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Soundcheck

Wednesday, May 07, 2008
  • soldier ipod
    (d-fens/flickr)

    Rock in a Hard Place

    Tech-savvy soldiers in Iraq are customizing their iPod playlists, whether going into battle or unwinding at their bases. Today, a music scholar and a soldier talk about what soldiers are listening to and what music means on the front lines. Also: Pacifika is a global pop trio that melds the sounds of Latin, moody electronica, '80 new wave and classic rock and which hails from an unlikely place – Vancouver. The group performs live in our studio. Finally: The story behind John Lennon's lyrics for "Give Peace a Chance."

    How do you get your music fix?: Tell us how you spend your money on songs, albums and concerts in a Soundcheck poll.

Soldiers' Songs

Every war has had its songs of battle, but in Iraq today they are coming from iPods and being played through communications systems of tanks. What are soldiers listening to and what does music mean on the front lines? We’ll be talking with NYU music professor Martin Daughtry, who is one of a number of scholars researching these questions, and a solider and musician about his first-hand experiences and the music he has created as a result of his service.

Our Blog: John Schaefer on music and military might

Give Peace a Chance Lyrics up for sale

John Lennon's lyrics for Give Peace a Chance are to go under the hammer at an auction at Christie's this summer. The lyrics were handed to comedy writer Gail Renard, who was then 16, at Lennon and Yoko Ono's Montreal "bed-in" in 1969, along with other mementoes. She joins us to share the remarkable story.

More: view images of the lyric sheet.

Christie's Web site

Pacifika Live

Pacifika is a global pop/latin-tinged trio based in an unlikely place – Vancouver -- and with an unlikely combination of people -- a Peruvian singer who is an ex-pop sensation, a Canadian guitarist both into new wave and classical, and a Barbados-raised producer who likes metal and Caribbean grooves. They join us for a live performance and to share their new album, "Asunción."

Pacifika's web site

The Swell Season in The Greene Space

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Joshua Bell in The Greene Space

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