Podcast · Arts & Books
by WNYC Studios · English · Arts & Books
WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop,
15 Oct 2026 · 27 minNew
Son Rompe Pera, marimba-playing cumbia punks from Mexico City, fuse together tropical dance beats, hard-hitting punk, modern cumbia, and fuzzed-out guitars. They play in-studio.
E317 · 12 Oct 2026 · 32 min
Hear a set from the Messthetics with Marc Ribot with shred, melodies, and space from the 2026 New York Guitar Festival, recorded live at Bryant Park.
E316 · 11 Oct 2026 · 51 min
Mexican singer-songwriter Humbe and the Nashville-based folk-rock trio The Lone Bellow share stripped-down, heartfelt renditions of their songs for this episode of Soundcheck.
E315 · 8 Oct 2026 · 31 min
Mexican Alternative R&B/Pop artist Girl Ultra’s new album RRRomeo, which is out today, took five years to finalize. Hear the story behind it, alongside exclusive live performances, on this episode of Soundcheck.
E314 · 5 Oct 2026 · 35 min
Hawaii-born, California-based experimental harpist Lara Somogyi performs in-studio with her time-bending effects pedals and a string quartet for the latest episode of the Soundcheck podcast.
E312 · 2 Oct 2026 · 51 min
Hardships take time to overcome, and some songwriters turn to music to process their emotions as they move from one battle to the next. Two of those songwriters are Steve Earle and Anjimile, who come from very different walks of life.
E313 · 1 Oct 2026 · 35 min
The singer, actor, playwright, composer, and songmaker Somi's "New African Soul" explores the many facets of self-discovery – questions of becoming and of identity – and navigates uncertainty, loss, and change. She plays in-studio.
E311 · 28 Sep 2026 · 35 min
Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings puts on a powerfully raw solo performance for the latest edition of Soundcheck.
E309 · 27 Sep 2026 · 51 min
Next time on Soundcheck, John Schaefer welcomes sax player Donny McCaslin, who led David Bowie’s final band. And Guitarricadelafuente has done high profile duets with Troye Sivan and had two hit singles in Spain; he plays live as well.
E310 · 24 Sep 2026 · 36 min
The versatile Brooklyn-based guitarist, improviser, and songwriter Wendy Eisenberg plays homegrown and ambitious songs that address the sweep of their life in a solo set, in-studio.
E308 · 21 Sep 2026 · 37 min
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 began adding bluesy guitars to his songs - which continues with his latest, "Embers To Ashes". Everlast plays in-studio.
E307 · 20 Sep 2026 · 51 min
This time on Soundcheck, two artists who make big, almost orchestral albums, while also managing to let their emotions shine in their solo performances: Annahstasia and Patrick Wolf
E306 · 17 Sep 2026 · 39 min
Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche, who defines himself as a “chord progression artist”, visits Soundcheck studios to play a few songs from his latest record, Acrobats.
E305 · 14 Sep 2026 · 38 min
American indie rock band led by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and ornithologist Jonathan Meiburg returns to Soundcheck studios for a live performance and interview, joined by the legendary avant-garde artist Laurie Anderson.
E304 · 13 Sep 2026 · 51 min
On this episode of Soundcheck: two artists who are inspired by folk music, but write songs that fall under a different genre altogether. Hear Mike Doughty and Sofia Rei's performances and interviews recorded at WNYC studios earlier this year.
E303 · 10 Sep 2026 · 36 min
Recording artist and actor Saul Williams, who recently starred in the Oscar-winning film Sinners, performs a few songs from his new album, titled Leap Year.
E302 · 7 Sep 2026 · 28 min
North Carolina singer and guitarist Alex Sauser-Monnig records under the name Daughter of Swords. They play vulnerable, homespun tunes from their solo debut, 'Dawnbreaker' in-studio.
E301 · 6 Sep 2026 · 51 min
From our Soundcheck archives, hear adventurous recording artists Paris Paloma and Cautious Clay's performances, and interviews with host John Schaefer.
E300 · 3 Sep 2026 · 50 min
Trumpeter and bandleader Arturo Sandoval is a Latin music legend. He's just released a fearless album, Sangú, full of Afro-Cuban percussion, Yoruba spiritual memory, Cuban phrasing, bebop fire, funk, folklore, and the electrifying spirit of risk. Sandoval leads a nonet in some of the new tunes, in-studio.
E299 · 31 Aug 2026 · 32 min
E298 · 30 Aug 2026 · 52 min
For this episode of Soundcheck, the rapper, singer, and author Dessa gets political, and Syrian-American rapper Omar Offendum gets historical.
E297 · 27 Aug 2026 · 35 min
Listen to a sampling of some of the 2026 New York Guitar Festival, with pieces by Gyan Riley and an arrangement of Debussy by Ziggy & Miles, recorded live in August at Bryant Park.
E296 · 24 Aug 2026 · 42 min
Listen to a sampling of some of the 2026 New York Guitar Festival, with pieces by Goran Ivanovic and Fareed Haque and Pierre Bensusan, recorded live in August at Bryant Park.
E295 · 23 Aug 2026 · 52 min
Hear a musical tribute to Amelia Earhart from London’s Public Service Broadcasting, and surreal folk from Chicago singer Em Spel, both recorded live for Soundcheck.
E294 · 20 Aug 2026 · 32 min
Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela perform technical feats of wonder, somehow combining flamenco, classical, and thrash metal together in jaw-dropping originals, in-studio. (Archives, 2019.)
E293 · 17 Aug 2026 · 43 min
E292 · 16 Aug 2026 · 51 min
Orquesta Akokán takes us on a musical time travel through the classic Cuban dance sounds of the mid-20th century and Hannah Jadagu studies the themes of time and travel in her dreamy alt-pop songs, all recorded live for Soundcheck.
E291 · 13 Aug 2026 · 32 min
Dominican-Italian singer-songwriter YEИDRY presents the first batch of songs from her upcoming debut album, Como Agua, with an acoustic live performance and interview.
E289 · 10 Aug 2026 · 36 min
Grammy-nominated jazz/R&B ensemble, Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science, joins us for this edition of Soundcheck to play some new songs from their new album, Trip the Night Fantastic.
E290 · 9 Aug 2026 · 51 min
WNYC, New York Public Radio, brings you Soundcheck, the arts and culture program hosted by John Schaefer, who engages guests and listeners in lively, inquisitive conversations with established and rising figures in New York City's creative arts scene. Guests come from all disciplines, including pop,
Soundcheck is a English arts & books podcast from WNYC Studios. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.
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