Chris Molanphy

In this episode: Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis rose to prominence as the vocalist for the guitar pop band Rilo Kiley. Her latest solo album, The Voyager, was six years in the making, and features production work from Beck and Ryan Adams, among others. Hear Lewis and her band play a few new songs and an old classic, live in the Soundcheck studio.

Plus: Host John Schaefer shares a couple of Brazilian songs written specifically about soccer, a.k.a. "the beautiful game," as part of our lead-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.  

And: Veteran music journalist David Browne recently released an e-book detailing why 1976 was “the year the counter-culture became the culture.” Featuring appearances by Steve Jobs, Jimmy Carter, Rocky, Saturday Night Live, and Boston (the band), Browne argues that it was a watershed year in music history.

In this episode: Matisyahu, the self-proclaimed "Hasidic reggae superstar," found success and earned countless fans of both classic reggae and the Jewish community. Matisyahu reflects on the changes in his life, the evolution in his spirituality and music, plus he and his band performs songs from his latest album, Akeda, in the Soundcheck studio.

Then: Charts analyst Chris Molanphy shares the unusual and dark story of an instrumental hit from 1962, The Tornados' "Telstar," as part of Soundcheck's series, That Was A Hit?!?

And: In a six-month period in the 1960s, three movie musicals premiered: Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, and The Sound Of Music. Each would sweep across American movie theaters, Billboard charts, and awards shows. They effectively killed the movie musical, according to the recent book, Roadshow: The Fall Of Film Musicals In The 1960's.

In this episode: Since she last visited Soundcheck, Sharon Van Etten has opened up for The National, toured as a backup singer with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and recorded a Bruce Springsteen cover at the Stone Pony. Hear the singer-songwriter and her band perform songs from her just-released fourth album, Are We There, in the Soundcheck studio.

Then: New York Philharmonic music director and conductor Alan Gilbert talks about dreaming up the first-ever NY Phil Biennial, which kicks off this week. We take a listen to some of the new music that will be showcased.

And: Charts guru and writer Chris Molanphy explores the puzzling success of another chart-topping single -- this time, the sexy New Age, Gregorian chant-laden “Sadeness” by Enigma -- as part of our series That Was A Hit?!?

In this episode: Twenty years ago today, Kurt Cobain -- the lead singer for influential ‘90s rock band Nirvana -- was found dead in his home from a self-inflicted gunshot. He was 27. Seattle music writer Charles R. Cross, who has authored several books about Kurt Cobain, reflects on the lasting impact of the young artist.

Then: Charts guru Chris Molanphy explains how two songs by Herman's Hermits hit No. 1 in 1965 -- “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” and “I’m Henry VIII, I Am,” as part of Soundcheck's series That Was A Hit?!?

And: Hear jazz violinist Regina Carter reach back to her roots with her band as they perform songs from her latest album, Southern Comfort, in the Soundcheck studio.

In this episode: Power trio Los Lonely Boys plays a distinctive brand of what they call “Texican rock ‘n’ roll.” Hear the three Garza brothers perform songs from their new album, Revelation, in a stripped-down acoustic session in the Soundcheck studio.

Then: Chris Molanphy tells the story of Blue Swede's song "Hooked On A Feeling" and its long-winding journey to No. 1, as part of Soundcheck's series, That Was a Hit?!?:

And: Simone Dinnerstein stunned the classical music world with her hit recording of J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations back in 2007. Since then she's played with the NY Philharmonic, made a record with songwriter Tift Merritt, and signed with a major record label. Hear the Brooklyn pianist perform works from her latest Bach-centric album in the Soundcheck studio.

In this episode: Dr. Bill Guegold, Olympics music historian, talks about the history of the grand musical themes that we Americans associate with the games; the long-extinct Olympic arts competitions that used to award medals to composers; the Russian Police Choir; and more.

Then: All this week, Soundcheck is asking you to pick a side: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? (Make your case in the comments here, on Twitter at @Soundcheck or leave a voicemail at 866-939-1612.) But no matter your loyalty, everyone can participate in our Beatles chart quiz, devised by writer Chris Molanphy. Given a pair of classic Fab Four songs, pick the one that charted higher in the U.S.

And: Pianist Helen Sung’s story is a tale of two genres: classical and jazz. Growing up in Texas, she studied classical piano – and went to college intending to become a concert pianist. But it was a Harry Connick Jr. concert, of all things, that opened her eyes and her ears to jazz – and her path took a dramatic turn. Helen recently made her major label debut with her new release called Anthem For A New Day, and we hear some of it live.

In this episode: Author Philipp Meyer’s epic novel, The Son, ended up on best-of 2013 lists from The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Tackling big themes about the American West, race relations and oil, the book follows multiple generations of the McCullough family in Texas. Today, Meyer -- a former derivatives trader -- tells us how The Clash and union anthems like “Which Side Are You On?” got him thinking about a creative life beyond Wall Street.

Carl Douglas scored a No. 1 hit in 1974 with a catchy, but not-quite-politically-correct track called “Kung Fu Fighting.” Pop chart obsessive Chris Molanphy explains how the birth of disco and the death of Bruce Lee created a perfect storm for this truly weird hit.

And: Jonathan Wilson channels the “Laurel Canyon Sound” on his latest record, Fanfare. Hear the singer-songwriter performs songs from his new album live in the Soundcheck studio.

In this episode: For the first time in Billboard chart history, no black artists topped Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in all of 2013. Perhaps even more shocking: For 44 out of 56 weeks of 2013, white artists topped the R&B chart. We look at how and why this happened with pop chart writer Chris Molanphy and political analyst and writer Keli Goff.

Then: Born in Benin, based in Brooklyn, but a true citizen of the world, singer Angelique Kidjo numbers Desmond Tutu and Bill Clinton among her friends. She plays songs from her latest album Eve live in the Soundcheck studio, talks about her new memoir about a life in music and as a UNICEF ambassador.

And: Last week, rapper Rick Ross sued the pop band LMFAO over a lyric in their mega-hit “Party Rock Anthem” -- “Every day I’m shufflin’” -- because it’s similar to his famous lyric “Every day I’m hustlin’.” Soundcheck talks with our copyright go-to, intellectual property lawyer Jonathan Reichman (a.k.a. The Copy Cat) about whether Ross has any legal ground to stand on.

In this episode: Soundcheck's week-long look back at the year in music of 2013 continues. First, Caryn Ganz, editorial director of RollingStone.com, shares her favorite music of 2013.

Then, a very special 2013 edition of Soundcheck's ongoing series That Was a Hit?!? with chart-obsessed contributors Mario Correa and Chris Molanphy -- who predict which of this year’s smash hits will be ridiculed 20 years from now -- by music snobs in their flying cars.

And more of our favorite in-studio performances from the past year.