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Let's Face the Music and Dance
During the Great Depression, music often served to cheer people up. More recent economic downturns gave us the dark sounds of punk and grunge. Today, we'll look at the correlations between music and the economy with Eric Weisbard, critic and curator at the Experience Music Project. Also: Kayhan Kalhor, an Iranian composer and virtuoso of the kamancheh, the Persian spike-fiddle, has been a member of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project. He shares his own cross-cultural music, as featured on the new album, "Silent City."
Do bad economic times make for better music?
The bullish Clinton years gave us trite boy bands and carefree pop hits, while the late 70s spawned punk. But the Great Depression also spawned plenty of happy-go-lucky songs meant to inspire escapist fantasies. Today, a look at the correlations between music and the economic cycles with Eric Weisbard, a music critic, historian and curator at the Experience Music Project.
Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on music and the economy
We're In The Money (Gold Diggers of 1933)
Jack Hylton: Happy Days Are Here Again
Brother Can You Spare a Dime? (Bing Crosby)
Graph: Rock Music Quality vs. Oil Production
Soundcheck's Songwriting Contest
It's time to crown a (new) winner in Soundcheck's first-ever songwriting contest. After a technical disqualification last week, the first-place award now goes to our runner up, "Che Guevara Monday" by Sam Mastandrea. Soundcheck blog: read the winning lyrics
Kayhan Kalhor live
Virtuoso kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor started performing with Iran’s National Orchestra of Radio and Television when he was 13. He left the country after the Islamic Revolution, lived in Canada and the US, but now is back in Iran. He joins us to talk about the state of music in Iran, about his latest record -- with the young string quartet Brooklyn Rider – and he will bring his ensemble for a live performance.
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Go behind the scenes!
Find out what John Schaefer and the Soundcheck staff have to say about recent segments on the show. Plus, watch videos from in-studio performances.
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Introducing our Video Contest
Soundcheck
John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.
In Studio: Los Amigos Invisibles
Soundcheck
The Venezuelan funk-rock band "Los Amigos Invisibles" was discovered by David Byrne in a Manhattan record shop. They perform live on Soundcheck.
In Studio: Angel Deradoorian
Soundcheck
The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.
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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.
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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.
