Soundcheck

Goldfeather is the work of vocalist and composer Sarah Goldfeather and guitarist/producer Mike Tierney. Sarah Goldfeather is also a founding member of the ensemble Excpetet, a group modeled on the instrumentation of Stravinksy's "L'Histoire du Soldat" and created to commission new works by living composers. In fact, all of the band members are classically trained, with experience and interests from bluegrass to experimental pop.

Goldfeather’s new album, Change, is a head-spinning blend of hyperpop filtered through the lens of contemporary classical and electronic music. With its processed voices, sudden shifts in rhythm and harmony, and catchy pop hooks, the new songs are off-kilter fun, even as they tell a serious tale of "uncomfortable self-reflection" The band plays some of these tunes in-studio.  

Set list: "Who Am I When I Am All Alone", "The Animal", "Beautiful Tree"

Watch "Who Am I When I Am All Alone":

Watch "Animal":

Watch "Beautiful Tree":

Singer and songwriter Ondara's story is that of a young person in Kenya falling in love with Bob Dylan songs and winning a green card lottery that let him follow his dream of moving to America. Now Ondara has released his third LP, Spanish Villager #3, and while it has a more produced, electric sound, he’s touring around doing solo acoustic performances. He plays solo acoustic songs in-studio.  

Set list: "A Shakedown in Berlin", "A Nocturnal Heresy", "A Seminar in Tokyo"

Watch "A Shakedown in Berlin":

Watch "A Nocturnal Heresy":

Watch "A Seminar in Tokyo":

Sax player, composer and author Phillip Johnston lives in Sydney, Australia, but for many years he was a familiar figure on New York’s downtown jazz and new music scene. He cofounded the Microscopic Septet – the band that did the theme song for the NPR show Fresh Air, led the bands Big Trouble, and the Transparent Quartet, and was an early pioneer in writing new music for old silent films. In fact, his book Silent Films/Loud Music, has just come out in paperback, and it brings Phillip and his New York gang to the studio to play some special trio arrangements of his film music. 

Set list: "The Unknown. Part 1: 'Men’s Hands'", "The Mermaid", "Hydrothérapie Fantastique"

Steve Gunn’s solo far-out fingerstyle acoustic work may be influenced by the drones of Eastern music and the Western avant-garde; or his work with psych- and traditional folk artists, and/or collaborations with Mdou Moctar and Joshua Abrams’ Natural Information Society. Then, there’s the unbridled improvising freedom of his duo work with drummer John Truscinski; or his work with psych-folk band Hiss Golden Messenger or indie rocker Kurt Vile. Steve Gunn’s appearance at the 2023 Big Ears Festival playing trad folk songs with Jake Xerxes Fussell was just one side of this multifaceted guitarslinger. His most recent record is with David Moore, who records as Bing & Ruth. Steve Gunn plays original songs in The Greene Space, as part of the 2023 New York Guitar Festival.

Set list: "Way Out Weather", "On The Way", "Morning Is Mended"

Watch "On the Way": 

Songwriter and musician Crys Matthews uses the sounds of folk, gospel, folk rock, and country, to tackle some of the thorniest social justice issues facing our country today:  migrant rights, LGBTQ rights, the Black Lives Matter movement, and more.  She’s based in Nashville, but New York’s been a good place for her: in 2017 she was the grand prize winner at the New Song Music and Performance Competition in Lincoln Center. More recently, her song “Changemakers” was named Song Of The Year by the International Folk Music Awards for 2021. She plays some of her songs, with bonus foot percussion, in our New York studio.

Set list: "Cancel Culture", "Like Jesus Would", "Written in the Stars"

Watch "Cancel Culture":

Watch "Like Jesus Would":

Watch "Written in the Stars":

The band called Bayonne is basically the work of American minimalist composer and electronic musician Roger Sellers, who is from Austin TX, not Bayonne NJ. Along with guitars and keyboards, his looping station, which can give hints of both Steve Reich and Owen Pallett, is a treasure trove of tiny melodies that stretch and expand over time. His latest album as Bayonne, is called Temporary Time, and it might be his most personal record yet - perhaps almost "emo", coming as it did after the death of Sellers’ dad. Roger Sellers with drummer Matt Toman play these new songs in-studio.

Set list: "Right Thing", "Perfect", "Words"

Watch "Right Thing":

Watch "Perfect":

Watch "Words":

With influences from Bob Marley to Blind Willie Johnson to Bob Dylan, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Ben Harper sees songs in colors and can taste them when they’re ready. His Grammy wins have come in the categories of Blues, Traditional Soul/Gospel, and Instrumental Pop. His musical range is indeed that varied, one can expect anything from alt-folk to reggae to indie rock to an operatic tenor hidden in a cabaret song. His latest, Wide Open Light, is a spare, largely acoustic set of songs, raw, and mostly solo. Ben Harper plays some of these pieces in-studio.

Set list: "Masterpiece", "Giving Ghosts", "Love After Love", "Trying Not To Fall In Love With You"

Watch "Masterpiece":

Watch "Giving Ghosts":

Watch "Love After Love":

Watch "Trying Not To Fall In Love With You":

NYC-raised songwriter, musician, and arranger Emily King makes sophisticated pop with strong elements of R&B, funk, and soul. But her discography also includes songs with a more electronic texture and a whole project with the chamber ensemble known as yMusic. Her latest album is called Special Occasion and it might contain some heartbreak and complicated feelings, a few shoo-be-doos coupled with synth string sounds a la Paisley Park, and a country waltz dressed up as a pop ballad. Emily King plays some of these new songs in-studio as an intimate trio.

Set list: “False Start”, “Medal”, “Special Occasion”

Watch "False Start":

Watch "Medal":

Watch "Special Occasion":

The singer and multi-instrumentalist Ani Cordero is a Puerto Rican musician living here in New York.  She is bilingual, singing in both English and Spanish, as is her latest record, Anamores, a concept album rooted in many kinds of love – Platonic Love, Love of a Child, Love for our Ancestors.) Her music draws on her years of playing rock with bands like Pistolera, new wave synth influences, and the rhythms of the Caribbean – Clave and Bomba patterns. AND COWBELL. Ani Cordero and her band play some of these new songs, in-studio.

Set list: 1. One Hundred Years (de un siglo a aquí) 2. No Me Da La Coquí Gana 3. Se Acabó

Watch "One Hundred Years (de un siglo a aquí)":

Watch "No Me Da La Coquí Gana":

Watch "Se Acabó":