Name any number of modern-day alternative-country bands and you can be sure that their influences include the singer and songwriter Gram Parsons. In working with groups like The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons fused country and rock and created something entirely fresh. Today, David N. Meyer, the author of the new biography Twenty Thousand Roads, talks about Parsons' music and tumultuous life. Later: the Peruvian style "Chicha" blends indigenous melodies, Columbian cumbia, and surf rock. The band Chicha Libre performs live in our studio. This is a repeat edition of Soundcheck.
Rock's "Grievous Angel"
Singer and songwriter Gram Parsons infused country sounds into rock during the 1960s and early ‘70s, both as a solo artist and a member of the Flying Burrito Brothers, the International Submarine Band and The Byrds. (Some credit Parsons with the countrified sounds on the Rolling Stones’ "Exile on Main ...
Chicha Libre
The band Chicha Libre plays a mixture of Latin rhythms, surf music and psychedelic pop inspired by Peruvian music from the Amazon. This Brooklyn-based group revives forgotten Chicha classics and puts their own cross-cultural spin on them as we hear in a live performance.
She & Him [3/14/08]
Singer-songwriter Matt Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel have teamed up for She & Him. Ward, Deschanel and their band played a 'day party' (read: free!)badge or wristband required!) hosted this afternoon by Minnesota Public Radio's The Current (FYI: Red River and 7th ...
View From Austin Pedicab
En route to our failed attempt to get into the Austin Children's Museum to see a grindcore act:
Flying Blind
Last night was this Soundcheck staffer's third straight night of clubhopping here in Austin. For the most part, I've decided to wander around without a clear itinerary of bands to see. The result: lots of good shows, a few stinkers, and a few excellent ones. ...