Soundcheck

The so-called "beach party" films of the early 1960's -- which frequently starred actors like Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon -- were a hugely successful genre full of the most popular music acts of the day. But as the Vietnam War and other protest movements escalated in the mid-'60s, the lighthearted films went out with the tide.  Now, Disney is attempting to reboot the beach party movie franchise -- and score another big High School Musical-style hit -- with a new film, Teen Beach Movie.  "It's a whole new thing for the audience of Disney Channel, which is primarily 6-12 year old kids," says Brooks Barnes, who recently wrote about it for The New York Times. "[But] more than relaunching an old genre, they're trying to continue a franchise that they have with summer musicals... so they're looking around to see what can we do that doesn't feel completely 'been there, done that' to our viewers." Film historian, author and creator of the website Sixties Cinema, Tom Lisanti, also chimes in to give a primer in 1960's beach party movie music -- from Annette and Frankie's duets to James Brown's impromptu ski-themed performance.  Watch the trailer for the new Teen Beach Movie:  Watch the Beach Boys, James Brown, and other musicians perform beach party movie songs: Dick Dale, "Swingin' And Surfin'" in Beach Party (1963):   The Beach Boys, "Little Honda" in The Girls On The Beach (1965):   Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, singing the title song from Beach Blanket Bingo (1965):   James Brown & the Famous Flames, "I Feel Good" in Ski Party (1965):   The Animals, "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" in It's a Bikini World (1967):

In this episode: The so-called “beach party” films of the '60s -- where teens romped along the surf and occasionally broke out into song -- washed away with the changing tides of the 1970s. Now, Disney aims to revive the musical genre with a new made-for-TV-special. We talk with the New York Times' Brooks Barnes about the new "Teen Beach Movie" -- and with film historian and author Tom Lisanti about the music-filled original films.  Plus: The Garifuna Collective, hailing from Belize, has spent a career playing the music of Central America’s Afro-Amerindian community. They play material from their two new albums -- one with the Canadian singer-songwriter Danny Michel -- live in the studio. 

Rapper and multimedia mogul Jay-Z just released his twelfth album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, and he still has a knack for flair — lyrically, musically, and promotionally. For the release, Jay-Z partnered with phone company Samsung, launched a star-studded television campaign and slowly leaked each song's lyrics. Jeff Rosenthal, hip hop writer and one half of the hip hop sketch comedy group It’s The Real, shares his thoughts on the record, which he reviewed for Billboard.  Jeff Rosenthal, on his overall thoughts about Magna Carta Holy Grail: It’s an OK album. It’s not great, it’s not epic as he wants it to be, and it’s certainly not the worst thing I’ve ever heard. But it is somewhere in this middle ground, which is where I think a lot of Jay-Z albums fall…. You listen to it because it’s a Jay-Z album. It’s an event. And that’s what makes it exciting. On “Holy Grail,” the song featuring Justin Timberlake that opens that album: It sounds like mall rap. It sounds like cool dad rap. It’s he and Justin sounding very much like a sequel to the Alicia Keys song “Empire State of Mind.” It’s very clean, it’s very radio ready, and it’s very much like if Jay-Z wasn’t there, then it would be Rick Ross on a yacht with his shirt wide open flailing in the wind. On Jay-Z's attempt to market the album as revolutionary: He has some interesting takes on fatherhood and he talks about the revolution of sorts — he’s trying to say that there are a lot of people that are not being heard the way they should be and are being abused by every single class system [and] political system. He doesn’t really dive in the way that, say, an artist like Kanye does. This is a guy who’s dipping his toe in, in a way to not really offend the sponsors but also not really seem too out of touch. Watch Samsung’s Magna Carta Holy Grail commercial:

The Martha and the Vandellas song "Dancing in the Street" was originally supposed to be a summer dance hit. But then the 1960’s happened, and the song took on a whole new meaning. Author Mark Kurlansky wrote a new book about the song, called Ready for a Brand New Beat: How “Dancing in the Street” Became the Anthem for a Changing America.  Mark Kurlansky, his choice to focus on “Dancing in the Street” as a singular focus: It seems to me that the history of this song was a great example of two things. First of all, it was a great example of why songs are important. And it also is a great example of how the great R&B and great rock ‘n’ roll that came out the sixties — whether it meant to or not — had everything to do with what was going on with black rights. On how “Dancing in the Street” took on a different meaning from its original intent: Here’s this song, and it’s about dancing and a party and having a good time. And Martha Reeves will tell you to this day, that’s what the song’s about. But right about the time this song first came out was the first Black inner city explosion in Harlem — with many more to follow — so that every summer at the approach of summer, everybody talked about, “Is this going to be a long, hot summer?” This feeling of dread — what’s going to happen this summer? Here’s this song. It says, “Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street.” And then, it goes on and lists all of these cities with important Black communities. On how the movie Sister Act 2 and the Black Power movement used “Dancing in the Street” in a similar way: [Whoopi Goldberg] plays a Vegas singer hiding out as a nun. She’s trying to raise money for the school glee club. So she has this rally and what do they do? They play “Dancing in the Street.” And everybody forks over money. In a strange way, that’s the truth about this song. This song will get people on their feet and get them moving for whatever your cause is. The Whoopie Goldberg character in this movie uses this song in the exact same way that H. Rap Brown did for Black Power rallies.   Watch three versions of "Dancing in the Street":        

In this episode: Rapper and hip hop mogul Jay-Z just released his 12th studio album, Magna Carta Holy Grail. Jeff Rosenthal, hip hop writer and one half of the hip hop sketch comedy group It’s The Real, tells us his thoughts about the record. Plus: The Martha and the Vandellas song “Dancing in the Street” was originally supposed to be a summer dance hit. But then the 1960’s happened — and the song took on a whole new meaning. We discuss the song with author Mark Kurlansky, whose new book is called Ready for a Brand New Beat: How “Dancing in the Street” Became the Anthem for a Changing America. And: Contemporary Christian musician Amy Grant recently released a new album called How Mercy Looks From Here. We talk with the Grammy winning artist about incorporating her faith into her music, going to Bonnaroo, and her gay fans — and we hear some of her new songs live in our studio. 

When singer-songwriter Amy Grant released her debut self-titled album in 1977, she was 17 years old and just finishing up high school. Yet since then, Grant has become a multi-platinum selling artist who's traversed -- and sometimes blurred -- the line between the sacred and the secular. The Christian pop artist comes to the Soundcheck studio to talk about the inspiration behind her latest album, How Mercy Looks From Here, and perform a live set with her band.  Amy Grant, on her beliefs and being a part of the Christian music genre:  I think the great thing about living a long time is, at least in my life, I've found myself having a really vibrant faith, and then feeling like I was just hanging on by a toenail, and then coming back around. I think that cycle happens over and over again. Life throws so many curve balls, and we change and how we believe changes, and hopefully it's all in a process of becoming more authentic.  On her gay fan following:  I've felt like music should always welcome people. Faith and love should always be very welcoming. Unfortunately, the church has not been very good at bridge building, but I think because my personal feeling has always been, hey, the table's set, the food's laid out, come eat, get filled up -- hopefully that's why everybody feels welcome.  On the shift in American popular opinion about gay marriage and gay rights: People ask my opinion about one thing or another, and at 52, I can honestly say, there are opinions that I have held at one or other times in life that I felt so strongly about, and then something would happen, some life experience -- and I know what it feels like to move 180 degrees. And now, when people ask my opinion, I go, it's not that my opinion doesn't matter, but I don't know over a lifetime if it will remain the same. 

In the 1970s, three brothers in Detroit — Bobby, Dannis, and David Hackney — formed a band called Death. Until recently, their story had gone almost entirely untold. But the new documentary A Band Called Death chronicles how the band's music went from being buried in a dusty attic to being an underground proto-punk sensation. Death bassist and vocalist Bobby Hackney Sr. and filmmaker Jeff Howlett join Soundcheck host John Schaefer to discuss the film. Bobby Hackney Sr., on being inspired by the Beatles’ legendary appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show: My dad says, “I want you boys to sit down here because you’re about to watch history being made.” My dad said that to us. On Sunday night, families got together and watched Ed Sullivan. He really saw this as being a historic event, and he wanted us to sit down and watch it. Maybe he was trying to get us to be good. I don’t know. But we sat down. When we watched that, that planted the seeds for us wanting to be a band. Jeff Howlett, on realizing that he had a great story on his hands: I had a conversation with Bobby Hackney Jr. to sort of give me the whole gist of the story. And he just told me all these things about his family that were so rich and beautiful. When we sat down and started interviewing Bobby Sr. and Dannis about it, it just blew wide open. We knew we had something special from the very beginning. Hackney, on getting tapes of Death from David for posterity and safe keeping: What’s really poignant and painful for me and Dannis is that this all happened within two months before David died. And he even told Dannis, “You’re not going to see me anymore. When you guys make it with this music, I’m not going to be here.” David was always philosophical, and we thought that was another one of his philosophical moments…. He knew how sick he was, even though he was keeping it from the rest of the family. A Band Called Death is playing midnight showings at the Nighthawk Cinema on July 12 and July 13.   Watch the trailer for A Band Called Death:  

Comedian Tig Notaro has found success both with her stand up and with recurring television roles such as on The Sarah Silverman Program. But her career took an unexpected turn in 2012 with a series of traumatic events, including her mother's death and being diagnosed with cancer. It culminated in a now-legendary set at Los Angeles nightclub Largo. The emotionally raw and funny performance that became Notaro’s second comedy album, LIVE, and was originally released by the comedian Louis CK last year. Currently Notaro writes for the comedy show Inside Amy Schumer, and co-hosts of the weekly podcast Professor Blastoff. Watch Notaro deliver a sprawling and hilarious set on Soundcheck, recorded live at WNYC's Greene Space on June 12, 2013.

After years playing bass with lo-fi rocker Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin is stepping into his own spotlight and has proven he's more than a singularly talented sideman. The San Francisco-based songwriter plays practically every instrument on MCII, a power pop record driven by layers of crunchy guitars and earworm hooks so singable they can be difficult to get out of your head. That said, Cronin's real strength is his ability to write deeply personal and introspective songs that can still rock hard.   Set List: "Weight" "Shout It Out" "Change" For more photos, visit Soundcheck's Tumblr page. Mikal Cronin plays Thursday, July 18 for MoMA Nights.

In this episode: The new documentary film "A Band Called Death," tells the story of a proto-punk '70s Detroit band whose music finally got its due more than three decades after being recorded.  Plus: Comedian Tig Notaro weaves a tale for our audience in The Greene Space – and tells us about the first album she ever bought with her own money. And: Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Mikal Cronin brings his catchy power-pop to the studio, when he performs songs from his new album, MCII.

The music of pedal steel virtuoso Robert Randolph has been described by legendary record producer Don Was as "equal parts street-corner church and Bonnaroo." With a style that marries traditional church-based sacred steel gospel music and funked-up blues and psychedelic rock, Randolph has transcended his signature instrument. Robert Randolph & The Family Band are set to release their Blue Note Records debut Lickety Split (out July 16), and the group joins Soundcheck in the Greene Space for a preview of the rollicking new material.

In the 1970s a band called Big Star came up out of Memphis, Tennessee. The group got rave reviews, but never achieved anything like musical success -- at least, not while they were all still alive. But by the time lead singer Alex Chilton died in 2010, Big Star had become part of the rock pantheon, hailed by groups like R.E.M. and The Replacements as the inventors of what would later come to be known as alternative or indie rock. A new film called Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, looks at the band’s story -- and its continued influence. We hear from the film's co-director, Drew DeNicola, and Jody Stephens -- drummer for the band, and the sole surviving member of Big Star's original lineup.  Find out where you can see the film - in theaters, on iTunes, and video on demand - here.

If you're a fan of shows like 30 Rock or Saturday Night Live, then you've surely heard the music of Jeff Richmond. The composer, writer, and producer has been working alongside his wife Tina Fey for three decades; and together the duo has climbed their way up the comedy ladder. Currently, Richmond is working on a musical adaptation of Fey's film Mean Girls.  Richmond joined Soundcheck host John Schaefer in WNYC's Greene Space to talk about some some favorite moments from 30 Rock, and share a few behind the scenes stories of his job as a television composer.

In this episode: In the 1970s, a Memphis band called Big Star made three records -- and then disbanded. Years later, they'd become part of the rock canon. We hear the story with filmmaker Drew DeNicola, whose new documentary film is called Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, and band's drummer, Jody Stephens. Plus: 30 Rock and SNL composer Jeff Richmond joins us in The Greene Space to talk about writing music for TV -- and adapting wife Tina Fey’s Mean Girls for Broadway. And: Slide guitarist Robert Randolph and The Family Band play a live set of smokin’ tunes from their upcoming album, Lickety Split. 

In this episode: Singer Bettye Lavette has chronicled the rough side of the '60s soul scene in a memoir called A Woman Like Me. The Detroit native gives her brutally honest take on her life in music over the last fifty years – from her first single in 1962, to run ins with pimps and producers, to a twenty year struggle to get her first album released.  Soundcheck Writers Club - Bettye Lavette Plus: The setting for author Michael Chabon’s latest book, Telegraph Avenue, is a record store in a rapidly changing neighborhood in Oakland, California. Chabon talks all about Telegraph Avenue's soul-jazz soundtrack, and why he loves prog rock.  Soundcheck Writers Club - Michael Chabon And: Author, journalist and musician Michael Azerrad shares examples of artists who have written songs specifically about novels.  Soundcheck Writers Club - Michael Azerrad