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Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) made a musical splash Memorial Day weekend in a performance with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; it was later posted in a video clip on YouTube. Alexander performed a few tunes at the piano in NPR's Studio 4A.

In the span of three years, U2 released three classic albums right in a row. In an interview with host David Dye, War producer Steve Lillywhite talks about the creation of the landmark album.

Two curiously named recipients of fervent online buzz converge on a single stage Friday: Black Kids and Does It Offend You, Yeah? perform at WXPN and World Café Live.

Gnarls Barkley is best known for its massive summer hit "Crazy," from 2006's St. Elsewhere. The duo's follow-up, The Odd Couple, meshes classic R&B with infectious hip-hop grooves and cinematic production. Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse speak with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about crafting their new album.

The inspiration for Wolf Parade's "California Dreamer" comes from exactly where you might suspect it does: The Mamas and the Papas' 1965 hit "California Dreamin'." Singer Spencer Krug's curiosity was piqued by the line, "If I didn't tell her / I could leave today," so he imagined the perspective of the woman left behind.

Carter Tanton, of the band Tulsa, sat in the middle of a room with only his guitar, but his powerful voice filled every inch of it. In a session recorded by KEXP, he flew through three covers by The Carter Family, The Kinks, and Townes Van Zandt, and talked about singing in subways.

There are plenty of operas in which the main characters sing their final words with their last breaths. In this one, nearly everyone on stage kicks the operatic bucket as the curtain falls. Placido Domingo leads a production from Washington, D.C.

Klein's writing for large ensemble creates a space where many genres warp under the sun of jazz improvisation. In "Vaca," the composer and his cohorts in Los Guachos do little to protect the purity of essence. They're far too busy making indescribable, essential music.

The songwriter, who hails from Brooklyn via Pennsylvania, conjures images of many other neo-folk singers, but there's energy and warmth in his recordings. Hear Langhorne Slim perform songs from his new album with host David Dye.

The highly influential band has been crazy on stage for decades, but its members lead a surprisingly normal real life, according to David Browne, author of Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth.