Sam Briger

When he was 15, Weir ran away to work on a cattle ranch in Wyoming — an experience he revisits on his new album, Blue Mountain. "I ... carried it around for the rest of my days," he says.

While on tour for her album, Over and Even, Shelley stopped by WHYY to play some of her songs along with accompanist Nathan Salsburg. She tells Fresh Air's Sam Briger she's always wanted to perform.

Patti Niemi has been a percussionist for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1992. She speaks with Fresh Air's Sam Briger about performance anxiety, muscle memory and her memoir, Sticking it Out.