World Cafe

In 1976, the members of The B-52’s shared a flaming volcano cocktail before jamming for the first time. A fitting start for a band known for their flamboyant style and quirky songwriting, and the beginning of a long journey together. On the next World Cafe, hear The B-52’s final World Cafe session as part of our Sense of Place: Athens series, where the band reflects on their 45+ year career, as well as live performances of some of their most memorable songs.

A great local record shop is more than just a place to buy records, it can also be a gathering place for the local music scene, and that’s exactly what Wuxtry Records has been for Athens, Georgia since the 1970’s. Owner Dan Wall talks about keeping vinyl alive, and about some of the famous folks who’ve worked at Wuxtry, like Danger Mouse and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck. Sense of Place: Athens continues, on the next World Cafe.

The 40 Watt Club is as legendary as New York’s CBGB or L.A.’s Whiskey a Go-Go, but it’s located in Athens, Georgia: population about 130,000. Longtime owner Barrie Buck talks about hosting bands like Nirvana and the Replacements, and shares what makes the 40 Watt so special on Sense of Place: Athens, next time on World Cafe.

R.E.M. is everywhere in Athens, Georgia. They played at the 40-Watt Club, had their music spun on the University of Georgia’s radio station WUOG, and named their album, Automatic for the People, after a local cafe’s sign, all while inspiring whole generations of Athens musicians in their wake. For our Sense of Place: Athens series, we’re revisiting our 2022 conversation with R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe. That’s on the next World Cafe.

University of Georgia’s student run radio station WUOG was the very first station that played R.E.M. back in 1980. These days, they’re still seeking out and spinning the best new music that Athens, Georgia has to offer. Visit WUOG as we kick off our Sense of Place: Athens series, on the next World Cafe.

Two years ago, Shannon and the Clams lead singer Shannon Shaw lost her fiancé in a car crash, just months before they were to be married. The band’s new album, written in his memory, grapples with the loss and finds healing in the aftermath. Titled The Moon Is In The Wrong Place, it is the band’s most focused and raw production to date. On the next World Cafe, Shannon and the Clams join us to perform a set of songs from the album.

The Black Keys have been on a tear, releasing four albums in under half a decade. Their latest, Ohio Players, is a blast. Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach wanted to recreate the energy of their early records and invited some friends along, including Beck who co-wrote several songs on the album, and Oasis’s Noel Gallagher, who’d never written with another band before. Patrick and Dan join World Cafe to talk about a “back-to-fun” approach, and to share live performances from this year’s South by Southwest.

Mark Knopfler has been obsessed with making music since he was a teenager, and on his tenth solo album, One Deep River, he still is. Mark discusses the determination it takes to make it as a musician, the brotherhood that comes from playing in bands, and looks back on early days with Dire Straits and playing for Bob Dylan, next time on World Cafe.

It’s been nearly a decade since Sturgill Simpson released his breakthrough album Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. On the next World Cafe, hear an interview and performance recorded in 2014 just before Simpson was named the Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Awards. He reveals that the record’s success came as a huge surprise – he originally thought it would be the last album he would ever make.

For their latest album, the French electronic duo Justice turned to Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker to help take their bombastic fusion of disco, funk, and electronic music to new places. On the next World Cafe, Justice’s Garpard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay join us to talk about Hyperdrama, why electronic music is made better with the human element and making their own loops for the record.