If seasonal pollen hasn't impacted your part of the world just yet, trust us: It's officially spring. This time of rebirth and renewal also brings two annual rites: For music fans, spring typically signals the start of festival season; for baseball fans, Opening Day means the return of baseball.
Of course, the pandemic has dramatically reshaped our national pastimes. Last year, major festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo postponed spring and summer dates to autumn only to cancel outright as the coronavirus crisis continued. And Major League Baseball's second pandemic season began on Thursday with limited capacity crowds, and even a postponement due to COVID contact tracing.
But as vaccination rates across the country go up, there may be cause for optimism. Some festivals are planning to bring back live music sooner than expected, including Bonnaroo, currently scheduled to celebrate its 20th anniversary from Sept. 2-5. And even after last year's shortened season, a few members of the NPR Music staff couldn’t help but get swept up in the excitement – even optimism – of Opening Day festivities. Although our team allegiances vary – we're led by a Mets fan, include a few Red Sox and Nats fans and even count a lone Rays fan in the mix – we all go to bat for music.
"Put me in, Coach,"
Lyndsey McKenna
P.S. For the past few years, it's become an annual tradition for our team to share their walk-up songs – meaning, what we’d want to hear as we approach the plate. You can stream all of our walk-up songs on Spotify, or read our full Twitter thread with the details. And we want to hear from you! Use the email feature at the bottom of this message to share your walk-up song with us. |
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| - This week's New Music Friday show from All Songs Considered features the new EP from Nasty Cherry, a girl group formed by avant-pop star Charli XCX; a new hip-hop compilation from Mello Music Group; Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak's latest solo project as Flock of Dimes and more.
- Sara Watkins' new album Under the Pepper Tree finds the singer and fiddler reimagining the songs she loved as a child for younger audiences. Hear about the Nickel Creek and I'm With Her musician's inspirations and collaborators on All Songs Considered.
- On March's Best Music of the Month edition of All Songs, the NPR Music team shares what they can't stop spinning, from Angolan rap duo IKOQWE and rising R&B star Joyce Wrice, to Young Bull producer and multi-instrumentalist Solomon Fox and a new project from actor Emile Hirsch and producer The Frenchman.
- Every month, we ask our friends at public radio stations across the country for the most popular song on their airwaves. On March's Heavy Rotation playlist, hear the month's most-played songs, including new releases from serpentwithfeet, CHAI, Jensen McRae and more.
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- On the latest season of Spotify’s Dissect podcast, host Cole Cuchna explores Kanye West's polarizing 2013 record Yeezus in microscopic detail. In a Q&A with Louder Than A Riot host Rodney Carmichael, Cuchna discusses why Yeezus was a turning point – and perhaps the last appearance of "the Old Kanye."
- Sisters Angel and Victory Boyd come from a musical family: Their father founded the Boys and Girls Choirs of Detroit, and five of the nine Boyd siblings make up the band Infinity Song. For the latest installment of the Morning Edition Song Project, the Boyds share "Outside Myself," an ode to overcoming anxiety and finding the confidence in your voice.
- If you know Bob Boilen, then you know just how much the annual South by Southwest festival – and his traditional pizza dinner in Austin – means to him. This year’s virtual iteration, Couch by Couchwest, as he called it, was a little different: viewed at home, it was a more reflective and less physically demanding experience, featuring more international acts than ever before.
- Michael Milosh, the Canadian singer-songwriter behind the R&B-pop project Rhye, has been accused of sexual assault and domestic violence by his ex-wife, Alexa Nikolas; neither Milosh nor Rhye's record label, Loma Vista, have responded to requests for comment.
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Here's something no in-person Tiny Desk concert could do: sync up performers from nearly 8,000 miles apart simultaneously. Thanks to a little technical magic, Saskatoon cousins Kacy & Clayton team up with New Zealand's Marlon Williams for a synchronized (home) concert set, complete with animated illustrations from Daniel Syrnick.
Also this week: We couldn't help but take notice when Top Chef host and author Padma Lakshmi shared her love for the Tiny Desk on Instagram. Just ahead of the premiere of the 18th (!) season of the show, we asked Lakshmi to share a few of her favorite sets for our latest Tiny Desk playlist. |
| April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and the Jazz Night in America team wants to hear from you: Tell us about the role jazz plays in your life. They’ll be sharing your responses on social media all month long. |
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