From May 13th, 2002:

Watch Episode 19

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Is this Barbershop? The Gas House Gang
Music on a leaf from The Kronos Quartet
Another great unknown: Dromedary
A dreamy instrumental from The Frames
A perfect afternoon with Josh Ritter
Looking back at the remarkable Patti Smith
A puzzling tune from Cornershop

Barbershop quartets usually bring to mind groups of white men in candy-striped suits. But the music has its roots in African American culture.

The Gas House Gang

Watch: The William Tell Overture
from the CD Our Rough and Tumble Best (Music Masters)

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Listen to NPR's feature on history of Barbershop quartets.

Some of the photos used in this segment are courtesy of SPEBSQSA, Heritage of Harmony, copyright 1988, SPEBSQSA, Inc.

Visit the official Gas House Gang Web site.


We have no purchase information for this CD. Contact the band for more information: recordings@gashousegang.com.

The Kronos Quartet has built its reputation on breaking the boundaries of the classical establishment. Here they feature a melody played on an ivy leaf.

The Kronos Quartet

Watch: Perfidia
from the CD Nuevo (Nonesuch)

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Listen to an interview with The Kronos Quartet about this CD.

Listen to a feature on the collaboration of The Kronos Quartet with physicist Don Gurnett.

Visit the official Kronos Quartet Web site.

Dromedary sound out of place in the alternative rock scene of their hometown, Athens, GA. Their sound is an acoustic journey across Appalachia, East African and Central Europe.

Dromedary

Watch: Fado Tríado
from the CD Artifact (Solponticello)

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Visit the official Dromedary Web site.

We have no purchase information for this CD. Contact the band for more information: 706.353.6888.

After more than a decade of trying, the Frames finally get a hit with their fourth CD, For the Birds.

The Frames

Watch: In the Deep Shade
from the CD For the Birds (Plateau Records)
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Visit the official Web site for the Frames.

Josh Ritter's sound is part Nick Drake, part Johnny Cash. Just 24 years old, Ritter is drawing critical praise for his smart and sensitive story-songs.

Josh Ritter

Watch: Me and Jiggs
from the CD The Golden Age of Radio (Signature Sounds)

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Visit the official Web site for Josh Ritter.

In 1979, Patti Smith waved goodbye to rock and roll, only occasionally appearing on a handful of albums since. Now she's back with a retrospective of her work called, Land.

Patti Smith

Watch: Free Money
from the CD Land (Arista)

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Listen to an All Things Considered feature on Patti Smith.

Visit the official Web site for Patti Smith.

This is Cornershop's first CD in nearly five years. It's been well worth the wait.

Cornershop

Watch: Staging the Plaguing of the Raised Platform
from the CD Handcream for a Generation (Beggars Group V2)

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Listen to a Fresh Air feature on Cornershop.

Visit the official Web site for Cornershop.

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