Jody Rosen

In this episode: Soundcheck's week of nostalgia continues, with a fond look back at the 1920's -- a decade when duos like Rodgers and Hart and George and Ira Gershwin were cranking out the pop hits, and the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing. New York magazine’s Jody Rosen gives a guided tour.

Then: Singer and guitarist Keren Ann wowed fans three years ago with a collection of smoky pop songs. Hear her perform live in the Soundcheck studio.

And: South African trumpeter and composer Hugh Masekela -- who, for three decades of his 50-plus year career, lived in exile from his native South Africa -- talks about returning to his home country 20 years ago. And he talks about the exercises that keep him looking so darn young on the eve of his 75th birthday.

In this episode: This week on Soundcheck, we're talking about nostalgia and the past 100 years of New York music in collaboration with New York Magazine, which this week presents their annual "yesteryear" issue. Tonight, we kick things off with writers Lane Brown and Jody Rosen -- and hear about the decades in New York City music that a few of our WNYC colleagues are nostalgic for.

Then: Hear the impossibly young and talented Irish rock 'n' roll band The Strypes play live.

And: After the success of its initial star-studded pilot, Amazon recently announced that it’s giving its series Mozart in the Jungle a full season. The show, based on a racy memoir of the same name, promises to be a steamy and fairly unbelievable behind-the-scenes look at the world of classical music, says NPR Music’s Anastasia Tsioulcas.

In this episode: The musician, songwriter, and record producer Butch Walker is the subject of a new documentary called Out of Focus. He’s also in focus, and on the charts right now, with Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)," (which he co-wrote), and the Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran duet, “Everything Has Changed,” (which he produced). He joins us to talk about his life in music.

And: New York Magazine’s Jody Rosen discusses why pop stars love Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit “It’s My Party.”

Plus: The British electro-pop artist and producer known as Ebony Bones has a flair for larger-than-life musical performances. Her tendency toward the flamboyant earned her a spot opening for Cee Lo Green a few years back. Hear -- and see -- why when she performs live in the Soundcheck studio.

In this episode: Pop diva Kylie Minogue stops by to talk about a new single, "Skirt," a new book chronicling the evolution of her fashion through a 25-year career, and her upcoming album.

Plus: Known for their “digital shorts” on Saturday Night Live, the hip hop parody trio The Lonely Island released a new album that debuted in the top ten of Billboard’s album chart. New York Magazine pop critic Jody Rosen joins us to talk about the state of pop parody. 

And: Our series “That Was a Hit?” continues with Chris Molanphy and a look at a song that surprisingly wasn't a hit – Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”