Ben Folds Five emerged in 1994 as music's only punk rock, piano-led trio. After slogging it out in clubs and building a following, they became one of the commercial and critical darlings of the 90’s releasing distinctive and eccentric piano-based music amidst the guitar heavy bands of the time. After releasing their third studio album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner in 1999, the band abruptly announced the split of Ben Folds Five in November of 2000.

It’s hard to write a definitive biography of an artist with as many career and relationship arcs as Leonard Cohen has experienced in his 78 years on earth. But that’s exactly what celebrated music journalist Sylvie Simmons has done with I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen.

Words are powerful, be they spoken or sung. For siblings Ian, Eric, and Brittany Hölljes, three of the four lead singers in the American folk rock band Delta Rae, the power of words came to them in the form of mythological stories told by their parents. In fact, the band’s name is inspired by a fictional story the Hölljeses’ mother intended to write. From then on, Ian, Eric, Brittany, and fourth lead singer Elizabeth Hopkins have worked to let their voices and their words be heard.

Father John Misty is quite a character. And he is a character invented by Josh Tillman to hang his rock and roll persona on.

Formed in 2005, Titus Andronicus is a New Jersey based punk/indie rock band that recently released its well-acclaimed forth studio album Local Business (XL Recordings). Inspired by Shakespeare’s very first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, the band collectively decided to identify itself with this renowned literary classic. Though the band has experienced some instability with its members in the past, it currently consists of Patrick Stickles, Eric Harm, Julian Veronesi, Liam Betson, and Adam Reich.

This the 23rd segment in our Latin music series Latin Roots. It’s time for our Latin Roots segment but this time it is a little different as our correspondent Felix Contreras from NPR’s Alt-Latino is actually going to play congas and talk about the drums that are central to so much Latin music.

One of the leading alternative rock bands in the 90s. The band has only recently reunited for live performances in 2012. One of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 90’s, the Afghan Whigs are Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Greg Dulli, lead guitarist Rick McCollum, and drummer Steve Earle who met while attending the University of Cincinnati. The fourth member, bassist John Curley, was a photographer at the Cincinnati Inquirer and happened to meet Dulli at a friend’s apartment. The quartet formed Afghan Whigs in 1986 and had a dedicated cult following until the dissolution of the band in 2001.

Songwriting and producing legend John Cale is back with Shifty Adventures in Nookie World, his fifteenth solo album and first since 2005. Cale shape-shifts often throughout the record, channeling discotheque on the Danger Mouse-produced “I Wanna Talk 2 U,” acoustic picking his way through “Living With You,” and venturing into folklore on “Sandman (Flying Dutchman).” Post-punk, hip-hop and everything in between are covered throughout the 12 new tracks.

Singer-songwriter Ben Schneider is the creative force behind the band, which started as a recording project at his home in Michigan on Lake Huron. Two EPs later, Lord Huron signed to IAMSOUND Records and released their first full-length album last month called, Lonesome Dreams.

With a 25-year career spanning successes with shoegaze outfit Slowdive, country-rock group Mojave 3 and his own solo albums, it’s no wonder Neil Halstead has been described by Allmusic as “one of Britain’s most respected songwriters.” When he was only 17 years old, Halstead helped found and fronted cult shoegaze band Slowdive, which morphed into country-folk outfit Mojave 3. Mojave 3 released a string of highly celebrated albums that merged jangly alt-country with dusky indie-pop.