The Wailing Wall was on Soundcheck, WNYC's daily talk show about music hosted by John Schaefer. While driving, the most thrilling and obviously live music was on air. Not the usual slick coordinated sound but a full, multi-instrumental folk feast. I perked up and suddenly remembered that the Wailing Wall was doing this gig on the radio.
The Wailing Wall is the project of songwriter, player, and singer Jesse Rifkin and the collective of musicians who he records and tours with. On any given occasion, new people will join him on the roster for a live show. In fact, the band assembled for this radio gig were musicians who only played the material the night before. He loves hearing a different lineup of musicians presenting his songs. From his point of view, it keeps the material alive and vital and brings curious fans back to live and always-changing shows.
The interview was very curious. NPR isn’t exactly mainstream, but it seemed kind of odd that the DIY collective philosophy of Jesse Rifkin was foreign to John Schaefer. Jesse was steady in his convictions and eager to explain his music philosophy about community, sharing music for free, and his rotating live music concept.
I applaud Soundcheck for giving The Wailing Wall the opportunity. Hearing the music and the interview helped me get off my miserable self-doubting and lack of posting ass and get back to writing about awesome music. Thanks, Jesse, for revitalizing my spirits and doing things your way! Will be downloading it tomorrow and look forward to The Wailing Wall live experience!
JDub Records will release his debut LP, Hospital Blossom, for free on June 9th.
Soundcheck show HERE
FREE DOWNLOAD HERE @ JDub
Photo Credit: Joseph Van Meter Lawton
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