Jazz-funk brass band EMEFE didn’t plan on getting back together after their indefinite hiatus in 2016. Everyone involved with the project at the time, including founding member and drummer Miles Francis, went on to pursue other musical endeavors, until one of their 2015 album tracks, titled “Sun Spat,” began to gain some traction online years later.

“We never heard from anybody from Spotify or any of these companies. It truly felt like people listening,” says Francis, highlighting this rare experience at a time when artists fought for attention like never before. After millions of streams, fan covers of the song emerged and EMEFE couldn’t ignore the buzz anymore.

Shortly after their reunion, they recorded a new album, aptly titled Forward. Now, they’re back on the road as a 10-piece band, with Doug Berns on bass, Jake Pinto on keys, Jas Walton on tenor sax, Lynn Ligammari on baritone sax, Jackie Coleman on trumpet, Aani Kisslinger on trombone, Alden Harris-McCoy and Tony Jarvis on guitars, and Javier Ramos on congas and shekere. We managed to fit them all into our studio to bring you their special performance of afrobeat-infused EMEFE songs, old and new, for this edition of Soundcheck. (- Sırma Munyar)

Setlist: 1. Stutter 2. Sun Spat 3. The Dirt

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The Tunisian-born, American-based singer and activist Emel Mathlouthi, who records simply as Emel, became famous when her song "Kelmti Horra" became the anthem of the Arab Spring uprising some fifteen years ago. Since coming to the States, Emel has released a series of albums united by the themes of freedom, struggle, and community. Sonically, though, her songs have varied from dark electronica to North African-inflected pop to haunting and artful ballads. Her 2024 album, MRA, lifts up women and spotlights the fight against [the] patriarchy, and veers into more pop and hip hop than ever before. Emel and her band play live, in-studio. 

Set list: 1. footsteps 2. Nar 3. Massive Will

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What makes certain musical moments memorable? In the case of the Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers, it’s a quarter of a century filled with inventive arrangements, power pop melodies, and striking lyrics that feel both abstract and relatable. And in the case of Portuguese fado singer Carminho, it’s a single, show-stopping moment in the film “Poor Things,” where all the action stops as she sings an aching song from atop a balcony. On this edition of Soundcheck, The New Pornographers play some tracks from their latest record “The Former Site Of,” while Carminho breathes new life into songs from her album, titled “Eu Vou Morrer de Amor ou Resistir: ‘I’ll die of love, or I’ll resist.’”

The New Pornographers' setlist: 1. Votive 2. Spooky Action 3. The Former Site Of // The New Pornographers are playing live dates in North American through October 2026

Carminho's setlist: 1. Canção à ausente 2. Lá vai Lisboa // Carminho is playing live dates in Europe now through fall of 2026

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Folktronica songwriter Ásgeir didn’t plan on becoming a singer. When he was younger, all he wanted to do was to make music with his garage band. He only found himself singing in front of a microphone because “somebody had to do it.” 

As he grew into his musical identity, Ásgeir immersed himself in the music of his vocal heroes, including Jeff Buckley, Jónsi of Sigur Rós, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Their ethereal falsetto tones influenced his own approach to singing and a new Icelandic star was born.

Ásgeir’s first record, titled Dýrð í dauðaþögn, became the best-selling debut album in Iceland to date in 2012, beating the debuts of Björk and Sigur Rós. Since then, he’s been singing his songs mostly in English, often with lyrics borrowed from the poetry of his father, Einar Georg Einarsson. In his fifth studio album, Julia, Ásgeir takes the pen in his own hands for the first time, interpreting his life experiences from a singular lens. He plays some songs from that record and reflects on their inception. (- Sırma Munyar)

1. Smoke 2. Ferris Wheel 3. Sugar Clouds

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Saxophonist Isaiah Collier spent most of his lifetime playing his instrument religiously. He looked up to his idol John Coltrane so much that he performed several tribute concerts in his name. But the young jazz composer is ready to take on new creative challenges with his upcoming EP, JOY. What kind of new challenges? Well, he showed up at our studio without his saxophone, for one. 

On this episode of Soundcheck, Collier plays our piano and sings his soulful new songs with his band: with Davis Whitfield on keys, Conway Campbell on bass, and Tim Regis on drums. Collier’s compositions are deeply personal, but they carry the spirit of communal celebration, which becomes most apparent in these exuberant, dynamic, and spontaneous performances. (- Sırma Munyar)

1. Where I'm Loved 2. When the Dust Settles 3. Joy

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Music can be a serious business. But no one says, “I work music.” You play music. In this episode, discover two very different musical acts who understand the significance of having a playful streak. First, we welcome three best friends who formed the indie rock band Horsegirl when they were still in high school in Chicago; they play a couple of songs from their sophomore album, “Phonetics On and On.” Later, New Orleans-born, three-time Grammy-winning jazz pianist and composer Sullivan Fortner makes good use of our piano, performing some of his original music as well as a piece by Chopin in a way only he can.

Horsegirl Set list: 1. Where'd You Go 2. Switch Over 3. 2468

Sullivan Fortner Set list: 1. Grandpa's Spells (Jelly Roll Morton) 2. It's A Game 3. Chopin's Valse Du Petit Chien

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What happens when an electric guitar is used to interpret music from cultures that completely ignore the Western tonal system? Guitarist Marisa Anderson dove into the depths of late filmmaker Harry Smith’s record collection to find out. While Smith himself once did similar research to compile his influential Anthology of American Folk Music, Anderson was more interested in compositions and improvisations that emerged outside of her country. She felt particularly drawn to recordings from places the United States has been in conflict with for decades, which led her down the path of producing her own Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music.

Transcribed in her “first language”, the electric guitar, and accompanied by soundscapes built with keyboards, the accordion, and other instruments, Anderson carefully arranged pieces from Afghanistan, Yemen, Vietnam, and more. As she bent the strings of her guitar to achieve some form of microtonality, she kept questioning the concept of being unamerican: “Who are the people we’ve been told in our lifetimes are “unamerican?” What have we lost or been denied access to in the fallout from that label?”

Anderson brings some of her interpretations to our studio for a solo performance and explains her process. “This project changed me permanently… I’m a better listener,” she says, as she approaches each new territory with the curiosity and joy of a child in a candy store. (- Sırma Munyar)

1. Hamd 2. Sarvi Simin 3. Taqsim for Guitar

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Photo of Lara Downes by Ebru Yildiz

Pianist Lara Downes has spent the last couple of years traveling the country and collecting not only music, but also stories, for a pair of projects that celebrate America at 250. One is her multimedia piece called The Declaration Project, and the other is an album of music that spans at least 250 years of American history called Hold These Truths, which amplifies the stories gathered in her Declaration Project. The music ranges from before the nation’s founding to new works – an overall reflection on revolution, resistance, and resilience from early 20th century composer Harry T. Burleigh to Nigerian-American composer Shawn Okpebholo. Lara Downes plays some of these works, in-studio. 

Set list: 
1. Harry Burleigh: The Frolic 
2. Christopher Tin:Hope Is the Thing with Feathers 
3. Jeff Beal: Elation 
4. Shawn Okpebholo: Wondrous Free 
5. Ricky Ian Gordon: Finding Home

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The New Orleans band Tank and the Bangas have been public radio favorites since they won NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2017. Since then, they’ve built their considerable reputation on their high octane, dance-ready blend of R&B, hip hop, spoken word and pop. The Grammy-winning band has some new songs to play for us from their latest album, The Last Balloon. After that, we welcome Rodney Crowell into our studio, who helped create the genre known as alternative country. He’s written #1 hits for himself and artists like Bob Seger and Waylon Jennings, as well as collaborating with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and, most notably, Emmylou Harris. He joins us to tell some tales and give us a taste of his 2025 album, Airline Highway. 

Setlist: 

1. Tank and the Bangas - "Move" 

2. Tank and the Bangas - "No Invite"  

3. Rodney Crowell - "Rainy Days in California"  

4. Rodney Crowell - "21 Song Salute"  

5. Rodney Crowell - "Taking Flight"

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For Dallas-born folk singer-songwriter Anjimile, who grew up in a conservative Christian family with immigrant parents from Malawi, life wasn’t always easy to figure out. His journey as a young adult, trans man, while simultaneously battling addiction, resulted in the brutally honest 2020 album, Giver Taker, which the artist deemed to be full of prayers. A few years later came The King, his most defiant and intense record to date, which helped Anjimile deal with the complex emotions that stem from existing as a Black, trans person in the current political climate. And though that album felt like one filled with curses, the latest addition to his discography, titled You’re Free to Go, appears to be “an album of blooming.” As Anjimile puts it, “a lot of the themes are related to transformation and/or growing pains… a blooming spring is a beautiful thing but it’s also a disruption to the status quo.” 

As his voice deepened and grew in confidence, Anjimile discovered “a newfound level of comfort”, both in singing and composing his music. And though he appeared on Soundcheck before, he returns with a new sonic palette and stories, encapsulating moments of acceptance and eagerness to let love in.  (- Sırma Munyar)

Set list: 1. Rust and Wire 2. The Store 3. Waits For Me

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Elizabeth Ziman, who performs as Elizabeth and the Catapult, is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn. Over the past twenty years, she and a slowly rotating cast of musical friends have released six LPs, full of songs that offer a neat, often unexpected blend of the witty and the vulnerable. Her latest release is called Responsible Friend, "about slowing down in a world that keeps accelerating. It’s a commitment to friends, family, and self, at a time when everyone seems to be carrying more than they can reasonably hold" (Bandcamp). Elizabeth and the Catapult play in our studio. 

Set list: 1. 50/50 2. When the Doctor Needs A Doctor 3. I Love You Still

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