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.

Earlier this year, Jobi Riccio won Newport Folk’s “Jone Prine Songwriter Fellowship”, and you can hear her attention to detail on her debut album, Whiplash. The Nashville songwriter takes the mic for a mini concert from Sound Stage Studios at Americanafest. Plus, we’ll hear a live set from Austin Americana group, The Band of Heathens, featuring tracks from their new album, Simple Things. That’s on the next World Cafe.

Dolly Parton, Justin Timberlake & Stevie Wonder are all members of an exclusive club that now includes Billie Eilish. They’re all musicians who’ve been invited to pull double duty on Saturday Night Live as both the musical guest AND host. Billie Eilish is our guest on the next encore edition of the World Cafe. She’ll tell stories & you’ll hear live recordings made with her brother Finneas. Join us.

The songs on Lowland Hum’s latest album, From Self with Love, were written during a period of uncertainty for the husband and wife duo of Daniel and Lauren Goans. They’d just become first-time parents when they wrote the album, which touches on themes of pandemic isolation, early parenthood, death, grief, and new life.