Soundcheck

Australian singer Grace Cummings is the kind of songwriter who believes in the spontaneity of the creative process. “I’m a loner. I talk to myself a lot,” she says, and amid those internal conversations, she stumbles upon some mistakes that eventually lead to good writing. She’s no longer a stranger to how songs make their way out of her brain, having already recorded four albums. Her latest record, titled Bloodhorse!, is filled with snapshots of her tumultuous emotions, referencing both religious and mythological themes in a grand musical context of orchestral folk-rock arrangements. But when she picks up the guitar or sits in front of a piano for a solo performance, it’s hard to predict how far she’ll stretch her deep, soulful voice into visceral cries that, evidently, can’t be contained.For this edition of Soundcheck, Cummings performs a few songs from her latest record in a way that can only be described as personal, inimitable, and untamed. - Sırma MunyarSetlist: 1.John Lennon 2.I'm Not Crazy 3.FAKEWatch the live performance videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/newsoundsmusic Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Blackstar was David Bowie’s last record, a musical farewell, and it featured the sax player Donny McCaslin. In fact, Bowie ended up using Donny McCaslin’s whole band for that album. The experience led McCaslin to expand his already restless musical palette, and on this episode of Soundcheck, he brings his quintet to our studio to play some of his post-Bowie tunes. There's also a visit with Guitarricadelafuente, a rising young Spanish singer and guitarist with a couple of high profile collaborations of his own - with Australian pop star Troye Sivan. He’s also had two hit singles in Spain, and he’ll play songs from his album Spanish Leather, a title borrowed from Bob Dylan. Guitarricadelafuente and his band play an intimate set in our studio.Donny McCaslin Quintet Set list: 1. KID 2. Solace 3. MercyGuitarricadelafuente Set list: 1. Poses 2. MataleónPhoto of (L) Guitarricadelafuente by Pedro J Pacheco, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto of (R) Donny McCaslin courtesy of the artist  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Wendy Eisenberg is a Brooklyn-based guitarist, improviser, and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer and the voice. They are also a professor of songwriting, and a constant collaborator in many different circles: with the improvising trio Squanderers, an art rock band called Editrix, and the minimalism-inspired guitar quartet led by Bill Orcutt, to name a few. Their latest album, also called Wendy Eisenberg, is full of tracks that almost present as conventional songs, but which actually dance around form and genre. Some of them may be indebted to jazz, and also inhabit the in-between space where folk, pop, outsider country music, and math rock all hang out.OH. And the riffs! Their masterful fingers climb through odd rhythms, spidery melodies, and unexpected progressions, taking sudden swerves and turns while still creating a sense of spaciousness. On the record, the songs also feature contributions from friends and collaborators on pedal steel, strings, synth, bass, drums. Over this all, Eisenberg’s clear voice conversationally addresses time – reflecting on memories, embracing change, growing - while they describe “moving through this new world right now,” (Bandcamp). Wendy Eisenberg plays some of their songs in a solo set, in-studio. – Caryn HavlikPhoto of Wendy Eisenberg by Eleanor PetrySet list: 1. Meaning Business 2. Vanity Paradox 3. Will You Dare Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The artist known as Everlast was the lead rapper in the group House of Pain, whose single “Jump Around” remains one of hip hop’s most familiar songs. But in the 1990s he began adding bluesy guitars to his songs, creating enormous hits like “Put Your Lights On,” his collaboration with Santana, and the plea for empathy called “What It’s Like.” Everlast is still writing songs, and his latest album – his first in eight years, Embers To Ashes, was produced by Yelawolf and recorded in Nashville. It’s a collection of unflinching and moving songs that tell tales of glory grasped and lost, along with hard-earned wisdom and warnings. Everlast plays a stripped-down set in-studio.Photo of Everlast by Lisa FranchotSet list: 1. Losing Man's Game 2. Happy You Can Cry 3. Stones Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s common for songwriting artists to process their emotions through composing music. LA-based folk singer Annahstasia spent many years crafting her debut album, Tether, doing just that, without a metronome guiding her: “We’re human beings in a room following our heartbeats and the natural rhythm that we feel together… My production style is essentially like energy doula-ing,” she says. As for English baroque pop experimentalist Patrick Wolf, the making of his latest album, Crying the Neck, as well as other batches of new songs he’s been releasing that ended his decade-long hiatus, was a way to acknowledge that he was “a damaged vehicle”, after losing his mother to cancer and struggling to recover from a hit and run. Both artists are known for their big, often orchestral songs, but on this edition of Soundcheck, they each put on a solo performance, revealing the raw side of their lyrics and melodies.Annahstasia's Setlist: 1.Be Kind 2.SlowPatrick Wolf's Setlist: 1.Enter the Day 2.The Last of England Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.