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Each act had five minutes to convince the judges it merited the right to legitimately perform in the subway system under an MTA-approved banner. Help us discover the city's best underground music by snapping a shot or sending us a video clip of your favorite subway performance.

First published in 1947, Nicolas Slonimsky’s “Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns” has inspired musicians ranging from jazz saxophonist John Coltrane to Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo. Today: we hear new songs that incorporate exercises from Slonimsky’s Thesaurus, as part of a project sponsored by Esopus magazine. We talk with editor Tod Lippy and New York-based musician Cat Martino, who composed her song “Radial Brief” for the project’s CD.

New York musician Cat Martino visited us last year as a backing musician when Sufjan Stevens performed in our studio. Today, Martino joins us as a solo artist to play her song "Yr Not Alone."

Writer and historian David McCullough and contemporary music composer Steve Reich will receive the academy's most significant prizes — gold medals for distinguished achievements in biography and music — during the star- and literati-studded annual American Academy of Arts and Letters luncheon in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Last week Florida A&M University marching band director Julian White announced his resignation after 11 band members were charged with felony hazing in the November 2011 death of drum major Robert Champion. Today, we look at hazing and the culture of competitive marching bands with ESPN investigative reporter Mike Fish and North Carolina Central University band director Jorim Reid.

Since joining the Atlanta Braves in 2009, organ player Matthew Kaminski has earned a reputation for the his highly personalized — and often playful — introductory music he gives players up to bat. Many of his best ideas come from Braves fans, who inundate him with their suggestions on Twitter. 

There’s an hour of music for far-off places on this New Sounds program.  Listen to a work written by Princeton professor Paul Lansky, called “Travel Diary.”  From a new recording by the Meehan/Perkins Duo, the work is a "kind of meditation on travel particularly for those who don't do it that much." Parts were inspired by an actual cross-country trip taken by the composer and his family, wrong turns and a younger child asking "Are we there yet?"

Detroit hip-hop artist Invincible performs in the "Good Folk: Women of Hip Hop" show at Joe's Pub. Download her song "Detroit Summer."

Brooklyn grooves meet South American folk dances in the music of Chicha Libre. This group of armchair travelers is the house band at the Brooklyn club Barbes, now celebrating its 10th birthday with a new record called Canibalismo. The band invades Manhattan to play live in our studio.

As the outdoor festival season approaches, our Soundcheck Smackdown series continues with a fierce debate about a highly controversial issue: dancing at concerts. Joining us to duke it out are Dean Budnick, executive editor of Relix Magazine and founder of Jambands.com and Steve Jacobs, co-host and producer of The Jukebox, a comedy and karaoke series at Brooklyn's Union Hall.

Dancing in concerts: John Schaefer feels strongly both ways.

Ólöf Arnalds sings in Icelandic and in English. But how does she decide which language to use for which song? Why, the songs tell her, of course! Watch Arnalds perform "Call It What You Want," live in the Soundcheck studio.

The Brooklyn quartet Shenandoah and the Night performs its airy baroque pop at Cameo Gallery on Tuesday night. Download the group's new single "So Low, So High."

Just before the curtain went up on our live show in Los Angeles, Jad and Robert carved out a little stage time for a sneak peek at next week's Colors episode.

Icelandic composer Ólöf Arnalds translates her country's rugged landscape into ethereal songs performed on guitars, violins and even the charango, a South American string instrument. After making a splash with her album "Innundir Skinni," featuring backing vocals by Bjork, Arnalds has released an EP of covers from artists such as Neil Diamond, Caetano Veloso and Bruce Springsteen, called "Ólöf Sings." She joins us to perform live in our studio.

On Friday, the internet was all abuzz with Serena Williams. Yes, she beat Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 in a Madrid Open quarterfinal. But the real news was the leak from an apparently forthcoming rap track. The tennis star is just the latest athlete to get behind the mic – joining the ranks of boxer Manny Pacquiao, basketball great Shaquille O’Neal and even the ‘86 Mets. Today, NPR sports correspondent Mike Pesca joins us for a look back at what happens when athletes get into the music game.