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The music of Mates of State has always been playfully innocent and unabashedly upbeat. But on their latest CD, Re-Arrange Us, Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel show that they've grown a little older and wiser, with their richest and most reflective collection of songs to date. Hear a full concert by the band, webcast live on NPR.org from the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Also on the bill: Florida-based co-headliner Black Kids.

He wrote hits and and played guitar for the biggest names in pop music, and he had plenty of hits of his own. But for Bobby Womack, joining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame represents an actual homecoming for a soul survivor.

On the eve of kicking off her Middle Cyclone tour, Case stopped by Austin, Texas, for some prime queso and an acoustic session at KUT. Joined by vocalist Kelly Hogan and guitarist Paul Rigby, Case shared how a piano orchestra crafted a Harry Nilsson cover, and then played it — minus the orchestra, of course.

When it's inducted on Saturday, RUN DMC will not be the first rap group to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — that was Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. But RUN DMC did achieve a number of historic firsts during its heyday in the 1980s.

Thanks to a new recording by former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, anyone can hear a sound that was cloistered in Himalayan monasteries for centuries.

In the mid-1960s, an electrician converted his basement into a jerry-built, custom studio he dubbed Double U Sound. Between 1967 and 1981, Felton Williams recorded more than 300 reels of tape. Downriver Revival is the first in a series of compilations focusing on the recordings of these local studios.

In the 1940's, Aaron Copland developed lighter, clearer, more open textures for his ballets like Appalachian Spring. Hear critic Ted Libbey explain how the San Francisco Symphony puts those ideas across best, in a full-fledged recording.

The Mexican electronic rock band Kinky performs songs from its latest album Barracuda. Lead singer Gil Cerezos talks with host Michel Martin about the band's collaborative spirit, and how it's managed to win over a devoted international following despite little commercial radio airplay.

When singer-songwriter Jill Sobule found herself without the financial support of a record label, she found a way to circumvent the business — by getting her fans to donate enough money to fund the recording of her new CD. Here, Sobule talks about the creation of California Years.

The jazz pianist and longtime collaborator Childo Tomas pay a visit to NPR's Studio 4A to play music steeped in the Afro-Cuban tradition, but fueled by Sosa's teeming imagination and eclectic inspirations.