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Soundcheck

Tuesday, July 13, 2004
  • Marian Anderson - Annenberg Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania
    Marian Anderson (Annenberg Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University of Pennsylvania )

    Toppling Tours and Living Monuments

    The Lollapalooza concert tour, long one of the big events of the summer mega-concert season in the US, was recently cancelled because of poor ticket sales. It's only the latest blow for promoters in a summer which has seen slow sales for many large touring shows. Newsday pop music writer Glenn Gamboa joins us to examine why the concert market is slumping, and what can be done about it. Also on the show, WNYC’s Margaret Juntwait joins us to look back on the life of the late, great contralto Marian Anderson. Anderson was the first black singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera and she broke down a host of other color barriers as well. A Connecticut museum recently restored her rehearsal studio and turned it into an exhibit celebrating her career achievements, and Margaret gives us a report.

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.