Soundcheck

Detroit-born Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter Olivia Jean worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist before she was able to make music full-time (Mariana Timony, Bandcamp Daily.) She first cut her teeth as a Third Man Records studio musician, then with the garage-goth band, The Black Belles. She released her debut solo record of “bubblegum garage” Bathtub Love Killings in 2014, which had some heartache, revenge, and a bit of delightfully dark strangeness to it. Now with her latest, 2019's Night Owl, in which she had the controlling interest as producer, there are unavoidable undercurrents of surf rock dripping from nearly every song. The ‘weird girl …who cut class to play surf guitar alone in her room’ (Bandcamp Daily - and have you seen her ASMR Makeover video?), Olivia Jean, joins us with her mighty band to play songs from this latest record, in-studio. - Caryn Havlik

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Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer Yasser Tejada & the group Palotré combine African-rooted Dominican traditional folk styles and fuse them with r&b, church gospel, funk, jazz, and rock into a celebration of Afro-Dominican culture. They play this roots and funk fusion from their brand-new record, Kijombo, in-studio. 

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LA-based singer and songwriter Tom Goss is a romantic who tells overlooked stories through soulful vocals and lush pop soundscapes. A former Catholic seminarian turned guitar- and keyboard-toting troubadour, Tom is known for his songs about love (some inspired by his husband Mike, whom he married in October 2010), and all of its complexities. He's taken up the cause to raise awareness about same-sex domestic violence and partnered with Trevor Project and PFLAG, in an effort to give LGBTQ youth hope that no matter what, the future gets brighter.  Musician Tom Goss joins us in-studio for an intimate performance. - Caryn Havlik

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Sound artist, songwriter, pianist, and composer Benny Gebert is one-half of the Brooklyn-based pop group HAERTS. For his latest solo adventure, Triptych, he combined the sounds of nature through open windows and used three pianos to create zen-like sound sculptures. He joins us to perform some of his inviting and serene piano-based instrumentals.

Brooklyn-based orchestral pop outfit San Fermin has a reputation for grand and enchanting music. Led by songwriter and composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone, and joined by new collaborators Attacca Quartet and harpist Lavinia Meijer, as well as talented vocalists and bandmates who play violin, trumpet, sax, percussion, and guitars, San Fermin's latest, ‘Cormorant I,’ is both a search for the profound and a dose of nostalgic reflection. Although the full record combines the elegance of chamber music and the immediacy of pop songs, they play some stripped-down versions of these tunes in-studio.  - Caryn Havlik

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Haitian-American composer Nathalie Joachim is the co-artistic director and flutist of the Grammy-winning contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, and one half of the art-pop duo, Flutronix. She's worked with Bryce Dessner, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Richard Reed Parry, Miguel Zenón, and the International Contemporary Ensemble as well. Her latest, with Chicago-based string ensemble Spektral Quartet, is "Fanm d’Ayiti" (Women of Haiti), a joyous and magic-infused work celebrating Haitian song, and how women are "the driving force of life, of politics, and social change." (Joachim, in an interview with I Care If You Listen.) Joachim and the quartet play some of "Fanm d’Ayiti," in-studio. - Caryn Havlik

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The English singer-songwriter Frank Turner who was once a vocalist for hardcore band Million Dead – has become a folk-punk troubadour, spinning jangly songs with punk intensity that often respond to social and political situations. Frank’s latest record, No Man’s Land, is a collection of songs about overlooked historical figures – Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Christa McAuliffe, "Nica" Rothschild - many of whom happen to women. He joins us to play a solo set in-studio. - Caryn Havlik

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British guitar band Bombay Bicycle Club cites New York bands like LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs as inspiration. But since they signed to Island as teenagers more than a decade ago, they’ve run the gamut from indie-jangly-folky, then electro-based, and now growly yet melancholy guitar-based pop. Now back together after some time away, there is new hope in their riff-driven hooky sound, which is about finding solace in music. Bombay Bicycle Club joins us in the studio to preview songs from their forthcoming new record, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong. - Caryn Havlik

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New York-based Puerto Rican musician, songwriter, and activist Ani Cordero has toured as the drummer for the legendary Os Mutantes, and was a founding member of the celebrated Mexican rock band Pistolera. She's written love letters to a complicated world, addressing issues like immigration, Black Lives Matter, Feminism, and government corruption. Her latest record, El Machete, goes into subjects like colonialism, feminism, and the harsh reality of life in Puerto Rico after the devastation of Hurricane Maria. It's serious, but it’s also fun, as a lot of these political and issue-based songs ride along on a dance beat. Ani Cordero and her band play some of these songs, in-studio.

Set list:

Formed in the 1990’s in the Northwest, queercore icons Team Dresch were one of the first “out” bands who wrote about homophobia (fearing holding hands with their partners in public, and railing against conservative Christian anti-gay policy), and searching for love and companionship. (The “queer” coming from the identities of all members, and the “core” from the band’s punkass and metal roaring tendencies.) Team Dresch's members also embody the punk DIY spirit - they ran their own record labels (zines and message boards), booked their own tours, and provided community and inspiration to many - both queers and straight punks alike. With the reissue of their entire catalogue back in May 2019 as well as a bonus of two surprise new songs, they are back on active duty; Team Dresch plays in-studio. - Caryn Havlik

Set list: 

Personal Best by Team Dresch

Choices, Chances, Changes: Singles & Comptracks 1994-2000 by Team Dresch