    The rising country act from Alabama went from performing covers in the Navy to sharing stages with Wyatt Flores and Jelly Roll.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Acadiana Music Showcase: Andrina Turenne

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 11:53


    This Canadian folk singer-songwriter has strong ties to Southern Louisiana.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Cate Le Bon didn't want to write about heartbreak. She did it anyways.

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2026 32:37


    The Welsh songwriter channeled a sense of calmness to create the lush world of Michelangelo Dying.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    On 'Cutthroat,' South London band Shame thrives in moral ambiguity

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2026 31:56


    Lead vocalist Charlie Steen talks about the band's fourth studio album, plus Shame performs live.To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Looking forward to the music of the African diaspora

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2026 8:51


    On the final installment of World Cafe's Black History Month series, John Morrison talks about what's happening today in Black music.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Soccer Mommy's signature 'bubblegrunge' sound takes center stage in this exclusive mini-concert

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026 18:27


    The Nashville musician performs a live set, recorded at the Xponential Music Festival in Camden.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    World Cafe: Don Was

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2026 33:26


    The record producer, director and composer talks jazz, being in the room with stars like Willie Nelson and Paul Simon, and we find out the backstory of one of the most curious albums of the 90's.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How DJ culture helped connect Black music communities worldwide

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2026 11:50


    For Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison shares another segment exploring the music of the African diaspora. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Introducing: Personal Records, a new mixtape series

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2026 41:16


    The Canadian mockumentary sitcom series hits the silver screen. Show creators Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol join us for a brand new segment called "Personal Records." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How a Scorpio took Lucinda Williams' 'Joy' and more stories from her catalog

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2026 18:29


    The Americana icon talks about the songs that played a special role in her career in World Cafe's latest edition of Backtracking. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Flock of Dimes (Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner), live in concert

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2026 15:29


    Hear live versions of songs from The Life You Save, the latest album from Jenn Wasner's solo project.Set List"Long After Midnight""Keep Me In The Dark""Defeat""The Enemy"This episode of World Cafe was produced by Will Loftus. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our senior producer is Kimberly Junod.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How technology amplified Black music's cultural exchange

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2026 11:47


    World Cafe correspondent John Morrison explores the cultural exchange between different musical communities.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    How This Is Lorelei gave old songs a new life on 'Holo Boy'

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2026 32:49


    For his latest album, Nate Amos rerecorded songs from across his catalog, plus This Is Lorelei performs live for World Cafe.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    From work songs to hip-hop, this 'fundamental concept' shaped Black music

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2026 10:30


    For Black History Month, World Cafe correspondent John Morrison kicks off a weekly series with a deep dive into the history of "call and response."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    From local radio to global influence, the rise of Baltimore club music

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2026 24:16


    Musician Abdu Ali and DJ Ducky Dynamo reflect on the rise of Baltimore club music and the efforts to preserve its history in the city where it began.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Why Dan Deacon never wants to leave Baltimore

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2026 19:59


    The electronic musician talks about building a life and a career in the city that gave him room to experiment.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    In Baltimore, a volunteer-run theater company embraces rock, gore and excess

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 28, 2026 9:45


    The Baltimore Rock Opera Society creates original productions powered by DIY spectacle and a love of the unconventional.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    What does Baltimore sound like?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2026 17:24


    The World Cafe team heads to Charm City for our latest Sense of Place series.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Acadiana Music Showcase: The Blue Monday Allstars

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2026 13:27


    Once a month, this group of seasoned musicians from Lafayette, La., gather to help support aging and retired musicians.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune into a mini-concert with jazz quintet SML

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2026 25:18


    The Los Angeles-based group joins World Cafe in the studio for an otherworldly set of improvisational music.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    17 years after retiring, Canadian icon Anne Murray returns with new music

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2026 30:18


    The country star breathes new life into long-forgotten recordings on Here You Are.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    'It's a very Irish thing': CMAT on why making country pop felt inevitable

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2026 50:27


    On Euro-Country, the Dublin-born artist draws on country music's knack for storytelling to revisit her memories of Ireland's economic crash in the 2000s.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    On his latest album, William Prince writes his way back to Peguis First Nation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2026 29:45


    The Canadian songwriter reflects on home and ambition as his sound grows bolder on Further from the Country.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    The unsung classic that helped define hip-hop's golden age

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2026 12:04


    World Cafe correspondent John Morrison joins us to talk about why the East Coast rap group Main Source deserves a spot as one of the best hip-hop groups of the '90s.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Jazz obsession fuels Hether's genre-bending album, 'Holy Water'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2026 21:34


    Guitarist and producer Paul Castelluzzo channels jazz foundations and years of pop studio work into Holy Water.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    The song Josh Ritter was nervous to share and more stories from his catalog

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2026 35:18


    The singer-songwriter joins World Cafe for a new installment of Backtracking, where musicians revisit songs from their back catalog that have shaped their careers.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Forged in isolation, Couch is ready for the big stage on 'Big Talk'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2026 28:42


    The 7-piece Boston outfit performs live in the World Cafe studio.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Tune in to a Sharon Van Etten mini-concert

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 6, 2026 20:05


    Listen to Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory perform at the 2025 XPoNential Music Festival.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    KIRBY's Mississippi roots echo through 'Miss Black America'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2026 37:53


    Kirby Lauryen Dockery has written for stars like Rihanna and Beyoncé, but her latest album centers her own creative legacy.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Deftones bet against Y2K nostalgia. The move paid off on 'private music'

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2026 29:06


    Frontman Chino Moreno says the alternative rock band has defied expectations at every turn. Their Grammy-nominated 10th studio album is no different.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Happy holidays from Old Crow Medicine Show

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 25, 2025 35:02


    The Americana band join us to talk about their first-ever holiday album, OCMS Xmas.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Jake Shimabukuro rings in the holidays with 'Tis The Season'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2025 19:51


    The Hawaiian ukulele marvel is joined by Yo-Yo Ma and Michael McDonald on his new holiday album, Tis The Season.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Cut Copy on their latest album, 'Moments'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2025 18:28


    The Australian synth-pop band decamped to scenic Byron Bay to record their latest album.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Kathleen Edwards on her latest album, 'Billionaire'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 52:31


    The Canadian singer-songwriter talks about working with Jason Isbell, plus Edwards performs songs from Billionaire live.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Saint Etienne go out with a big party on 'International'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2025 19:06


    The English pop band says their latest album will be their last.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Acadiana Music Showcase: Leyla McCalla & Louis Michot

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2025 13:44


    The Louisiana musicians team up for a set that includes a Haitian folk classic.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    Celebrating 50 years of Parliament's 'Mothership Connection'

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2025 9:09


    The American funk band, led by George Clinton, made more than just music — they had a revolutionary vision including stage performance, art and more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

    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

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