wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Program Schedule

Topics


Soundcheck

Thursday, November 17, 2005
Previous Episode | Next Episode
  • Neko Case
    Neko Case

    Case Logic

    Singer-songwriter Neko Case made her name as a member of the Canadian pop group New Pornographers, and singing gritty solo alt-country songs. Today, we find out why she's been compared to singers from Patsy Cline to Aretha Franklin. Also: Rinde Eckart, the avant-garde author of the hit avant-garde musical "And God Created Great Whales," will see his new stage work "Horizon" presented at Montclair State University this weekend. The piece is inspired by the life of German-American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. Eckert joins us with a preview. Finally, we speak with British artist Carey Young, who has joined forces with a team of legal experts to create a performance piece called "Consideration."

Neko Case

Singer-songwriter Neko Case joins us to share her new songs.
» Neko Case at Joe's Pub
» Neko Case's Web site

Carey Young

The British artist discusses her conceptual art work, "Consideration," in which the viewer has to sign a contract to enter the gallery.
» Performa05 Festival website

Rinde Eckert

Playwright, composer and performer Rinde Eckert discusses his latest stage work, "Horizon."
» Rinde Eckert's Web site

audience

Soundcheck Smackdown: When Contemporary Met Classical

Soundcheck

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music.

musical clouds

You Are What You Hear

Soundcheck

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Rosanne Cash and Mark O'Connor

Soundcheck

For her, he was a father. For him, he was a boyhood hero. For the nation, he was an icon. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and composer and violinist Mark O'Connor join us to talk about how Johnny Cash has inspired their musical collaboration. And they will play live.

Katy

Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll

Soundcheck

Every year, popular and critical opinion somehow converge to settle on a "summer song." In 2007, it was Rihanna's "Umbrella." The year before, it was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The practice stretches back to the very dawn of pop radio. Yet defining the essence of a "summer song" is a bit elusive. We enlist the help of Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman -- and of our Soundcheck listeners, in an online poll.

Cast your vote: Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll 2008

Can't decide? Check out audio and video clips of the contestants here.

Our blog: John Schaefer asks what makes a good summer song,

  1. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention (08/25/2008)
  2. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention: Day 4 (08/28/2008)
  3. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention: Day 3 (08/27/2008)
  4. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from the Democratic National Convention: Day 2 (08/26/2008)
  5. The Brian Lehrer Show: Business Connections (08/22/2008)
  6. The Brian Lehrer Show: Live from Denver (08/29/2008)
  7. The Leonard Lopate Show: 1-2-3 (08/26/2008)