Soundcheck

Pioneering drummer Tony Allen, who was called “perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived" by Brian Eno, has died in Paris, at the age of 79. Allen was the longtime drummer and musical director for the Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti where his unique, propulsive, funky, innovative drum patterns helped to define the style known as Afrobeat. He was self-taught and said that he created that signature sound through listening to recordings of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers and Max Roach. A legend among drummers -and musicians of all styles from all over the world- Tony Allen and his band played a few tunes in-studio from his record Secret Agent, back in 2011.     Set list: "Elewon Po," "Secret Agent"s

The late funk and R&B singer Charles Bradley’s life story was one filled with poverty, struggle and unappreciated talent. But after catching the eye of a Daptone Records agent (while doing a James Brown routine in a Bushwick club) Charles Bradley put out several singles and several full-length releases on Daptone. His debut record was called No Time For Dreaming, and the soulful singer was in-studio to sing some of it live, back in 2011.

Parquet Courts exploded into New York music fans’ collective consciousness in early 2013, with the release of their blistering post-punk LP, Light Up Gold. They formed in Brooklyn, in 2010, but its members all met in Texas years before. Lean and urgent like the best of the early punk rock bands, Parquet Courts’ output is of mostly short and spunky songs, written by guitarists Andrew Savage and Austin Brown. They performed in-studio for us, back in early 2013. Set List: "Master Of My Craft"/"Borrowed Time" "Stoned And Starving"

Songwriter, pianist, and singer Regina Spektor was born in the then-Soviet Union and moved to the States on the cusp of her teenage years. She began playing small cafes and clubs, before moving up to big arenas, and in 2019, a run of shows at a Broadway theater. Her songs are full of charm, wit, and surprises, and very often portray an outsider trying to make sense of things. This session from 2012, was around the time of her release What We Saw From the Cheap Seats. Here’s Regina Spektor, in-studio to play a few songs from that record. Set list: "Firewood," "Oh Marcello," "Ballad of a Politician"  

Pianist, composer, and bandleader Jon Batiste comes from a long line of New Orleans musicians, and got his start playing in his family’s band as a percussionist when he was just 8. Now based in New York as the musical director for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, we sometimes forget what a formidable musician he is. Jazz, funk, R & B, even classical music – he plays it all. It’s clear that most chances he gets, he’d gladly lead a parade just about anywhere with his “mouth piano,” but for this archival edition of the podcast from 2011, Jon Batiste (Jonathan, as he was known then) and Stay Human performed in-studio.

In his four decades writing songs and playing them alone or with friends, the English-born Nashville-based singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock has earned a devoted fan base. His songs can mix gleeful surrealism, sexual frustration, drinking, death, sadness, spiders, snakes, and the occasional movie quote. Never one to be at a loss for words, and possessed of the greatest patterned shirt collection in all of folk-alt-psych-pop-dom, the singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist Robyn Hitchcock visited the WNYC studios back in 2006 with his then brand-new electric band, the Venus 3 (REM's Peter Buck and Young Fresh Fellows' Scott McCaughey and the late drummer Bill Rieflin (formerly of Ministry and Revolting Cocks.) Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 play songs from the record, Olé! Tarantula, and waltz, nay tango, around conversation for this edition of the Soundcheck Podcast (from the archives.) 

For many years, the late, great soul singer Sharon Jones played wedding gigs while working as a corrections officer. Then, in her forties, for her second act, came a record deal and a partnership with the Dap-Kings, a band whose resume includes work with such artists as Amy Winehouse and Al Green, Sturgill Simpson, Kesha, and Mark Ronson. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings became known for their roof-raising shows, fiery horn section, and of course, the defiant yet vulnerable vocals of their singer Sharon Jones, who died in 2016 from pancreatic cancer. As we go through the archives during a time when our performance studio is dark, we look back to 2010 when Miss Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings joined us to celebrate the release of their fourth album, I Learned the Hard Way, in a live performance from The Greene Space.

In 2005, the band Art Brut burst upon the indie rock scene with an album of hilarious, half-spoken stories and manic, melodic punk. For this archival podcast, revisit a performance from the Berlin-based post-punk art rock band, Art Brut, who had just released the 2009 album Art Brut Vs Satan. They joined us to play live and talk about putting the fun back in rock’n’roll. P.S., try their 2018 album, Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!  

One of the sweetest voices of soul’s golden era in the 1970s, Bill Withers is best known for hits like “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me,” about growing up in a West Virginia coal mining town. In 2010, Withers joined us in studio to talk about the documentary Still Bill, which chronicled his life and career. Bill Withers, the artist behind the classic “Just the Two of Us,” and “Grandma's Hands,” (it was his favorite song), died on Friday at 81.

New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra joined us with her band and an impressive array of pedals, playing songs from her album Vows back in 2012. You might recognize her from her guest vocals on Gotye's multi-platinum hit "Somebody That I Used To Know." She also appeared in the viral video for that song as well - wearing nothing but a coat of paint. Kimbra joined us with her band and an impressive array of pedals for an in-studio performance, playing songs from Vows. She blew us away with her powerful vocals and expressive performance. And we weren't the only ones who were impressed: Her performance of "Settle Down" in the Soundcheck studio quickly became the most viewed video on WNYC's YouTube channel. Here's this from the archives... Set List: "Two Way Street" "Withdraw" "Settle Down"

In recent years, oldies radio stations have inched further into the future - and have begun to focus on favorites from the '70s (and even '80s) rather than from the '50s and '60s. So we wondered, forty years from now - in 2052 - will songs of the '90s, '00s and '10s make it onto oldies radio? What will be in heavy rotation - and what will be left off of the playlist? We ask Chris Molanphy - author of the "100 & Single" Billboard charts column in the Village Voice – and we talk with Scott Shannon - who was, back in 2012, a WPLJ host and creator of the syndicated radio network The True Oldies Channel - about the state of oldies today.  Check out Chris Molanphy's playlist (chronological listing): Twenty songs we’ll still be hearing on oldies radio in 2052 by Chris Molanphy (In chronological order by original release) 1. Sir Mix-a-Lot, “Baby Got Back” (1992) – This hit was underestimated by critics in ’92, compared with Arrested Development’s “Tennessee” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 2. Pearl Jam, “Yellow Ledbetter” (1992) – An example of how classic-rock acts are eventually remembered for a song that wasn’t their biggest radio hit. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 97) 3. Radiohead, “Creep” (1993) – Still their U.S. biggest hit, and though they’ve recorded greater albums this is still most likely to be in rotation decades from now. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 34) 4. Snoop (Doggy) Dogg, “Gin and Juice” (1994) – Because a great line is a great line, and “With my mind on my money and my money on my mind” is a great one. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 8) 5. Mariah Carey, “Always Be My Baby” (1996) – She was the biggest pop star of the ’90s, but a lot of her hits got burned out long ago; this one hasn’t. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 6. Sublime, “What I Got” (1996) – Because bros and stoners, like it or not, are going to have a new “The Joker”/”Slow Ride.” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A—Airplay chart peak No. 29) 7. Blur, “Song 2” (1997) – Sports will still be the way we hear a lot of pop songs. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A—Airplay chart peak No. 55) 8. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way” (1999) – Great song; but also the Chinese brothers’ lip-dub (2005) was one of YouTube’s first viral videos—the future of hits. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 6) 9. Eminem, “Lose Yourself” (2002) – He won an Oscar for it, essentially because it’s this generation’s “Gonna Fly Now”/“Eye of the Tiger.” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 10. Coldplay, “Clocks” (2002) – Every generation has its easy-listening songs. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 29) 11. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army” (2003) – Because you can’t stop a good bassline, even when it’s actually played on a guitar. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 76) 12. The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights” or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps” (2003) – One of these will be the “Just Like Heaven” of our era—the hipster love song. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A, No. 87) 13. OutKast, “Hey Ya!” (2003) – Burned out in its heyday but will probably never die. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 14. Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone” (2005) – It will be the Millennial generation’s “sass anthem,” akin to “Respect” or “I Will Survive” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2) 15. Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy” (2006) – Because of its malleability as a song; decades hence it might be a folk classic. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2) 16. Rihanna, “Umbrella” (2007) – It’s the lyrics: beneath its hip-hop exterior lie the bones of an old-time, sentimental love ballad. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 17. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008) – Weddings alone guarantee this a permanent hit-parade spot. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 18. Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” (2009) – Rap’s Frank Sinatra ensured himself decades of royalties with his own Yankee-game-worthy perennial. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 19. Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (2009) – Its nonsense lyric is “wamp-baba-lula” worthy; its video is a classic. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2) 20. Taio Cruz, “Dynamite” (2010) – I’ve never met a kid under 10 who doesn’t love it, and they will all be in their fifties in 2052. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2)    

Grammy-nominated Cuban pianist Roberto Fonseca presents an infusion of rap, funk, reggaeton and electronic music, performing songs from his latest record in studio. Yesun is the Havana-born artist’s ninth solo album, it explores the music of his homeland, and incorporates electronic beats, spoken word, and retro-modern keyboards. "[It's] the album I’ve always wanted to make, all my influences are here. All the sounds and vibes that make me who I am.” - Rosa Gollan Watch the session here:

Oklahoma-raised, Brooklyn- and DC-based artist Bartees Strange presents his re-imaginings of songs by The National in studio. Both a heartfelt homage and a political act of critique, he takes inspiration from the music, the lyrics, and even the cover art to examine how black artists can find room in white spaces. The idea for his debut EP, Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy (out March 13), started when Strange attended a concert of The National in 2019 and he was surprised by how few black people were there to watch, and he asked himself the questions: "Why was it so rare to see black people at shows like these, to see black musicians freed from reductive definitions of genre, to see black acts with this level of success in a genre that is deeply informed by legacies of black music in America?" So he focused his attention on reinterpreting and translating their songs through a personal lens, acknowledging the possibilities and contradictions within the genre. Read more at Bandcamp. Set List: About Today (The National cover) Lemonhead (The National cover) Going, Going (Original) Watch the session here:

Rebecca Foon, the cellist, producer, composer and climate activist, is a central part of the Montreal new music scene. She's a former member of Thee Silver Mt. Zion, co-founded the progressive chamber band Esmerine, and created albums of cello and electronic soundscapes under the name Saltland. But her new album features a lot more piano, other instruments, and the the quiet kick of her own cello-like voice. The album’s called Waxing Moon, and it’s come out under Rebecca Foon’s own name. Cellist and pianist Rebecca Foon performs some of this new material, in-studio.  Watch the session here:

The quartet of “Dublin folk miscreants” called Lankum reworks traditional folk songs so that they are infused with an “urban punk” vibe as well as some psychedelic drone. Made of brothers Ian Lynch (uillean pipes, tin whistle, vocals), Daragh Lynch (vocals, guitar) alongside Cormac Mac Diarmada (fiddle) and Radie Peat (harmonium, accordion, vocals), the band deconstructs and reassembles traditional Irish songs, allowing them to grow and breathe, yet bathing them in a dark and raw energy. Lankum’s press makes no bones about their wide-ranging interests in Krautrock to drone to ambient to Brian Eno, and describes them as “born of years criss-crossing the folk, squat and experimental scenes. The band plays some of their distinct drone-folk, in-studio. - Caryn Havlik Set list: "Katie Cruel," "Bear Creek," "Rocky Road to Dublin" Stream this Web Extra, "Rocky Road to Dublin" from Lankum: Here's a video of their song, "The Young People":