Irish acts including CMAT, Dermot Kennedy, and Madra Salach will be showcased on National Public Radio (NPR) in the US from Monday as the music programme World Cafe dedicates two weeks to Dublin as part of its award-winning Sense of Place series.
From 24 August to 4 September, the nationally syndicated WXPN/Philadelphia programme World Cafe will also feature The Chieftains, Florence Road, Hozier, KhakiKid, Loah, Pillow Queens, the late Sinéad O’Connor, SPRINTS, U2, Riverdance principal dancer Jason O’Neill, and The Ruby Sessions co-founder and booker Conor Donovan in new and archive interviews and performances.
“You don’t need me to tell you that Dublin has a long, rich history of great storytellers and songwriters,” said World Cafe host Raina Douris.
Florence Road will make their World Cafe debut with a mini concert featuring songs from their EP Spring Forward Photo: Kate Poling-Cummings
“But what moved me most when we recorded these sessions is just how much history is still alive in the newer generation of artists coming up in the city.
“From indie rock to hip-hop to punk-influenced to traditional – each artist in this series draws inspiration from Dublin’s past while telling vibrant stories of Ireland’s present, and future.”
World Cafe senior producer Kimberly Junod added: “The year World Cafe turned 20, we launched our Sense of Place series with a trip to Ireland.
“Now, 15 years later, as we head into our 35th anniversary, we are so excited to return to a music scene that continues to be a global highlight.
For World Cafe, SPRINTS will discuss making their new album, All That Is Over, and will play a stripped-back set recorded live at Windmill Lane Recording Studios in Dublin Photo: David Willis
“It was hard to narrow down who we would hear from for this series, but I am so proud of the diverse set of performances and conversations that we managed to capture: from the first US session with up-and-coming trad punk Madra Salach, to a special acoustic set with SPRINTS, to unique moments from our archives – like a conversation earlier this year with CMAT and a 2014 session with Hozier from before he released his first album.
“It’s a Sense of Place that really shines.”
Visit the World Cafe website.
World Cafe Sense of Place: Dublin schedule:
Monday, 24 August – Encore: U2 and Sinéad O’Connor
Tuesday, 25 August – SPRINTS
Wednesday, 26 August – Encore: Hozier and Loah
Thursday, 27 August – Encore: CMAT
Friday, 28 August – Madra Salach
Monday, 31 August – Encore: The Chieftains and Riverdance
Tuesday, 1 September – The Ruby Sessions
Wednesday, 2 September – KhakiKid
Thursday, 3 September – Florence Road mini concert and Encore: Pillow Queens
Friday, 4 September – Dermot Kennedy