Jan 5th, 2009 · President-elect Obama and his wife Michelle sent their daughters off to the first day of school Monday morning in Washington, D.C. One of the people capturing the intimate moment was Time magazine photographer Callie Shell, who has been snapping photos of Obama since 2006.
Jan 1st, 2009 · Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom has begun shutting off natural gas supplies to Ukraine after a deadline passed for talks over a price dispute. There are fears that the cutoff could affect gas deliveries to parts of Europe at the height of the winter season. In 2006, Moscow cut off supplies to Ukraine and caused a brief disruption in gas supplies to Europe. NPR's Gregory Feifer talks with Steve Inskeep about Gazprom's decision.
Dec 17th, 2008 · Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner-Hammel perform as the duo Mates of State. The pair's latest album, Re-Arrange Us, is beginning to show up on year-end "best of" lists across the country. In this performance on Mountain Stage, the couple showcases songs from that album, as well as 2006's Bring It Back.
Dec 4th, 2008 · Legendary folksinger Odetta visited Mountain Stage nine times during her highly influential, 50-year career. Today's Mountain Stage features video of an interview and set she did in 2006 at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, Tenn./Va. Odetta died on Dec. 2, but her powerful voice and graceful character live on through the countless people she inspired, including fellow musicians Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin.
Dec 2nd, 2008 · Arliss Parker is really Chris Parker, a former Colorado resident turned Brooklyn transplant. After arriving in New York in 2006, Parker dove into his music, transforming his acoustic guitar compositions into folktronica pieces, using toy keyboards, glockenspiel and any other random instrument he came across. The result became his recent debut EP, Handsome Like a Lion.
Nov 12th, 2008 · The FBI reports that hate crimes against Latinos rose almost 40 percent between 2003 and 2006, and Hispanic activists say they are being targeted with threats and intimidation. Tony Asion, of El Pueblo, a Latino advocacy group, is joined by Kevin Johnson, of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund to discuss the statistics that are sending shockwaves through some Latino communities.
Nov 10th, 2008 · Kitchell is a singer-songwriter seasoned beyond her years, having previously joined Herbie Hancock on a worldwide tour. For her appearance in Charleston, W.Va., she brought along the Boston-based indie-rockers in The Slip, who appeared on Mountain Stage in 2006. Together, they promote Kitchell's latest album, This Storm.
Nov 4th, 2008 · Two years after releasing one of the best albums of 2006 (The Crane Wife), the band returns with three volumes of new songs. Like much of The Decemberists' earlier work, Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series is full of magically inventive, character-driven story-songs rooted in British folk and pop. The Decemberists will showcase the new music, along with old favorites, in a full concert, webcast live on NPR.org Friday, Nov. 7. The performance, from WXPN in Philadelphia, will begin online at approximately 9 p.m. ET.