A podcast from the QI offices in which the writers of the hit BBC show huddle around a microphone and discuss the best things they've found out this week. Hosted by Dan Schreiber (@schreiberland) with James Harkin (@eggshaped), Andrew Hunter Murray (@andrewhunterm), Anna Ptaszynski and an assortment of other elves.

Head to www.qi.com/podcast for bonus extras

“What am I to build, if my hands are broken, if I’m not the chosen one?” sings Steven McKellar of Civil Twilight on “Story of An Immigrant”, over a lush, dynamic beat that evokes the sounds of his native South Africa while steeped in the band’s everevolving present. The foursome (Steven, his brother and guitarist Andrew, drummer Richard Wouters and Kevin Dailey on keys and guitar) are living proof of what happens when you stop worrying about being the chosen one and make music built on both the roots that grew you and the love that keeps you thriving every day. Civil Twilight’s songs embrace every corner of human emotion, balancing delicate, poetic lyrics with sweeping arrangements that touch all the senses: a phrase to make you think; a rolling drumbeat you can feel in your bones; a guitar vamp as illustrative as a picture; a shimmer of keys whose light can nearly be seen and heard. Produced by Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Bombay Bicycle Club, Cut Copy), their third record on Wind-Up is built on this vibrancy, on the permanent dust of a Cape Town youth; on the connection that unites them all as brothers beyond blood and on their new home in America where they pull from the innate, thriving musicianship of Nashville, where they live. When you listen to Civil Twilight, from their self-titled debut, to 2012’s widely lauded Holy Weather to now, it’s easy to understand why the band has topped five million YouTube views and reached historic success with film and television syncs – because it’s music you can’t shake, that translates experience into moments and creates melodies that become imbedded deep under the skin. We’re all immigrants, in some way, and Civil Twilight’s singing our national anthem.

Cas Haley first gained national recognition in 2007 on NBC's America's Got Talent, where he performed a stunning acoustic reggae cover of The Police's 'Walking On the Moon'. His performance quickly went viral and helped him secure a well-deserved second place on the show.

Since then, Cas has been on a musical journey that has taken him around the world, blending Southern soul roots with reggae-inspired rhythms in seven original albums. His latest project, "BOOTS ROCK REGGAE, VOL. 1," is a unique collection of America's favorite country and rock songs, reimagined with Cas's signature style. By bridging his country roots with his love for reggae music, Cas is creating something truly special and unforgettable. Join him on this exciting new musical adventure and experience the magic of his music for yourself.

Management:
American International Artists, Inc.
Cynthia B. Herbst, President
+1 (518) 686-0972
Cynthia@aiArtists.com

Much like songbird Edith Piaf, Madeleine Peyroux spent her teenage years busking the busy streets of Paris. Just like the ‘little sparrow’, Madeleine befriended the city’s street musicians and made its Latin quarter her first performing stage. Years later, Peyroux would cite iconic Piaf as an influence on her music and record a rendition of the classic La Vie En Rose, soulfully capturing the tune’s romanticism and melancholy.
 
Born in Athens, Georgia in 1974, Madeleine “grew up in a house filled with music” and from an early age “instinctively realised music’s soothing power” but it was her teenage years in the French capital that turned the childhood notion into an all-consuming vocation for life.

Young Madeleine moved to Paris with her mother in 1987 following her parents divorce. “To soothe me during the upheaval”, she recalls, “I was given a guitar and took to playing in the streets almost immediately.”

Thirty years after her formative busking days Peyroux is the proud curator of nine beguiling albums and an accomplished performer with sell out worldwide tours under her belt. Her atmospheric version of Serge Gainsborough’s La Javanaise was used in the soundtrack of Oscar Winner The Shape of Water and her countless accolades
include the coveted BBC International Artist Of The Year honour.
 
Madeleine’s thirst for creative exploration is unfading and her willingness to face creative challenges remains as solid now as it was three decades ago.

With endearing passion and great curiosity the unstoppable genre-defying virtuoso continues her search for the good and examines life with the treasured William Congreve belief that Music has charms to soothe the savage beast.
 
Madeleine might attribute her success to “mostly luck” but to the industry and loyal fans alike, it is the immense talent and utter dedication to her craft that shines through.
“Peyroux is a tremendous talent and almost a total intuitive” reflects Larry Klein, “she has the capacity to get the magic. When she sings and plays her guitar, great things happen.”

Saturday Live

Real life but not as you know it. Radio 4's Saturday morning show is full of the stuff that matters, extraordinary stories, inheritance tracks, guerrilla reports, secret lives, poetry and more.

How Dangerous

Dick and Dom explore the surprising science that can be found around us. With the help of some young volunteers, they meet scientists who show them a selection of hands-on experiments - which you can try out for yourself at home - revealing new facts about everything from remote controls to bicycle brakes.

We're not the best, but we're pretty good.

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