Soundcheck

Australian Singer-Songwriter Grace Cummings Brings a Visceral Twist to Pretty Melodies, In-Studio

Australian singer Grace Cummings is the kind of songwriter who believes in the spontaneity of the creative process. “I’m a loner. I talk to myself a lot,” she says, and a

Best of Soundcheck: Guitarricadelafuente, Donnie McCaslin

Blackstar was David Bowie’s last record, a musical farewell, and it featured the sax player Donny McCaslin. In fact, Bowie ended up using Donny McCaslin’s whole band for

Ever-Shifting Guitarist Wendy Eisenberg Dares With Homegrown and Poetic Songs, In-Studio

Wendy Eisenberg is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, improviser, and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer and the voice. They are

Everlast Dishes Out Gritty Humanity in Blues-Rock Style, In-Studio

The artist known as Everlast was the lead rapper in the group House of Pain, whose single “Jump Around” remains one of hip hop’s most familiar songs. But in the 1990s he

Best of Soundcheck: Annahstasia, Patrick Wolf

It’s common for songwriting artists to process their emotions through composing music. LA-based folk singer Annahstasia spent many years crafting her debut album, Tether,

Norwegian Chord Progression Artist Sondre Lerche Sings Acrobatic Melodies, In-Studio

Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche defines himself as a “chord progression artist”: “You establish a pattern, and then of course, you have to break it,” he says. T

Indie Rock Band Shearwater Performs Cerebral Songs with Laurie Anderson, In-Studio

Shearwater is the project of singer, songwriter, and ornithologist, Jonathan Meiburg, who recently took a trip to the Antarctica to study the “the bizarre life of the pol

Best of Soundcheck: Sofia Rei, Mike Doughty

Folk music is known to be the music of the people, but it can sound vastly different from region to region. There are also songs that take inspiration from folk music but

Recording Artist and Actor Saul Williams Speaks Contemplative Words, In-Studio

Saul Williams is many things. A poet, a musician, an actor, and a writer, embodying multiple forms of art in his existence. He’s the preacher in the Oscar-winning 2025 fi

Quiet Reflection in Acoustic Songs by Daughter of Swords (Archives)

North Carolina singer and guitarist Alex Sauser-Monnig records under the name Daughter of Swords, in which they "combine the eerie sound of old Appalachian folk music wit

Best of Soundcheck: Paris Paloma, Cautious Clay

Some musicians make ambitious records that dig into the depths of meaning behind art, mythology, time, or life itself. Two of those musicians are the British singer-songw

Fearless Creative Expression and Lived Experience From Arturo Sandoval Who "Sounds Good", In-Studio

Trumpeter and bandleader Arturo Sandoval is a Latin music legend who began his career as a co-founder of the essential Cuban band Irakere and since moving to the States h

Ghost Hounds Conjures Bluesy Roots-Rock In-Studio

Ghost Hounds is a Pittsburgh-based blues-rock band with a sound that may remind you of classic early 70s bands like The Rolling Stones. In fact, they’ve opened for the St

Best of Soundcheck: Dessa, Omar Offendum

For this episode of Soundcheck, the rapper, singer, and author Dessa gets political, and Syrian-American rapper Omar Offendum gets historical. Minneapolis-raised singer a

From the 2026 New York Guitar Festival: Gyan Riley; Ziggy & Miles

Listen to a sampling of some of the 2026 New York Guitar Festival, with pieces by Gyan Riley and an arrangement of Debussy by Australian guitarist brothers Ziggy & Miles,

From the 2026 New York Guitar Festival: Goran Ivanovic & Fareed Haque, and Pierre Bensusan

Listen to a sampling of some of the 2026 New York Guitar Festival, with pieces by the duo of Goran Ivanovic and Fareed Haque and Pierre Bensusan recorded live in August a

Best of Soundcheck: Public Service Broadcasting; Em Spel

The London band Public Service Broadcasting makes music out of history: the space race, the UK mining industry, and now, the final flight of Amelia Earhart, have all been

Flamenco Guitar Pyrotechnicians Rodrigo y Gabriela Spark It Up, In-Studio (Archives)

The Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela first made a name for themselves busking in Dublin, Ireland, even though they spoke no English at the time. With roots in flamen

Dan Deacon's Joyous Electro-Acoustic Orchestra Ascends a Mountain, In-Studio

Baltimore-based Dan Deacon has been a mad scientist of electronic music since releasing his debut album Spiderman Of The Rings in 2007.  He built a reputation for wild, d

Best of Soundcheck: Orquesta Akokán, Hannah Jadagu

Sometimes music takes us back or far into the future. Other times, time and travel are at the very core of the music we listen to. On this edition of Soundcheck, the (mos