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Soundcheck

Friday, February 01, 2008
  • (Gregory J. Wilson)

    Practice, Practice, Practice ... But Where?

    All artists need a creative space. And for New York musicians, that space can be expensive, cramped — or worse. Today on Soundcheck: the state of rehearsal spaces in the city. And, we announce the winners of our Rehearsal Space Photo Contest. Later: songwriter and harpist Baby Dee paid her dues in the downtown scene, a South Bronx church, and a Coney Island sideshow. She performs live in our studio.

Rehearsal Space Photo Contest

It's tough enough to find a place to live in New York. Finding a place to rehearse is even harder. We talk with Eugenie C. Cowan of NYC Performing Arts Spaces, a nonprofit organization that recently studied the availability of rehearsal spaces for musicians. And, we announce the winners of our first-ever rehearsal space photo contest, judged by Ryan Duffy, producer of VBS TV’s "Practice Space."

Our categories:

Coolest Rehearsal Space
Awarded to a space with outstanding aesthetic appeal
WINNER: Jennifer Hoopes of Emergency Party (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

Ugliest Rehearsal Space
Awarded to a space that excels in disorganization or just plain dirtiness
WINNER: David Ferraro of Barkuna (Farmingdale, Long Island)

Most Creative Rehearsal Space
Awarded for brilliance and vision in finding a place to rehearse
WINNER: Jay Klein of The Zero Effect (Inwood, Manhattan)

View the Winner's Circle!

Slideshow: Rehearsal Space Photo Contest Submissions

VBS.TV's "Practice Space"
NYC Performing Arts Spaces' study "Where Can We Work?"

Baby Dee

Baby Dee started her career strumming the harp in Central Park. The Cleveland native went on to perform in a Coney Island sideshow (as the "bilateral hermaphrodite," play organ in a South Bronx church, and work with Antony and the Johnsons. Her latest solo album, Safe Inside the Day, sounds anything but safe. She performs live in our studio.

Baby Dee website

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.

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.