The World Cafe

On this episode of the World Cafe, host David Dye welcomes Pokey LaFarge. The Midwestern singer-songwriter embraces American roots music from the early part of the 20th century. LaFarge showcases his old-timey style in a live set drawn from his new self-titled album, and we'll hear the story behind his stellar collaboration with Jack White on last year's Blunderbuss.

It's Pokey LaFarge on World Cafe, tonight at 8 on WCBE.

Joining us in the studio for hour two of Tuesday's World Cafe is the Los Angeles band He's My Brother, She's My Sister. As the name implies, lead vocalists Robert and Rachel Kolar are indeed siblings.

In hour one of Tuesday's installment of World Cafe, we talk with Elvis Costello and The Roots' powerhouse drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson about how they met and came to utilize hip-hop techniques to make a non-hip-hop record. Costello and The Roots unveiled their collaborative album Wise Up Ghost last week — it's a project they'd made in semi-secrecy.

Dessa will perform live during the Global Village ahead of the show that night at The Basement!

Musically speaking, we travel to Iceland for Monday's installment of World Cafe: Next. Our featured artist is Ásgeir, a 21-year-old singer-songwriter who's on his way to making history. After releasing his debut album (In the Silence) in his homeland last year, the singer has the best-selling and fastest-selling debut album ever in Iceland.

In this installment of Vintage Cafe, we revisit Ray LaMontagne and The Pariah Dogs' performance from Oct. 8, 2010.

Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson recently released his sixth album of breezy, easygoing songs: From Here to Now to You finds him returning to more acoustic arrangements after 2010's To the Sea, which featured more instrumental variations, including electric guitars.

In this World Cafe session, Johnson credits much of his success to his wife, and dedicates a couple of songs to their relationship. The singer also discusses his Hawaiian home and the influence of the indigenous slack-key guitar culture on his style.

Hailing from Tallinn, Estonia, the indie-rock band Ewert And The Two Dragons are currently on tour in the U.S. and will be making a stop in Columbus on Monday September 30th! 

On Thursday's installment of World Cafe's Latin Roots series, Ernesto Lechner — co-host of the radio show The Latin Alternative — dives into balada, a romantic style of Latin music. Lechner starts by playing a couple of examples of the style from the late 1960s, when authentic balada drew from jazz and even the Brazilian genre of bossa nova. We'll also hear a modern rendition of the style from Babasónicos of Argentina.

Soulful roots-rock singer Jason Isbell has been writing revealing, introspective songs since his days in the Southern rock band Drive-By Truckers. After leaving the group in 2007, Isbell went on to record a string of studio albums with and without his new band, The 400 Unit. His hit "Alabama Pines" won Song of the Year honors at the 2012 Americana Music Awards.

Jason and his wife, fiddler and songwriter Amanda Shires, join host David Dye to discuss their new albums including Shires' recent release Down Fell The Doves. 

We're very excited to have Michael Franti return to WCBE for a live session during the Global Village! 

This segment, from Sept. 18, is part of our Best Of 2013 series, in which we revisit some of our most memorable interviews and performances of the year.

Neko Case's latest release is the autobiographical The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You.

Typhoon, the 11 piece band from Portland will be playing a few songs for us here at WCBE! If you missed them performing the night before at The Wexner Center with Radiation City...here's your chance for a special intimate performance !   They're out on the road in support of their brand  new release White Lighter and

will be making a stop in Columbus!

When actress Zooey Deschanel started recording with producer M. Ward as She & Him in 2006, it was easy to see it as a passing thing. With the duo releasing the third album-length installment of its ongoing collaboration this year — in addition to a holiday record titled A Very She & Him Christmas — it's now pretty clearly a long-haul project.

Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward began their partnership in 2006 when they formed She & Him and issued their debut project Volume One in 2008.

The punchy L.A. indie-pop band Wildcat! Wildcat! is made up of three members who've been friends since middle school. They've released a couple of singles — including the latest, "Mr. Quiche" — and recently compiled them on a new EP. Hear a couple of the band's songs on this installment of World Cafe: Next.

New Orleans' Preservation Hall, the dirt-floor space off Bourbon Street, was founded in 1961 as a place for the elders of Crescent City jazz to play nightly. Today, World Cafe talks with Ben Jaffe; like his father Alan, who ran the space initially, Jaffe is a tuba player who guides the world-renowned band today.

Almost 20 years ago, the members of the Greyboy Allstars got together to play a record release party for DJ Greyboy and discovered a perfect fusion. Call it rare groove, acid jazz or Electric Boogaloo (as they named their 1995 debut album), guitarist Elgin Park, keyboardist Robert Walter, saxophonist Karl Denson and the rhythm section of Chris Stillwell and Aaron Redfield have a special sound. These Allstars still draw from '60s boogaloo on their new album, Inland Emperor.