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by WNYC Studios
WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop, indie rock, jazz, urban, world and classical music, technology, cultural affairs, TV and film. Recent episodes have included features on Michael Jackson,Crosby Stills & Nash, the Assad Brothers, Rackett, The Replacements, and James Brown.
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- 3 days ago35 min
Alt-Country Artist Tift Merritt Shares Her New Confessional Songs, In-Studio
After almost a decade-long wait, the Grammy-nominated alt-country artist Tift Merritt returns with her new record Sugar, in which she sings, “I didn’t really want to be here tonight / I don’t need you looking at me / I don’t like the light bright.” Is a romantic love story the inspiration behind these words? Or is it the music industry itself, which is, as Merritt puts it, the ultimate “bad boyfriend”. “This was a little song that was negotiating how I could come back and stay grounded in my own world that I’ve built off-stage,” she explains. And that world recently got a lot bigger. Merritt, alongside her partners, restored a historic boutique hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina, now called, The Gables. “I wanted to build a place where I wanted to hang out,” she says, as she expresses her hope that her neighborhood will feel the same way. For a songwriter who feeds on every day singing at the kitchen table and the strange but lovable characters of the South, a communal space may just become the breeding ground for new stories to tell through music. Until those songs come to light, we have an entire album to keep us company, and Merritt’s solo performance for this episode of Soundcheck is just the primer we needed. (- Sırma Munyar) Setlist: 1. Everyday Singing 2. Sugar 3. Finest Feelings Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 6 days ago38 min
Chamber Pop Duo Gracie and Rachel Sing New Introspective Songs, In-Studio
Chamber pop duo Gracie and Rachel, formed by keyboardist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles, spent many years playing music together, living together, and even growing up together during their high school years. But when time came to work on their new album, they couldn’t write in the same room. Instead, they each turned their attention inward, reflecting on their emotions separately. The result was two batches of songs that undeniably belonged together, in their fourth record titled If We Could, Would We. Gracie and Rachel bring their confessional lyrics, ethereal vocals, dreamy soundscapes drenched in strings, guitars, and synths, back to our studio: this time with Asher Kurtz on guitar and Connor Parks on drums, for this edition of Soundcheck. (- Sırma Munyar) Setlist: 1. Leaving Home Is Going Home 2. Green Light 3. Caroline 4. Myself Again Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago50 min
Best of Soundcheck: Marilina Bertoldi, Julieta Venegas
Latin music culture has produced countless artists who amplify decades of traditions and stories through their unique point of view. Two of those artists are Julieta Venegas and Marilina Bertoldi, who have both earned numerous Latin Grammy nominations in recent years. Singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas, who collaborated with superstar Bad Bunny on “Lo Siento BB:/,” is a multi-instrumentalist whose artistry encapsulates pop, rock, and regional Mexican music. And Argentine rock 'n' roll icon Marilina Bertoldi’s creativity contains multitudes, as her retro electric guitar solos pierce through a wall of glitchy and sampled sounds. As you listen to both artists’ performances from our studios, you’ll be transported to a small seaside town in the summer in one moment, and a sweaty nightclub in the next. Julieta Venegas's Setlist: 1. La Línea 2. Tiempos Dorados 3. Oleada Marilina Bertoldi's Setlist: 1. Pucho 2. La Casa de A Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago36 min
Experimental Jazz Artist Zoh Amba Presents Their Brand of Gritty Folk-Rock Music, In-Studio
Multi-instrumentalist Zoh Amba is widely known in the avant-garde jazz world for their remarkable talent as a saxophonist. Having cemented their reputation as a natural improviser, they now turn their attention to seemingly new territory that is really a homecoming: gritty, Appalachian folk-rock music. In their debut singer-songwriter record, titled Eyes Full, Zoh Amba studies the culture of their hometown of Kingsport, Tennessee, picking up the guitar as a main instrument for the first time. With every voice-cracking cry, Zoh Amba embodies the troubles of hardworking small-town people, telling their stories in musical settings that are not sophisticated, but raw and authentic instead. The same spirit of mirroring the struggles of others can be vividly heard in this edition of Soundcheck, as Zoh Amba performs some of their aching new songs live with their band. (- Sırma Munyar) Setlist: 1. Weed Eating 2. Eyes Full 3. Runnin' Bet 4. Southern Soil 5. Dead End Street (Photo of Zoh Amba by A.J. Morales) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 1 weeks ago36 min
Helado Tropical Feels Like 'Summer's Warmth on a Sunday', In-Studio
Helado Tropical ("tropical ice cream") is a collaboration between Helado Negro, the experimental pop project of Ecuadorian-American singer/songwriter Roberto Carlos Lange, and Reyna Tropical, which is the work of the Mexican-American musician Fabi Reyna (also of the cumbia band Savila). Created out of openness and spontaneity, and nearly “telepathic communication” in the studio. there is a tenderness and intimacy that feels like “summer's warmth on a Sunday” to their debut record. Helado Tropical shares some of their new languorous and inviting groove-based Latin pop, in-studio. Set list: 1. Tocando 2. Sensacion 3. Soledad Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 weeks ago51 min
Best of Soundcheck: O'Farrill Family Band; Michael Winograd's TANZ
New York’s history as a city of immigrants has had a huge impact on music. Six-time Grammy-winning pianist Arturo O’Farrill follows in the footsteps of his father, Chico O’Farrill, a pioneer of the Afro-Cuban jazz that developed in NY in the 1940s. Now, Arturo O’Farrill often collaborates with his own sons, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and drummer Zack O’Farrill, in both Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and The O'Farrill Family Band. The latter group comes together to play music from all three generations in our studio. After that, another New York-based musician, clarinetist Michael Winograd and his all-star band, recreates a pivotal moment in the history of klezmer and jazz music, honoring the traditions of an earlier group of musical immigrants, the Jewish people of Eastern Europe. O'Farrill Family Band Set list: 1. Chico O'Farrill: Pura Emocion 2. Arturo O'Farrill: Alisonia 3. Adam O'Farrill: The Man From the Sea Michael Winograd & All-Star Band Set list: 1. Tipsy 2. Silkene Pajamas Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 weeks ago31 min
Funky Afrobeat Brass Band EMEFE Rekindles Old Songs, In-Studio
Jazz-funk brass band EMEFE didn’t plan on getting back together after their indefinite hiatus in 2016. Everyone involved with the project at the time, including founding member and drummer Miles Francis, went on to pursue other musical endeavors, until one of their 2015 album tracks, titled “Sun Spat,” began to gain some traction online years later. “We never heard from anybody from Spotify or any of these companies. It truly felt like people listening,” says Francis, highlighting this rare experience at a time when artists fought for attention like never before. After millions of streams, fan covers of the song emerged and EMEFE couldn’t ignore the buzz anymore. Shortly after their reunion, they recorded a new album, aptly titled Forward. Now, they’re back on the road as a 10-piece band, with Doug Berns on bass, Jake Pinto on keys, Jas Walton on tenor sax, Lynn Ligammari on baritone sax, Jackie Coleman on trumpet, Aani Kisslinger on trombone, Alden Harris-McCoy and Tony Jarvis on guitars, and Javier Ramos on congas and shekere. We managed to fit them all into our studio to bring you their special performance of afrobeat-infused EMEFE songs, old and new, for this edition of Soundcheck. (- Sırma Munyar) Setlist: 1. Stutter 2. Sun Spat 3. The Dirt Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 weeks ago33 min
Tunisian-American Artist and Activist Emel, In-Studio
The Tunisian-born, American-based singer and activist Emel Mathlouthi, who records simply as Emel, became famous when her song "Kelmti Horra" became the anthem of the Arab Spring uprising some fifteen years ago. Since coming to the States, Emel has released a series of albums united by the themes of freedom, struggle, and community. Sonically, though, her songs have varied from dark electronica to North African-inflected pop to haunting and artful ballads. Her 2024 album, MRA, lifts up women and spotlights the fight against [the] patriarchy, and veers into more pop and hip hop than ever before. Emel and her band play live, in-studio. Set list: 1. footsteps 2. Nar 3. Massive Will Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
About Soundcheck
WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop, indie rock, jazz, urban, world and classical music, technology, cultural affairs, TV and film. Recent episodes have included features on Michael Jackson,Crosby Stills & Nash, the Assad Brothers, Rackett, The Replacements, and James Brown.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Soundcheck publishes every few days. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
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Soundcheck covers topics including Music, Arts, Commentary, Performing Arts, Comedy Interviews. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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