David Dye
David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dye launched his distinguished broadcasting career as host of a progressive music show on WMMR 93.3 FM, a pioneering progressive rock station in Philadelphia. During his four-year tenure, Dye won accolades for his taste and laid back presentation. After a five-year stint programming radio stations in Maine, he returned to Philadelphia where he gained public radio experience at WHYY before being recruited in 1981 by alternative rock station WIOQ 102.1 FM where he made his mark on the music scene for nearly a decade.
In 1989, Dye took his musical quest to WXPN where he hosted the station's Sleepy Hollow radio program. Two years later, Dye was asked to spearhead research on the viability of a new public radio program. The research revealed an audience need for a new kind of musical format - one that was intelligent, diverse and would give musical guests a showcase for their artistic expression. Based on the findings, Dye went to work to create a unique program of musical discovery where listeners would be introduced to an eclectic blend of contemporary sounds from legendary and up-and-coming artists. World Cafe was born.
Dye is the founding host of World Cafe, which launched in 1991. During his tenure as host, Dye brought out the best in interviews with internationally known artists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Joni Mitchell. He conducted nearly 4,500 interviews during his over 20 years with the program. In 2017 Dye took on a new role as contributing host with the program.
World Cafe and Dye have received numerous awards including: two NFCB Gold Reel Awards, Album Network's "Best Triple A Air Talent," five Philadelphia Magazine's "Best of Philly Awards," the Philadelphia Chapter of NARAS "Hero Award," the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and numerous radio industry trade magazine citations. In 2006, Dye was named the "Triple A Air Personality of the Year" by Radio & Records.
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Southern-born singer-songwriter Chan Marshall is no stranger to covers. Under the Cat Power moniker, Marshall has released eight albums, two of them collections in which she reworks the classics. The latest is Jukebox. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.
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When Rustic Overtones reunited last summer after four years apart, 6,000 fans gathered in one place to see the beloved band. In this session, the horn-driven rock group talks about coming back to such a grand welcome.
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Southern singer Lizz Wright crafts a distinct mixture of jazz, folk, gospel, and R&B, but she's been most widely celebrated as a rising star in the jazz world. Hear Wright give a performance and interview from WXPN.
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On the band's second album, What Doesn't Kill Us, What Made Milwaukee Famous deftly mixes the pomp of Spoon and the hooks of Big Star with witty lyrics. In this segment of World Cafe, the group fills out its sound with the help of new guitarist Jason Davis.
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Formed in 1981 by Genesis P-Orridge after the dissolution of the industrial-noise band Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV has long been an artistic force in the margins of pop culture. In its first performance since the death of band member Lady Jaye, Psychic TV performs material from its new CD.
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Under the moniker Lightspeed Champion, Devonte Hynes assumes the role of troubadour. It's a fitting change from the thrashy dance-punk of his past, effectively marrying lush Britpop with countrified rock. Lightspeed Champion's promising debut full-length, Falling Off the Lavender Bridge, just came out.
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House writes roots-based pop songs in the tradition of Jeff Buckley and Bruce Springsteen. The Ohio-born singer realized that he enjoyed entertaining others in high-school drama class and began to write music. His latest CD is titled Flying Upside Down.
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After the regionally successful Philadelphia band Townhall broke up in 2006, Stanford went solo, developing a soulful, smoothly appealing pop sound while recording his debut EP. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.
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As a founding member of The Jayhawks, Gary Louris co-wrote some of alt-country's finest albums with vocalist and guitarist Mark Olson. Louris strikes out on his own on Vagabonds, his first solo CD. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.
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The Vancouver indie-pop supergroup The New Pornographers includes some of the foremost songwriters of the genre. With four critically acclaimed albums behind the band, its success continues unabated. Hear an interview and performance from WXPN.