Soundcheck

Country music has a new trend: Remixing. While mashing up popular songs with an electro beat is something that DJs have been doing with pop songs for years, country music is finding out just how popular and lucrative a club mix can be. The Washington Post's Emily Yahr noticed the trend and breaks it down for Soundcheck.  Interview Highlights     Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly, “Cruise” (Remix) That had already been a really big country hit. When they combined with Nelly, the song just exploded in a whole new level. It’s all over pop radio now. It went from being a huge country hit to a huge mainstream smash this summer.     Sarah Darling, “Little Umbrellas” (DJ DU Remix) She’s been around for a few years and had some success with singles she’s put out. [This version] is a more electronica version. It’s just totally different. The song almost sounds completely separate from the first one. And it’s been getting a lot of attention [because] it is unusual in Nashville to see that.     Jason Aldean ft. Ludacris, “Dirt Road Anthem” (Remix) Jason Aldean [has] broken a lot of different ground in country. He’s made his shows a lot more rock and roll, and he’s taken a lot of flack for that. I think he really likes to push the envelope as much as he can and try to start new things with his music. It was a little surprising when they decided to do this new version with Ludacris, just ‘cause the song didn’t really even need more success — it was already doing very well. I just think it was about him wanting to do something new and shake things up.     Laura Bell Bundy ft. Colt Ford, “Two Step” This one was purely made just to be a country dance song. The two step is a traditional country dance. You can find it pretty much at any country music night club. This version is a really fast-paced almost-pop-song that brings up some country themes in it, but then also features a rap in the middle. I talked to [Laura Bell Bundy], and she said she hopes this is a direction that country can go.

Chris Thile plays well with others -- he came into prominence thanks to his fiery and virtuosic mandolin playing with Nickel Creek. Since, he's performed as part of the band The Punch Brothers, as a duo with guitarist Michael Daves, and with the all-star cast of musicians behind The Goat Rodeo Sessions, including Edgar Meyer, Stuart Duncan, and cellist Yo Yo Ma. But on his latest recording, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1, Thile stands alone, translating the works of Bach — originally composed for solo violin -- with exceptional precision on mandolin. J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, I. Adagio   J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, II. Fuga Allegro     J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001: III. Siciliana     J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, IV. Presto  

Later this month, hordes of art and experience pilgrims will descend upon the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada for the annual Burning Man festival.  In the coming week, Soundcheck will talk with the director of a new film about the annual gathering, Spark: A Burning Man Story -- and we want to get ready by hearing some of your stories. Have you gone to Burning Man? If so, we want to hear from you with your memories, best or worst, from the festival. Reach out to us on Twitter at @Soundcheck, give us a call, at 866-939-1612 or leave a comment below. We kick things off with a story from nine-time Burning Man attendee Kim Nowacki, who is also the online producer at our sister station, WQXR.

You may know guitarist and composer Lee Ranaldo from his many years with the the experimental rock band, Sonic Youth. You probably also know that in 2011, Sonic Youth announced a separation -- due in large part to the break between the band's married couple, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. Still, that hasn't stopped Ranaldo, and lately he seems to be busier than ever. He's now set to release an album with his new group, Lee Ranaldo And The Dust. While that record, Last Night On Earth, won't come out until October, Ranaldo offers a sneak preview with the song "Lecce, Leaving."       Randaldo also puts together a playlist for this edition of Pick Three:     The Modern Lovers, "She Cracked" Those 20 songs or so that [Jonathan Richman] did at the start of his career are so fresh and so amazing. Jerry Harrison was in the band — [he] went on to Talking Heads. The drummer for The Cars was in the band, David Robinson, as well. And Ernie Brooks, [a] local fixture here in New York. The songs — I’ve just been listening to them obsessively for the last few weeks. They just re-knocked me out again.     Sandy Denny, "Bushes And Briars" Fairport [Convention] made a record in this little nowhere town in England somewhere. There was almost nobody left in the town. Everybody had moved away. But the recording studio was right next to a church, and although the congregation had all left, the priest was still there wandering around the church. So the song is basically about this one man in the church: Is God still there if there’s no congregation?     Miles Davis, "Right Off" [My] new record, being more of a band record, there’s a lot more band playing on it. We did a lot of sessions in the studio. There’s a lot more free playing and improvisational kind of work going on. And we ended up doing what I call our version of the [Miles Davis producer] Teo Macero edits on a bunch of songs…. We made use of the razor blade in the studio quite a bit on some of these longer songs of ours.

From New Orleans' first family of funk, Ivan Neville leads Dumpstaphunk, joining his cousin Ian Neville and a lineup of musicians from the Big Easy. While it might be hard to keep track of the sheer volume of Neville family projects, the quality seemingly never dips. And Dumpstaphunk continues that legacy: the group's new album, Dirty Word, is a downright dirty collection of "stank-face"-inducing funk songs.     For more photos, visit Soundcheck's Tumblr page. Set List: "Dancing To The Truth" "Reality Of The Situation" "Blueswave" Dumpstaphunk performs tonight at Madison Square Park.

You know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice? It's the ancient Greek myth, in which Orpheus’s singing and playing is so beautiful that when his wife Eurydice dies, he is able to go Hades, and through the power of his music, bring Eurydice back from the underworld. Of course there’s a catch: He can't look behind him while leading her out. They don’t call them "Greek tragedies" for nothing. It's such a great story -- and musicians have always been drawn to it: Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo from over 400 years ago; Stravinsky’s ballet Orpheus; the Brazilian film Black Orpheus; and songs by folk singers like Anais Mitchell and rockers like Nick Cave. Now, add to that list a new novel by Sarah McCarry. All Our Pretty Songs, -- which takes its name from a line in Nirvana's "In Bloom" -- sets the Orpheus myth in Seattle at the height of the grunge movement in the mid-1990s. It's a story of love, demons, and of course, the power of music. McCarry discusses her new book -- and shares of her favorite (and lesser known) bands from grunge-era Seattle.   Sarah McCarry's playlist of her favorite, but lesser-known 1990's Seattle bands: Sky Cries Mary, "Moonbathing" Lucky Me, "Saint Joan" 7 Year Bitch, "The Scratch" Goodness, "Goodbye" The Fastbacks, "In the Summer" The Gits, "Second Skin" Seaweed, "Losing Skin" Hammerbox, "Hed" 66 Saints, "Driver" Sage, "Forked" Maxi Badd / Danger Gens, "Big Black Marble Eyes" The Posies, "Dream all Day"

One of Broadway's newest arrivals features a singing rabbi, some very far out hippies, and Nina Simone. And surprisingly, it's a true story — for the most part, at least. Soul Doctor tells the tale of Shlomo Carlebach, the Jewish rabbi who spread his teachings through music during the mid-20th century. Neshama Carlebach, the daughter of the late rabbi, and Eric Anderson, who plays Shlomo Carlebach in the new Broadway production, join Soundcheck in the studio. Neshama Carlebach, on whether her father sang Jewish songs specifically: My father used to say — and I believe it so much — that singing is like praying twice. When you're singing a prayer, you're praying twice because of the song, and you have the words of prayer. It allows you to elevate yourself. So yes, he was singing Jewish content and most of the actual words were from liturgy — he wrote English words himself every once in a while. But the point of it was to bring it to the world. Eric Anderson, on preparing to play Shlomo Carlebach: Once I found out I was going to be doing the role, I really researched him. I listened to his recordings. I watched clips of him on YouTube to learn his mannerisms and the way he chuckles. I actually had the beard before. I’ve had a beard most of my time here in New York. I’ve been out here for five years, and between rabbis, pirates, and factory workers, it’s all kept me off the couch. Neshama Carlebach, on her father’s relationship with Nina Simone: They had a close relationship, and I think that she was a big influence on him in terms of thinking beyond himself and opening his eyes. He spoke about her with a lot of love. Whatever it is that connects human beings in this world, he always felt a connection to her.

Formed by four childhood friends some twenty years ago pop-punk band Jimmy Eat World first broke into the mainstream with its 2001 hit "The Middle" -- a song counted among Pitchfork's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000's and heralded as a kind of post-9/11 pop reassurance that "everything will be alright." Now, the group has released its eighth full-length record, Damage, a collection of love songs and breakup songs and pop-punk songs all grown up. The band plays live. Set List: "Damage" "No, Never" "Work"

In this episode, Soundcheck revisits two jazz-leaning segments. The first, an interview with legendary soul jazz organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, who, at 70, recently launched his own label and released a new live album, The Healer.  Then, hear an intimate Greene Space performance from Jose James, a soulful singer who bridges the worlds of R&B and jazz with a silky smooth voice and a lot of swagger.

“Symphony of Destruction” might not be a symphony as Mozart would have known it, but it was a song that propelled Megadeth’s 1992 album, Countdown to Extinction, to double platinum status. Now Megadeth, led as always by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Dave Mustaine, has released its 14th album, Super Collider.  Some of the songs have typical Mustaine lyrics, looking at politicians with a jaundiced eye and chafing at authority. But other songs delve into more personal issues, such as “Forget to Remember,” which deals with Mustaine’s mother-in-law’s Alzheimer's diagnosis. Mustaine joins us in the studio to discuss some of those personal themes -- and some surprising influences.   Interview Highlights Dave Mustaine, on having to undergo neck surgery due to the physicality of his performances: If you look at the Big 4 members, three of us have had neck surgery. The only other person is [Joey] Belladonnna from Anthrax, and he’s been in and out of the band a lot, so he doesn’t really have the same wear and tear on him that the three of us did …. It’s a lot more involved than people think. They think it’s all getting up there and you sing a couple songs and there’s chicks and champagne and stuff like that. It’s hard work. On the difficulties of being placed on pain medication having overcome addictions: I had to go through the whole pain pill process while the surgery was getting set up. It was pretty scary. And then stopping, knowing that you have kind of a taste for it. It’s like having sex with a gorilla: you’re not done ‘til the gorilla’s done. Not that I’ve ever done it — that I remember.     On his reservations about performing country music, despite Southern influences on “The Blackest Crow”: [Ron Keel] was in a band called Steeler, with Yngwie [Malmsteen] a long time ago, and he went from having Blackie Lawless hair to putting on a Stetson. You can’t go from being a cucumber to a pickle and go back to being a cucumber at any time. You know what I mean? Once you go from metal and you become a country guy, trying to go back to metal again is pretty impossible.     On playing with Paraguay's “Recycled Orchestra” -- a group comprised of children who perform with instruments made from materials found in landfills: These kids are playing violins made out of paint treys, where you use a roller. They’ve got cellos and stand-up basses made out of barrels from oil and kerosene barrels. The necks of the guitars are made out of boards, and the tuners are made out of combs, and the bridge where the string’s hooked to is a bent fork…. This by far was the coolest assembly of musicians in an orchestra kind of environment. They’re success stories.  

Every week or so we bring you a Check Ahead -- a brand new album we think you should hear, before it’s released. This week, we’re featuring the upcoming album from Barrence Whitfield and the Savages: Dig Thy Savage Soul. Soundcheck producer Gretta Cohn talks with the group's fierce frontman about about cases of mistaken identity, the band's long history, and the new record.

In this episode: Long running metal band Megadeth recently released their fourteenth studio album, Super Collider. Frontman Dave Mustaine talks about the very personal themes on this new record -- and some surprising influences. And: This week's Check Ahead is from the fierce rock/R&B band Barrence Whitfield And The Savages. Soundcheck producer Gretta Cohn talks with the group's singer about the band's new album, Dig Thy Savage Soul. Also: Timo Andres is a young pianist/composer whose influences include Mozart and Brian Eno.  He'll play works by both of them, live in the studio. Plus: More of your karaoke voicemails.

Brian Eno and Mozart are two names one may not expect to be paired up. Yet pianist and composer Timo Andres counts Eno and Mozart among his influences, and has found a way to couple them. On his new album, Home Stretch, Andres plays off of works by both of those composers, matching his reinventions of those pieces with a composition of his own. The result is a buoyant and fascinating record.   Timo Andres performs at Housing Works tonight (Tuesday, July 30).

There are people out there who might be surprised to learn that Hugh Laurie -- star of the incredibly popular Fox television drama House -- isn't American, although he played one on TV for eight years. He's English, and among his many talents, he has a real knack for imitating those of us from the opposite side of the Atlantic. Still, despite his British roots, Laurie has always had a deep interest in at least one aspect of American culture: the blues. In 2011, he released his first blues album, Let Them Talk, and now he's back with a second album called Didn’t It Rain. Interview Highlights:  Hugh Laurie, on his first encounter with the blues:  I heard it on the radio first -- that was the first electric shock, the thunderbolt that descended from the heavens. The first record was Muddy Waters' record Live At Mr. Kelly's. Muddy Waters was my first sort of touchstone, I suppose. Back in the days when I wanted to be a guitarist; who didn't? I wanted to be a "sitting down" guitarist. Muddy sat on a stool, B.B. King sits on a stool, I kind of like that sitting down thing. I suppose that's probably what eventually led me to the piano, because that's a good sitting down instrument.  In response to the idea that there is a tradition of English comics who are also musicians:  But I think of American actors and comedians being -- I think of all Americans, actually -- just sort of being born able to go onto straight a Broadway stage and sing a song and hold a tune and dance. You're a very entertaining people. It's been observed by the rest of the world.  On having an American accent while singing the blues:  I'm actually not aware of any affect in the singing of these songs. They just sort of come out the way they do. I suppose having grown up listening to this music every day, this is just how it's imprinted itself on my brain. It's just how I hear them.  On whether he found it difficult adopting an American accent for his character on House:  I certainly did. My daily struggle was with how on earth do Americans say the word "murder." That's a particularly difficult one for English people. Or "federal court." Wherever you've got a lot of Rs close to each other. That's where my tongue starts bleeding.  On whether he'd ever performed live music before releasing his albums:  I'd dabbled in comic songs, in pastiches of things. And very often the pastiches appeared on the surface to be a way of making fun of something, in actual fact I was only really using it as an excuse to do something that I loved. So I wasn't really making fun of anything, actually they were little tiny coded love letters that I was writing to certain kinds of music.... and then to take a step into the world of sincere performance and the vulnerability that comes with that -- it is a very exposing experience, but exposing in a great way. In a sort of taking off all your clothes and running into a freezing cold North Sea way.   

Beth Orton made her name in the '90s by setting her gorgeous folk songs to electronics and beats, a genre eventually dubbed "folktronica." Her latest release is her first studio album in six years, a gap that she spent raising two children, being dropped from her label, and considering leaving music altogether.  It's a good thing she didn't: The stunning Sugaring Season might be the most critically acclaimed album of her career. Produced by Tucker Martine (Laura Gibson, The Decemberists, Laura Veirs), Sugaring Season eschews the more eclectic instrumentation for delicate acoustic flourishes owing more to classic English folk in the tradition of Pentangle's Bert Jansch. Still, for all its subtlety and spareness, Orton remains just as powerful, especially in songs like "Dawn Chorus" or "Mystery," which carry a sense of immediacy that builds in intensity. Yet at the heart of Beth Orton's songs is her warm, expressive voice that makes her music so agreeable and downright lovely. Hear Beth Orton perform in the Soundcheck studio with songwriter (and husband) Sam Amidon and pianist Thomas Bartlett. Set List: "Dawn Chorus" "Galaxy Of Emptiness" "Call Me The Breeze" For more photos, visit Soundcheck's Tumblr page.