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Soundcheck

Tuesday, May 29, 2007
  • Freebird T-shirt
    Freebird T-shirt

    Yelling "Freebird!" in a Crowded Theater

    In his new collection of essays, The Boy Who Cried Freebird, music critic Mitch Myers spoofs topics like obsessive record collectors, rock concert decorum, Sixties nostalgia, Deadheads, and music journalism, and other related pop phenomena. He joins us to talk about crafting these and other fables. Also: the Puppini Sisters, a British trio specializing in 1940's style vocal close harmony music perform live. And finally, conductor Robert Spano interviews composer Osvaldo Golijov as part of WNYC's American Music festival. We hear an excerpt.

Rock 'n' Roll Fables

In his new collection of essays, "The Boy Who Cried Freebird," music critic Mitch Myers blurs the line between fact and fiction in music criticism. He joins us to talk about crafting fables about the man who first cried "Freebird!" during a lull at a concert and the power of Black Sabbath’s "Paranoid" in unmasking the aliens who live among us.

The Puppini Sisters

The vocal trio the Puppini Sisters sings everything from "The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" to "I Will Survive." Fans of the retro-jazz outfit include Vivienne Westwood, Kate Moss and Prince Charles. They perform live in our studio today.

The Puppini Sisters

Golijov and Spano

Conductor Robert Spano has specialized in reaching new audiences with new repertoire as music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Composer Osvaldo Golijov blends Latin American, Jewish and other musical traditions in his multi-ethnic compositions. We hear an excerpt from a conversation between the two that will air tomorrow night on WNYC's Evening Music.

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

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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.