Music

Grammy-winning singer and bass player Esperanza Spalding recently led her band, including a large horn section, through a set of jazzy jams in the KCRW studios. Watching her play funky bass lines while singing with incredible range and soul was truly a sight to behold, especially in "Smile Like That." You can watch the entire performance at KCRW.com.

The Associated Press takes a traditional view of the news that American workers' productivity fell more than first thought in the first quarter.

Boring, Ore., took not-so-bold action Tuesday night.

The town in Clackamas County is now in an "unofficially official pairing" with tiny Dull, Scotland.

Yes, Dull and Boring have joined forces. As they were destined to.

According to The Oregonian, there was a unanimous vote — of the 38 residents who attended a Boring planning board meeting — to form this "Pair for the Ages," as T-shirts on sale in Boring declare.

So Taylor Swift wrote this song about John Mayer a couple of years ago, and now John Mayer is like, "Not cool, Taylor Swift," and it's in Rolling Stone. Frankly, it is kind of "cheap songwriting," as he says, to write about your famous exes by name. But then, so is writing a song about Kanye West just to tell him you forgive him for interrupting you. [Rolling Stone]

Good morning, here are some of the stories we're following:

Win For Wisconsin's Walker Seen As Blow For Democrats, Boost For GOP.

Suicide Bombers Strike In Afghanistan; More Than 20 Civilians Killed.

Midway through a Wall Street Journal story today about whether the Federal Reserve will do something in coming weeks to give the economy a boost is this eye-catching line:

"There is little worry at the Fed of a new recession."

At least 22 people were killed and another 50 wounded in southern Afghanistan today when three suicide bombers blew themselves up in a market near the Kandahar Air Field used by U.S. and coalition forces.

Most of the victims were Afghan civlians, officials tell the BBC.

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. Eight thousand people will carry the Olympic torch before it reaches London to open the summer games, though one would-be torch barer isn't even human. He's a small red fuzzy monster.

KEVIN CLASH: (As Elmo) Elmo's ready to start training to be a monster torch-bearer. Yay. Oh, oh, Cramp, cramp.

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST: