Music

Arts & Culture

No badge? No problem: Best offsite Comic-Con 2025 events happening in San Diego

Leslie Gonzalez

So, you’re in San Diego during Comic-Con weekend, but there’s a problem: no badge. Don’t worry, KPBS has compiled a list of offsite events you can attend without a badge and still be a part of the fun.
National

1960s pop star Connie Francis has died. The singer's life was touched by tragedies

Jeff Lunden

1960s pop star Connie Francis has died. The first female singer to chart a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, she sold over 40 million records before the age of 25.
Drake, Toby Keith and 'KPop Demon Hunters' have a big week on the charts

Stephen Thompson

It's a slow week on the Billboard charts, but a few albums and singles are still having a huge impact, including Drake's new single, "What Did I Miss?," and the soundtrack to the Netflix original movie KPop Demon Hunters.
Education

In praise of the humble recorder — a gateway instrument for millions of schoolchildren

Abigail Covington

The small plastic instrument has long been the go-to instrument in elementary schools. But it is capable of so much more than "Hot Cross Buns."
HBO's new Billy Joel documentary is revelatory — even if it pulls some punches

Eric Deggans

The new two-part documentary, which premieres Friday on HBO, is a good example of the tension between access and objectivity that filmmakers face in making documentaries on celebrities.
Arts & Culture

Take a peek at Stephen Sondheim's papers, now at the Library of Congress

Bob Mondello

The Library of Congress' new collection includes more than 5,000 items from the Broadway legend, including ideas for Sweeney Todd lyrics and notes for Glynis Johns as she sang "Send in the Clowns."
The best new albums out July 11

Stephen Thompson

Celia Gregory

NPR Music's Stephen Thompson is back with Celia Gregory of Nashville public radio station WNXP to talk through this week's best new music.
Arts & Culture

San Diego weekend arts events: Indigenous artists, karaoke-inspired theater and more

Julia Dixon Evans

This weekend in the arts in San Diego: "Infinite Rivers" in San Ysidro; Jean Lowe and Rancholo at Best Practice; Scandinavian artists at Madison Gallery; "Access" in Bonita; "Beethoven by the Bay"; a Rachmaninoff festival; plus film, dance and live music picks.
The soundtrack to 'KPop Demon Hunters' surges on the charts

Stephen Thompson

Amid a cluster of top 10 album debuts this week, there's a left-field hit with staying power: the soundtrack to the Netflix original movie KPop Demon Hunters, which surges into the top five.
Composer and pianist Jason Moran is latest departure from Kennedy Center

Elizabeth Blair

Another departure from the Kennedy Center: Composer, pianist, educator and bandleader Jason Moran announced on social media that he is no longer the artistic director for jazz. Moran joined the Kennedy Center in 2011.