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Soundcheck / March 29, 2007

Soundcheck

Thursday, March 29, 2007
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  • (1934, HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY) Wheeler & Woolsey peddle flavored lipstick to a legion of scantily-clad, eager testers.
    From the 1934 film HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY

    Being Musical

    B-musicals were low-budget song-and-dance rarities made in the 30s, 40s and 50s that proved to be a training ground for future A-list stars like Ann Miller, Donald O'Connor and many others. Today Soundcheck explores the B-musical. Also: Lower East Side band Beat the Devil, named after the 1953 cult movie, performs live.

Being Musical

B-musicals were low-budget song-and-dance films made in the 30s, 40s and 50s that proved to be a training ground for future A-list stars like Ann Miller, Donald O'Connor and many others. Film historian Joseph Yranski and former B-musical star Jane Withers join us to discuss the genre and 50 rare musicals now showing at Film Forum.

B Musicals at Film Forum

Beat the Devil

Beat the Devil's lead singer Shilpa Ray grew up in a house where Western music was outlawed. But she made stealth trips to the library where she listened to The Velvet Underground and other illicit, Western Bands. Shilpa performs live with the band in our Soundcheck studio.

Beat the Devil's Myspace page

Too much Tequila

Tila Tequila has 1.7 million friends on Myspace, making her the unofficial queen of the hugely popular site. Her talents include looking attractive and being loud. She also claims to be a musician. J. Freedom du Lac explains the phenomenon that is Tila Tequila.

Tila Tequila's Myspace page
Tequila Dreams, And MySpace Viewers Fantasize (Washington Post)

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.

The Decemberists

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.

headphone

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.