A new documentary from Brooklyn filmmaker William E. Badgley tells the story of KARP, a post-hardcore trio from Olympia, Wash. “Kill All Redneck Pricks: A Documentary Film about a Band Called KARP” has its New York premiere in Brooklyn on Friday.

On Sunday, December 25, 2011, the Yiddish singer Adrienne Cooper passed away in a Manhattan hospital after battling cancer. She was 65. A memorial for Cooper will be held at the Ansche Chesed synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Each weekday in 2011, as part of our Gig Alerts series, WNYC's Culture Desk offered up free MP3s from artists playing in the NYC area. Here are our favorite Gig Alerts of the year, along with free downloads from the bands performing -- from Cat Power to Architecture in Helsinki to Melvin Van Peebles.

From pop sensations like Foster the People to world music powerhouses like Tinariwen, WNYC's Soundcheck studios have seen some hot live acts in 2011. But there is no need to go paging through YouTube armed with Boolean search terms. We have assembled our Top 10 (make that Top 12!) Soundcheck music videos from the past year, just for you.

If you’re one of those people who say, “Bah, Humbug!” when you hear yet another version of “Silent Night” on the store muzak systems, give a listen to the eclectic holiday mixtape that Chelsea resident Bill Adler has been doing for close to 30 years.

Chicago rapper Common stopped by Eagle Academy for Young Men in the South Bronx on Monday morning to talk to the school's 500-plus students about how they could achieve their dreams. He also performed two raps. The rapper said he wanted to visit Eagle after hearing about the school while serving on an education reform panel at Lincoln Center last year.

Jewish rapper Matisyahu shocked fans this week by shaving off his trademark beard. The White Plains artist joined John Schaefer on WNYC's Soundcheck Wednesday to talk about his recent transformation. Watch video of the interview here.

The Barr Brothers do interesting things with drums, a harp, a harmonium and more to produce a textured, ethereal sound. Watch the group play "Beggar in the Morning" in WNYC's Soundcheck studios here.

Charles Bradley was a 51-year-old James Brown impersonator in a Brooklyn club 10 years ago when he met the folks at Daptone Records. Now, "Black Velvet," as he is known is releasing his first album. Watch him perform "Why Is It So Hard" with His Extraordinaires here.

Drummer and composer Paul Motian, one of the most influential musicians in jazz, died on Tuesday. He was 80 years old and lived in Manhattan. The cause was complications of myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone-marrow disorder, according to his label, ECM.

The tiny Gulf country of Qatar is home to a film festival, a philharmonic orchestra, a modern art museum — and soon, a New York-style jazz club.

The Jamaica-born, Mount Vernon, New York-raised rapper Heavy D died Tuesday after collapsing outside his house in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 44 years old. Watch some videos to remember him by here.

Eric Bachmann's new project, Crooked Fingers, has a new album out: Breaks in the Armour. Watch Bachmann and Crooked Fingers performing the song "Typhoon" in WNYC's Soundcheck studio here.

For nearly two decades, the electric chamber music ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars has been creating a rich tapestry of experimental instrumental and mechanical sounds. Download its new unreleased track, "Instructional Video," here.

Check out the video here, in which the two mix up lyrics from De La Soul, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Ice Cube, the Fugees and Outkast, among others.

The legendary funk keyboardist performs Tuesday night at the Apollo as part of a tribute to the Godfather of Funk. If you can't make it to the show, download "He-Then Holiday" by Worrell's funk-rock fusion group SociaLybrium here.