Billboard editor Joe Levy gives us his pick for Musician-In-Chief: The Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards. Plus, speaking of elections, the 2013 nominees for the Rock Hall of Fame were announced last week. We hear who made the cut.

Tift Merritt performs three songs from her new album. Plus, the North Carolina native reveals a Southern superstition she maintains as a New Yorker.

Even in the age of texting and email, songs like Carly Rae Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe” and Maroon 5’s “Payphone” have rocketed to the top of the charts. We explore the lasting symbolism of the old-fashioned telephone in pop culture with music writer and Rolling Stone contributing editor Eric R. Danton. On the blog: John Schaefer weighs in with a playlist of great telephone songs. 

The telephone may no longer be our primary means of communication, but it remains a favorite topic for songwriters. 

As Soundcheck's senior producer and "chief political analyst," I spend a lot of time crunching poll numbers, creating colorful maps and Facebooking with my vast array of confidential sources inside the Beltway. It's not an easy job, but I'm able to connect dots that are beyond the grasp of other music shows on public radio.

For example: I recently uncovered a disturbing fact: Neither of the major candidates is a musician. Sure, Barack Obama can sing a little Al Green, and Mitt Romney apparently owns an iPod that his running mate hates. But they're hardly the kind of boundary pushing artist we celebrate every day here at Soundcheck.

Ask yourself: What if a real musician became president of the United States?

Join Soundcheck for an "October surprise" we're calling The Musician In Chief. Over the next few weeks, special guests will nominate eight musicians and make a case for that artist to become commander in chief. (Yes, even if that person is a drummer.)

Then, you'll be asked to exercise your civic duty to vote in a non-binding, non-scientific, online-only election. The winner will be announced on the show on Nov. 5.

[Important disclaimer: The musician will not actually assume the presidency, unless the winner of the Romney-Obama contest cedes his victory to our winner. – The Lawyers]

START THE CONVERSATION: Who do you think should become the first "Musician In Chief"? Our only rule: Your nominee must be a living artist. Copy and paste the questionnaire below into our comments section, or email your response to soundcheck@wnyc.org 

Nominate Your "Musician in Chief"

 Candidate Name:

 Reason for nomination:

 Campaign slogan: [sentence, short phrase or single word]

 Probable running mate:

 Core campaign issues:

 During first 100 days in office, what will your candidate achieve?

 Additional info: 

Listen to an exclusive full album stream of the highly anticipated upcoming album from the San Diego indie rock duo. What has changed over five years? Not much -- which, at its core, is the beauty of Pinback. This Is (still) A Pinback CD.

Jazz composer and guitarist Rafiq Bhatia plays at Pianos on Tuesday night. Download the track "Sunshower."

The Luyas’ hazy pop songs marry vintage keyboards with French horn and other orchestral flourishes, all built around the breathy coo of Jessie Stein. With its latest album Animator, the Montreal-based band has made its most stirring and hypnotic records yet.