NPR Music

Cold Specks is the stage name of 23-year-old Canadian-bred singer-songwriter Al Spx, but it's not as if "Al Spx" isn't a pseudonym itself; she created the moniker out of respect for her parents, who don't approve of her music career. The London-based singer started Cold Specks as a small acoustic project to showcase her soulful voice and thoughtful lyrics, but it's only grown from there.

The band above is the new Dave Douglas Quintet, who we're webcasting live Wednesday night as part of WBGO's The Checkout: Live series. The quintet is actually six people: special guest Aoife O'Donovan, a folk and bluegrass singer, joins the band on stage and on the new album, Be Still.

Austin, Texas, singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo makes his fifth appearance on Mountain Stage, recorded live on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown. Known for mixing rock, punk, country and folk, Escovedo was named Artist of the Decade by No Depression magazine at the end of the '90s.