A.J. Jacobs

Dig your cowboy boots out of the closet -- New York City recently got its first commercial country music station in almost two decades. Earlier this week, we hosted an hour-long Parallel Play, listening to Nash FM 94.7 and chatting about it online with country music neophyte A.J. Jacobs and country music expert Jessie Scott. (You can check out our archived chat here.)

Today, our chat participants rehash our 60 minutes of listening -- discussing high and low points, lyrical trends and the prominence of pop-country crossover on the station. Plus, we hear from listeners about what they want to hear on the station. 

Check out a playlist of some of what we heard in our hour-long listen to Nash FM -- and tell us what you'd like to hear on the station below. 

In another installment of "experimental living," A.J. Jacobs, the author of The Year of Living Biblically, follows ALL the advice for healthy living for his new book, Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection.

Before our team began the Soundcheck Workshop in June, we issued a challenge to our listeners. As we embarked on a self-improvement plan, we dared you to join us in making a summer resolution of your own. 

Many of you stepped up, including the writer A.J. Jacobs of Esquire magazine. Having authored books like The Year of Living Biblically and Drop Dead Healthy, Jacobs took experimental living to a new level: He set out to become a Bob Dylan fan. Today, A.J. describeshis summer of Dylan and reviews the singer-songwriter's new album, Tempest.

Last week, author A.J. Jacobs (A Year of Living Biblically, Drop Dead Healthy) joined John Schaefer and lots of our listeners for an online web chat and listening session of Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. As A.J. told us after the fact, "It was like going to a party, but you don't have to wear any pants." In addition to hearing the author's reaction to the album, we also hear from a young Dylan fan who joined in our inaugural Parallel Play. She tells us about her listening experience - and recommends an album from the indie pop duo Beach House for A.J. to check out next. 

Our Summer Workshop continues! You'll be checking in with us as we progress on our redesign...and, we'll be checking in with you. Less than a week since writer A.J. Jacobs  (“My Life as an Experiment,” “The Year of Living Biblically,” “Drop Dead Healthy”) resolved to get to know the work of Bob Dylan, he reports back:

I've begun the Never Ending Musical Education Project, my quest to fill in my embarrassing lack of familiarity with the work of Bob Dylan. Listening to "Highway 61 Revisited." Loving it. Magnificent. Though I'm a bit surprised at the harshness of the lyrics to "Like a Rolling Stone". That's not a feel-good happy little ditty. I don't know what this woman did to him, but Dylan sure is sure grooving on the Schadenfreude.

John responds on The Soundcheck Blog here.

If your New Year’s resolution died a quiet death months ago, but you still want to make your mark in 2012 – make a musical summer resolution with Soundcheck! 

In another installment of "experimental living," A.J. Jacobs, the author of The Year of Living Biblically, follows ALL the advice for healthy living for his new book, Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection.

EVENT: Join A.J. Jacobs at the Barnes & Noble on 82nd street and Broadway on Wednesday, April 11 at 7pm.