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Soundcheck

Friday, February 04, 2005
  • conductor holding a football

    Pigskin Classics and Snake Ensembles

    Two celebrated American traditions are looming near: Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl. Today, the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, a Boston-based funky brass band about to embark on a Mardi Gras tour of New York City and New Orleans, joins us to share some music. Also, Andrew Druckenbrod, classical music critic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, stops in to discuss how classical music has turned up in an unlikely place in American pop culture: as accompaniments to televised football. "NFL Films' music isn't Beethovenian in scope or artistry," he writes, "and much of the music is derivative" but it may be a perfect way of marketing orchestras to a new audience.

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

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

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

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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

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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.