... I prooobably should've known about this guy already.
I don't think I've ever listened to NPR in my life. I still don't completely understand what it is, or how to find it on the radio. Apparently they have some passionate fans. Is it actually a National Public Radio, or locally operated?
PABST NPR IS AWESOME National Public Radio is a service. There are two types of stations - NPR news stations, and NPR music stations (my terminology, not theirs). A station is a "member" of NPR - they don't all broadcast the same thing at once, if that is what you are thinking. The stations are locally owned and operated. My NPR music station (WXPN - look it up online and stream it for a taste!) is how I got to see Bon Iver for free. I have also volunteered at their yearly festival and as a result got in for free, got to see great acts like Dr Dog and the Lumineers for free, etc. What NPR really is, is tons of local stations brought together under the NPR umbrella. Here's a good article that might answer more of your questions. My NPR music station has "a song of the week" where they will pick a song they really like and play it frequently during the week. This is how I first listened to "Werewolf" by Fiona Apple and "Videogames" by Lana Del Ray and "Talk is Cheap" by Chet Faker and "Avant Gardener" by Courtney Barnett and maybe "Birds" by the Kopecky Family Band and "Harper Lee" by Little Green Cars and others. They also feature an album/artist every month. This station is how I first started listening to Father John Misty and Foxygen. If you haven't heard of any of these guys check 'em out. Tuesdays are "new music tuesdays" and on Sundays they broadcast from the Misty Mountain Stage which is in Vermont (I think - or Virginia) and is usually cool string-focused sometimes-bluegrass folk music. They have other music based programs too. I really like it because I get introduced to new music constantly, but they also play just truly great songs, even great pop music if it's really great. So it's a decent mix of things i know and like and things I don't know yet. Often the indie music that gets big, I hear it there first, like for instance Lana Del Ray and the Lumineers. I could rave more about the station. I encourage you to check it out via streaming or iHeart radio, and also try and find a local one near you! I TOTALLY FORGOT HOW THEY HAVE LOCAL FREE AT NOON CONCERTS EVERY WEEK. And the music arm of NPR is responsible for those "NPR Tiny Desk Concerts" you can find on YouTube. And, and, and...
NPR rules. If you care about radio at all support NPR and College Radio, not much else is worth supporting. NPR First Listen is a godsend sometimes too, that and P4K advance are (in my opinion) the two best ways to listen to entire albums in advance. Unless they're posted on bandcamp.
Oh my god, so Seattle's KEXP must be one of those, that has all those amazing live shows.. Oh, the revelation... I know or love all of those artists besides Barnett and Little Green Cars which I'll look up now. This made me very happy, thank you!
KEXP isn't a subsidiary of NPR, it's its own thing. But same business model- publicly funded so they don't have to answer to The Man.