Soundcheck

The Musician Visa Problem

Thursday, April 17, 2008

American visa rules are now so complicated (and expensive) that it's become increasingly difficult for musicians to enter the country. Today: a look at a proposal to speed up the visa process. And Iranian rocker Raam, from Hypernova, shares his visa nightmare. Also: Minneapolis band Cloud Cult talks about performing with painters on stage, and plays live in our studio.

Listen to the whole show

Faster Visa Process For Artists Could Be On The Way

When multiple Grammy winner Amy Winehouse applied for a US visa they said "no, no, no." And the British star behind the hit "Rehab" is just one in hundreds of foreign artists who have been denied entry into the country recently. We’ll discuss the art world’s visa problem with Washington Post staff writer Sarah Kaufman and singer-guitarist Raam of the Iranian rock band Hypernova.

Raam performs with his band Hypernova at The Annex on Sat. April 19 at 8:30pm.

Soundcheck Blog: Read John Schaefer's Eight "Easy" Steps To Getting a Visa

Tell us: Should musicians and artists get special treatment in the visa process? Why or why not?

Hypernova's Website
More about Sarah Kaufman

When Movies Pulsed to the Beat of Jazz

Before 80-piece orchestras milked the last drop out of every film, jazz scores were all the rage in American films, and they were wildly up front. As MoMa opens an exhibit this week on the golden age of original jazz scores for film, WNYC’s Sara Fishko reports on that vibrant time in the 50s.

Museum of Modern Art Web site

Cloud Cult

Minneapolis musician Craig Minowa finds musicians playing boring to watch. So his band, Cloud Cult, performs with visual artists who create paintings onstage. And we’ll see how that works for real, when we get a live performance.

Cloud Cult perform Fri. Apr. 18 at Bowery Ballroom at 8pm.

Cloud Cult's Website
Onstage with live painters at Bowery Ballroom, 2007