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In the first debate of their US Senate rematch, both candidates proved eager to revisit each others' lengthy public careers.

Today on Word of Mouth, modern artists like Devendra Banhart, Iron & Wine, and Animal Collective are reinventing the sound of traditional music. Journalist Amanda Petrusich travelled the South, probing the history of Americana and drawing connections between today’s artists and those who blazed their paths. Plus, some art collectors are expanding their horizons and finding pieces based on our computer-driven world. We’ll also hear how scientists are growing natural plastic inside of plants, and we get a roundup of new gadgets that would impress your geekiest friends.

The story of American music is, like America itself, a story of re-invention. The rhythms carried by African slaves and European immigrants blossomed into the Delta blues and Appalachian folk in American soil, starting a cycle of grafting, borrowing and stealing yesterday’s hits for today’s audiences.

We have the legend of Elvis Presley, the white boy who took rhythm and blues music to the bank. Of Leadbelly, the convict who wrote hit songs and died destitute. The outlaw, the man in black - those tales may seem like distant past, but their legends endure today. Artists like Bonnie Prince Billy, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, and Wilco are modern musicans connected to the narratives of the rural, poor immigrants - singing songs about freedom and enslavement, of life and death, God and the Devil.

Music critic Amanda Petrusich is a staff writer at Pitchforkmedia.com and a senior contributing editor at Paste. She took to the blue highways to discover where American music has been and where it’s going. She writes about it in her new book, It Still Moves: Lost Songs, Lost Highways, and the Search for the Next American Music. She joins Word of Mouth with a discussion of Americana's roots and evolution.

The Music Hall
7:30 pm
Ticket information

Former Secretary of State and bestselling author Madeleine Albright comes to The Music Hall to talk about her book Memo To The President: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership, which will soon be released in paperback. She'll also talk about her career in politics and diplomacy with NHPR's Virginia Prescott.