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June 2006

Wild Side Survivor

Friday, June 30, 2006

Today, a conversation with Lou Reed, the former Velvet Underground frontman, solo artist, and now, art photographer. He's captured the underbelly of New York in song, but as a photographer, it is a very different side of the city that catches his interest. Also, a conversation with Moog synthesizer pioneer Gershon Kingsley. The label Reboot Stereophonic recently released a CD of the artist who, in the 1970s, unleashed the smash hit "Popcorn" and the classic album "The In Sound From Way Out." And finally, a look at whether jazz can save New Orleans. This is an encore edition of Soundcheck.


Songs of the Road

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Rock and Roll history is rich with three-chord tributes to that four-wheel mode of transportation: the automobile. In advance of the July 4th travel rush, WNYC's Rex Doane takes us on a rock and roll road-trip with car songs from the '50s to the present day. We explore the secret history of road songs as well as songs about hot rods and truckers, and songs that use cars as metaphors for women. Also: Get out your sombrero, it's time for "Mariachi 101." While the original Mariachi were Mexican street musicians, today they're a growing part of the mainstream entertainment industry. Joining us is the head of a New York-based Mariachi school.


All Hail The Mighty iPod

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Many technology companies have tried to topple Apple’s mighty iPod, but most have failed miserably. We'll look into MusicGremlin, a New York based tech firm that may give Apple a run for its money. They recently released an MP3 with wireless technology. Plus, we go back to the 1990s with Glen Phillips former frontman of "Toad the Wet Sprocket," and a live performance from members of "Soul Asylum."


Is Madonna Still Relevant?

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Madonna still sells out arenas and her albums still go platinum. But with each new album come criticisms that the Material Girl has lost her relevance and her capacity for reinvention. In advance of her series of Madison Square Garden shows this week a trio of Madonna-watchers weighs in on her career: Boston Globe critic Joan Anderman, Pitchfork Media contributor Stephen Deusner and Santiago Fouz Hernández, co-editor of the book "Madonna's Drowned Worlds." Also: a conversation with Mike Thorne. He was responsible for the Sex Pistols' arrival at EMI Records in 1976, and he was their A&R man until they were dropped by the label in 1977. He's since worked as a producer for such artists as John Cale, Laurie Anderson, and Marianne Faithfull, and today he runs the Stereo Society, a record label and recording studio in New York.


Impulse Records and John Coltrane

Monday, June 26, 2006

During the golden age of jazz, the music label Impulse Records was synonymous with innovation and John Coltrane. And the Impulse recordings were as distinctive as its bold orange and black record designs. We'll look into the history of the label and why it fell into near obscurity. Then, Indiana's indie-rock band "Murder By Death" explain how the wild west and muder mysteries influence their orchestral sound. Plus, Radiohead's conceptual masterpiece "OK Computer" meets reggae.


Can Music Sound Gay?

Friday, June 23, 2006

Can a piece of music sound gay? Media outlets like Sony-BMG and AOL Music are trying to cater to the gay audience through special marketing efforts. But some critics say they're making assumptions about taste that stumble into stereotype. Jim Farber, music critic of the New York Daily News joins us along with Nadine Hubbs, a University of Michigan cultural historian, whose latest book, "The Queer Composition of America's Sound" has generated fierce debate in music circles. Also: Jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut has a new CD that features unusual covers of songs by Roberta Flack, Fats Domino, and 70s soft-rock band Bread. He joins us with a live performance in the studio. And finally, an appreciation of the Greek composer and architect Iannis Xenakis. This is a repeat edition of Soundcheck


A Chat With Robert Plant

Thursday, June 22, 2006

As Led Zeppelin's frontman, Robert Plant practically invented hard rock singing as we know it. The living legend stops by Soundcheck to talk about his interests in world music, influencing a younger generation of rock acts, and his famous wailing voice. Plus, we'll hear from a superstar on the world music scene, Malian singer-songwriter Salif Keita. He performs live in-studio.


The Sounds of Summer

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Every year there's a song or two that becomes that summer's essential song. Some are literally about summer, others just feel like summer. To mark the first day of summer, Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis shares some of the all-time classic summer songs -- those for road trips, rolling surf, and steamy nights. And we look at the candidates for this year's chart-topping summer tune. Also: Alessandra Belloni, an Italian singer, dancer and percussionist, joins us to explain the history and meaning of the Tarantella, a trance dance ritual from Southern Italy, which has been used to cure the mythical bite of the tarantula. The Tarantella (meaning "the bite of the tarantula spider") began in ancient Greece, then moved to southern Italy, where it flourished in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.


Pack A Picnic: It's Festival Time!

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

On the eve of summer solstice, we sample some of the best classical music festivals, here in New York and around the world. Fred Plotkin, author of "Classical Music 101" and "Opera 101" shares his picks. Plus, jazz vocalist Rebecca Martin performs live in-studio. And we celebrate Brooklyn's 2nd annual hip-hop festival with a live performance from artist Maya Azucena.


Are the Arts Better off Without Government Support?

Monday, June 19, 2006

New Jersey governor Jon Corzine says his state is tapped out for arts money and is proposing $2.5 million in budget cuts. Several other states have proposed similar cuts. While some experts say that corporations should step in to fill the void, others wonder if the arts may be better off without government subsidies altogether. Today we hear from Lawrence Goldman, the president and CEO of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, a recipient of state funding; Alice Goldfarb Marquis, author of "Art Lessons: Learning from the Rise and Fall of Public Arts Funding;" and from Norman Lebrecht, the British cultural critic and BBC commentator. Plus, a look into the intersection of Bollywood and hip-hop. And Paul McCartney turned 64, has the world changed?


Opening Bands: Love 'em or Leave 'em?

Friday, June 16, 2006

Ever get frustrated sitting through endless opening acts, waiting for the headliner? Find out why opening acts exist, and who benefits from this time-honored concert convention. Plus, we'll look into the recent allegations of sweat shop factories being run by an iPod assembly company in mainland China. And electro-pop-trio Mobius Band perform live in-studio.


Just Don't Call it a "Vanity" Label

Thursday, June 15, 2006

In the past, musician-run record labels were dismissed as vanity projects. But these days, major composers are taking their cue from indie rockers and forming their own labels, from Philip Glass and Michael Nyman to Michael Torke and John Zorn. Today, Torke explains the financial and creative pay-offs of going the "DIY" route; and writer and composer Daniel Felsenfeld explains what this means for music fans. Later on the show: Dayna Kurtz, a slide guitarist and singer with a dusky voice, shares music from her new album, "Another Black Feather." And Brian J. Davis talks about his "Yesterduh" project, wherein he layered 60 individual recordings of the Lennon-McCartney classic "Yesterday," gathered over a month, into one giant polyphonic Beatles extravaganza.


Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Music and relationships go hand-in-hand, so it's little surprise that people often turn to music to mend a broken heart. From "Nothing Compares 2 U" to "I Will Survive," we'll talk about the best break-up and make-up songs. Plus, drummer Bobby Previte is known as much for his electric playing as for his diverse compositions, which includes elements of rock, free jazz, hip hop and blues. He talks about his latest musical venture, a choral composition for WNYC Young People’s Radio Chorus. They perform live in-studio.


Swing High, Swing Low

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Tonight kicks off two major jazz celebrations in New York: the 11th Vision Festival, bringing experimental jazz to the Lower East Side, and the JVC Jazz Festival, the bigger and better-financed monolith taking place Uptown. What's more, the Jazz Journalists Association is gearing up for its 10th annual Jazz Awards, which will take place next Monday. With this confluence of events, we take a look at the state of the jazz world, from the big halls to the tiny clubs, from major labels to indies. Joining us is composer and bandleader Maria Schneider; jazz columnist and Jazz Journalists Association president Howard Mandel; and saxophonist and composer Steve Lehman. Later on the show, a live performance by Israeli bassist Avishai Cohen. Known for mixing straight-ahead jazz with folk, funk and fusion sounds, his latest quartet CD, "Continuo," combines Middle Eastern and through-composed classical music.


Tony Awards Round-up

Monday, June 12, 2006

Soundcheck rounds up the winners and losers at last night's Tony Awards with Time Out New York theater editor David Cote. Also, Tony-winning singer and actor Brian Stokes Mitchell performs live in the studio. One of the leading voices on Broadway he has just released the debut album on the Playbill Records label. Plus the author of a new book about the black Renaissance that took place in 1940's Los Angeles. He argues that the scene was just as influential as the Harlem Renaissance.


When is it Wrong to Download/Burn/Scalp?

Friday, June 09, 2006

Do you download music illegally? Have you ever bought scalped tickets? Would you burn copies of a CD for friends? With so many technological changes facing music fans these days, it's often difficult to know where the ethical boundaries lie. Today, we take listener calls on the ethics of music consumption as we're joined by Randy Cohen, who writes the weekly column "The Ethicist" for the New York Times Magazine; and by Eric Garland, CEO of BigChampagne Media, a marketing research company focused on file-sharing networks. Later on the show: jazz and pop vocalist Nora York performs music from her new project, "Furtiva Lagrima" (Secret Tears). Taking operatic arias - from Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas" to Bizet's "Carmen" - she seeks to create "entirely new inventions" by juxtaposing the originals with pop, country, jazz and other musical styles.


The Refugee All Stars

Thursday, June 08, 2006

The reggae-style band "The Refugee All Stars" formed in a refugee camp in Guinea after being displaced by Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. The group's three year journey from the camps to the recording studio was captured by filmmakers in a new documentary, "The Refugee All-Stars." The filmmakers join Soundcheck to talk about the band's remarkable story. Plus, the director of the Tony-nominated musical "Jersey Boys" explains how he adapted the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to the Broadway stage. And the Brooklyn band Rainer Maria perform live in-studio.


Gol!: Soccer Songs From Around the World

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

All across the world, soccer fans are eagerly anticipating the first match of the World Cup, set for this Friday. Soundcheck kicks off its World Cup celebration with soccer songs from around the globe. We'll talk about music inspired by the sport, team songs, and why some musicians are rabid soccer fans. Then, two musicians talk about the benefits and challenges of being accomplished, talented and young. Conductor Alondra de la Parra explains how she managed to breakthrough the stereotypes of her profession. She was the first Mexican woman ever to conduct in New York City, is the founder and artistic director of the Mexican American Symphony Orchestra and she's only 25-years-old. She's joined by Venezuelan double-bassist Edicson Ruiz. At age 21, he’s the youngest member of the Berlin Philharmonic.


At 65, Dylan Still Ranks Supreme

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

The "Top 100 Living Songwriters" have just been named by Paste magazine. Not surprisingly, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Elvis Costello all make the top 10 alone. But there are also names sure to raise eyebrows, like Tom Petty and Sting. Today, Paste editor-in-chief Josh Jackson joins us to dissect the list and take your calls. Later on the show, spoken-word artist and singer Carl Hancock Rux shares music from his new CD, "Good Bread Alley." The album, which borrows its title from a now defunct segregated black district in Florida, features songwriting contributions from guitarist Vernon Reid and "Ocean's Eleven" soundtrack DJ David Holmes. It also includes a cover of a 1975 anti-Vietnam War blues song by Bill Withers. Finally, some people are having a devil of a time with 06/06/06 but the music industry may have missed a golden marketing opportunity. Billboard magazine's Melinda Newman explains why.


Christian Rock

Monday, June 05, 2006

Ten years ago Christian rock was widely considered a niche market, but it's become a billion-dollar-a-year industry. Fans of the music run the gamut, from followers of mainstream bands, like Creed, to the lesser known "Christian goths." Journalist Andrew Beaujon talks about his year-long investigation of the Christian rock movement. Then, violinst Anne Akiko Meyers talks about her involvement in "Rewind," a concert that spans five centuries of music. Plus, find out why music licensing may be hurting DVD sales.


A Tour of American Popular Song

Friday, June 02, 2006

Soundcheck's portion of the WNYC American Music Festival concludes with the prominent American baritone Thomas Hampson. He has spent his career trying to get Americans to explore their song traditions and all this season he has been on a tour jointly organized with the Library of Congress. It features performances of great American songs and a traveling collection of music manuscripts by everyone from Aaron Copland to Steven Foster. Also: Wall Street Journal music writer Joe Goldberg tells us why he believes Frank Sinatra's 1955 album, "In the Wee Small Hours," is "the finest vocal album of American popular songs ever recorded." Finally, Salman Ahmad, former lead guitarist of the Junoon, the international Pakistani band (dubbed the U2 of Asia) performs live in the studio.


Santa Monica Soul

Thursday, June 01, 2006

The next wave of American soul music is being created in an unexpected place, Santa Monica, California. Find out why the upscale L.A. enclave has become a breeding ground of soul. Plus, avant-garde-jazz vocalist and composer Theo Bleckmann has performed every kind of music from jazz to modern classical. He talks about his new album of show tunes, Las Vegas Rhapsody: The Night They Invented Champagne. Finally, choreographer Pascal Rioult explains why he set his latest improvisational dance piece to the music of Mozart.