The halls of music history are littered with bands that should have made it big, but never did. Maybe they put out a couple of amazing records and you feel like you're the only person on the planet who appreciated them. Or maybe they're still trying, and you're holding out hope, along with the band, that that big break will finally come.
Moogfest always draws a creative crowd. But the festival's proximity to Halloween inspires some fans to dress in unusual costumes.
'Adam Kissick for NPR'
'Adam Kissick for NPR'
'Adam Kissick for NPR'
'Adam Kissick for NPR'
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Moogfest always draws a creative crowd. But the festival's proximity to Halloween inspires some fans to dress in unusual costumes.
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Moogfest is held each year in Asheville, N.C., home to the festival's namesake, legendary synthesizer inventor Robert Moog. Fans flock from all over the world to hear the best in electronic performance, dance music and outer sound.
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One of the highlights of this year's Moogfest was a performance by Morton Subotnick (left), a pioneer in electronic music. He performed his entire, now-legendary album Silver Apples of the Moon.
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In addition to electronic and dance music, Moogfest also features groundbreaking hip-hop performers, including Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, who struck a pose during his set at The Orange Peel.
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Morton Subotnick works the controls for a synthesizer originally designed by Don Buchla in the 1960s. Subotnick used a similar one to record Silver Apples of the Moon.
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Many of the performances at Moogfest married sound with stunning visuals, including this geometric light show from Squarepusher's set at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium.
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The English psych-ambient performer Shpongle performs at a sort of rainbow-colored throne.
A grim-faced "Big Brother" spaceman waves to fans during Primus' show at the Explore Asheville Arena.
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Divine Fits, a rock group featuring Spoon's Britt Daniel, Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and New Bomb Turks' Sam Brown, was one of the few non-electronic or dance bands to perform at this year's Moogfest.
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This viking-dog rocks way harder than you.
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Fans lose themselves in a performance by the English electronic dance group Orbital, at the Explore Asheville Arena.
Each fall, hundreds of little-known bands descend on New York City for the annual CMJ Music Marathon. As festivals go, it's one of the best for surprises, since so many of the acts are new and emerging. For the artists, it's a chance to be seen and heard and, hopefully, loved. For the rabid music fan or journalist, it's an overwhelming flood of musical discoveries.
This week, Bob and Robin kick off the show by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, and how well it coincides with a new cut from Swedish pop trio Peter Bjorn and John called "I Wish I Was A Spy."
On this edition of All Songs Considered, co-host and producer Robin Hilton offers host Bob Boilen $200 million to walk away from the show forever. Does Bob take the bait?
