Soundcheck

On Tour ... in Your Living Room

Friday, January 25, 2008

The videogame Rock Band lets wannabes indulge their rock 'n' roll fantasies. Today on Soundcheck: Carrie Brownstein of the indie group Sleater Kinney compares Rock Band to the real thing. And, NY1 technology reporter Adam Balkin explains the appeal of music games and their impact on the music industry. Later: gospel legends The Blind Boys of Alabama join us for a live performance.

Musicians! Show us your space! Starting today, enter Soundcheck's first-ever Rehearsal Space Photo Contest for your chance to win a free copy of Apple's Logic Studio software bundle. Click below for details.

Photo Contest: Show Us Your Rehearsal Space!

Listen to the whole show

Jukebox Heroes

In the videogame Rock Band, players form a virtual rock band and "perform" with a microphone, a miniature Fender guitar, and a plastic drum kit. The objective: send your band to the big leagues. But how does the game stack up to the real thing? We ask Carrie Brownstein, a guitarist and songwriter for the '90s indie group Sleater Kinney who now writes for Slate.com, Pitchfork and NPR. And, New York One News technology reporter Adam Balkin tells us the impact that music video games are having on the gaming and music industries.

Weigh in: Have you played Rock Band? Does it encourage or discourage players from forming real bands? Leave a comment!

More about Adam Balkin
Carrie Brownstein's column on 'Rock Band'
Carrie Brownstein's blog, Monitor Mix

Blind Boys of Alabama

The Blind Boys of Alabama have been around for 60 years and are legends in the world of gospel. The current members are all in their 70s, but they are still at the top of the gospel charts and have recently won four consecutive Grammy Awards. They join us in studio for a live performance.

Blind Boys of Alabama website