World Cafe

Saxophonist Colin Stetson makes music that you could describe as “breath-taking”, not just because of its visceral beauty, but because of how he makes it, using a technique that involves circular breathing, meaning he is almost always creating sound. Colin Stetson joins me to talk about his latest album, The Love it Took to Leave You, and about his intense way of performing: how he does it – and why he does it, even though it’s physically demanding. That’s on the next World Cafe.

Ralphie Choo’s music melds history, using traditional Spanish influences and instruments – with the unpredictable, changing energy of the present – to create something that sounds like the future. Earlier this fall, Ralphie Choo was featured on a song with Spanish pop star Rosalía, about a year after he released his debut album Supernova. On the next World Cafe, we revisit our 2023 session with him, taped in Madrid for our Sense of Place series.

On McKinley Dixon’s new album, Beloved! Paradise! Jazz?, he moved to Chicago, looking for a blank canvas to generate ideas for this wildly inventive and sonically lush LP that tackles themes of longing. Dixon will talk about why his sound can be difficult to pin down, his love of animation, and how the author Toni Morrison inspired the album’s title, on the next World Cafe.

We’re revisiting our favorite conversations of 2023, and if you like wordplay and huge dirty guitar riffs that sound like no one else, Queens of the Stone Age are back with their first new album in six years, called In Times New Roman. Frontman Josh Homme joins World Cafe host Raina Douris to discuss self-producing the album, as well as the influence of polka on his music. Then, Oliver Sim of The XX discusses taking inspiration from horror movies for his solo debut, Hideous Bastard. Sim will talk about the album and why he empathizes with the monsters in those films, on the next World Cafe.

2023 marked the long-awaited arrival of De La Soul’s catalog to streaming services. In one of our favorite interviews of the year, De La Soul’s Maseo and Posdnuos join us to look back on their remarkable career, including 1989’s seminal album, 3 Feet High and Rising. Plus, in another highlight conversation, we’ll talk with Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers to find out how they chase emotions through sound on their latest album, For That Beautiful Feeling. That’s coming up on World Cafe.

All Week on World Cafe, we’re revisiting our favorite interviews of 2023. Up next, what do Madonna, Queen, and Don McLean all have in common? “Weird Al” Yankovic has parodied them and countless others during his nearly 5-decade long career. Weird Al joins us to talk about his life, his career, his songwriting process, and the recent film, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” Plus, Killer Mike talks about his album, Michael, which tells the story of how a young Michael Render, an all-American boy growing up in Atlanta, became the rapper known as Killer Mike.

Jim James loves Christmas music – it’s a love that he shares with his My Morning Jacket bandmates. This year the group released Happy Holiday! – a collection of Christmas song covers, both traditional and contemporary, along with some previously released and reworked original material. On the next World Cafe, Jim James talks about making the album and why sad music sometimes hits just right around this time.

They can throw, they can catch, they can tackle – and? They can SING! The Philadelphia Eagles have released their second holiday album, called A Philly Special Christmas Special. Produced by Charlie Hall of The War on Drugs, the record features Eagles offensive linemen Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata plus a slew of very special guests. Tune in to hear Charlie Hall and Jordan Mailata talk about Christmas spirit, how playing football compares to recording in the studio, and which guest singer gave Jordan stage fright. GO BIRDS! That’s on the next World Cafe.

There are a lot of “Best Of” lists floating around this time of year. But what if someone you trusted wanted to share their personal favorites – not an attempt at what is objectively “best” — but instead the moments that really moved them? On the next World Cafe, correspondent John Morrison does just that. His list covers a range of genres, including one piece of music he describes as “R&B beamed in from Saturn or Mars.”

These days, Petey has a major label deal and a million and a half TikTok followers who are fans of his funny homemade videos. It’s the kind of success he never thought he’d achieve. In fact, there was a time when he wasn’t sure he’d achieve anything. On the next World Cafe, Petey talks about how he got here, and he performs songs live from his new album, USA.