Stephen Kallao

Seasons greetings! Today on World Cafe, we're trading in your typical winter wonderland for Christmas on the beach with ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.

There's an old adage: The hardest part of being in a band is keeping it together. In that regard, Saint Etienne have aced the test.

Jeff Tweedy's longest and most ambitious solo album to date might also be his most personal. In this session, Tweedy is joined by his sons, Sammy and Spencer. He talks about the tight-knit relationships that created Twilight Override, and about his relentless need to create.

As a founding member of Stars and a longtime collaborator with Broken Social Scene, Amy Millan has helped shape Canada’s indie sound. Now she returns with I Went to Find You, her first solo album in over 15 years, made with composer and actor Jay McCarrol — and performs it in an intimate mini-concert recorded by WXPN’s Indie Rock Hit Parade.

The English percussionist is best known for his work with The Smile and Sons of Kemet, but Skinner refines his own voice on his latest solo album.

Today, we've got a mini-concert with Courtney Barnett. The Australian musician broke out in 2015 with Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. She performs a set recorded at the 2025 XPoNential Music Festival.

The four piece treats you to group harmonies and a fuller sound on their new album, Lovesick.

The indie folk band enlisted Lin-Manuel Miranda to tell the story of a shipwrecked crew on Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan.

Yukimi, best known as the voice of Little Dragon, released her debut solo album, For You, earlier this year. The Swedish musician branches out into jazz and soul on her debut solo album.

The British record producer talks about releasing his first non-collaborative album in 12 years, plus Sherwood looks back on the U.K.'s electrifying dub scene.