Best Busker Balla Tounkara Performs at the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

Balla Tounkara, kora player and singer handily won our first BPP Best Busker contest last week. Tounkara claims that he's a 40th generation kora player, and based on the way he played that rare instrument at the BPP yesterday, it's a hard point to argue. Here he is, your champion, Balla Tounkara with his original piece, "Nina".

BONUS: After the jump, Balla discusses his rare and possibly "powerful" instrument with Rachel.

Continue reading "Best Busker Balla Tounkara Performs at the BPP " »

Win Rosenfeld

7:33 AM ET | 05-16-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Death Cab for Cutie Plays the BPP

Filed under: Music

Death Cab for Cutie stopped by the BPP yesterday to deliver some musical goodness from their new album, Narrow Stairs. It's the band's second major label effort and its already getting some serious attention from critics and listeners alike. Here's DCFC with the somewhat co-dependently titled but beautifully written single off that record, "I Will Possess Your Heart."

Win Rosenfeld

8:56 AM ET | 05-15-2008 | permalink | comments (3) | e-mail post

A Little More Fun with Jason Mraz

Filed under: Music, Video

Today's show took another listen to Jason Mraz, who came to the BPP studios awhile back to play some tunes. Here's his performance of a track from his first album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come:

Laura Conaway

7:19 AM ET | 05-13-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

On the Victory Train: Balla Tounkara

Filed under: Music, Video

The Baby Soda Jazz Band made a furious last-minute run over the weekend, but they couldn't catch Balla Tounkara. The koura player from Mali has won the Bryant Park Project's first ever audience poll for subway buskers.

Tounkara was one of 50 musical acts to audition for New York City's Music Underground program. Every year, the subway system gives 20 performers coveted spots throughout its network of stations.

When voting ended this morning at 6 o'clock, we'd had 6141 ballots cast. I'll drop a screenshot of the results after the jump.

Now we're off to find Tounkara so we can have him in to play for the BPP.

Continue reading "On the Victory Train: Balla Tounkara" »

Laura Conaway

7:03 AM ET | 05-12-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Vote for Your Favorite Subway Busker

Filed under: Music

Update: Voting closed Monday at 6 a.m. See full results.

The voting continues! Watch these four clips of New York City subway buskers and choose your favorite. The winner will perform at the BPP studios.

Voting ends Monday, May 12 at 6:00AM EST.

You can also watch a story about the Music Under New York auditions, and see many more buskers, including a musician who plays an instrument without touching it.

Here are our contestants.

Zena Barakat

3:32 PM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Black Flag Re-Imagined from Memory

Filed under: Music

Yale dropout Dave Longstreth is no stranger to the concept album. In 2005, as the "Dirty Projectors," he released a critically lauded album, The Getty Address, based around the imaginary story of musician Don Henley. This year, he released Rise Above, an album of Black Flag songs as re-imagined from memory. According to Dave, the project started when he stumbled across the empty cassette case to the seminal punk album, Damaged while doing some spring cleaning.

Here's "Rise Above" from the new record:

Win Rosenfeld

8:55 AM ET | 05- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Vote for Your Favorite Subway Busker

Filed under: Music

Update: Voting closed Monday at 6 a.m. See full results.

Fifty musical acts have squared off for 20 official spots in New York City's subway music program. We've winnowed that list into four favorites of our own. Check out the videos of each performance and vote for the one that makes your heart sing. We'll coax the winner into playing for the BPP.

Laura Conaway

8:40 AM ET | 05- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Langhorne Slim Live on the BPP

Filed under: Music

Langhorne Slim's thoughtful lyrics and energetic live shows have earned him a reputation as a folk singer/songwriter with a punk rock sensibility. After success on an indie label, this week he releases his first major label album, entitled "Langhorne Slim." And he's off to a good start. Just a couple of weeks ago he made his first ever television appearance--on David Letterman.

Langhorne Slim and his band The War Eagles came by our studio yesterday to talk a bit and perform some music from their new album. Here they are doing "She's Gone"...

Dan Pashman

8:50 AM ET | 05- 1-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Langhorne Slim to Play in Bryant Park Today

Filed under: Music

Country punk singer/songwriter Langhorne Slim will be stopping by our studio today for an interview and performance. After that we're taking Langhorne out to Bryant Park, where he's going to give an "impromptu" performance. (This blog post and one tweet on Twitter are the only promotion we're doing. So consider yourself part of a special secret club.)

We'll record the whole thing and make an awesome video, but if you're nearby and you want to come check it out, feel free. He'll be playing between 12:30 and 1 near the statue of Bryant.

Dan Pashman

10:04 AM ET | 04-30-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

?uestlove on the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots talks about the band's new album, Rising Down, and the pressure of being the last black band signed to a major record label.

Win Rosenfeld

10:22 AM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Whoa: The Roots Blow Up "Masters of War"

Filed under: Music

On the show this morning, ?uestlove of the Roots talked about the hip-hop group's new record, Rising Down.

Back in 2007, the Roots bulldozed a Bob Dylan tribute concert with a cover of Dylan's "Masters of War." One critic, Rob Harvilla of the Village Voice, described the scene like this:

"And then, oh my God, 'Masters of War,' performed by the Roots, consisting in this iteration of Questlove on drums, Captain Kirk on guitar and vocals (no Black Thought this eve), some dude on tuba, and the entire Thursday-night Lincoln Center crowd on jaws-dropped-to-floor percussion."

Bonus: The complete performance, with (as far as I can tell) one profanity.

Laura Conaway

10:09 AM ET | 04-29-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Prince Covers Radiohead at Coachella

Filed under: Luncheonette, Music

Prince headlined Coachella over the weekend, and played a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" that was by all accounts legendary. It didn't take long for the performance to make it to YouTube:

Dan Pashman

11:52 AM ET | 04-28-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Assisted Listen: Trouble Funk, Ready to Go-Go

Filed under: Music

We're going to town today on Trouble Funk, the 100 percent greatest ever go-go band. Go-go combines funk and hip-hop, and maybe some magical stuff that's not easily transcribed in Roman letters.

Thanks to music professor Kip Lornell of George Washington University for the assisted listen.

Laura Conaway

8:20 AM ET | 04-24-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Smoosh Rocks Out in a 'BPP' Cubicle

Filed under: Music, Video

Smoosh is a band of three sisters, all born after Bill Clinton was first elected president, Michael Jordan was in his prime, and Nirvana released its ground-breaking album Nevermind.

Asya, 16, plays the keyboards, sings lead, writes the lyrics. Chloe, 14, plays the drums and also sings. They arrange the songs together. Maia, 11, just joined the band last summer as the bass player. They've opened for Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, and Sleater-Kinney.

Yes, they're young, but focus on that and you'll miss the point. They're really good.

Smoosh came to the BPP offices to play two new, unrecorded songs, "Great Skies" and "Dark Shine."

Enjoy.

Zena Barakat

8:12 AM ET | 04-24-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

Nominees, Please: British Bands That Sound British

Filed under: Music, Sound Off

Yesterday I asked singer-songwriter Kate Nash a really brilliant question, which went something like: Uhhh, you're English . . . and you sound it, what's up with that?

Because isn't it the case that a lot of Brit bands, when they sing, sound American? The reverse is a rarity, American singers who sound British, Billy Joe of Green Day being the most prominent example. Musical genius Jacob Ganz and I began brainstorming the category of Acts that Sound the Most British. After the jump our top nominees, and a request for yours:

Continue reading "Nominees, Please: British Bands That Sound British" »

Mike Pesca

7:55 AM ET | 04-24-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

Kate Nash Performs at the BPP

Filed under: Music

The English-Irish singer-songwriter stopped by the BPP studios to discuss her latest album, Made of Bricks, and to play a few of her favorite songs. Here's "Skeleton Song," off that record.

Win Rosenfeld

11:52 AM ET | 04-23-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

The Decemberists' Colin Meloy Plays at the 'BPP'

Filed under: Music, Video

The Decemberists' frontman Colin Meloy is on a solo tour. He's released several solo EPs, but he recently came out with his first full solo album, Colin Meloy Sings Live!. He dropped by the BPP studios to talk to Alison and play Wonder from the record. He wrote it shortly after he found out his girlfriend was pregnant.

Zena Barakat

8:40 AM ET | 04-18-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Jason Mraz Performs at the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

On his New York tour stop, Jason Mraz came to the BPP studios to chat for a bit and play some tunes. Here's his performance of a track from his first album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come:

Zena Barakat

9:51 AM ET | 04-16-2008 | permalink | comments (4) | e-mail post

Rogue Wave Perform Live on the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

The last year or so has been pretty up-and-down for Rogue Wave. Guitarist Gram LeBron's father passed away. Drummer Pat Spurgeon spent much of the time between gigs on dialysis, before a kidney transplant finally came through and saved his life. Former bassist Evan Farrell was killed in an accidental fire. Frontman Zach Rogue's grandfather passed away, and weeks later his first child was born.

Meanwhile Rogue Wave earned critical acclaim for their latest album, Asleep At Heaven's Gate, and this summer they'll open for Jack Johnson and Death Cab for Cutie. Zach Rogue and Pat Spurgeon came by our studio yesterday to talk about the yin and the yang of the band's lives and music, and to play us some songs. Here they are performing "Lake Michigan."

Dan Pashman

8:30 AM ET | 04-15-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Test Your Cover Art Knowledge with Erykah Badu

Filed under: Music, Video

In addition to today's assisted listen series, we need your assistance to identify all the LP covers mimicked in Erykah Badu's video for the track "Honey." I'm taking the easy one, De La Soul's Three Feet High and Rising.

Alison Stewart

9:23 AM ET | 04-14-2008 | permalink | comments (14) | e-mail post

Robyn Hitchcock Plays at the BPP Studios

Filed under: Music, Stuff We Love, Video

(Editor: We'll just go ahead and admit to loving Robyn Hitchcock.)

Zena Barakat

5:43 PM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Coming at You: Muxtape.com

Filed under: Music

Making a run at the way we listen to music.

 

On March 25, a New York City photographer guy posted this on his blog:

"I'm proud to introduce Muxtape, a new way to share, discover and listen to hand-picked music online."

Within days, people in our Twitter-verse began sending us links to Muxtape.com, and I can see why. The site lets you create a 12-song playlist that you can display on the site or send out as a simple link -- as in justin.muxtape.com.

I've got a message into Justin Ouellette, the brain behind Muxtape. Meanwhile, here's a bit more from his site:

"My goal is nothing short of changing the way we consume, distribute, and discover music."

Laura Conaway

7:17 AM ET | 04- 9-2008 | permalink | comments (7) | e-mail post

BPP Jukebox: Blues Traveler

Filed under: Music, Video

Long awhile back, Blues Traveler turned up in our studio to showcase cuts from their new record Cover Yourself -- on which John Popper and the gang re-interpret 11 of their hits from over the years. We took another spin through the session on today's show.

Here's "Carolina Blues." After the jump, it's "Reach Me."

Laura Conaway

6:14 AM ET | 04- 7-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

The Dodos: Album Art Extra!

Filed under: Music

 

When the San Francisco band the Dodos came into the studio earlier in the week, they left us with more good stuff than we could squeeze into the segment that aired on the show this morning. You can find video of their performance below, and we'll definitely play more of the band's studio session some time in the future, but here's a little nugget that slipped out of the radio piece.

The cover of the band's new album, Visiter, looks, as BPP senior producer Matt Martinez put it, like somebody's "four-year-old brother drew it." Matt's not far off. Alison asked the Dodos (guitarist and singer Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber) where the art came from.

Bonus: The Dodos play the BPP.

Jacob Ganz

11:57 AM ET | 04- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

The Dodos Perform at the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

The Dodos, a San Francisco-based band, stopped by the BPP studios in New York to play a couple tracks off their latest album, Visiter. Calling it "pop" music shortchanges its complexity, and calling it "moody" undersells its energy. So let's call it "clattering strummy noise-folk pop, with drive." Watch:

Zena Barakat

9:51 AM ET | 04- 4-2008 | permalink | comments (12) | e-mail post

BPP Office Pool: What Song Will NKOTB Open With?

Filed under: Music

Unless you're living under a rock or preoccupied with more important news, you know that New Kids on the Block is getting back together and performing tomorrow morning on The Today Show. And in another sign that we're all getting old, the reunion will mark the 20th anniversary of the band's breakout album, Hangin' Tough. Yes, 20 years.

So we've got one question: What song will they open with?

While you think about that, enjoy this fist-pumping walk down memory lane...

Dan Pashman

8:46 AM ET | 04- 3-2008 | permalink | comments (9) | e-mail post

BPP Music Review: Madonna Teams Up with J.T.

Filed under: Music

The first single off Madonna's new album is a duet with Justin Timberlake. Ugh. Now we must withstand the forthcoming onslaught of critics and fans who will once again marvel, as they have each time in the last 15 years when Madonna has released something, at her "incredible ability to reinvent herself."

Madonna was once the ultimate trendsetter. She was a revolutionary who changed music, changed culture, and changed sexuality. But she did all those things 20 years ago. Now she's become a parody of herself. (How will she defile a crucifix on this tour? By making it listen to her new album?)

The truth is, Madonna went from setting trends to following them a long time ago. "Reinvention" in this context is just a euphemism for "copying whatever is popular this week."

For Madonna in the year 2008, reinvention means attending the Britney School of Atonal Digitally-Modified Vocals. On her single with JT, the original queen of pop seduction sounds about as alluring as a Cuisinart. She's ripping off the people who are ripping off her from 20 years ago. As with Britney's new album, the truly impressive aspect of the music is the production. It's a great groove. But all Madonna brings is gravitas.

True reinvention requires risk. You know what I'd like to see? Madonna with an acoustic guitar and no beats whatsoever. How about a duet with Neil Diamond? Or maybe a career in parlor magic? Anything but this. Please.

Dan Pashman

9:17 AM ET | 04- 2-2008 | permalink | comments (5) | e-mail post

Old Music Tuesday: A Mash-up of Last Year's Top 25

Filed under: Music

If none of the sounds in today's new music segment appealed to you and you just want to go old school....all the way back to 2007, then just take a listen to this mash-up of the top 25 songs of the year we just left behind. Even if you didn't like one of these tunes individually, you have to admire the skill of DJ Earworm.

Alison Stewart

10:02 AM ET | 03-25-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Ida Performs at the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

Formed in 1992 by Daniel Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell in Brooklyn, Ida was recognized immediately for its innovative indie-rock-meets-folk flavor. Since then, they have toured the country with Sunny Day Real Estate and Low, among others. But when Littleton and Mitchell had their first child, Storey, a new chapter opened for Ida...they started making music for children, too. Although now Ida has two audiences, they think of their music as one cohesive whole - with no age limit.

Check them out doing "Green Green Rocky Road" on the BPP:

Win Rosenfeld

7:54 AM ET | 03-21-2008 | permalink | comments (1) | e-mail post

Musical Columnist Jill Sobule Live at the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

These days, independent artists can make some serious cash by spilling the beans on their liaisons with the politically powerful.

Well, not BPP musical columnist Jill Sobule.

Win Rosenfeld

9:56 AM ET | 03-20-2008 | permalink | comments (15) | e-mail post

South by Southwest Music, in One Gulp

Filed under: Music

Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney

The BPP didn't make it to Austin for South by Southwest this year, but we had the great pleasure of checking in with nearly all the folks who made the trip as part of NPR Music's sterling coverage of the fest. Last Monday, former Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein shared her experience at SXSW as a musician -- as well as what she was looking forward to this year, as a blogger for NPR Music. Tuesday we got a double-decker treat: a preview of up-and-coming bands playing the festival from the Mayor of SXSW himself, Andy Langer, and a look at South By Southwest interactive, from NPR's own Andy Carvin, who found himself in the middle of a Twitter tornado. On Friday, Bob Boilen shared his favorites from the many bands who played the NPR-curated shows earlier in the week. And Monday, Arts reporter Neda Ulaby put a neat little bow on our coverage with a postcard from the streets of Austin.

Thanks for everything, guys. It's just like we were there! Somebody grab me a Shiner and some BBQ!

Bonus: Full South by Southwest music coverage

Jacob Ganz

12:12 PM ET | 03-18-2008 | permalink | comments (0) | e-mail post

Terry Gross Dishes 'American Idol'

Filed under: Music

Sometimes you need candy and nothing else will do. That's what we had at the end of The Most today. Terry Gross, host of WHYY's Fresh Air joined us for the fun.

That's right. Terry Gross.

You may not know this, but she is a huge Idol fan.

The segment wasn't totally candy, though -- we did learn the meaning of the phrase "Jai guru de va om."

Matt Martinez

9:19 AM ET | 03-13-2008 | permalink | comments (6) | e-mail post

KT Tunstall Still So Darned Cool

Filed under: Music, Video

NPR's Andy Langer reported this morning from music festival bazonkernaire South by Southwest, where a Brooklyn singer-songwriter named Jaymay is turning it up to 11. Langer traces Jaymay's success -- if not her sound -- back to the likes of a certain KT Tunstuall. KT, we loved you way back when.

KT Tunstall gives a loop pedal tutorial.

Laura Conaway

7:46 AM ET | 03-11-2008 | permalink | comments (2) | e-mail post

Tegan and Sara Perform "Nineteen" on the BPP

Filed under: Music, Video

Canadian-born twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin recorded their first two LP's in their high school's recording studio, and haven't looked back since. Their live show, a combination of comic banter and indie rock, has delighted critics and audiences for years, and their music has been a staple on shows such as The L Word and Gray's Anatomy.

Here's "Nineteen," off their new album "The Con."

Win Rosenfeld

7:55 AM ET | 03- 6-2008 | permalink | comments (2) |