A Preview of Public Song Project: A People’s Concert

Summary

All Of It: A Preview of Public Song Project: A People’s Concert

Host: Alison Stewart | Guest: DJ Rekha | Producer: Simon Close | Release Date: January 7, 2025

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Introduction to the Public Song Project

In this episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart provides an exclusive preview of the upcoming Public Song Project: A People’s Concert slated to take place at Joe's Pub. Scheduled for tomorrow night, the event promises an evening of live music, food, drinks, trivia, and collective creativity, all set within the intimate ambiance of one of New York City's beloved venues.

Interview with DJ Rekha

Alison Stewart invites DJ Rekha, a New York City legend and founder of the long-running Basement Bhangra series, to discuss her involvement in the Public Song Project.

Public Song Project Appeal

Alison kicks off the conversation by asking DJ Rekha what draws her to the Public Song Project, especially given its history-focused nature.

[01:14] DJ Rekha: “Well, I am a nerdy, history-loving person, so this is exactly up my alley. It's a great project. Being on the jury for the first year and the second year, you know, it didn't occur to me to like to try it. And so the chance to make something was exciting.”

DJ Rekha emphasizes her passion for history and how collaborating on the project allowed her to merge her interests with creative expression.

Connection to Cultural Projects like Basement Bhangra

Alison probes further, drawing parallels between the Public Domain resources utilized in the project and DJ Rekha’s Basement Bhangra series, which celebrates the South Asian diaspora.

[02:11] DJ Rekha: “I think when we give voice to things or platform them in any way, that is a way to celebrate culture. Acknowledge it... It's really exciting the way people have interpreted the options. It's like, here, go wild. These are things in the public domain and run with it.”

She highlights the importance of using public domain materials to honor and celebrate diverse cultural heritages, much like her work with Basement Bhangra.

Music Production and Sample Selection

The conversation delves into DJ Rekha’s creative process, particularly her track "Earth Talking," produced in collaboration with Offering Rain.

[04:33] DJ Rekha: “I knew about Gohar Jahan, so I looked up earliest Indian samples. And then for the other sample, the Mexican poet Juan de Dios Peza... The goal here was to combine our cultures... put all those things together and see if it sounded good.”

DJ Rekha explains her meticulous approach to sourcing samples from the public domain, blending Indian and Mexican influences to create a multicultural soundscape reflective of her environment in Jackson Heights and Woodside.

Collaboration with Offering Rain

Discussing her partnership with producer Offering Rain, DJ Rekha shares insights into their collaborative dynamic.

[04:13] DJ Rekha: “We've DJed a lot together, so this is our first production together. We share a studio space in Woodside... we just wanted to put all those things together and see if it sounded good.”

Their collaboration bridges diverse backgrounds—Offering Rain’s Indian and Ecuadorian heritage with DJ Rekha’s South Asian Indian roots—fostering a rich, collaborative creative process.

Translating Music to the Stage

When asked about adapting her track for live performance at Joe's Pub, DJ Rekha responds with enthusiasm.

[06:35] DJ Rekha: “Keep working on it. We're just going to show you a little bit about how the sausage is made. Joe's Pub is an awesome venue.”

She hints at an engaging and transparent performance that will provide the audience with a behind-the-scenes look at her creative process.

Balancing Grad School and DJing

Alison touches on DJ Rekha’s academic pursuits, questioning how her graduate studies influence her music.

[07:28] Alison Stewart: “Has academia changed the way that you make music, or are they separate things?”

[07:35] DJ Rekha: “Does it change the way I make music? I hope not. I hope music changes the way academia functions.”

DJ Rekha humorously asserts her commitment to both her studies and her artistic endeavors, maintaining that each influences the other in meaningful ways.

Additional Event Details with Producer Simon Close

Following her interview with DJ Rekha, Alison welcomes Simon Close, the producer behind the Public Song Project, to discuss more details about the concert.

Other Performers and Their Backgrounds

Simon introduces additional performers, including Joanna Sternberg, a local singer-songwriter with deep roots in vaudevillian music through her grandparents.

[08:03] Simon Close: “Our other special guest is Joanna Sternberg, who is a local singer-songwriter whose grandparents... were vaudevillian musicians.”

Event Activities: Performances, Trivia, Prizes

Simon outlines the variety of activities attendees can expect, from live performances by winners of the 2024 project—Moon Trip, Mal Petty, and Juliet Riley—to interactive trivia segments with prizes like WNYC merchandise and vinyl records.

[09:15] Simon Close: “We'll also do a little bit of trivia. There will be some prizes, some WNYC merch vinyls will be available as trivia prizes... it's going to be just a lot of fun.”

Ticket Information

Emphasizing the limited availability of tickets, Simon encourages listeners to secure their spots promptly.

[09:25] Simon Close: “Get your tickets now... we just released a few really good seats. There are like a few more tickets available so get those now.”

Musical Performances

The episode features a brief live performance by Joanna Sternberg of the classic song "My Buddy," performed by her in homage to her grandparents' vaudevillian roots.

[08:29] Simon Close: “This is my buddy and it was written in 1922 by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn as performed by Joanna Sternberg.”

Additionally, a snippet from Moon Trip's performance of Irving Berlin's "I Do" showcases the diverse musical styles that will be present at the concert.

[10:11] Simon Close: “This is what'll I Do by Irving Berlin in a kind of disco y fashion.”

Conclusion and Promotions

As the episode wraps up, Alison highlights upcoming content, including a live performance by Grammy-nominated jazz saxophonist and composer Lakeisha Benjamin. A sponsorship message follows, promoting WNYC’s NYC Now news service.

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Join the Community

Don't miss out on the Public Song Project: A People’s Concert—an evening celebrating New York City's multifaceted culture through music, creativity, and community. Secure your tickets today by visiting wnyc.org/publicsong.

Transcript

[DJ Rekha]

Listener support WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart and a reminder that tomorrow night is the Public Song Project. A people's concert at Joe's Pub. In this wintry weather, what sounds better than a night indoors in an intimate venue with live music, food, drinks, a little trivia and some collective creativity. You still have time to get tickets now by going to wnyc.org publicsong joining me now for one last preview is one of the artists that you'll hear tomorrow night, NYC legend and founder of Basement Bhangra, DJ Rekha. Hey, Rekha.

[DJ Rekha]

Hi, Alison. How are you?

[Alison Stewart]

I am doing great. You are known for your, you're important. Some club life in New York, you founded the long running Basement Bhangra series. So here's my question for you. What does a frankly nerdy, pretty history focused project like the Public Song Project appeal to you?

[DJ Rekha]

Well, I am a nerdy, history loving person, so this is exactly up my alley. It's a great project. Being on the jury for the first year and the second year, you know, it didn't occur to me to like to try it. And so the chance to make something was exciting. So yeah, it was a good opportunity. And I think the advantage of hearing a lot of the submissions was an opportunity to like, try to take it personally in a different direction and an opportunity to collaborate with a colleague and a friend. We had been talking about doing something together and you know, I work better on assignments and deadlines, so I hear.

[Alison Stewart]

You on that one.

[DJ Rekha]

Thank you for. Thank you for the homework.

[Alison Stewart]

How do you think about resources like the Public domain in a similar way that you thought about Basement Bhangra, which is a way to celebrate South Asian diaspora?

[DJ Rekha]

Wow. I never. That's a good question. I mean, I think when we give voice to things or platform them in any way, that is a way to celebrate culture. Acknowledge it. So the sample that we used in the song Earth Talking, Gahara Jahan, she's kind of legendary and known. So, you know, if you google her and you'll see there's a book about her, she's on a bunch of podcasts like she's out there in the world, but I don't think a lot of people know about her, even in the diaspora, South Asian diaspora. So it's a great opportunity to acknowledge, I mean, and celebrate, you know, culture. So that's, I'm always trying to, you know, embed things into other things. So I mean, Beijing Bangra was a. I mean, it's over. And it's not. It was a monthly club night just down the street from the studio, WNYC Studios. And now we've sort of iterated it into a annual concert. But, you know, back to the project, to the. Let me get off tangent. I think it's just an opportunity. Like, you know, DJing is about sourcing different things and curating an experience and making tracks is the same. And, you know, it's a different palette that we're drawing from. So I think it's really exciting the way people have interpreted the options. It's like, here, go wild. These. These are things in the public domain and run with it. So it's great to hear people who are. You can tell, like they're artists inside. They have. Some of them are polished, some of them are not. Some of them are so creative. They take things and make poems out of them. They, you know, it's. It's really a great way to interact with. With New York City, you know, your track.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, yeah, sorry.

[DJ Rekha]

Yeah. I'm an urban studies nerd too, so I just love these.

[Alison Stewart]

Your track, Earth Talking is with producer Offering Rain. You guys work together all the time.

[DJ Rekha]

We've DJed a lot together, so this is our first production together. So we share a studio space in Woodside and we. We've DJed a lot together, but this is our first production together. And you.

[Alison Stewart]

You mentioned it once, but I wanted to mention it again. How did you find the samples?

[DJ Rekha]

I. I knew about Gohar Jahan, so I looked up earliest Indian samples. And then for the other sample, the Mexican poet Juan de Dios Peza. I think we just googled Spanish language Library of Congress recording. And then we listened to a bunch of things and then just took out a phrase from him. So the goal here was to combine our cultures. Offering Reign is of Indian and Ecuadorian background. I'm of South Asian Indian background and I live in Jackson Heights, which is a Latinx and South Asian neighborhood. So. And we work in Woodside, which is nearby. So we just wanted to, you know, put all those things together and see if it sounded good. You know, you just gotta try it. So, yeah, so that's. That was what we were going for.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, let's take a listen. This is Earth talking. That's DJ Rekha. They'll be at the Public Song Project, a people's concert at Joe's Pub tomorrow. Tickets are limited, but there's still a couple left. So go to wnyc.org publicsong. Have you figured out how you're Going to translate that to the stage.

[DJ Rekha]

Keep working on it. We're just going to show you a little bit about how the sausage is made. And Joe's Pub is an awesome venue. It's a great place. Yeah. No, we're going to. I'm just going to, you know, break down how the process and the different samples that we used. So it'll be fun. It'll be great.

[Alison Stewart]

I don't mean to tell tales on you, but I understand you took a hiatus from DJing to go to graduate school.

[DJ Rekha]

No such thing. I'm an immigrant and I have many jobs. I am in graduate school, but I do not want people to think I'm out of business. I'm still available. Right. I am doing both things. So. Yes, but I, you know, now it's a secret between me and you. I am in grad school, but I'm still available for. I'm still working as an artist. One other project.

[Alison Stewart]

Has academia changed the way that you make music, or are they separate things?

[DJ Rekha]

Does it change the way I make music? I hope not. I hope music changes the way academia functions.

[Alison Stewart]

Well done, DJ Rekha. Thank you so much. We'll see you tomorrow night.

[DJ Rekha]

Thank you. Take care. Get your tickets, people.

[Alison Stewart]

Now I've got all of it. And public song producer Simon close in here to fill in more about the event happening tomorrow night. Hi, Simon.

[Simon Close]

Hi, Alison.

[Alison Stewart]

So what else can listen? Look forward to tomorrow night? Aside from DJ Rekha.

[Simon Close]

Yeah, well, DJ Rekha, of course. And our other special guest is Joanna Sternberg, who is a local singer songwriter whose grandparents, I believe, were like, vaudevillain musicians. Oh, really? So deep roots to like this era of public domain music and to the city. And they'll be performing some public domain songs. I think we have a clip of the song that they contributed for the project, actually, if we want to throw to it.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's do it.

[Simon Close]

This is my buddy and it was written in 1922 by Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn as performed by Joanna Sternberg.

[Alison Stewart]

Night are long since you went away I think about you all through the day My buddy, my buddy Nobody quite so true Miss your voice, the touch of your hand Just long to know that you understand My buddy, my buddy.

[Simon Close]

My buddy, my buddy so you can get a sense that we're gonna be all over the place tomorrow night. We're going from Bhangra all the way to just like intimate singer, songwriter, guitar. It sounds.

[Alison Stewart]

We're gonna hear from the winners of the 2024 project. Who was that?

[Simon Close]

That's the three that we'll hear from tomorrow are Moon Trip, Mal Petty and Juliet Riley. They'll be performing their songs that they did for the project this year. We'll also do a little bit of trivia. There will be some prizes, some WNYC merch vinyls will be available as trivia prizes and available by donation at the event. And yeah, it'll be just a lot of fun food and drink, cozy night in an intimate venue on a wintry night. And yeah, wnyc.org publicsong is where we're going where you can get tickets. And by the way, we just released a few really good seats. There are like a few more tickets available so get those now.

[DJ Rekha]

All right.

[Alison Stewart]

We can go out on Moon Trip. Malpetty and Juliette Riley, you pick.

[Simon Close]

Let's dance out. Let's go with Moon Trip. This is what'll I Do by Irving Berlin in a kind of disco y fashion.

[Alison Stewart]

I love my dreams I come true what life. To get your tickets for the Public Song project, go to wnyc.org publicsong jazz saxophonist and composer Lakeisha Benjamin has been nominated for a Grammy and on tomorrow's show she'll join us for a live from performance right here in WNYC's Studio 5. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here tomorrow.

[Lakeisha Benjamin]

NYC now delivers the most up to date local news from WNYC and Gothamist every morning, midday and evening with three updates. Today listeners get breaking news, top headlines and in depth coverage from across New York City by sponsoring programming like NYC now. You'll reach our community of dedicated listeners with premium messaging and an uncluttered audio experience. Visit sponsorship wnyc.org to get in touch and find out more.