WNYC's Soundcheck
WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck where John Schaefer hosts lively, inquisitive conversations with established and up-and-coming figures from New York City's ever-evolving music scene.
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Sara Tavares live (Soundcheck: Thursday, 12 November 2009)
Sara Tavares was born and raised in Lisbon to Cape Verdian parents. The young singer-songwriter juggles languages, global influences and styles to make music that places her as a potential successor to the diva of Cape Verde, Cesaria Evora. She joins us to play live songs from her new album, Xinti.
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Iggy Pop takes on the French (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)
Punk godfather Iggy Pop spent much of this decade reuniting and rocking with his raw and influential group, The Stooges. But his latest solo album takes its cue from New Orleans jazz, French pop, and author Michel Houellebecq’s 2005 novel The Possibility of an Island. Pop joins us to talk about craf …
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Elizabeth and the Catapult (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 11 November 2009)
The band Elizabeth and the Catapult describes itself as “baroque pop”, but there are elements of jazz, funk and soul on their music. They join us to perform songs from their new album, Taller Children.
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Smackdown: The Love Song vs. The Breakup Song (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)
Few song topics resonate with listeners like romance and heartache. Today: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, stars of the 2007 film Once and the duo behind the Oscar-winning group The Swell Season, join us in The Greene Space to debate which is more powerful: the love song or the breakup song. Tel …
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Joshua Bell with Tiempo Libre and Frankie Moreno (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 10 November 2009)
Violinist Joshua Bell has appeared in the world’s leading concert halls, on the Oscar-winning score to the film The Red Violin, and even in a Washington, D.C. metro station, at the urging of a Washington Post columnist. But his latest recording, At Home With Friends, was inspired by his long-time pr …
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Music by Doctor's Orders (Soundcheck: Monday, 09 November 2009)
Many people have faced a life dilemma or crisis that could be helped by a piece of music: dinner with the boss's wife, a second date with a die-hard Philip Glass fan, a wedding or a funeral. After our popular segment last year, The Record Doctor - aka British music critic and author Norman Lebrecht …
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Kailash Kher (Soundcheck: Monday, 09 November 2009)
It’s a story a la Slumdog Millionaire: Kailash Kher used to live in cheap hotels in Mumbai while pursuing a music career. He is now one of Bollywood’s biggest stars and a judge on the TV show Indian Idol. He joins us with his band for a live performance.
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Gadgets That Haven't Been Invented (Yet) (Soundcheck: Friday, 06 November 2009)
With the holiday shopping season on the horizon, tech companies are rolling out new MP3 players, iPod accessories, mobile apps and more. New York Times technology columnist David Pogue recently asked his Twitter followers for ideas for gadgets that don't exist. He joins us to share some of the resul …
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Bill T. Jones (Soundcheck: Friday, 06 November 2009)
The 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth inspired the choreographer Bill T. Jones to explore the sixteenth president’s life in two major works: Fondly Do We Hope ... Fervently Do We Pray and Serenade/The Proposition. The often-provocative Jones joins us to talk about the meaning of Lincoln f …
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Picks of the Week (Soundcheck: Thursday, 05 November 2009)
This week's picks include some icy sounds, an economic power trio and a multicultural bunch. Click here to read our full reviews.
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All Work and No Play - But High Pay (Soundcheck: Thursday, 05 November 2009)
The stagehands that push the pianos onto the stage at Carnegie Hall make more than the musicians who play them. Bloomberg News recently revealed that the top stagehands there earn $500,000 a year. Reporter Philip Boroff tells us about this specialized corner of the music industry.
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City Opera Launches a New Season (Soundcheck: Thursday, 05 November 2009)
New York City Opera opens its 2009-10 season with a gala tonight after an off-season of drastic cost-cutting measures. General manager George Steel sought concessions from unions – including stagehands – as part of his efforts to bring the beleaguered company back to financial stability. We get a pr …
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The Very Best (Soundcheck: Thursday, 05 November 2009)
The London, UK-trio The Very Best released a critically lauded free mixtape last year that sampled everyone from Vampire Weekend to Michael Jackson and it also got the music blogs buzzing about their rather uniquely Western take on African pop music. Their debut full-length, Warm Heart of Africa, ca …
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Carly Simon (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 04 November 2009)
Carly Simon was in her 20s when she wrote songs like "You're So Vain" and "Anticipation." Over 30 years later, she re-recorded them on a new album, Never Been Gone. They came out so different that Simon says it was like "a visit with a psychiatrist." She joins us to talk about the making of her late …
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Conducting Your Way to the Top (Soundcheck: Wednesday, 04 November 2009)
Roger Nierenberg is a conductor and creator of the Music Paradigm, a program that invites executives to sit inside an orchestra and even try their hand at conducting. He joins us to share his observations on why he thinks conducting can turn business executives into successful leaders as recounted i …
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Musician Activists: Passion or Publicity? (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 03 November 2009)
Last year's presidential election brought out a groundswell of political action by musicians. This year, the causes are lower in profile: Singer Will.i.Am is pushing for health care reform. Trent Reznor, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam are joining a movement to close Guantanamo. But can they effect any real ch …
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Musician activists: passion or publicity? (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 03 November 2009)
Last year's presidential election brought out a groundswell of political action by musicians. This year, the causes are lower in profile: Singer Will.i.Am is pushing for health care reform. Trent Reznor, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam are joining a movement to close Guantanamo. But can they effect any real ch …
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Msician activists: passion or publicity? (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 03 November 2009)
Last year's presidential election brought out a groundswell of political action by musicians. This year, the causes are lower in profile: Singer Will.i.Am is pushing for health care reform. Trent Reznor, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam are joining a movement to close Guantanamo. But can they effect any real ch …
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Vijay Iyer (Soundcheck: Tuesday, 03 November 2009)
Composer and pianist Vijay Iyer has long mixed two genres in his work: jazz and Indian music. On his latest album, Histrocity, he not only covers the jazz standards, but also sets his sight on popular music with covers of songs by M.I.A and Stevie Wonder.
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Behind the Curtain: To Peek or Not To Peek (Soundcheck: Monday, 02 November 2009)
"Myth and mystery have always been crucial to the worship of music," according to NPR blogger and former Sleater Kinney member Carrie Brownstein. But in an age of blogs and tabloids, she asks: "Where is the mystery now?" It might be found in life of an international DJ, as described by Jace Clayton, …
WNYC's Soundcheck
