wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

On Demand

Program Schedule

Topics

Spinning On Air Archive


June 2004

Dewanatron

Friday, June 25, 2004

Dewanatron plays live electronic music on analog synthesizers they design and build themselves, making exciting, unpredictable sounds that harken back to the Golden Age of electronic music. Cousins Brian and Leon Dewan have been tinkering with electronic sounds since they were kids. Each has gone on to become an unsual songwriter (Leon with the group The Happiest Guys in the World, and Brian with his solo projects such as "The Operating Theater"). In the last couple of years they've been inventing and playing electronic instruments such as the Courtesy Modulator, the Swarmatron, and their latest, most ambitious instrument, the Dual Primate Console. Dewanatron joins host David Garland in the WNYC studio for an entertaining presentation and discussion of their unique instruments.

» See pictures of Dewanatron's visit to WNYC!


Hannah Marcus

Friday, June 18, 2004

Hannah Marcus has been writing and recording songs for the last ten years or so, and she's evolved a very personal style. The songs sometimes wander gently, other times they are searching urgently, and their goal seems to be an encounter with the truth. Hannah joins host David Garland in the studio to talk about and to sing some of her encounters, accompanying herself on piano and guitar, joined by an ensemble of viola, cello, harmonium, and sax. While Hannah often writes her own lyrics, she's also collaborated with novelist Rick Moody (The Ice Storm, etc.), not only on her songs but also in the group The Wingdale Community Singers, along with guitarist David Grubbs, and we'll hear some of the smart urban country music this entertaining group has recorded. Hannah's new CD, "Desert Farmers," was recorded with members of the Montreal-based band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Hannah will introduce us to some of their music, too.


The Commonplace Made Extraordinary

Friday, June 11, 2004

Some people can take the commonplace—daily life, a guitar, a singing voice—and turn it into something extraordinary, reminding us that nothing should be assumed or taken for granted. Here are some musicians for whom songwriting is bursting with new potential. They may be a bit eccentric, but the result is startling communication. Br. Danielson's new CD, "Brother:Son" includes songs of wonder, doubt, and faith, with music that engages by being surprising. The Animal Collective's "Sung Tongs" seems to come from some vital, but alien culture. On her new album "The Finest Thing," Lori Carson has slowed the song experience down so that it ambles thoughtfully in a lush landscape. Host David Garland presents songs by these artists and more, including Iceland's Slowblow and Argentina's Juana Molina. Also, innovative Japanese composer Nobukazu Takemura was in New York this week, and had time for a short interview, which is heard in the start of the second hour of this show.


A Visit from the Cats: Gene Deitch and Kim Deitch

Friday, June 04, 2004

Gene Deitch is an Oscar-winning animation film director. He created cartoons for the UPA Studio (Mr. Magoo), and for CBS he created and directed the Tom Terrific series. He's also been an avid jazz record collector since the 1940s. In the '40s, for a record collector's magazine he drew cartoons featuring a bespectacled jazz fanatic called The Cat. Now a book of those drawings, called "The Cat on a Hot Thin Groove," has been published, and Gene Deitch visits Spinning On Air to share his musical passions and talk about his work. Also joining host David Garland is Gene's son, Kim Deitch, himself a widely respected cartoonist - of the underground comics variety. Kim's graphic novel "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is set in the milieu of the early years and pioneers of animation, and music plays a part in that story, too. Some of the musical rarities Gene Deitch shares on this show include the broadcast premier of recordings Deitch himself made of blues legend John Lee Hooker 55 years ago!