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Soundcheck / March 11, 2008

Soundcheck

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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  • Guitarist
    (Ctd 2005/flickr)

    One Man's Quest to Become a Hit Songwriter

    In a new memoir, British journalist Will Hodgkinson sets out on a mission: to learn how to write a hit song and record it within a year. Today, he joins us to share that journey, which included songwriting lessons with Keith Richards, Chan Marshall of Cat Power and Ray Davies of the Kinks. Also: Songwriter John Darnielle from the band The Mountain Goats performs songs from his new album, "Heretic Pride," and talks about writer's block.

Will Hodgkinson's "Melodic Adventure"

In music journalist Will Hodgkinson's first memoir he attempted to teach himself to play guitar in just six months. He chronicled his musical crash course in the book Guitar Man. Now he's back, with a sequel called Song Man that charts his quest to write and record a single song. Along the way, he gets some help from some very famous songwriters. He joins us to share his adventure.

Will Hodgkinson's MySpace page
Amazon.com: Song Man: A Melodic Adventure, Or, My Single-minded Approach to Songwriting

John Darnielle

The Mountain Goats are known for their low-fidelity recording approach, hard-strumming acoustic guitar lines and ultra-literate lyrics. The band's new album, “Heretic Pride,” is just out and frontman John Darnielle performs highlights.

The Mountain Goats' web site

Toumani Diabaté

Best Live Performances of 2008

Soundcheck

We revisit memorable in-studio performances from Toumani Diabaté, Cat Power, Regina Spektor, and others.

Marvin Gaye

The Year in Music and Branding

Soundcheck

Pop music and advertising go together like peanut butter and jelly. Grey Group music director Josh Rabinowitz shares his picks for the best song picks and ad campaigns of 2008.

Taylor Swift

Critics Week

Soundcheck

Music writers look back at the year's best pop, rock, hip hop, classical, jazz, Latin and world albums. Plus: the worst music of the year and the best online music. Read our critics' lists here. And don't forget to cast your vote in our best-albums poll.

cab

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.