Fresh Air: Musical Acts

5.0 (2)
Arts

Hear some of our favorite performers who brought their instruments into the studio and took requests. From bandleader Jon Batiste, to Sheryl Crow, to a folkier John Mellencamp.

10/29/2025

Fresh Air: Musical Acts Trailer

While most Fresh Air interviews are recorded remotely, that's not always the case. In this collection, some of our favorite performers actually brought their instruments into the studio and took requests. From bandleader Jon Batiste, to Sheryl Crow, to a folkier John Mellencamp -- you will find something very special in these performances. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
09/26/2018 • Fresh Air+ Only

Jon Batiste

Music came naturally to Jon Batiste, the leader of Stay Human, the house band for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Growing up outside of New Orleans as part of a large musical family, he says, "I picked up on all of these things that are integral to who I am as a musician without necessarily studying them."
06/14/2017 • Fresh Air+ Only

Flight of the Conchords

Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, aka the folk-parody band Flight of the Conchords, hail from New Zealand and were named best alternative-comedy act at the 2005 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. Their HBO series was about two transplanted New Zealanders living in New York City’s Lower East Side.
05/11/2017 • Fresh Air+ Only

Rhiannon Giddens

Rhiannon Giddens brings her banjo to the studio and sings some songs from her new solo album which includes original songs based on slave narratives.
05/11/2012 • Fresh Air+ Only

Fresh Air 25th Anniversary

On the occasion of Fresh Air's 25th anniversary as a national show, Terry and the staff remember some stand out musical performances recorded for the show.
09/15/2011 • Fresh Air+ Only

Nick Lowe

Singer-songwriter Nick Lowe joins Fresh Air's Terry Gross for an in-studio interview and performance featuring several songs from his 13th solo album, The Old Magic.
07/18/2011 • Fresh Air+ Only

Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings

Welch and Rawlings perform an in-studio concert featuring several songs from The Harrow and the Harvest, and talk about many of the lyrics they've written over the years.
03/31/2009 • Fresh Air+ Only

John Mellencamp

Long a standout purveyor of rootsy, direct "heartland" rock, Mellencamp is in the midst of a folksy, pessimistic streak on his new album. He speaks to host Terry Gross about the spare sound and dark themes of Life, Death, Love and Freedom.
02/05/2008 • Fresh Air+ Only

Sheryl Crow

Pop-rock singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow joins Terry Gross in the Fresh Air studios for an interview and live performance. Detours, her new album, is the most politically and personally outspoken record of her career.
06/27/2005 • Fresh Air+ Only

Jason Moran

Jazz pianist Jason Moran was awarded the 2005 Pianist of the Year award by the Jazz Journalist's Association, and also received the first ever 2005 Playboy Magazine Jazz Artist of the Year. His 2005 album is called Same Mother, which reflected the then 30-year-old musician's interest in the blues.
06/04/1996 • Fresh Air+ Only

Elvis Costello

Singer/songwriter Elvis Costello. Previously with the band The Attractions, he later went solo. Since then he has performed and recorded with The Brodsky Quartet and jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. His 1996 release was "All This Useless Beauty" (Warner Bros) which he recorded with The Attractions.
07/17/1987 • Fresh Air+ Only

Susannah McCorkle

In this 1987 interview and concert, Singer, writer, and translator Susannah McCorkle performed selections from the Great American Songbook with pianist Ben Aronov and bassist Chip Jackson. She discovered much of that music while living in Europe, watching American films. McCorkle died in 2001,

Trailer

Fresh Air: Musical Acts Trailer

While most Fresh Air interviews are recorded remotely, that's not always the case. In this collection, some of our favorite performers actually brought their instruments into the studio and took requests. From bandleader Jon Batiste, to Sheryl Crow, to a folkier John Mellencamp -- you will find something very special in these performances. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Fresh Air from WHYY, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. Hosted by Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, the show features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries. Subscribe to Fresh Air Plus! You'll enjoy bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening - all while you support NPR's mission. Learn more at plus.npr.org/freshair And subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Fresh Air Weekly, to get interview highlights, staff recommendations, gems from the archive, and the week's interviews and reviews all in one place. Sign up at www.whyy.org/freshair

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Hear some of our favorite performers who brought their instruments into the studio and took requests. From bandleader Jon Batiste, to Sheryl Crow, to a folkier John Mellencamp.