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Soundcheck

Tuesday, September 04, 2007
  • (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hypowren/300572441/" target="_blank">h.wren</a>/flickr)
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    Honky Tonkin' in Brooklyn

    Make room indie rockers -- cowboys are riding into Brooklyn. Today on Soundcheck, a look at the Brooklyn Country Music Festival and a live performance from The Flanks, one of the bands appearing at the event. Plus, punk pioneer Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees talks about her first solo album.

Brooklyn Country Music Festival

Now in its fourth year, the Brooklyn Country Music Festival celebrates the twangier side of the borough of kings. Organizer Alex Battles of the band Whisky Rebellion and Deborah Evans Price, Nashville correspondent for Billboard, talk about the state of country music in New York.

Brooklyn Country Music Festival schedule

The Flanks

Among the groups playing the Brooklyn Country Music Festival are The Flanks. Later this month, they're playing a NASCAR speedway -- catch them on Soundcheck before they hit it big on the racing circuit. They perform live in the studio.

The Flanks web site

Siouxsie Goes Solo

Siouxsie and the Banshees were contemporaries of the Sex Pistols and the Clash on London’s vibrant late-70s punk scene. The group released 11 albums over two decades and influenced The Cure, Tricky, and any band found within 10 feet of the term “goth”. Frontwoman Siouxsie Sioux continued making music in the '90s with The Creatures. She joins us to talk about making her first solo LP, Mantaray.

More about Mantaray

Noteworthy New York

Soundcheck

We have invited musicians and artists to help us select their favorite cultural destination in the neighborhood where they live. From parks and coffee shops to bowling alleys and museums, the options are as diverse as our group of contributors.

The Journey of Quincy Jones

Soundcheck

During his 50-year career, Quincy Jones has worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Puff Daddy, founded Vibe magazine, collected countless awards, and earned a reputation as a jazz giant. (Somewhere in there, he found time to make possible an album called "Thriller.") Jones joins us on the occasion of his new book, "The Complete Quincy Jones: My Journey & Passions."

Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on Quincy Jones, Henry Rollins and the term "Renaissance man"

Pop's Love Affair With Death

Soundcheck

Death may be an unpleasant topic for conversation, but it ranks up there with sex and love as a basic ingredient in song lyrics. Today, we look at how pop music copes (and even thrives) with death. We're joined by Graeme Thomson, author of the self-explanatory book, "I Shot a Man in Reno: A History of Death By Murder, Suicide, Fire, Flood, Drugs, Disease and General Misadventure, as Related in Popular Song."

Soundcheck blog: What's your favorite song about death?

Behind the public face of John Lennon

Soundcheck

Writing a book about the Beatles is to enter a crowded market. But Philip Norman’s new 851-page biography, “John Lennon: The Life” is getting much buzz this fall for the unprecedented access provided by Lennon’s friends and relatives, including Yoko Ono. We talk with Norman about why Lennon remains such a fascinating and troubled figure.

The Soul of British Soul

Soundcheck

British soul divas like Amy Winehouse and Duffy owe a big debt to a '60s icon with a breathy voice and a beehive wig. Today: the story of singer Dusty Springfield. Later: folk-rock artist Ani DiFranco performs songs from her new album "Red Letter Year" live in our studio.