Soundcheck

(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/20918261@N00/500376036/" target="_blank">b.frahm</a>/flickr)

Raising the Ice Cream Bar

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Move over, "Pop Goes the Weasel." A local musician wants to replace the tinny songs we hear blasting from ice-cream trucks all summer long. Today on the show, we’ll find out if cool-treat vendors are giving him a warm welcome. Plus, the New Orleans indie-rock band Rotary Downs performs live in our studio.

Listen to the whole show

Songs for Ice Cream Trucks

Like it or not, ice-cream trucks provide the soundtrack to summer for city dwellers. Unfortunately, most trucks seem to play a single song over and over again. We talk to Brooklyn-based musician Michael Hearst about his plight to convince vendors to use songs from his new album Songs for Ice Cream Trucks. We also speak to an artist who's holding a competition for new riffs on an old tune.

"Songs for Ice Cream Trucks" web site
Ice Cream Headache Song Competition
Michael Hearst's ice cream cart video

Rotary Downs

Indie rockers Rotary Downs may not sound like they're from New Orleans, but the seven-year-old group stuck by their local music scene during tough times after Hurricane Katrina. Fresh from a performance at New Orleans' Jazzfest, the band talks about their latest album, Chained to the Chariot, and performs live in our studio.

Rotary Downs web site
Rotary Downs on MySpace