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The Tallest Man on Earth.

The Tallest Man on Earth. Cameron Wittig/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Cameron Wittig/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

World Cafe Sense Of Place — Stockholm: The Tallest Man On Earth WXPN-FM

Even with other musicians backing him during this World Cafe Live set, The Tallest Man on Earth retains the magic of his intimate solo albums.

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Jason Isbell smiles during a performance at the 2015 Newport Folk Festival.

Jason Isbell smiles during a performance at the 2015 Newport Folk Festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Adam Kissick for NPR

Newport Folk Festival

Jason Isbell, Live In Concert: Newport Folk 2015

Spirits were infectiously high on Saturday as Isbell channeled the best of the southern rock tradition on songs from his new album, Something More Than Free.

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The Tallest Man On Earth performed Friday at the 2015 Newport Folk Festival.

The Tallest Man On Earth performed Friday at the 2015 Newport Folk Festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Adam Kissick for NPR

Newport Folk Festival

The Tallest Man On Earth, Live In Concert: Newport Folk 2015

Swedish songwriter Kristian Matsson gave a performance worthy of his stage name on Friday at Newport.

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The Lone Bellow performed Friday night at the 2015 Newport Folk Festival.

The Lone Bellow performed Friday night at the 2015 Newport Folk Festival. Adam Kissick for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Adam Kissick for NPR

Newport Folk Festival

The Lone Bellow, Live In Concert: Newport Folk 2015

Listen to the band's soaring Friday set, featuring guest appearances by Leon Bridges and Lucius.

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Red River Dialect's new album, Tender Gold and Gentle Blue, comes out July 31.

Red River Dialect's new album, Tender Gold and Gentle Blue, comes out July 31. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the artist

First Listen

First Listen: Red River Dialect, 'Tender Gold And Gentle Blue'

Drawing on late '60s British folk-rock and psychedelic music, this is a quiet and desperate record that is always but a squall away from breaking apart.

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From left, Guy Carawan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Bernice Johnson Reagon, and Len Chandler perform Civil Rights songs at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival.

From left, Guy Carawan, Fannie Lou Hamer, Bernice Johnson Reagon, and Len Chandler perform Civil Rights songs at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Diana Davies/Courtesy of the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections hide caption

itoggle caption Diana Davies/Courtesy of the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

Music Interviews

'Songs Of Salvation': Remembering Fannie Lou Hamer's Music

The civil rights activist was a musician as well. A new collection of her music, Songs My Mother Taught Me, has just been reissued by the Smithsonian Institution.

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