John Schaefer's Top Ten Reasons Why New York Music Ruled The World In 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013 - 03:00 PM
Judging by Soundcheck host John Schaefer's map, New York is the center of the music world.
It may seem odd to trumpet New York’s musical clout in a year
when New York’s biggest names did not rise to the occasion. Both Jay-Z
and Lady Gaga released albums, but neither turned out to be the
juggernaut fans were expecting. The best hip hop seemed to come from
Atlanta (although Run The Jewels is actually an Atlanta/Brooklyn
collaboration), Detroit, and Southern California. The best pop came from
even further afield, with the New Zealand teenager Lorde leading an
international cast.
But New York music still ruled the world in 2013, and all this week, I’ll countdown ten reasons why, two at a time. Let's kick things off...
And Sharon Jones, who was already one of New York's great musical survivor stories -- she was a corrections officer and didn’t start making waves with her music until she was in her 50's -- was diagnosed early this year with cancer. But she and her irresistible funk band the Dap Kings came back late this year with a new single, and an album will follow shortly.
Then there’s the small matter of Wise Up Ghost, the record he and the Roots did with Elvis Costello. Did I mention his hoodie store and his Manhattan restaurant? Questlove is part of the reason why The Tonight Show is returning to its ancestral home -- in New York -- when Fallon takes over as host in February.
And as for Lucius, man, this Brooklyn band made one of the great pop albums of the year, Wildewoman. If you like Motown, 1960's girl groups, or pretty much any kind of music, check this band out!
But New York music still ruled the world in 2013, and all this week, I’ll countdown ten reasons why, two at a time. Let's kick things off...
10. Son Lux
Son Lux is the work of composer and singer Ryan Lott. He’s part of one of New York's most amazing music scenes -- that group of young musicians who are classically trained but who work just as easily in the world of pop and rock. Listen to the combination of orchestral writing and thumping rock energy in "Ransom," a song song from his 2013 album Lanterns.9. We get knocked down. But we get up again: Kathleen Hanna and Sharon Jones return.
2013 saw the return of both Sharon Jones and Kathleen Hanna from serious illness. Hanna -- one of the pivotal figures in the riot grrrl movement of the 1990's -- lost several years to advanced Lyme disease, but came back this year with a classic punk record with her new band The Julie Ruin.And Sharon Jones, who was already one of New York's great musical survivor stories -- she was a corrections officer and didn’t start making waves with her music until she was in her 50's -- was diagnosed early this year with cancer. But she and her irresistible funk band the Dap Kings came back late this year with a new single, and an album will follow shortly.
8. Questlove
Sorry Philadelphia, but your favorite son put down deep roots here in New York this year. The polymath drummer still leads his band The Roots every night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but he also found time this year to publish a memoir full of great stories (Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove), do a regular DJ gig at Brooklyn Bowl, and curate a series of high-profile concerts at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.Then there’s the small matter of Wise Up Ghost, the record he and the Roots did with Elvis Costello. Did I mention his hoodie store and his Manhattan restaurant? Questlove is part of the reason why The Tonight Show is returning to its ancestral home -- in New York -- when Fallon takes over as host in February.
7. Caroline Shaw Wins the Pulitzer Prize
The New York singer, violinist, and composer topped my list of the best recordings of 2012 with her astonishing vocal piece called Partita. So when she was announced in March as the winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, I wasn’t shocked -- but I was surprised. Shaw was 30, making her by far the youngest composer to ever win the award. And this fall, she and the vocal group she’s part of, called Roomful Of Teeth, finally performed the work live.6. Even Our Baby Bands Kick Ass
So maybe you haven’t yet heard Blood Orange or Lucius -- or Seasick Mama or Julianna Barwick. That doesn’t mean their music didn’t rule. Because it did. Blood Orange is the work of Dev Hynes -- who formerly recorded as Lightspeed Champion and who produces music for Solange, Beyonce’s younger sister. His Blood Orange project is a really distinctive and modern take on R&B.And as for Lucius, man, this Brooklyn band made one of the great pop albums of the year, Wildewoman. If you like Motown, 1960's girl groups, or pretty much any kind of music, check this band out!
5. Zorn @ 60
John Zorn is the ultimate outsider musician, and since the late 1970's, if you followed New York’s famous Downtown scene, you’d find that all roads lead back to him. Free jazz, noise rock, string quartets, movie scores -- Zorn has done it all. He turned 60 this year and the music world took note: There were John Zorn events at Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, and places as far away as Japan and Poland. And involving everyone from Pat Metheny to Lou Reed.
Tomorrow: Two more reasons why New York music ruled the world in 2013.
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John Schaefer
John Schaefer has hosted Soundcheck since the show’s inception in 2002. He has also hosted and produced WNYC’s radio series New Sounds since 1982 (“The No. 1 radio show for the Global Village” – Billboard) and the New Sounds Live concert series since 1986.
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