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Soundcheck

Thursday, November 02, 2006
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  • Shakira
    Shakira (Getty Images)

    Una Fiesta Grande en Nueva York

    The seventh annual Latin Grammy Awards makes its New York debut with mega-stars like Columbian singer Shakira and Mexican band R.D.B. Today, find out who else to watch for at the Awards. Also: During the late '50s and early '60s the Brill Building in midtown Manhattan produced some of the most popular songs of all time, including Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'." We hear today how that building came to be so influential. Finally: Earlier this year, singer-songwriter Edie Brickell reunited with some of the original members of her late '80s band the New Bohemians. She joins us to share their new album, "Stranger Things."

Latin Grammy Awards

A preview of tonight's Latin Grammys, which are shaping up as a showcase for some of the hottest Latin performers and best new artists.

Latin Grammy Web site
If You Were a Latin Grammy Voter, Which Would You Choose for Song of the Year?

Behind the Brill Building

Ken Emerson, author of "The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era, talks about the legendary office complex where great songs were born.

Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era

Eddie Brickell

The folk-rock group Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians share their latest album, "Stranger Things."

Edie Brickell'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,

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