Merrill Garbus is always a little distrustful of pretty sounds. “I’m suspicious when things sound too good,” says Garbus, who fronts the band tUnE-yArDs. “Truth is really hard to hear.” …

On a mid-February evening, David Harrington, first violinist and founder of Kronos Quartet, politely accepts a scheduled phone call, and even more politely delays the intended conversation with a digression …

Ben Frost’s performance was one of the highlights of the 2010 Big Ears, and he returns to the festival to perform music from last year’s A U R O R …

No band better exemplifies the limitless Big Ears spirit than the Bad Plus. Over the past 15 years, the Midwestern trio—pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King—has …

In October 2013, Laurie Anderson lost her partner of 21 years, 71-year-old rock icon Lou Reed. The music world has mourned profoundly ever since—but for Anderson, Reed’s death has led …