WNYC's Soundcheck

Just under 50,000 people showed up to the recent Bon Jovi concert at Central Park, and yet the Great Lawn looked full. One wonders how that's that possible, given the Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John and other concerts that have drawn hundreds of thousands? New York Times columnist Jim Dwyer joins us to explain next.

The New York rock quartet Ambulance LTD draws on influences ranging from The Beatles and the Rolling Stones to My Bloody Valentine. They worked with The Velvet Underground's John Cale on their latest album and today they join us to perform live.Ambulance LTD plays the Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night. Doors open at 8.

Guns 'n' Roses will release one song from its long-overdue, much-leaked album "Chinese Democracy" on the new Rock Band 2. Metallica is making every song from the upcoming “Death Magnetic” available on the latest versions of Guitar Hero. And Wii Music lets Nintendo geeks simulate the playing of 60 different instruments. New York Times contributor Robert Levine joins us to talk about music's new "halo" inside the video game industry.

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music. Our Blog: John Schaefer dissects the appeal of modern classical music Weigh in: if you go to an orchestra concert do you enjoy hearing a new piece along with standard repertoire? Do you prefer to see new music in separate programs?

Old-school Dominican bachata and Nuyorican experimental rock meet at the indoor Queens Theatre in the Park for the annual Chase Latino Cultural Festival. The Grupo Afroperuano Caracumbe, which will open the festival, stops by Soundcheck to perform live.The Grupo Afroperuano Caracumbe will kick off the cultural festival tomorrow at 8 p.m. on the main stage at Queens Theatre in the Park.

Sarfraz Manzoor spent his teenage years in constant battle, trying to reconcile being both British and Muslim, trying to fit in at school and at home. But at age 16, his life changed when his friend introduced him to the music of Bruce Springsteen. In the memoir Greetings from Bury Park he tells the immigrants story of a hungry heart. Our Blog: John Schaefer ponders how music can shape one's view of the world.

The Norwegian dance-rock duo Datarock is infused with '80s culture, from the red tracksuits they wear (partially unzipped) onstage to lyrics about BMX bikes and Olivia Newton John. Their Reagan-era flair is so intense, one wonders how the group might have fared as a true contemporary of Kraftwerk, Devo and the Talking Heads. They perform live in our studio.

Garth Knox, “D’Amore” As the violist of the Arditti String Quartet, Garth Knox has played some of the music world’s most outrageous pieces, including going up in a helicopter to play in Karlheinz Stockhausen’s notorious Helicopter Quartet. Maybe all that noise got to him, because on his new solo record, “D’Amore,” Knox turns to one of the quietest string instruments in the world: the viola d’amore, an instrument that even Bach considered old-fashioned. But it has a beautiful, intimate tone, and Knox uses it to great effect on a set of Renaissance and contemporary works. - John Schaefer Dr. Dog, “Fate” (Park the Van) Our next pick of the week comes from the Philadelphia-based band Dr. Dog. On their new album “Fate,” the quintet continues to update psychedelic nuggets and Southern rock gems from the ‘60s and ‘70s. [feigning seriousness] Now, the jury is still out on whether Dr. Dog is a terrible band name … or actually a brilliantly “sticky” marketing tactic. Either way, Dr. Dog is hard to forget – especially on tracks like this one, “The Old Days.” —Joel Meyer Sigur Rós “Med Suð I Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust” (XL Recordings Ltd.) Our final pick is from the Icelandic quartet Sigur Ros. They have a new album with a tongue-twister of a title that roughly translates as “With A Buzz In Our Ears We Play.” Thankfully, you don’t have to be fluent in Icelandic to understand Sigur Rós's music, which is known for its atmospheric sound and long, sophisticated song structures. On this, the group’s fifth album, there’s a leaner, more direct sound – particularly in “Gobbledigook,” the album’s lead-off track – and overall it feels like a summertime album. – Brian Wise

Music industry watchers have been obsessed with the future of hip hop practically since the moment rap was born 30 years ago. But sales were down 30% in 2007 and superstars like 50 Cent have lost their luster. We talk about hip-hop's soul-searching journey into the future, and longtime MC Del tha Funkee Homosapien talks about his new album, "Eleventh Hour," and his experiences on major and independent labels. Our blog: John Schaefer on the future of hip hop.

Ever seen a marching band of 100 tubas? Or an orchestra made up of 200 electric guitarists and bassists? Frank J. Oteri, editor of web magazine NewMusicBox, and Frank Scheffer, director of the new DVD "Helicopter String Quartet," join us to talk about some of the most bizarre music performances ever attempted.

Conductor Andrew Cyr and DJ Ricardo Romaneiro bring Stravinsky into the 21st century with an electronic reinvention of "The Rite of Spring." They join us in the Soundcheck studio to share the secrets of setting Stravinsky's most famous work to keyboards, laptops, brass and drums. The Rite: Remixed will premiere tonight and tomorrow night at Le Poisson Rouge. It will be performed again Friday night for free at the Prospect Park bandshell. WNYC will present a live Webcast of the event on WNYC.org and WNYC2.

After four decades, the place that helped pioneer the stadium rock show is calling it quits. On the eve of Shea Stadium's final concert, we look back at some of the ballpark's musical highlights -- from the Beatles' 1965 famed appearance to shows by the Who, Simon & Garfunkel and Bruce Springsteen. We're joined by New York Sun reporter Nicholas Wapshott and New York Daily News pop music critic Jim Farber. Tell us: Have you seen a concert at Shea Stadium? What was it like? Leave a comment! Our blog: John Schaefer on Shea Stadium. Shows at Shea Stadium THE BEATLES Aug. 15, 1965, and Aug. 26, 1966 SUMMER FESTIVAL FOR PEACE featuring Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix Aug. 6, 1970 GRAND FUNK RAILROAD July 9, 1971 JETHRO TULL July 23, 1976 THE WHO Oct. 12-13, 1982 SIMON AND GARFUNKEL Aug. 6, 1983 THE POLICE Aug. 18, 1983 THE ROLLING STONES Oct. 10, 11, 25, 26, 28 and 29, 1989 ELTON JOHN AND ERIC CLAPTON Aug. 21-22, 1992 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND Oct. 1, 3 and 4, 2003 BILLY JOEL Tomorrow and Friday Source: NY Daily News, New York Mets

Blaring loud music has become a standard interrogation technique in prisons from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo. Now, some musicians are speaking out about the practice. We look at the use of music as a weapon of war. We're joined by Chloe Davies from the UK human rights organization Reprieve, and Justine Sharrock,, who wrote about the subject for Mother Jones magazine. Our blog: John Schaefer on music and torture. The Torture Playlist from Mother Jones "F*ck Your God" - Deicide "Die MF Die" - Dope "Take Your Best Shot" - Dope "White American" - Eminem "Kim" - Eminem "Barney Theme Song" - Barney "Bodies" - Drowing Pool "Enter Sandman" - Metallica "TV Commercials-Meow Meow Me" - Meow Mix "Sesame Street Theme" - Sesame Street "Babylon" - David Gray "Born in the U.S.A." - Bruce Springsteen "Shoot to Thrill" - AC/DC "Stayin Alive" - Bee Gees "All Eyez On Me" - 2Pac "Dirrty" - Christina Aguilera ft. Redman "America" - Neil Diamond "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine "American Pie" - Don McLean "Click Click Boom" - Saliva "Cold" - Matchbox 20 "Swan Dive" - Hed P.E. "Rasberry Beret" - Prince

Singer-songwriter Colin McGrath combines textured instrumentation with lyrics that are contemplative and quirky. His new album, "Window Seat," is steeped in storytelling and images of Americana. Sounds of classical, folk and pop music paint touching scenes of everyday life. He performs live in our studio.

Vladimir Horowitz, "Horowitz in Hamburg: The Last Concert" (Deutsche Grammophon) In June 1987, the great Russian pianist Vladimir Horowitz arrived in Hamburg, Germany at the end of a long European tour. He was 83 and it turned out to be his last public engagement. Fortunately, there were microphones from North German Radio ready to record every brilliant run, quirky accent, and crashing chord. This new disc documents that event. Listen to his performance of Chopin’s Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat and you'll get a taste of that Horowitz magic, mellowed only slightly by age. --Brian Wise Silver Jews, “Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea” (Drag City) Our next CD pick comes from Silver Jews, the longtime project of the musician and writer David Berman. The band's lineup has included some of indie rock’s biggest names -- Pavement's Stephen Malkmus co-founded the group nearly 20 years ago. Now, with his wife Cassie backing him up, Berman’s storytelling talent continues to shine, like on the character sketch "Aloyisius Bluegrass Drummer." –-Joel Meyer Peter Gabriel, et al. "Big Blue Ball" (Real World) For some 20 years, Peter Gabriel has lived and worked in a refurbished mill outside the English city of Bath. The mill houses his Real World studios, and at three points during the 1990s, Gabriel invited musicians from all over the globe to what can only be described as a world music camp. For a week, musicians would live and eat and play together, and some unexpected, and unexpectedly good collaborations ensued. Big Blue Ball is a collection of some of those performances, from a motley crew that touched on the traditions of Madagascar, Central Africa, the Near East, American Gospel, indie rock, and of course, Peter Gabriel’s own brand of global pop.--John Schaefer

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics. Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Meet British artist Stephen Coates, better known as The Real Tuesday Weld. The guy who loves making something modern with old instruments and styles is back... with a big band. He plays a few songs off of his newest album, "The London Book of the Dead."

Every week, the Soundcheck staff digs through our inboxes for the best new releases. Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis, "Two Men with the Blues" (Blue Note) The iconoclast and outlaw Willie Nelson has a passion for jazz standards. For two nights last January, he shared the stage with bebop master Wynton Marsalis at the cozy Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The tape was rolling and now an album of that performance is out. It's not only a great musical encounter between two icons, but it's also proof of the universal language of music that makes for a simply fun show. --Gisele Regatao Sloan, "Parallel Play" (Yep Roc) Our next CD pick comes from the Canadian rock band Sloan. Devoted fans of the band can often be heard moaning that this ultra-talented quartet of songwriters doesn’t enjoy an equal level of success in the States. It IS a bit puzzling. Sloan seems to have an endless supply of solid -- if somewhat retro -- pop albums to release. The latest is "Parallel Play," and if you listen closely, you can hear Sloan fans moaning that this … should … have … been … THE … record! No matter … it’s great. --Joel Meyer Thomas Feiner & Anywhen, “The Opiates, Revised” (Samadhi Sound) Anywhen was a Swedish rock band in the 90s, and The Opiates was their third, their most ambitious, and their last record. Originally released in 2001, the band fell apart during the two years it took to make this album, with its lush orchestrations, moody lyrics, and Thomas Feiner’s worldweary voice. Now, Feiner has revisited "The Opiates," revised and remastered it, added some new songs, and the result is something of a lost classic, rediscovered.--John Schaefer

He managed Sid Vicious, and ran for Mayor of London. Now, Malcolm McLaren is taking on Times Square. He tells us about his latest project, setting old stag film footage to a new rock 'n roll soundtrack and showing it outside at 44th and Broadway.

Just three years old, the Escher String Quartet is one of the hot young quartets on the scene today. The group's the Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Festival and rapidly rising in the classical world. They'll play live for us in our studio and explain what it means to make music inspired by the Dutch drawer M.C. Escher.

Back in the swingin’ ‘70s, Peter Frampton won his fanbase on the strength of "Frampton Comes Alive." Today's concert recordings and DVDs don’t pack the same punch -- they often round out "deluxe editions" and pad record contracts. In another Soundcheck Smackdown, we debate the live album format with writer and musician Simon Hardeman and Idolator.com editor Maura Johnston. Our Blog: John Schaefer weighs in on the appeal of live albums. Weigh in: Is the live album worth saving? Is there a live album you particularly love or hate?

New research shows that music may have played an integral part of the enjoyment of pre-historic cave paintings. A French archaeologist, using his voice to vocalize, found that the areas with the densest concentration of paintings were also the most acoustically resonant parts of the caves. Jennifer Viega of Discovery News explains.

Thomas Bartlett has been a trusty sideman to many major New York artists, including David Byrne, Antony and the Johnsons, Yoko Ono and the National. He's earned acclaim for solo work released under the moniker Doveman. So why on earth would a 26-year-old rising star spend weeks overhauling the cheesy film soundtrack from 1984's "Footloose"? Bartlett joins us to explain the true meaning of friendship.

The disasters of the past were not subjects of tabloids or TV shows, but songs. We talk to the producer of a box set on tunes about murders, fires and floods to find out why disaster songs were once so popular. And music writer Greil Marcus explains how they made their way into Bob Dylan’s music.

Songwriter Liam Finn is following in the footsteps of his father, Neil, leader of two of New Zealand's best-known acts, Crowded House and Split Enz. On his solo debut, "I'll Be Lightning," Liam displays the same flair for Beatles pop that made his fathers' reputation. He joins us for a live performance.

With a little help from famous friends. After teaching himself how to play the guitar in six months, journalist Will Hodgkinson decided to learn how to write a song. So he got help from people like Keith Richard and Cat Power... and wrote a book about it. He joins us to unveil what he learned... or didn’t really.

From bad songwriter to one of the most talented songwriters working today. John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats joins us to talk about his new album, about his passion for heavy metal, his writing problem... and he performs in our studio.

In a time when CD sales are tanking, British rock band Coldplay's new album is a hotseller. "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" is the number one record in America for a second week in a row. But is the record really that good? We debate Coldplay’s bid for the rock crown with Blender magazine senior critic Jon Dolan and New York Daily News pop music critic Jim Farber. Our blog: John Schaefer on the Coldplay juggernaut Tell us: Coldplay -- invincible or insufferable? What do you think of Coldplay?

If you don’t leave the country this summer… the world will come to you. Zimbabwe, Mexico, Serbia, Brazil, Nigeria, and Spain are just a few of the countries sending artists to New York stages in the next several weeks. WNYC's Rob Weisberg will unpack some of the highlights. Rob Weisberg's world music picks: Rachid Taha and Dengue Fever - Summerstage July 5 Seun Kuti - with Fela's band Egypt 80 - Summerstage July 6 Goran Bregovic - Lincoln Center Festival July 8 and 9 Honest Jons spectacular at Avery Fisher Hall July 12 Accordion festival - Riverside Park July 12th Julieta Venegas - Summerstage July 12th Nation Beat - SOBs July 15 Boban Markovic Orchestra - Lincoln Center swing July 16, Drom July 16 and July 23. Juan Luis Guerra – Madison Square Garden July 18 Peret - Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing July 25 Bachata Roja - Queens Latin Festival August 1st Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto - Queens Latin Festival Aug 2nd African Festival (Oliver Mtukudzi, Habib Koite, Extra Golden and others) - Prospect Park Celebrate Brooklyn August 3rd.

Choreographer Twyla Tharp redeemed the Broadway jukebox musical with "Movin' Out," a narrative ballet set to songs by Billy Joel. Her latest work, "Rabbit and Rogue," which just concluded a series of performances at the American Ballet Theater, features an original score by composer Danny Elfman. She joins us to talk about the use of music in her work, and about her favorite dance scores.