Shafer Videos

It’s been hardly a year since Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson released his self-titled debut album, but Robinson has stayed busy. In addition to his rigorous touring, he just released his sophomore effort, Summer of Fear, in October. He joins us to perform live in our studio.

Everything's in its right place for today's Soundcheck Smackdown as we debate whether Radiohead deserve to be regarded as the best band of the decade. Joining us are Rachael Maddux, assistant editor at Paste magazine, and Chris Norris, a contributor to Spin magazine who recently argued that Radiohead is "an exceptionally well-dressed jam band." Weigh in! Radiohead: wonder band or downright bland? (We might read your comment on the air today!)

The 25-year-old jazz pianist Gerald Clayton is already a veteran in jazz circles, having worked with people like singer Diana Krall, trumpet player Roy Hargrove, and The Clayton Brothers (which includes his bassist father and saxophonist uncle). Gerald joins us for a live performance of songs of his debut album as a bandleader.

When the music writer Paul Nelson died in 2006, few people remembered who he was: one of the first to champion a young Bob Dylan, an influential contributor to magazines like Rolling Stone and Sing Out! -- and the guy who dared to sign the New York Dolls to a contract. Now, Nelson is inspiring other scribes. Author Jonathan Lethem has created a fictionalized Paul Nelson character in his new book Chronic City. And writer Kevin Avery has gone a step further, writing an actual biography. They both join us to share the legend and tragedy of Paul Nelson.

Lena Horne performed in all-white nightclubs at a time when blacks were still relegated to the back of the bus. But according to a new biography, the award-winning Brooklyn-born singer also battled discrimination and self-doubt. We talk with James Gavin, author of Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne. This is a repeat edition of Soundcheck Blog: John Schaefer on Lena Horne's stormy life

Three outstanding new releases picked by the Soundcheck staff. Read full reviews of our picks of the week. Jonsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps (XL Records) - picked by John Schaefer Céu – Vagarosa (Six Degrees – picked by Gisele Regatao The Phenomenal Handclap Band (s/t) (Friendly Fire) – picked by Joel Meyer

The hip hop trio Tanya Morgan hails from Brooklyn and Cincinnati, and naturally their new album is called Brooklynati. The loose concept album is built around a fictional city that honors hip-hop giants and offers a chance at the good life. MCs Von Pea and Donwill join us to perform in our studio.

Leif Ove Andsnes is among today’s most enterprising concert pianists, tackling the music of his fellow Norwegian, Edvard Grieg, the works of Beethoven and Debussy, and today’s most scintillating modern works. The latter are featured on his latest CD, The Shadows of Silence. He joins us to share some of it and to perform in our studio.

Blues guitarists Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal have been friends since the late 1960s and worked together on Raitt's 1973 album, Takin' My Time. But they’ve led separate touring careers ever since -- until now. Today, they join us to talk about reuniting and about their respective brands of rootsy blues. This is a repeat broadcast of Soundcheck.

Fans are revolutionizing music photography with digital cameras, iPhones and social networking sites. But has the art of the image suffered? Today: two photographers from different generations, Bob Gruen and Elizabeth Weinberg, explain how they have responded to this revolution. This is a repeat edition of Soundcheck. Blog: John Schaefer on concert photography

A growing number of artists – from rock star Bruce Springsteen to the hip-hop group Public Enemy to singer-songwriter Liz Phair – have performed entire, old albums on the stage recently. One critic says those shows are “a cruel perversion of a concert's real-time magic.” Another claims they are often better than regular gigs. Our guests include Washington Post music critic Chris Richards.

This week’s picks have a European theme: a Spanish singer who is a muse of director Pedro Almodovar, an adventurous French cellist, and an old British art-rock band. 801 Live – Collector's Edition - Picked by John Schaefer Buika - El Ultimo Trago (Warner Music Spain) - picked by Gisele Regatao Chants d'est – Songs from Slavic Lands Sonia Wieder-Atherton, cello; Sinfonia Varsovia, Christophe Mangou, conductor (Naïve) - Picked by Brian Wise

Franz Joseph Haydn is considered the father of the symphony and the string quartet. He might also be history’s most underrated composer. As the music world marks the bicentennial of Haydn's death, we explore how the composer’s gift for humor may be at the root of why he’s not taken seriously. Austria's Haydn Trio Eisenstadt join us to perform two of their namesake’s works. Also with us is Fred Plotkin, author of several books on music including Classical Music 101.

In the 1980s and '90s, young lovers traded cassette mixtapes instead of sending love letters. But in this decade, iPods and file-sharing changed the way we romance one another with music. Today: Jason Bitner, editor of the essay collection Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves, explains why old mixtapes are still powerful. And, authors (and exes) Rick Moody and Stacey Richter attempt to recreate the playlist of a long-lost mixtape. Tell us: Why do some people have such fond memories of the cassette mixtape? Did it ever play a role in an old romance? Share your story.

Are you confused by cosmology? Do you really understand photosynthesis? The brainiacs of They Might Be Giants want to help demystify those scientific concepts and many others, by playing songs from their new album, Here Comes Science, live in our studio. They Might Be Giants perform an all ages in-store at Barnes & Noble in Union Square on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. More information here.

Making a living has never been easy for subway musicians but some say it's only getting tougher. Some buskers are striking up deals with corporate sponsors. Others complain that transit police have been cracking down on performers. Today, we get several views on New York’s “underground economy.” Joining us is Luke Ryan, a musician who struck a deal to be in a deodorant campaign; Heather Haddon, a reporter at amNewYork newspaper, and Steve Zeitlin, executive director of the organization City Lore.

The recent recession took its toll on New York's jazz community, especially musicians and small venues. And earlier this year, JVC withdrew its sponsorship of the JVC Jazz Festival, leaving the city without a major summer jazz festival for the first time in almost 40 years. Today: how the city's jazz artists and clubs are keeping their head above water. We talk with New York Times jazz critic Nate Chinen.

Singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips has led a notable solo career since the breakup of his band Grant Lee Buffalo. But lately, he’s finding the whole band thing to be pretty irresistible. He even roped his opening act, The Winterpills, into serving as his touring band. He joins us to perform songs from his newest album, Little Moon, live in our studio.