Music

In this installment of Heavy Rotation — where we bring to you public radio's new favorite songs — we collaborated with KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif., to bring you an exclusive track from British singer Laura Mvula's session on Morning Becomes Eclectic, plus enjoy a download from rising post-punk band Savages, courtesy of WXPN in Philadelphia.

This week's panel includes:

• Anne Litt, a DJ at KCRW in Los Angeles.
  

Jeff Hanneman, a guitarist for the thrash metal band Slayer, died Thursday of liver failure, the band announced in a statement on its website.

After six years as a sideman for many soul veterans, Marc Ribot made his name in 1985 with Rain Dogs, the album that marked Tom Waits' permanent transition from eccentric singer-songwriter to truly weird singer-songwriter. Ribot has held down straight gigs since then, but his work has tended toward the avant-garde. That's much less true on the song-oriented second album by the trio he calls Ceramic Dog.

She's in town to perform at Natalie's Coal-Fired Pizza on Sunday May 5, and will stay in Columbus to perform the following morning on WCBE.

Hear the Americana music of singer-songwriter Nora Jane Strothers.

That's on 90.5 FM and HD WCBE Columbus, and 106.7 FM in Newark.

It's kind of surprising that Iron and Wine's Sam Beam has ended up making his living in music. Early on, he received a cautionary lesson from his dad.

"My father used to book Motown bands in college," Beam says. "And he imparted some wisdom on me that it's an easy gig to lose your shirt in."

Beam grew up in South Carolina; he studied art in college, then got into making movies. Music was just something he did on the side, for fun.

Okay. Sing the following couplet to the melody of  The Eagles' "Hotel California":

The Chapin Sisters are a critically acclaimed duo, with tinges of folk, country and pop in their songs. For their latest project, Lily and Abigail Chapin looked to another famous set of singing siblings: Don and Phil, The Everly Brothers.

Lily Chapin says the genesis of their new tribute album, A Date with The Everly Brothers, was a creative workaround of sorts. The duo was once a trio featuring another Chapin sister, Jessica; the three siblings grew up singing three-part harmonies together. Several years ago, Jessica left the group to start a family.

Out of Bloomington, IN., Murder By Death will drop by WCBE to play a few songs during the Global Village!