Local singer-songwriter Thomas Kivi has been compared to the likes of Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, and Conor Oberst. Honest and unassuming, Kivi's lush harmonies are a largely acoustic blend of folk, bluegrass, and traditional Americana.

Gregg Gillis is one of the nicest tissue engineers you could ever meet. He also knows how to make 30 songs blend together in a way that not only takes the originals to a whole new place, but also makes you want to dance all night long.

Jack White talks to Mary Lucia over the phone about his record label (and store) Third Man Records, collaborating with Wanda Jackson, "throwaway" records, and why comedians should record more albums.

Now three albums into their career, the Long Beach, CA foursome Cold War Kids finally have a chance to call music their job. With that, they've been able to write their latest album "Mine Is Yours" over three months in the studio with Jacquire King, who has also worked with musicians like Tom Waits.

Being a host at The Current, we often have to tackle many tasks at once. Listen to all the new music, scope out the local music scene, check out the facebooks and twitter world, edit and produce. But the Theft of the Dial with Chris Funk and John Moen of The Decemberists allowed me to add something else to my resume, barista.

Telekinesis, the one-man-band alterego of Seattle musician and songwriter Michael Benjamin Lerner, makes classic 21st-century Pacific Northwest indie-rock in the tradition of Death Cab for Cutie and others.

"Collapse Into Now" isn't perfect, or groundbreaking, or even a complete return to form, but it proves that R.E.M. -- in their thirty-first year -- is still capable of making satisfying songs.