We Want the Airwaves: 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Spy FM -- Ferris O'Brien Resumes His Grand Experiment

Just as I was getting ready to buy into alternative rock radio as a dying format -- someone comes along to remind me what got me excited about the genre in the first place.

Five years ago Ferris O'Brien was the morning DJ on Oklahoma City's alternative station The Spy FM when Citadel decided to change it to a Spanish format. The station continued to struggle for ratings and then something happened that almost never happens, but I hope we'll see more of now that the big radio chains are having troubles. O'Brien bought his old station from Citadel.

Now it's back. The format is "deep alternative" -- meaning that during a typical hour you not only hear Muse, but the Buzzcocks, X, Pulp,and Adam and the Ants, along with obscure college rock type acts like Ghostland Observatory, The Cribs, Ladykillers, Big Pink and Okerville River, and of course, this being an Oklahoma City station, the Flaming Lips.

The only annoyance -- common to a start up -- is no DJs. So unless you are listening to their webstream on your compute -- you won't have any idea of what songs they're playing. Small price to pay for the most awesome station in years.

Can an alternative station succeed by avoiding repetition and concentrating on quality music? The usual pattern is 2-3 years of glory, followed by compromise that sometimes suceeds commerically (see CFNY, KROQ)and sometimes leads to the stations demise. The exceptions are where independent owners are committed to playing good music and not concerned about being the no. 1 station in the market, as long as they keep a loyal and enthusiastic audience. Give it a listen.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Soooooo...how are all those format changes going?

Last year a number of radio stations, in their never ending pursuit of ratings, abandoned the alternaive rock format in several large markets.

KWOD Sacramento became KBCZ (all 90's)
WSWD Cincinatti switches with WYGY then becomes WREW (80's and other retro)at 94.9
WSWD Cincinatti becomes WYGY (country) at 97.3
KTNI Denver-Boulder switches to talk
WMFS Memphis switches to Sports talk
WHTG Monmouth Co. NJ swtiches to CHR

KBCZ is flopping
The WSWD station swtich was a disaster for both stations, only to be salvaged by thw swtich to WREW (I guess they like their 80's hits in Cincy)
WYGY is tanking
Switching to talk has not helped KTNI's ratings one iota
WMFS's audience has gone from miniscule to microscopic
WHTG's once solid if unspectacular ratings has belly flopped.

Maybe the problem wasn't with the format, but with the execution. Maybe talk isn't the wave of the future on FM. Maybe a format switch isn't a cure all for a weak signal.

Program directors take heed and beware.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I spent a week in the Outer Banks in North Carolina and I had the opportunity to hear a station that I almost completely missed the first time I was there two weeks ago. I only found the station after I got back on the mainland driving away. Just got to hear them play "Upside Down" by Jack Johnson and then a station break came on and the station announced itself as the "Outer Banks Alternative" I was looking for a decent station all week while I was staying in Corrola. How did I miss it.

Anyway, this time the family rented a house in Kill Devil Hills, so I got to listen to it for a whole week. It's more adult alternative than alternative, but they play a lot of interesting stuff.

Here's a small sample of what they were playing last night:

One Love -- Bob Marley and the Wailers
A Dustland Fairytale -- The Killers
Girlfriend -- Matthew Sweet
Let Me Be--Xavier Rudd
Down to the Wire -- Son Volt
Beautiful Day -- U2
Solsbury Hill -- Peter Gabriel
Man in the Sand -- Gordon Gano
Candy -- Iggy Pop
Red Light -- Johnny Lang
Circle -- Edie Brickell
Little Pieces -- Gomez
Rock the Casbah -- The Clash

I didn't even know Gordon Gano had an album out.

If that sounds good to you here's the link to the station

Friday, September 25, 2009

Something really scary

When you go to the KEGE homepage this is what you see. Politics aside, simulcasts of AM radio shows? Really? Has this ever worked?

OK I Give Up

I'm not happy with the charts. Too time consuming. I was too inclusive, to compensate for the absence of several good stations I wish I could track. I'm not confident with the data I'm basing the charts on. I'm packing them in.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Alternative Alternative Chart 9/13

The following stations were dropped: WBRU, WYEP, KEGE and WWCT. KQLZ (Boise) WFPK (Louisville) WROX (Virginia Beach) and KHJK (Houston) were added.

*1 The Fixer -- Pearl Jam 725 (1)
*2 Uprising -- Muse 536 (4)
3. Notion -- Kings of Leon 469 (2)
4. 21 Guns -- Green Day 445 (3)
*5. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups 440(5)
*6. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer 413 (7)
*7. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains 384 (12)
8T. Savior -- Rise Against 369 (11)
8T Ignorance -- Paramore 369 (9)
10. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand 358 (8)
11. New Divide -- Linkin Park 327 (10)
12. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon 322 (6)
*13. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band 315 (14)
14. 1901 -- Phoenix 312 (13)
15. Fugitive -- David Gray 287 (15)
*16. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant 273 (18)
17. Help I'm Alive -- Metric 243 (16)
*18. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2 242 (23)
19. She's A Genius -- Jet 236 (17)
20T. You Never Know -- Wilco 219 (19)
20T. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin 219 (21)
22. Fireflies -- Owl City 214 (24)
23. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant 210 (22)
24. Little Bribes -- Death Cab For Cutie 176 (27)
*25. Medicate -- AFI 169 (30T)
26. Kids - MGMT 162 (26)
*27. Maybe -- Ingrid Michaelson 160 (28)
28. Jars -- Chevelle 155 (25)
29. One Day -- Matishyahu 145 (20)
*30. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk 127 (Re-entry)
31. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin 115 (31)
32. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event 102 (40)
33. Got Nuffin -- Spoon 95 (32)
34. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies 92 (33)
*35. Backwards Down the Number Line -- Phish 81 (Re-entry)
36. Sound of Madness -- Disturbed 88 (Re-entry)
37T. I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra 86 (37)
37T. A Whole Lot Better -- Brendan Benson 86 (29)
39T. Sugarfoot -- Black Joe & The Honeybears 82 (Re-entry)
39T. Falling For You -- Colbie Callait 82 (-)

Monday, September 7, 2009

Alternative Alternative Chart 9/6

Based upon estimated airplay on handpicked altnernative/rock leaning AAA stations
* Indicates significant rise in airplay

1. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam (1) 688
2. Notion -- Kings of Leon (2) 503*
3. 21 Guns -- Green Day (5) 459*
4. Uprising -- Muse (4) 510*
5. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups (3) 411
6. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon (6) 402
7. (If You're Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer (15) 393*
8. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand (7) 388
9. Ignorance -- Paramore (8) 371
10. New Divide -- Linkin Park (9) 370
11. Savior -- Rise Against (11) 369*
12. Check My Brain -- Alice In Chains (16) 303*
13. 1901 -- Phoenix (13) 297*
14. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band (19) 289*
15. Fugitive -- David Gray (17) 275*
16. Help, I'm Alive -- Metric (12) 262
17. She's A Genius -- Jet (21) 260*
18. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant (10) 232
19. You Never Know -- Wilco (14) 221
20. One Day -- Matishyahu (23) 214
21. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin (20) 213
22. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant (38) 199*
23. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2 (22) 197
24. Fireflies -- Owl City (25) 195*
25. Jars -- Chevelle (27T) 176*
26. Kids -- MGMT (18) 170
27. Little Bribes -- Death Cab For Cutie (26) 161
28. Maybe -- Ingrid Michaelson (33) 126*
29. A Whole Lot Better -- Brendan Benson (-) 123*
30T Medicate -- AFI (-) 122*
30T I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin (37) 122*
32. Got Nuffin -- Spoon (29) 111
33. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies (30) 109
34. Say Hey (I Love You) -- Michael Franti & Spearhead (-) 109*
35. Wishing Well -- Airborne Toxic Event (29) 108
36. I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra (27T) 104
37. Breaking -- Anberlin (40) 96
38. Two Weeks -- Grizzly Bear (36) 90
39. Sometime After Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event (32) 85
40. Oscar Wilde -- Company of Thieves (39) 79

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Alternative Alternative Airplay Chart week of 8-30

Chart of estimated airplay of selected stations based on chart positions with 1 =20 20=10 and anything over 20 getting nothing

1. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam (1) 770
2. Notion -- Kings of Leon (5) 503
3. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups (4) 471
4. Uprising -- Muse (6) 462
5. 21 Guns -- Green Day (2) 454
6. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon (7) 420
7. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand (3) 374
8. Ignorance -- Paramore (11) 359
9. New Divide -- Linkin Park (8) 357
10. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant (9) 354
11. Savior -- Rise Against (13) 329
12. Help I'm Alive -- Metric (10) 279
13. 1901 -- Phoenix (12) 267
14. You Never Know -- Wilco (15) 262
15. I Want You To -- Weezer (-) 256
16. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains (39) 249
17. Fugitive -- David Gray (25) 239
18. Kids -- MGMT (20) 236
19. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band (16) 234
20. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin (18) 230
21. She's A Genius -- Jet (22) 220
22. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2 (17) 205
23. One Day -- Matishyahu (24) 195
24. Got Nuffin -- Spoon (31) 176
25. Fireflies -- Owl City (32) 171
26. Little Bribes -- Death Cab For Cutie (21) 151
27T Jars -- Chevelle (19) 146
I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra (14) 146
29. Wishing Well -- Airborne Toxic Event (23) 143
30. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies (28) 131
31. Say Please -- Monsters of Folk (-) 110
32. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event (26) 99
33. Maybe -- Ingrid Michaelson (-) 97
34. It's Alright -- 311 (29) 95
35. Life In Technicolor -- Coldplay (30) 92
36. Two Weeks -- Grizzly Bear (34) 91
37. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin (-) 87
38. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant (-) 83
39. Oscar Wilde -- Company of Thieves (35) 82
40. Breaking -- Anberlin (-) 79

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

KRVO Top 103 of 2008

KRVO is a strange AAA-Alternative-Active Rock-Hot AC hybrid out of the Kalispell MT area. Fortunately, I like strange

1. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
2. Pork and Beans -- Weezer
3. Love Song -- Sara Bareilles
4. If I Had Eyes -- Jack Johnson
5. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab For Cutie
6. It's Not My Time -- 3 Doors Down
7. I'm Yours -- Jason Mraz
8. Shattered (Turn the Car Around) -- O.A.R.
9. Long Road to Ruin -- Foo Fighters
10. Supernatural Superserious -- R.E.M.
11. Stop and Stare -- One Republic
12. You Can't Count on Me -- Counting Crows
13. Mercy -- Duffy
14. Love Remains the Same -- Gavin Rossdale
15. Spaceship -- Jason Spencer
16. I'm Amazed -- My Morning Jacket
17. Come on, Get Higher -- Matt Nathanson
18. Bleeding Love -- Leona Lewis
19. Hope -- Jack Johnson
20. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
21. Feels Like Tonight -- Daughtry
22. Believe -- Bravery
23. Won't Go Home Without You -- Maroon 5
24. Something Good This Way Comes -- Jakob Dylan
25. Human -- The Killers
26. Sweet and Low -- Augustana
27. Rise ASbove -- Seether
28. Whatever It Takes -- Lifehouse
29. Take Back the City -- Snow Patrol
30. Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution -- Black Crowes
31. Orphans -- Beck
32. All Summer Long -- Kid Rock
33. Don't You Evah -- Spoon
34. Make You Crazy -- Brent Dennen
35. Hollow Man -- R.E.M.
36. Dream Catch Me -- Newton Faulkner
37. Into the Night -- Santana feat. Chad Kroeger
38. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
39. The Way I Am -- Ingrid Michaelson
40. Handlebars -- Flobots
41. Bottle It Up -- Sara Barielles
42. Come Around -- Counting Crows
43. In Love With A Girl -- Gavin De Graw
44. Say Hey (I Love You) -- Michael Franti & Spearhead
45. 27 Jennifers -- Mike Doughty
46. Believe -- Staind
47. Troublemaker -- Weezer
48. Realize -- Colbie Caillat
49. The Shock of the Lightning -- Oasis
50. Say -- John Mayer
51. Motivation -- Sheryll Crow
52. Life, Love & Laughter -- Donovan Frankenreiter
53. House of Cards -- Radiohead
54. 2:00 a.m. -- Slightly Stoopid
55. Saving My Face -- KT Tunstall
56. Fake It -- Seether
57. You Are the Best Thing -- Ray LaMontagne
58. Cath -- Death Cab For Cutie
59. Rock & Roll -- Eric Hutchison
60. A Change Is Coming -- Lee Roy Bell
61. Lost -- Coldplay
62. Funplex -- The B52's
63. Let It Die -- Foo Fighters
64. Chasing Pavements -- Adele
65. Crack the Shutters -- Snow Patrol
66. Fix It -- Ryan Adans & The Cardinals
67. I Still Ain't Over You -- Augustana
68. Peace, Love & Happiness -- G-Love & Special Sauce
69. Love Is Free -- Sheryll Crow
70. Gotta Be Somebody -- Nickelback
71. Falling In Love In a Coffee Shop -- Landon Pigg
72. Stepping Stone -- Duffy
73. Atmosphere -- Scott Fisher
74. You Found Me -- The Fray
75. I Kissed A Girl -- Katy Perry
76. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
77. Sing For You -- Tracy Chapman
78. Wounded Bird -- Black Crowes
79. Be OK -- Ingrid Michaelson
80. Will It Grow -- Jakob Dylan
81. You and Me and Everything -- Blues Traveller
82. Underneath -- Alanis Morisette
83. Kiss Me Again -- Ben's Brother
84. Crush, Crush, Crush -- Paramore
85. What's Been Going On -- Amos Lee
86. Good With You -- LP
87. Slippery People -- Jason Spooner
88. Jigsaw Falling Into Place -- Radiohead
89. When I Dream of Michelangelo -- Counting Crows
90. Little Favours -- KT Tunstall
91. Until the Day Is Done -- R.E.M.
92. Run -- Gnarles Barkley
93. Old Enough -- The Raconteurs
94. Right as Rain -- Adele
95. Staying With Me -- Los Lonely Boys
96. Boys With Girlfriends -- Meiko
97. It's About Time -- Barcelona
98. Dance With Me -- Old 97's
99. The Only One -- The Cure
100. New Soul -- Yael Naim
101. You Won't Be Able to Be Sad -- Break and Repair Method
102. Rebels in the Roses -- Everest
103. Falling Slowly -- Glen Hansard and Marketa
.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Alternative Alternative Airplay Chart Pt 2

So far 34 stations have been selected, mostly low hanging fruit. Now it becomes trickier.

The next group (Group 8) are the Generic Alternative Stations. Two of them brag about having no DJs and a third had no DJs until recently. Their playlists are safe and familiar, but definitely not active rock. So they're in.

WMRQ -- Waterbury, CT
WBOS -- Boston, MA
WKRK -- Cleveland OH

Now comes the rest of the alternative stations -- I culled out all the ones that heavily leaned active rock In other words if Godsmack, Seether and Shinedown were all in your top 10 then you were gone. This is what I came up with

WLUM -- Milwaukee WI
KROX -- Austin TX
KXRK -- Salt Lake City UT
KRZQ -- Reno NV
WSTW-HD2 -- Wilmington DE
WNXX -- Baton Rogue, LA
KFMA -- Tuscon, AZ
WKZQ -- Myrtle Beach SC
WDYL -- Richmond VA
WWCT -- Peoria IL

The last group is rock-leaning Adult Alternative stations WXRV and WRLT are the outer limit of includable stations. If Eric Hutchison, Adele and Rob Thomas are all in your Top 10,then you're out. KFOG, WMMM WMVY and KGSR are all examples of AAA stations that do not play enough alternative rock to be considered here. This leaves the following stations:

WWMM Birmingham AL
KPRI San Diego, CA
CIDR Windsor ON/Detroit MI
KMTT Seattle WA
KMMS Bozeman MT
WRLT Nashville TN
WXPK White Plains, NY
WXRV Boston MA
WFIV Knoxville TN

I would have liked to include more Canadian stations, but airplay lists of individual stations is just about impossible to come by.

So here's our ignagural chart

1. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam 727
2. 21 Guns -- Green Day 506
3. No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand 496
4. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups 486
5. Notion -- Kings of Leon 475
6. Uprising -- Muse 417
7. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon 413
8. New Divide -- Linkin Park 400
9. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant 397
10. Help I'm Alive -- Metric 386
11. Ignorance -- Paramore 382
12. 1901 -- Phoenix 362
13. Savior -- Rise Against 299
14. I've Got Friends -- Machester Orchestra 288
15. You Never Know -- Wilco 286
16. Why I Am -- Dave Matthews Band 268
17. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight -- U2 244
18. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin 240
19. Jars -- Chevelle 192
20. Kids -- MGMT 183
21. Little Bribes -- Death Cab For Cutie 176
22. She's A Genius -- Jet 163
23. Wishing Well -- Airborne Toxic Event 158
24. One Day -- Matishyahu 157
25. Fugitive -- David Grey 149
26. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event 137
27. Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band 136
28. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies 124
29. It's Alright -- 311 120
30. Life In Technicolor -- Coldplay 111
31. Got Nuffin -- Spoon 110
32. Fireflies -- Owl City 106
33. Back Against the Wall -- Cage the Elephant 104
34. Two Weeks -- Grizzly Bear 100
35. Oscar Wilde -- Company of Thieves 98
36. Backwards Down the Number Line -- Phish 89
37. Sound of Madness -- Shinedown 84
38. Sugarfoot -- Black Joe & the Honeybears 82
39. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains 80
40. Say Hey (I Love You) 72
37.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

In Search for a Format that Works-- An alternative alternative chart

It's no secret that Alternative Rock radio is in crisis. Unlike many, I think the crisis is not primarily attributable to the outside competitors -- the I Pod, the internet, satellite radio. All genres face this competition. It's not that alternative rock is inherently uncommercial. Kings of Leon, Green Day, U2, Coldplay, Weezer and Linkin Park, all sell millions and have had hits on Top 40 radio.

The crisis in alternative rock radio has its roots earlier in the decade, when program directors became convinced that the advent of Korn and Limp Biskit made necessary a purge of both female artists and female listeners and the focus narrowed to nu metal and third generation punk and frat boy attitude became standard.

Some good bands came out of this -- Rage Agaisnt the Machine, Incubus, Rancid to name a few -- but soon another format came about to up the ante, namely active rock, further marginalizing the format. Then adult alternative came along attracting the older part of the alternative rock audience. For a while alternative rock stations followed the lead of the active rock stations -- the charts for the two genres were almost indistinguishable as recently as a couple of years ago -- but recently a divergence has occurred, as alternative stations increasingly sought to distinguish themselves, even as many Chicago's WKQZ and St. Louis' KPNT continued their slide toward active rockdom.

The alternative rock airplay charts, however, are still skewed by this drift of nominally alternative stations. While those stations are pulled toward Godsmack, some of the hipper adult alternative stations are equally pulled toward Colby Caillat, and the adult alternative charts don't reflect the artists those stations play. My favorite stations are the ones that manage to straddle that line and resist the pull, so I decided to group those stations together to see what an airplay chart would look like.

I don't have the raw data on airplay, but I have seen a some airplay charts and the number of plays descend very gradually, with the number 20 song usually getting approximately half the airplay of the number 1 song. So I will assign points based upon chart position (based upon most played charts from Yes and Tune Genie)

1. Gets 20 point
2 and 3 gets 19 points
4 and 5 gets 18 points
6 and 7 gets 17 points
and so on until you get to 20 which gets 10 points.

Now for the stations. First is group one -- the most recognized innovative and influential modern rock stations -- these are the core

WWCD, Columbus OH, WFNX, Boston MA, WBRU, Providence RI, KRBZ, Kansas City MO and KNRK Portland OR.

Group 2 are the major players -- the stations that people think of first when they think of modern rock.

KROQ, Los Angeles, CA, XETRA, Tijuana/San Diego, KITS, San Francisco and CIMX, Windsor ON/Detroit MI

WKQZ was intentionally left out.

Group 3 are the commercial AAA stations that are either the most cutting edge or that more loud rock than average for the genre

WRNR -- Annapolis/Baltimore MD
WXRT -- Chicago IL
WRXP -- New York, NY
KENZ -- Salt Lake City UT
WNNX -- Atlanta GA.

The next group is the NPR type public AAA stations, which tends to favor offbeat cerebral bands and the stray singer-songwriter.

WTMD -- Baltimore MD
WXPN -- Philadelphia PA
KCMP -- Minneapolis/St. Paul MN
WYEP -- Pittsburgh, PA
WYMS -- Milwaukee WI

The next bunch is the group of Clear Channel stations that have diverged from the active rock lean of that chain

KCCQ -- Ames, IA
WRFF -- Philadelphia PA
KCNL -- San Jose CA
KTCL -- Denver CO

Nest are the alt rock stations that are somewhat adventerous, but that nobody outside their listening area had heard of.

WEQX -- Manchester VT
KBZT -- San Diego, CA
KEDJ -- Phoenix, AZ
KEGE -- Pocatella ID
KRXP -- Colorado Springs, CO
KRXF -- Bend OR

Next are the college and community stations -- airplay info on this type of station is hard to come by and the playlists so unrepresentative as to be unusable. WRAS, WREK, WRIU and KSCL

WBER -- Rochester, NY
WAPS -- Akron, OH
WBWC -- Cleveland OH
WERS -- Boston MA

We'll finish the rundown and give you the list tommorow

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

KTNI Goes Internet-only

One of my favorite stations KTNI has decided to go off terestial radio. Their site says the reason they are doing this is because there is that there is too much pressure to play hits when you broadcast over the airwaves. The site also promised to get more local in focus. I pretty much saw this one coming. Arbitron ratings below 1 are a surefire ticket to format change, no matter how weak your signal is.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

RIP Martin Streek

Really sad news. Martin Streek long time personality for CFNY "The Edge" in Toronto was found dead in his apartment, apparently a suicide.

He was recently fired by Corus, the parent company for the Edge. Follow the above link and you'll find some great tributes in the comments section.

Some of the current Edge DJs had some nice tributes on their blogs on CFNY. He was one of the last links to the glory days of "The Spirit of Radio" when CFNY rivaled KROQ as the best radio station in North America.

For the last few years he was the host of the Thursday 30. Like most of the DJs from the old days he was unafraid to tell you he didn't care for a song, even if it was one the station was pushing hard. He was knowledgable and passionate, and apparently it was too much for the suits at Corus to handle. Too bad.

If I get to heaven, I know they'll have the most awesome "live to airs" up there.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Friday, July 3, 2009

Clear Channel Playoff Semifinals -- KRAB v. WHRL

It's down to the final four -- the vilest of the vile. KRAB of Bakersfield vs. WHRL of Albany. let's see who goes to the finals

KRAB
Typical -- Tickle Me Pink vs.
WHRL
Do What You Do -- Mudvayne
WHRL wins the first round. The listener loses either way.

Savior-- Rise Against vs.
Champagne -- Cavo
2-0 WHRL

Jeremy -- Pearl Jam
Pardon Me -- Incubus
Early Pearl Jam vs. Early Incubus? It's HRL again

3AM-- Eminem vs.
Rock & Roll -- Led Zeppelin
Who cares if it's not alterative? "Rock & Roll" is a true classic. KRAB gets its first point

If Today Was Your Last Day -- Nickelback vs.
Inside the Fire -- Disturbed
Bathos v. macho teenage angnst. KRAB wins again

Love Me Dead -- Ludo vs.
All My Life -- Foo Fighters
Even a lesser Foo Fighters song beats Ludo any dayIt's all tied at 3-3

Young -- Hollowood Undead vs.
Ain't No Rest for teh Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
KRAB takes the lead!

What I've Done -- Linkin Park vs.
Heart Shaped Box -- Nirvana
KRAB 5-3. They only need one more

Sinner -- Big B v.
Down -- 311
KRAB wins!

Something -- Escape the Fate vs.
Something In Your Mouth -- Nickelback
Final score 6-4 KRAB

Call Me --

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Monday, June 29, 2009

A Short Respite -- KEGE of Pocatello, Idaho

Wow. Just to remind you of what a real alternative station sounds like, here is a sample of what Pocatello Idaho's KEGE was playing last week

I've Got Friends -- Manchester Orchestra
LES Artistes -- Santogold
Bittersweet Symphony -- The Verve
Thnks fr the Mmrs -- Fall Out Boy
Semi Charmed Life -- Third Eye Blind
One Day -- Matishyahu
Wannabe in LA -- Eagles of Death Metal
Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
Miss Murder -- AFI
Glow -- Alien Ant Farm
The Underdog -- Spoon
Zero -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Pale Bride -- The Von Bondis
Adam's Song -- Blink 182.

I feel a little better now. Not a bad little station

Clear Channel Playoffs - Quarterfinals KRAB v. KDGE

We're entering the quarterfinals to see which Clear Channel owned alternative station plays the lamest music. KRAB of Bakersfield CA. meets KDGE of Dallas TX

KRAB
Love Me Dead -- Ludo vs.
KDGE
Audience of One -- Rise Against
Ludo grabs KRAB the early lead

Paralyzer -- Finger 11 vs.
Outshined -- Soundgarden
KRAB again

Young -- Hollywood Undead vs.
Numb -- Linkin Park
Strong play from KDGE, but no match for the awesome lamenesss of Hollywood Undead

Rise Above This -- Seether vs.
Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
KRAB going for the kill, but a brillant counterpunch by KDGE to finally get on the board

By the Way -- Red Hot Chili Peppers vs.
Give It Away -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
KRAB picks the inferior Chili Peppers song 4-1 KRAB

Something -- Escape the Fate vs.
Fake It -- Seether
Like picking between Hitler or Stalin. KDGE by a hair

If This Was Your Last Day -- Nickelback vs.
Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
KRAB again. Can do no worse than a tie now.

Lifeline -- Papa Roach vs.
Epic -- Faith No More
KRAB wins!

The rest
KRAB
In Bloom -- Nirvana
Let's Go Crazy -- Incubus

KDGE
Somebody Told Me -- The Killers
Polly -- Nirvana

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Clear Channel Playoffs -- Round 2 WXPX v. WXSR

WXPX Pittsburgh, PA. v. WXSR Sarasota FL. A station that got a bye just for having a section on its website called the "Red Light District" Plus a link to "947 Thongs". Cause they're so committed to the music

WXPX
Help I'm Alive -- Metric vs.
WXSR
Last Resort -- Papa Roach
WXSR takes the early lead

Heartless - The Fray vs.
You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- Offspring
WXPX wins here. I'd rather listen to Kanye West's original or any other song by the Fray.

A Dustland Fairytale -- The Killers vs.
Fine Again -- Seether
Yech. I think I threw up in my mouth. Draw.

I Almost Told You That I Loved You -- Papa Roach vs.
Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
WXPX takes the lead

Savior -- Rise Against vs.
Sometime After Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
In a major upset WXPX has a 3-1 advantage

1901 -- Phoenix vs.
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
Tough call. Too tough, as these are twp good songs -- draw

It's Alright -- 311 vs.
Plush -- Stone Temple Pilots
I gotta go for the fauz-grunge. WXSR

Notion -- Kings of Leon vs.
Drive -- Incubus
Another tough choice, as neither song sucks. WXSR by a hair

I Get Off -- Halestorm vs.
Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
WXPX again creeps into the lead

Contagious -- Trapt vs.
All Apologies -- Nirvana
WXPX upset!!!! Onto Round 3

Clear Channel Playoffs Round 2 -- WTZB v. WXEG

This time it's WTZB of Sarasota FL v. WXEG of Dayton, OH. I've drivem through Dayton and tried to tune into their altermatove station but couldn't find it. Now I know why!

WTZB
Know Your Enemy -- Green Day vs.
WXEG
Bat Country -- Avenged Sevenfold
WXEG wins big on this one

Wish You Were Here -- Incubus vs.
Re-education Through Labor -- Rise Against
This is a close call I like both of these songs. WTZB by a nose

Hey You -- 311
Undead -- Hollywood Undead
No competition here WXEG's choice is clearly inferior

Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon vs.
In Bloom -- Nirvana
2 classic songs -- draw

Man in a Box -- Alice in Chains vs.
The Night -- Disturbed
WXEG wins this round

Sound of Madness -- Shinedown vs.
Remedy -- Seether
One of the few times I'll prefer Seether to something. WTZB wins this one

Toxicity -- System of a Down vs.
Sooner of Later -- Breaking Bejamin
WXEG wins this one. WXEG is ahead 4-2

Audience of One -- Rise Against vs.
The Unforgiven -- Metallica
A really good punk song vs. one of the best metal songs -- draw.

Santeria -- Sublime vs.
Death of Me -- Red
Sublime's most obnoxious song vs. Red, who's video I couldn't bear to listen more than 30 seonds of? Do I gotta choose? I call it a draw.

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant vs.
Sillworld -- Stonesour
Looks like we got a winner -- WXEG goes on to the next round to battle it for the title of lamest alternative station.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Clear Channel Playoffs -- Round 2 WEND v. WPLA

WEND out of Charlotte NC now faces Jacksonville FL's Planet Radio WPLA. WPLA, by the way got a bye for a sweet little feature called "Web Ho Wednesday"

WEND
New Divide -- Linkin Park
Shine -- Collective Soul
Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
Creep -- Radiohead
Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
Through Glass -- Stone Sour
Cold -- Evans Blue
Champagne -- Cavo
Someday -- Nickelback
Let it Die -- Foo Fighters

WPLA
Miss Murder -- AFI
Low -- Cracker
Bad Girfriend -- Theory of a Deadman
Why Don't You Get A Job -- Offspring
Kryptonite -- 3 Doors Down
Helena -- My Chemical Romance
Touch, Peel and Stand -- Days of the New
Riot -- 3 Days Grace
First Date -- Blink 182
Drive -- Incubus

This deserves a closer look
Linkin Park nudges out AFI (barely)
Collective Soul v. Cracker -- I like both songs but Collective Soul a little less
Theory of a Deadman v. Dave Matthews? TOD by a rout.
I like the Offspring but they are no match for Radiohead
3 Doors Down is definitely outclassed by Kings of Leon
Helena is just OK, while Through Glass is far and away Stone Sour's best song
Evans Blue v. Days of the New? meh all around -- I call a draw on that one
I hate hate hate that Cavo song even worse than Riot and that's saying something
Nickelback clearly has the edge over Blink 182's charming "First Date" in the suck department.
Let it Die v. Drive? I lke both. another draw.
A 4-4 tie! This calls for a 3 song overtime

WEND
Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
Song 2 -- Blur
Audience of One -- Rise Against

WPLA
Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
Today -- Smashing Pumpkins
You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies

Each station won a round and the middle one was a draw. That means --

DOUBLE OVERTIME!

WEND
Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack
It's Not My Time -- 3 Doors Down
Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday

WPLA
Champagne -- Cavo
Brain Stew -- Green Day
Pain -- Jimmy Eat World

In a minor upset WEND takes it in double overtime

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Clear Channel Playoffs Round 2 KDGE v. KTBZ

Interesting matchup here Dallas's KDGE (The Edge) vs. Houston's KTBZ (The Buzz) to see who is the lamest in Texas. They both tie for the most generic branding.

KDGE
Creep -- Stone Temple Pilots
Times Like These -- Foo Fighters
Killing in the Name of -- Rage Against the Machine
Dirt Room -- Blue October
Somewhere I Belong -- Linkin Park
All the Small Things -- Blink 182
This Is It -- Staind
Can't Stop -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pardon Me -- Incubus
I Get It -- Chevelle

KTBZ
Seasons -- Veer Union
Fight for Your Right to Party -- Beastie Boys
Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
Cold -- Crossfade
Audience of One -- Rise Against
What I've Done -- Linkin Park
Under the Bridge -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Careless Whispter -- Seeter
Decode -- Parammore
Indestructable -- Disturbed

This is a tough one. Let's go song by song.

Seasons is a really good hard rock song,with a strong melody and intersting lyrics. Creep is an incoherent pseudo grunge ballad. Advantage KDGE

I Love the Foo Fighters but Fight for Your Right is a classic KDGE "wins" again

Rage against Anberlin? Sorry no contest. Round to KTBZ

Cold is a generic NuMetal ballad but it pales next to the excreable "Dirt Room" KDGE is the lamest of this round

Linkin Park vs. Rise Against's best song? Are you kidding me? KDGE again

All the Small Things vs. What I've Done? Blink 182's most annoying song vs. one of the few tolerable Linkin Park songs. KDGE again.

This is It is absolutely unlistenable. KDGE

Even a weak Chili Peppers song can beat Seether any day. KTBZ wins this one.

Incubus v. Paramore? Draw.

I'll take Chevelle over Disturbed to give the last round to KTBZ, but it's too little too late. KDGE is the winner and goes onto

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Searching for the Worst Clear Channel Station -- WWDC v. WXDX

WWDC is as one might guess a station out of the Nation's capital. WXDX is out of Pittsburgh, Pa. Let the games begin...

WWDC
Vasoline -- Stone Temple Pilots
Last Resort -- Poppa Roach
Face Down -- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
You Shook Me All Night Long -- AC/DC
I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica
Learn to Fly-- Foo Fighters
Take Me Out -- Franz Ferdinand
Aint No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
Scar Tissue -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Just A Girl -- No Doubt

WXDX
Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
Creep -- Stone Temple Pilots
All the Small Things -- Blink 182
Careless Whisper -- Seether
one -- Metallica
Don't Look Back In Anger -- Oasis
Use Smebody -- Kings of Leon
Better Man -- Pearl Jam
You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies
Falling Away From Me -- Korn

A strong finish for KXDX and that station will go onto Round 2

Based upon this set this station COULD -- GO -- ALL -- THE -- WAY!

Search for the Worst Clear Channel Station -- WRFF v. WRXL

WRFF is the only Clear Channel station I've listened to on an extensive basis as I discovered it while driving to Long Island to visit my mother in the hospital, and to help sell her house. (She's in Louisville now and doing better, thank you. The signal's, originating in the Philadelphia area, is strong enough to be heard in the Poconos & Northern New Jersey near the Deleware Water Gap. It is quite listenable, and helped me through the drives, along with Centenary College's AAA station and to a lesser extent, hard rock formatted "The Bone". WRFF can't hold a candle to the HD2 & internet competition Y-Rock on XPN. Up against WRFF is WRXL out of Richmond Va.

WRFF
Basket Case--Green Day
In Too Deep -- Sum 41
If I Had Eyes -- Jack Johnson
Crawling in the Dark -- Hoobastank
Decode -- Paramore
Sober -- Tool
99 Red Balloons -- Goldfinger
Come As You Are -- Nirvana
Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
Gone Daddy Gone -- Violent Femmes

WRXL
Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart --Stone Temple Pilots
Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
Girls, Girls, Girls, -- Motley Crue
(I'm calling it for WRXL right here, invoking the Mercy rule)

For the morbidly curious here's the rest of the random 10

Holiday -- Green Day
Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a Deadman
In the Meantime -- Spacehog
I'm Not OK (I Promise) -- My Chemical Romance
Through Glass -- Stone Sour
Re-education (Through Labor) -- Rise Against
The Chemicals Between Us -- Bush

Friday, June 19, 2009

Searching for the Worst Clear Channel Station -- WEND v. WMAX

It's North Carolina v. Michigan next WEND out of Charlotte of which I hope to hear "THE END" of and WMAX of Grand Rapids MI. let's see how they stack up:

WEND
Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
Wasting My Time -- Default
Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack
Psycho -- Puddle of Mudd
Numb -- Linkin Park
Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
I've Got Friends -- Machester Orchestra
Bartender -- Rehab
Feel Good, Inc. -- Gorillaz
Just like You -- 3 Days Grace

WMAX
Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
Hey Man Nice Shot -- Filter
Long Gone -- Chris Cornell
Bright Lights -- Matchbox 20
Oxygen -- Living Things
The Boys of Summer -- The Ataris
Aint No Rest of the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
Hey Jeolousy -- Gin Blossoms
Champagne Supernova -- Oasis
Island in the Sun -- Weezer

Wow. WEND managed to string together a set of four songs that would not only force me to switch to another station but would be an incentive to remove the station from my presets. This station definitely has Cinderella potential. The Ataris and Matchbox 20 simply don't stand up in comparison. Yeah I actually like the Gin Blossoms who are way underrated because they were pop. So It's onto the next round for WEND.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Searching for the Worst Clear Channel Station: KTCL V. KTEG

Next competition pits KTCL from Denver v. KTEG from Albequeque/Santa Fe NM

KTCL
Here in Your Bedroom -- Goldfinger
Steady As She Goes -- The Raconteurs
Clocks -- Coldplay
Girfriends -- Single File
Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
Lovesong -- The Cure
Typical -- Tickle Me Pint
Little Things -- Bush
One in the Afternoon -- Panic At the Disco
Rock & Roll Lifestyle -- Cake

KTEG
Cumbersome -- Seven Mary Three
Aint No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
Bleed it Out -- Linkin Park
She -- Green Day
All My Life -- Foo Fighters
Killing in the Name -- Rage Against the Machine
Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
Black Hole Sun -- Soundgarden
No You Girls -- Franz Ferdinand
Toxicity -- System of a Down

In a major upset, KTEG is eliminated as the Bush/Panic At the Disco combo proved to be too much.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Searching for the worst Clear Channel station-- KCCQ v. KCNL

This is my new sacred quest. It is indisputable that Clear Channel has done more than any other radio chain to wreck the Alternative rock format. So I'm having a playoff of Clear Channel Stations to test the depths of suckitude. The first two contenders in the First Round are KCCQ of Ames, IA. and KCNL of San Jose, CA. Ten songs from the playlist of each station, loser take all.

KCCQ
Sheenah Is A Punk Rocker -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Midlife Crisis -- Faith No More
Here In YOur Bedroom -- Goldfinger
Old Enough -- Raconteurs
No Cars Go -- Arcade Fire
Gold Dust Woman -- Hole
Flowing --311
Take It Off -- The Donnas
Too High for the Supermarket -- Uninvited
Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat -- Beck

KCNL
Help I'm Alive -- Metric
Bittersweet Symphony -- The Verve
Feels Like Teen Spirit -- Nirvana
Notion -- Kings of Leon
Wishing Well -- Airborne Toxic Event
By the Way -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Hand That Feeds -- Nine Inch Nails
Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
Mysterious Ways -- U2
Old White Lincoln -- Gaslight Anthem

Wow, I must admit that didn't suck at all. However the victor is clear because KCCQ is disqualified for use of Arcade Fire. KCNL goes onto the next round.

Friday, June 12, 2009

KPNT -- not quite everything alternative

If your idea of alternative is heavy doses of Puddle of Mudd, Shinedown, Three Days Grace and Hollywood Undead with an occasional Kings of Leon thrown in, then KPNT is the station for you.

Here is a typical hour:

Aenima -- Tool
Woman -- Wolfmother
Downfall -- Trust Company
Polyamorous -- Breaking Benjamin
Dirt Room -- Blue October
In the End -- Linkin Park
The Night -- Disturbed
Wrong Way -- Sublime
I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica
Big Empty -- Stone Temple Pilots
Feel Good Inc. -- Gorillaz

Alarming statistics -- Female solo artists played in 24 hour period -- 0
Bands with female members played within 24 hour period -- 5
1) Smashing Pumpkins
2) Hole
3) Silversun Pickups
4) Airborne Toxic Event
5) Garbage

Thursday, June 11, 2009

WMMM -- Closer to Lame

I really don't mind the softer AAA stations. When I'm in the mood to chill, the best of them evoke a sense of place like no other format. WDST epitomises Woodstock, KGSR is Austin personified and you can practically smell the sea breeze when you listen to WMVY out of Nantucket,

You would think that a station out of Madison Wisconsin would have a hip edge to it. You would be wrong

Kodachrome -- Paul Simon
Love Song -- The Cure
Love Sneaking Up On You -- Bonnie Raitt
In the Mood -- Robert Plant
When I Dream of Michelangelo -- Counting Crows
Come Together -- The Beatles
Snow (Hey Oh) -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Good Thing -- The BoDeans
Closer to Love -- Matt Kearney
Angel of Harlem -- U2
Lullaby -- Shawn Mullins

This hour of programming evokes a nervous Program Director, desperately trying not to offend a focus group of 30 something housewives. These songs could be put on a playlist of any adult contemporary station without anyone batting an eyelash. (And all but one or two of them already have been)

WMMM is an Entercom station and this seems to be a pattern with this chain's AAA stations -- they go soft and safe.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

WRXP -- Not great yet

WRXP of New York City bills itself as the "New York Rock Expericne" On paper it's a great idea -- combine great classic rcok tracks, classic new wave and current alternative rock with knowlegable radio personalities. How can you hate a station that has a daily feature called the "Punk trunk"? Or a station that reports as AAA but plays the Silversun Pickups and Iggy Pop?

Why then is this station not in my top 10 favorite stations?

Here's a sample hour:

Come Out and Play -- Offspring
True Faith -- New Order
use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
Welcome to the Jungle -- Guns n Roses
One Love/People Get Ready -- Bob Marley & the Wailers
Where the Streets Have No Name -- U2
You Never Know -- Wilco
Everlong -- The Foo Fighters
Peace Frog/Blue Sunday -- The Doors
Stay Positive -- The Hold Steady
Smells Like Teen Spirit -- Nirvana
On the Turning Away -- Pink Floyd

1) When you have a very eclectic playlist and format, you need to be careful about sequence and transitions, otherwise you have a random sounding "Ipod on shuffle" effect and some jarring musical contrasts,

2) Friends don't let friends play post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd.

3) Has anyone else noticed that the new Wilco single sorta stinks? Ok that was a bit off topic, but still...

In short this is a station I love to have on, but when I have it on, I always have my finger ready to push the other preset buttons.

Monday, June 8, 2009

WRLT TOP 100 of 2008

WRLT is a AAA based in Nashville, TN. Much like KGSE very rootsy and singer-songwriterish.

1. If I Had Eyes -- Jack Johnson
2. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab for Cutie
3. Supernatural Superserious -- R.E.M.
4. I'm Yours -- Jason Mraz
5. The Way I Am -- Ingrid Michaelson
6. You Can't Count on Me -- Counting Crows
7. Long Road to Ruin -- Foo Fighters
8. Hard Sun -- Eddie Vedder
9. Dream Catch Me -- Newton Faulkner
10. I'm Amazed -- My Morning Jacket
11. Hope -- Jack Johnson
12. Love Song -- Sara Barilles
13. Come Around -- Counting Crows
14. Shattered (Turn the Car Around) -- O.A.R.
15. 27 Jennifers -- Mike Doughty
16. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
17. Old Enough -- The Raconteurs
18. Dirty City -- Steve Winwood
19. Falling In Love in a Coffee Shop -- Landon Pigg
20. Mercy -- Duffy
21. Listen -- Amos Lee
22. New Soul --Yael Naim
23. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
24, Lost! -- Coldplay
25. Rich Woman -- Robert Plant & Alsion Krauss
26. Take Back the City -- Soul Patrol
27. You Are the Best Thing -- Ray La Montangne
28. Scare Easy -- Mudcrutch
29. Love Remains the Same -- Gavin Rossdale
30. Hollow Man -- R.E.M.
31. Rock & Roll -- Eric Hutchison
32. More Time -- Need to Breathe
33. Love is Free* -- Sheryl Crow
34. Life, Love & Laughter -- Donavon Frankenreiter
35. Believe -- The Bravery
36. Nothing Ever Hurt Like You -- James Morrison
37. Peace Love & Happiness -- G Love & Special Sauce
38. Please Read the Letter -- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
39. Jigsaw Falling Into Place -- Radiohead
40. Orphans -- Beck
41. Sweet & Low -- Augustana
42. Say Hey (I Love Yor) -- Michael Franti & Spearhead
43. That's Entgrainment -- Van Morrison
44. Funplex -- The B52's
45. Trashcan -- The Delta Spirit
46. Until You -- David Barnes
47. Bottle It Up -- Sara Barilles
48. What's been Going On -- Amos Lee
49. Say -- John Mayer
50. Free Fallin' (Live) -- John Mayer
51. My Sweet Love -- John Mellancamp
52. Something Good This Way Comes -- Jakob Dylan
53. Pork and Beans -- Weezer
54. Madly -- Tristan Prettyman
55. A-Punk -- Vampire Weekend
56. Pony (It's OK) -- Erin McCauley
57. Make You Crazy -- Brett Dennen
58. Till You're Gone -- Gabe Dixon Band
59. Lover of te Bayou -- Mudcrutch
60. Until the Day is Done -- R.E.M.
61. Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Pt 1 -- My Morining Jacket
62. Boots of Chinese Plastic -- The Pretenders
63. Realize -- Colbie Callait
64. Real Love -- Lucinda Williams
65. Fix It -- Ryan Admas & The Cardinals
66. Shine Over Babylon -- Sheryl Crow
67. Be OK -- Ingrid Michaelson
68. I Came Around -- Annie Minello
69. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
70. You Don't Know Me -- Ben Folds feat. Regina Spektor
71. Dance with Me -- Old 97's
72. Goodbye Daughters of teh Revolution -- Black Crowes
73. Freeway -- Aimee Mann
74. Bring It On -- Lenny Kravitz
75. All In My Head -- Shawn Mullins
76. Always A Friend**-- Alexandro Escovedo
77. Human -- The Killers
78. All That I Know --Collective Soul
79. Sweeter Than This -- Katie Herzog
80. Lilacs -- Matt Costa
81. You Found Me -- The Fray
82. Gone in the Morning -- Newton Faulkner
83. Cigarette Eyes -- Matt Costa
84. Staying With Me -- Los Lonely Boys
85. Motivation -- Sheryl Crow
86. Cath...-- Death Cab For Cutie
87. Working on a Dream -- Bruce Springsteen
88. Strange Overtures -- David Byrne & Brian Eno
89. Little Favours -- KT Tunstall
90. Burn You Up, Burn You Down -- Big Blue Ball
91. It's Alright -- Dar Williams
92. Round Here Soemwhere -- Bodeans
93. Cruel Fate -- Big Head Todd & the Monsters
94. Broken -- Tift Merrit
95. True -- Susan Tredeschi
96. Song For You -- Tracy Chapmam
97. Shine On -- The Kooks
98. Out of Our Heads -- Sheryl Crow
99. Boys With Girlfriends -- Meiko
100. The Litle Things -- Colbie Callait

* Listed as "More Time", listed song is educated guess
** Listed as "Always in my Head"

Inside the belly of the beast

Just happened to stumble across a magnum opus written by Alex Cosper, who is a former PD at KWOD and WLUM. He is very opinionated about the state of modern rock radio. Whether you agree with him or not it's a very interesting look inside a music professional's head.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

I'm bored -- let's play a game

I'm sure it's happened to you. You're listening to your favorite station and you hear a song and you shake your head and say: "I can't believe they're playing this crap." OK the word you'll use probably will start with the letter "s" but I don't feel like informing Blogger to activate the "adult content" screen just so I can type that word.

Anyway, if the station in question is an alternative station or "adult alternative" you may add "that's not alternative" Well the object of this game is to define the line that separates "alternative" from "not alternative". You take two artists that have some similarities and sort out which one is really "alternative", broadly defined, and which is not. And remember, just because it's played on alternative stations doesn't necesarily mean it's alternative. And just because it's not played on alternative stations doen't mean it isn't

Good way to start arguments at parties. "Dude, Liz Phair is totally alternative. You ever heard "Exile in Guyville?" "No way, she sold her soul after her first two albums!"

Obvious Example: the Beastie Boys are alternative and Vanilla Ice isn't

OK. Let's play

Tom Waits is alternative and the Eagles aren't
Los Lobos are alternative and Los Lonely Boys aren't
Green Day is alternative and Good Charolette isn't
Bob Dylan is alternative and Donovan isn't
Depeche Mode is alternative and Duran Duran isn't
The Black Crowes are alternative and Hinder isn't
Death Cab For Cutie is alternative and Snow Patrol isn't
Gnarles Barkley is alternative and the Ting Tings aren't
Prince is alternative and Lenny Kravitz isn't
Peter Gabriel is alternative and Phil Collins isn't
Neil Young is alternative and David Crosby isn't
REM is alternative and 3 Doors Down isn't
Aimee Mann is alternative and Sheryl Crow isn't
No Doubt is alternative but Gwen Stefani isn't
Bush (lamentably) was alternative but Gavin Rossdale isn't
Mike Doughty is alternative and Paolo Nuiti isn't
Jack Johnson is alternative (if only just barely) and Jason Mraz isn't
Amy Winehouse is alternative and Duffy isn't (I do love "Mercy" however)
Johnny Cash was alternative and Garth Brooks isn't
Papa Roach is alternative and Godsmack isn't
Eminem is alternative and Kid Rock isn't
Jimi Hendrix was alternative and Eric Clapton isn't

Anyone wants to join in the fun, leave a comment

Friday, June 5, 2009

Now this is more like it.

Since last fall, Vancouver, BC finally got its own commercial AAA station. I didn't realize how awesome it was until I finally gave it a listen:

Boulevard of Broken Dreams -- Green Day
Robots -- Dave Mangan
Civil Twilight -- the Weakerthans
Funny the Way It Is -- Dave Matthews Band
When the Sun Goes Down -- Arctic Monkeys
The Lonely End of the Rink -- Tragically Hip
Say It Ain't So -- Weezer
1985 -- Golden Dogs
Scar Tissue -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Don't Talk Down -- The Stills
Satellite Scar -- Modest Mouse
Cigarette -- Jeremy Eller
Beat on the Brat -- The Ramones
Hard Sun -- Eddie Vedder

The Arctic Monkeys, Weezer, Modest Mouse and the Ramones in one hour and no Norah Jones or Jason Mraz? Now that's my kind of AAA station. This set sounded even better than it looks on paper. Bonus: I heard them play Bruce Cockburn, which is a rarity these days. Does anyone know how it's doing in the ratings?

The thoroughly average alternative station

If I was asked to give an example of a generic alternative station, KITS in San Francisco would fill the bill nicely. Here's a sample hour:

Mr. Brightside -- The Killers
Lightning Crashes -- Live
Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
Drive -- Incubus
Otherside -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Hey You -- 311
Paralyzer -- Finger Eleven
About A Girl -- Nirvana
Personal Jesus -- Depeche Mode
Kids -- MGMT
In hte End -- Linkin Park
Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
Beverly Hills -- Weezer
Santeria -- Sublime
Grapevine Fires -- Death Cab For Cutie

Don't get me wrong. This station would definitely be on my presets if I lived in hte area, but everything on that list has been played to death, It's a shame that one of the stations that used to be one of the leaders is now a follower, playing what KROQ was playing last month and the greatest hits of alternative rock. A real mayonaise on white bread sandwich. No specialty programs to spice it up. I will say however, that KITS is not going to be mistaken for an active rock station. It has a distinct if not distinctive programming personality. I just wish the station had a little more personality.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

My favorite stations

To give you an idea of my taste, here's a list of my favorite alternative/AAA commercial stations, roughly in order of preference

1. WWCD "CD101", Columbus, OH
2. WEQX, Manchester, VT
3. WRNR, Annapolis MD
4. KNRK, "94/7" Portland OR
5. WFNX, Boston, MA
6. CKPK, "The Peak" Vancouver, BC
7. KTNI, "Indie 101.5", Denver, CO
8. WXRT, Chicago IL
9. WIYY-3 Baltimore, MD
10. KBZT, "FM 94/9" San Diego, CA
11. CFEX, "92.9x" Calgary AB
12. WXRK-2 "K-ROCK" New York, NY
13. WXPK, "The Peak", White Plains, NY
14. KSLG, "K-SLUG" Eureka, CA.
15. BRRU, Providene, RI
16. WBOS-2, Boston, MA
17. KPRI, San Diego, CA
18. KNDD, "The End" Seattle WA
19. CILV, "Live 88.5" Ottawa, ON
20. CJZN, "The Zone", Victoria BC
21. KROX, "101X" Austin, TX
22. WRXP "The New York Rock Experience", New York, NY
23. KXRK, "X96" Salt Lake City, UT
24. KRXF "92/7 FM" Bend OR
25. CFNY "The Edge" Toronto ON
26. KROQ "K-Rock" Los Angeles, CA
27. CHDI "Sonic 102.9" Edmonton, AB
28 WDST "Radio Woodstock" Woodstock, NY
29. XETRA Tujana, Mexico/San Diego, CA
30, WRLT, "Lightning 100, Nashville, TN

Favorite Non-Commerical stations (not an exhaustive list, in no particular order)

WXPN-2 "Y-ROCK" Philadelphia, PA
WTMD Baltimore, MD
WFUV New York, NY
WBER -Rochester, NY
WAPS Akron OH
CFML "Evolution 107.9" Vancouver, BC
WERG, Erie PA
WMVY, Nantucket, MA

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Record Conglomerates Seek License to Kill Local Radio

The recording industry is at it again. They mamaged to intstitute royalty fees last year for internet streaming of local music. They didn't get the extortionate (is that a word?) amounts they at first sought, which would have effectively shut down internet radio, but they did manage to put a lot of smaller operators out of business.

They weren't content with that now they are seeking to impose new royalty fees on radio stations that play music, not only compensationg songwriters, but artists as well. Sound nice? Well who's going to be able to afford these fees? Not your small stations, not minority owned stations. It will Clear Channel, Entercom, CBS, Cumulus -- the usual suspects. That means even tighter playlists, less variety more talk radio and less of any formats that are percieved as marginal -- classical, jazz and yes, alternative rock.

The details are here. Write or call your congressman and senator and tell them not to mess with the music! The bill to charge teh extra royalties (HR 848) has already passed a vote in the House Judiciary Committee. So there's no time to lose!

Monday, June 1, 2009

TOP 106 Songs of 2008 --KPNT

KPNT is an active rock leaning alternative station in St. Louis. Have your earplugs ready because this one is really loud. "Viva La Vida" does not even appear until #80!

1. Psycho -- Puddle of Mudd
2. Love Me Dead -- Ludo
3. Rise Above This -- Seether
4. Inside the Fire -- Disturbed
5. I'm Not Jesus -- Apocalyptica
6. Given Up -- Linkin Park
7. Fake It -- Seether
8. Afterlife -- Avenged Sevenfold
9. Let It Die -- Foo Fighters
10. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
11. I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica
12. Pork & Beans -- Weezer
13. Almost Easy -- Avenged Sevenfold
14. Icky Thump -- The White Stripes
15. Long Road to Ruin -- Foo Fighters
16. I Get It -- Chevelle
17. Addicted -- Saving Abel
18. Falling Down -- Atreyu
19. Troublemaker -- Weezer
20. The Pretender -- Foo Fighters
21. Hammerhead -- The Offspring
22. Second Chance -- Shinedown
23. Re-education (Through Labor) -- Rise Against
24. Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a Deadman
25. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
26. Devour -- Shinedown
27. The Day That Never Comes -- Metallica
28. Believe -- Staind
29. What I've Done -- Linkin Park
30. Breakdown -- Seether
31. Indestructable -- Disturbed
32. I'm Not Over -- Carolina Liar
33. Shockwave -- Black Tide
34. Undead -- Hollywood Undead
35. Champagne -- Cavo
36. The Stone -- Ashes Divide
37. Ten Ton Brick -- Hurt
38. Wake Up -- Story of the Year
39. So Happy -- Theory of a Deadman
40. Train -- Three Doors Down
41. Do What You Do -- Mudvayne
42. Empty Walls -- Serj Tankanian
43. Beautiful -- 10 Years
44. Slow Burn -- Atreyu
45. 18 Days -- Saving Abel
46. Salute Your Solution -- The Raconteurs
47. The Fad -- Chevelle
48. Sky is Over -- Serj Tankanian
49. Handlebars -- Flobots
50. Psychosocial -- Slipknot
51. Too Drunk -- Buckcherry
52. Love Hurts -- Incubus
53. Dead Memories -- Slipknot
54. Always Be -- Jimmy Eats World
55. They Say -- Scars on Broadway
56. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
57. Don't Stop -- Innerpartysystem
58. G.L.O.W. -- Smashing Pumpkins
59. Sitting At a Bar (Bartender Song) -- Rehab
60. Hard Sun -- Eddie Vedder
61. Hell Yeah -- Rev Theory
62. Crushcrushcrush --Paramore
63. It's Not My Time -- 3 Doors Down
64. Hearts Burst Into Flame -- Bullet for My Valentine
65. Wild International -- One Day as a Lion
66. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab For Cutie
67. Discipline -- Nine Inch Nails
68. Tranquilize -- The Killers
69. Bodysnatchers -- Radiohead
70. Shadow of the Day -- Linkin Park
71. Something is not Right With Me -- Cold War Kids
72. Help Me -- Alakaline Trio
73. Cyanide -- Metallica
74. Rock & Roll Train -- AC/DC
75. Scream, Aim, Fire -- Bullet for my Valentine
76. Livin' on Borrowed Time -- Puddle of Mudd
77. Lollipop -- Framing Hanley
78. Wannabe in L.A. -- Eagles of Death Metal
79. I Don't Care -- Fall Out Boy
80. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
81. Leave Out All the Rest -- Linkin Park
82. My Turn -- Hoobastank
83. Go Getter Greg -- Ludo
84. The Shock of the Lightning -- Oasis
85. Never Enough -- Five Fingered Death Punch
86. Always Where I Need to Be -- The Kooks
87. You Better Pray -- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
88. Falling On -- Finger Eleven
89. Use Me -- Hinder
90. Stop! -- Against Me!
91. Family Reunion -- Saliva
92. The Western World -- Pennywise
93. Rise Today -- Alter Bridge
94. I'll Keep Your Memory Vague -- Finger Eleven
95. Missing Cleveland -- Scott Weiland
96. Decode -- Paramore
97. Strange Times -- The Black Keys
98. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
99. Rise -- Flobts
100. Nine In the Afternoon -- Panic at the Disco
101. Yesterday -- Copperview
102. Cath...-- Death Cab For Cutie
103. Becomming the Bull -- Atreyu
104. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
105. Chinese Democracy -- Guns 'n' Roses

Thursday, May 28, 2009

WVBR Top 93 of 2008

WVBR at 93.5 FM is a alternative/AAA/active rock hybrid out of Ithaca, NY Probably this is the quirkiest list yet, since many of the songs were included for the sole reason that the artist played Ithaca that year.

1. Lost- Coldplay
2. Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution -- Black Crowes
3. No Hiding Place -- Elvis Costello
4. Believe -- Staind
5. Come Around -- Counting Crows
6. New Vibration -- Collective Soul
7. Long Walk Home -- Bruce Springsteen
8. I'm Amazed -- My Morning Jacket
9. No Sunlight -- Death Cab For Cutie
10. Supernatural Superserious -- REM
11. Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running -- Foo Fighters
12. Talking to the Walls -- Finger 11
13. Old Enough -- The Raconteurs
14. We Don't Have to Look Back Now --Puddle of Mudd
15. Rebel Road -- Edgar Winter
16. So Happy -- Theory of a Deadman
17. The Shock of the Lightning -- Oasis
18. Beautiful -- 10 Years
19. These Are the Days -- The Exies
20. Scare Easy -- Mudcrutch
21. Your Protector -- Fleet Foxes
22. Long Road to Ruin -- Foo Fighters
23. Get Out the Door -- Velvet Revolver
24. Wounded Bird -- Black Crowes
25. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
26. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
27. Jigsaw Falling Into Place -- Radiohead
28. Workin' Them Angels -- Rush
29. Bring the Light -- Smashing Pumpkins
30. Valerie Plame -- The Decembrists
31. C-Lebrity -- Queen feat. Paul Rogers
32. Detroit Waves -- Matt Nathanson
33. Gamma Ray -- Beck
34. Lover of the Bayou -- Mudcrutch
35. Accelerate -- REM
36. Don't You Evah -- Spoon
37. Let It Die -- Foo Fighters
38. Lost Coastlines -- Okkervil River
39. Girls in Their Summer Clothes -- Bruce Springsteen
40. The '59 Sound -- Gaslight Anthem
41. Electric Feel -- MGMT
42. Breakdown -- Seether
43. It's Not My Time -- 3 Doors Down
44. We've Got Everything -- Modest Mouse
45. Always Where I Need to Be -- The ooks
46. Human -- The Killers
47. The Arm -- Islands
48. Two Ways Out -- Darker My Love
49. Red Star -- Third Eye Blind
50. Lucid Dreams -- Franz Ferdinand
51. The World, The People Together (Come On) -- The Dandy Warhols
52. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
53. Cath...-- Death Cab For Cutie
54. Constructive Summer -- The Hold Steady
55. In the New Year -- The Walkmen
56. Something Good This Way Comes -- Jakob Dylan
57. G.L.O.W. --Smashing Pumpkins
58. All I Want -- Staind
59. Pork & Beans -- Weezer
60. Dying is Fine -- Ra Ra Riot
61. Bad Blood -- Supergrass
62. Love Is Colder That Death -- The Virgins
63. Fort Hood -- Mike Doughty
64. Eye on You -- Edgar Winter
65. That Green Gentleman -- Panic At the Disco
66. One Month Off -- Bloc Party
67. Hit the Wall -- Brendan Canning
68. The Story of Benjamin Darling Pt 1 -- State Radio
69. Sequestered in Memphis -- The Hold Steady
70. Beautiful Beat -- Nada Surf
71. Oh No -- Andrew Bird
72. Abominable Snow -- Islands
73. Hammerhead -- The Offspring
74. House by the Sea -- Iron & Wine
75. I'm Not Over -- Carolina Liar
76. The Last Fight -- Velvet Revolver
77. Always a Friend -- Alejandro Escovedo
78. Better -- Guns 'n Roses
79. Pale Sun -- Darker My Love
80. How Far We've Come -- Matchbox 20
81. Right Hand on my Heart -- The Whigs
82. Calling and not Calling My Ex -- Okervil River
83. Dead Sound -- The Raveonettes
84. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
85. Hard Sun -- Eddie Vedder
86. Skinny Love -- Bon Iver
87. Throwin' Shapes -- Minus the Bear
88. Confessor -- Annuals
89. Rich Girls -- Thje Virgins
90. I Get It -- Chevelle
91. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
92. Your English Is Good -- Tokyo Police Club
93. Gotta Be Somebody -- Nickelback

HD2 Stations that stream

The move of Cincinatti's the Sound to HD-2 radio piqued my curiosity as to how many HD-2 stations are currently streaming in the Alternative or AAA format. Here's a list of the ones I have been able to find. I'm excluding syndicated formats like "xponential radio" or Clear Channel's "Radio Radio". If you know of any feel free to jump in.

WSTW-2 "Grafitti Radio" Wilmington DE
WOCL-2 "O-Rock" Orlando FL
WWWQ-2/W2BOBCTM "99x" Atlanta, GA
WUKY-2 Lexington KY
WBCN-2 "Indie 104.1" Boston, MA
WIYY-3 "Indie 97.1" Baltimore, MD
WRAL-2 Raleigh, NC
WXRK-2 "K-ROCK2" New York, NY
WSWD-2 'The Sound" Cincinatti, OH
WXPN-2 "Y-ROCK" Philadelphia, PA.
KNDE-2 "Rock Candy" Bryan, TX.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Black Friday

Another one bites the dust, another one bites the dust, another one bites the dust...

Memorial Day week 2009 was a disastrous one for the Alternative Rock format. First WMFS in Memphis goes down on Wednesday Then WSWD gets shoved into the HD2 ghetto. Worst of all, not content with killing WMFS, Entercom pulls the plug on KWOD in Sacramento

Let's see what the formatting geniuses came up with to replace these stations. WMFS is going to be simulcasting the stations' sportsradio feed. Because apparently the Memphis area is eager to hear drunken 50 year olds bitch about the local college basketball teams in high definition. WSWD is going to play feel good 80's music, because, according to the suits at Bonneville, nobody in Cincinatti has heard Billy Joel, Madonna or Prince in years (ummm somehow I doubt that)Sigh, at least they're keeping the website up. KWOD is moving to an all 90's format because we know what a raging success the all 80's formats have been.

It's all about the layoffs, if you ask me. If anyone's reading this, send the stations an e-mail and maybe they will relent. (It's happened before with CFNY)In the meantime, if you want to hear Franz Ferdinand, Muse or Silversun Pickups on the radio, start listening and if Arbitron calls you, make sure your voice gets heard.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

KFMA Top 50 of 2008

KFMA is a modern rock station out of Tuscon, Arizona. Judging by their year end countdown, a rather loud one.

1. The Western World -- Pennywise
2. Love Me Dead -- Ludo
3. Inside the Fire -- Disturbed
4. Let It Die -- Foo Fighters
5. Hammerhead -- The Offspring
6. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
7. Pork & Beans -- Weezer
8. Handlebars -- Flobots
9. Given Up -- Linkin Park
10. Troublemaker -- Weezer
11. Re-education (Through Labor) -- Rise Against
12. I Don't Care -- Apocalytica
13. Sometime Around Midnight -- Ariborne Toxic Event
14. Slow Burn -- Atreyu
15. Salute Your Solution -- The Raconteurs
16. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
17. Psycho -- Puddle of Mudd
18. Rise Above This -- Seether
19. You -- Atmosphere
20. Love Hurts -- Incubus
21. Discipline -- Nine Inch Nails
22. Indestructible -- Disturbed
23. Stop! -- Against Me!
24. Bartender Song -- Rehab
25. Psychosocial -- Slipknot
26. Decode -- Paramore
27. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab for Cutie
28. Don't Stop -- Innerpartysystem
29. I'm Not Jesus -- Apocalytica
30. The Day That Never Comes -- Metallica
31. Human -- The Killers
32. They Say -- Scars on Broadway
33. Nine In the Afternoon -- Panic at the Disco
34. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
35. Cath -- Death Cab for Cutie
36. I'm Not Over -- Carolina Liar
37. Lollipop -- Framing Hanley
38. Time to Pretend -- MGMT
39. Wild International -- One Day as a Lion
40. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
41. Ricochet -- Shiny Toy Guns
42. Do What You Do -- Mudvayne
43. Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a Dead Man
44. A-Punk -- Vampire Weekend
45. Devour -- Shinedown
46. Sky Is Over -- Serj Tankanian
47. Help Me -- Alkaline Trio
48. Never Wanted to Dance -- Mindless Self Indulgence
48. Paper Planes -- M.I.A.
50. Believe -- Staind
49.

18.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

WYMS Top 100 of 2008

Here's the countdown for America's most diverse AAA statio. Lots of local music in this countdown

1. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
2. Paper Planes (DFA Remix) -- M.I.A.
3. Right as Rain -- Adele
4. Electric Feel -- MGMT
5. Streets on Fire -- Lupe Fiasco
6. Ragged Wood -- Fleet Foxes
7. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab For Cutie
8. Strange Overtones -- David Byrne & Brian Eno
9. You -- Atmosphere
10. 28 Butts -- Little Jackie
11. Crying -- TV on the Radio
12. House of Cards -- Radiohead
13. American Boy -- Estelle
14. Mercy -- Duffy
15. A-Punk -- Vampire Weekend
16. I'm Amazed -- My Morning Jacket
17. We're Here to Save the Day -- The Constellations feat. Asher Roth
18. Jailer -- Asha
19. Love Lockdown -- Kanye West
20. Cath -- Death Cab For Cutie
21. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
22. Shut Up and Let Me Go -- The Ting Tings
23. Who's Gonna Save My Soul? -- Gnarles Barkley
24. You Are the Best Thing -- Ray LaMontagne
25. Orange Blossoms -- JJ Grey & Mofro
26. Say Hey (I Love You) -- Michael Franti & Spearhead
27. I'm Not Going to Teach Youe Boyfriend How to Dance With You -- The Black Kids
28. I Feel it All -- Feist
29. Fix It -- Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
30. Gamma Ray -- Beck
31. Black and Gold -- Sam Sparro
32. D.A.N.C.E. -- Justice
33. Kids -- MGMT
34. I Love You (More Than You Love Me) -- The Streets
35. Evil Urges -- My Morning Jacket
36. Good Time -- Brazilian Girls
37. L.E.S. Artistes -- Santogold
38. One Day -- Kings Go Forth
39. Lights Out -- Santogold
40. Puppets -- Atmosphere
41. Make You Crazy -- Brent Denned feat. Femi Kuti
42. North American Scum -- LCD Soundsystem
43. Nothing Ever Hurt Like You -- James Morrison
44. Bodysnatchers -- Radiohead
45. You're the One -- Kings Go Forth
46. Snow In California -- The Stills
47. Oceans & Streams -- The Black Keys
48. The Numbers Game -- Thievery Corporation feat. Chuck Brown
49. Peace Love & Happiness -- G.Love & Special Sauce
50. You Know What -- N.E.R.D.
51. Soldier -- Erykah Badu
52. Lemon King Mahoney -- Fever Marlene
53. Going On -- Gnarles Barkley
54. Slaute Your Solution -- The Raconteurs
55. 100 Yard Dash -- Raphael Saadiq
56. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
57. Sequestered in Memphis -- The Hold Steady
58. The Foundation -- Rusty P's
59. American Gangster Time -- Elvis Costello & The Imposters
60. Little Bit -- Lykke Li
61. The Kids Don't Stand A Chance -- Vampire Weekend
62. Lost -- Coldplay feat. Jay Z
63. Two Silver Trees -- Calexico
64. Jigsaw Falling Into Place -- Radiohead
65. Rich Girls -- The Virgins
66. Unless It Kicks -- Okkervil River
67. Hope -- Jack Johnson
68. The Shock of the Lightining -- Oasis
69. Dance With Me -- The Lackloves
70. An Eluardian Instance -- Of Montreal
71. Boots of Chinese Plastic -- The Pretenders
72. As We Grow -- Valentina
73. If I -- Rashaad Ahmad
74. Lost -- Coldplay
75. Killing for Love -- Jose Gonzalez
76. Supernatural Superserious -- R.E.M.
77. Dance With Me -- Old 97's
78. Hallmark Stars (Take A Seat) -- The Lackloves
79. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
80. She Loves Everybody -- Chester French
81. Can't Say What I Mean -- Kaiser Chiefs
82. Fire -- Codebreaker feat. Cathy Diamond
83. Now I'm Gone -- Juliana Hatfield
84. Believe -- QTip feat. D'Angelo
85. Funplex -- The B52's
86. I Was Zapped by the Lucky Super Rainbow -- The Flaming Lips
87. This Lonely Love -- Juliana Hatfield
88. Boys With Girlfriends -- Meko
89. Thank You Too -- My Mornign Jacket
90. Orphans -- Beck
91. 27 Jennifers -- Mike Doughty
92. Radio Nowhere -- Bruce Springsteen
93. Sunshine Lies -- Matthew Sweet
94. The Fear -- Lily Allen
95. Say Aha -- Santogold
96. Have You Made Up Your Mind -- Paul Weller
97. Persistent -- 1956
98. Always A Friend -- Alexandro Escovedo
99. Creator -- Santogold
100. Sadie Hawkins -- Dessa

BTW -- the Milwaukee artists on the countdown are Kings Go Forth, Fever Malene, The Lackloves, Codebreaker, and 1956
73.

Herd Mentality

The Alternative or "Modern Rock" radio formats share quite a few songs. Sometimes however, the formats will diverge on what tracks from a particular artists are in heavy rotation. Ocassionally, I can't make head or tail as to why one song is being pushed by the alternative stations and antoher by the AAA stations. For example, I can see why alternative stations played the rocker "Salute Your Solution" while the AAA stations played the mellower "Old Enough" but why did alternative radio favor "Gamma Ray" at the same time AAA stations pushed "Orphans"? Even more inexplicably, why is "Grapevine Fires" a hit on modern rock, while the more uptempo 'No Sunlight" dominate on AAA?

Any ideas?

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

WYMS -- Breaking out of the White Ghetto

One problem I've always had with alternative rock radio, AAA and rock radio in general is the general lack of racial diversity, Aimed at an all white audience, using nearly all white artists. Yet magazines like Spin, websites like Trouser Press and Pitchfork, there's no shortage of coverage of alternative hip=hop acts or black rock bands that seldom if ever gets airplay even on the most highly regarded stations. Radio Milwaukee is one exception. Here's a sample hour:

99.9 F. Degrees -- Suzanne Vega
Love Is A Murder -- The Constellations feat. Cee Low
Hold My Life -- The Replacements
Ms. Jackson -- Outkast
Summertime Thing -- Chuck Prophet
1901 -- Phoenix
Butterflies -- Rakeem De Vaughn
Up All Night -- French Horn Rebellion
Why Can't We Be Friends -- War
The Rake's Song -- The Decembrists
Digging In the Dirt -- Peter Gabriel
Right as Rain -- Adele
God Part 2 -- U2

What if?

What would happen if debt considation services were outlawed tommorow? Would commerical radio dry up and die?

Sunday, May 17, 2009

KSLG TOP 94 of 2008

KSLG -- A little station from Humboldt County California -- a haven from chain radio mediocrity -- put out their list of their Top 94 tracks. Stacks up pretty well, in my humble opinion

1. Time to Preten -- MGMT
2. Paper Planes -- M.I.A.
3. Pork & Beans -- Weezer
4. Salute Your Solution -- Raconteurs
5. Handlebars -- Flobots
6. Viva La Vida -- Coldplay
7. I Will Possess Your Heart -- Death Cab For Cutie
8. Sex On Fire -- Kings of Leon
9. Believe -- The Bravery
10. Gamma Ray -- Beck
11. Hammerhead -- The Offspring
12. Nine In the Afternoon -- Panic at the Disco
13. I'm Not Over -- Carolina Liar
14. Empty Walls -- Serj Tankanian
15. A-Punk -- Vampire Weekend
16. Discipline -- Nine Inch Nails
17. Bodysnatchers -- Radiohead
18. Paralyzer -- Finger 11
19. Big Casino -- Jimmy Eat World
20. Hard Sun -- Eddie Vedder
21. Wild International -- One Day as a Lion
22. Violet Hill -- Coldplay
23. Kids -- MGMT
24. Bleed It Out -- Linkin Park
25. Troublemaker -- Weezer
26. If I Had Eyes -- Jack Johnson
27. Don't You Evah -- Spoon
28. Supernatural Superserious -- R.E.M.
29. Shock of the Lightning -- Oasis
30. Well Thought Out Twinkles -- Silversun Pickups
31. Don't Bother Me -- The Blakes
32. Rich Girls -- The Virgins
33. Shut Up and Let Me Go -- The Ting Tings
34. They Say -- Scars on Broadway
35. L.E.S. Artistes -- Santogold
36. New Dark Ages -- Bad Religion
37. Shadowplay -- The Killers
38. Long Road to Ruin -- Foo Fighters
39. The Step and the Walk --The Duke Spirit
40. Jigsaw Falling Into Place -- Radiohead
41. The Western World -- Pennywise
42. You're Gonna Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
43. Dashes -- Doomtree Dots
44. Many Shades of Black -- The Raconteurs
45. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
46. Waiting for the Sun -- Machete
47. Pot, Kettle, Black -- Tilly the Wall
48. Electric City -- Firewater
49. Electric Feel -- MGMT
50. You -- Atmosphere
51. Mother Mary -- Foxboro Hot Tubs
52. Going On -- Gnarles Barkley
53. Let It Die -- Foo Fighters
54. Ska -- Thirtythreeandthird
55. 2 a.m. -- Slightly Stoopid
56. Cath... -- Death Cab For Cutie
57. Something is Not Right with Me -- Cold War Kids
58. Decode -- Paramore
59. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
60. Rise -- Flobots
61. Lucid Dreams -- Franz Ferdinand
62. Smokers Outside the Hosptial Doors -- Editors
63. Always Where I Need to Be -- Kooks
64. Float -- Flogging Molly
65. Sound the Alarm -- Thievery Corporation
66. Strange Times -- Black Keys
67. Oxford Comma -- Vampire Weekend
68. Man-Sized Wreath -- R.E.M.
69. I Kissed A Girl -- Katy Perry
70. Re-education (Through Labor) -- Rise Against
71. Queen of the Nile -- Dragged by Horses
72. The Sound -- Human Highway
73. Crying -- TV on the Radio
74. Consoler of the Lonely -- The Raconteurs
75. Leave Out All the Rest -- Linkin Park
76. Ricochet -- Shiny Toy Guns
77. Run -- Gnarles Barkley
78. The Day that Never Comes -- Metallica
79. That Green Gentleman -- Panic at the Disco
80. Propane Nightmares -- Pendulum
81. Love Hurts -- Incubus
82. Tenderoni -- Chromeo
83. Human -- The Killers
84. One Day as a Lion -- One Day as a Lion
85. More Bad Times -- Presidents of the United States of America
86. 27 Jennifers -- Mike Doughty
87. Crushcrushcrush -- Paramore
88. Lake Michigan -- Rogue Wave
89. Sky Is Over -- Serj Tankanian
90. Weird Fishes Arpeggi -- Radiohead
91. Letters Home from the Garden of Stone -- Everlast
92. The Only One -- The Cure
93. I'm Now -- Mudhoney
94. Let's Dance to Joy Division -- The Wombats

Y-Rock on XPN (and presumably WXPN itself) needs your help

One reason I focus on commercial alternative stations is that I figure the public/college stations can take care of themselves. Apparently I'm wrong. I opened the Y-Rock webstream tonight to give it a listen and I got a message that due to a huge loss in their corporate funding, they were running a deficit, and were forced to dip into their reserves. While the announcer said they were in no danger of going under, they couldn't continue to run a deficit for another year.

So if you stumble onto my website and you have some spare cash, pledge some to one of the best stations in the nation.

The Best Radio Station I Can't Listen To

Where do you think you'll be most likely to find a local fairly cool radio station? Did I hear someone say college town? Good guess, but a wrong one. You go to an area where there's a lot of ski lifts and you're almost certain to be in luck. For example, southern Vermont's got WEQX, Vail's got KYSL, the Catskills have WDST. Probably the best of the bunch is an upstart in Bend, Oregon, of all places KRXF

The only problem, and from my perch on the end of the Great Lakes is a big one, there's no webstream! This is a taste of what I'm missing, one typical hour's worth:

Looking For A Kiss -- New York Dolls
I Walk the Line -- Johnny Cash
Steady As She Goes -- The Raconteurs
No Sleep Till Brooklyn -- The Beastie Boys
Hit -- The Sugarcubes
Bittersweet Symphony -- The Verve
Another Generation -- Fishbone
Jigsaw Falling Into Place -- Radiohead
Renegades of Funk -- Rage Against the Machine
Party Down -- Reel Big Fish
So Much to Say -- Dave Matthews Band
Long Road to Ruin -- Foo Fighters
The New Pollution -- Beck
I Turn My Camera On -- Spoon
Prophet -- Sublime

Only downside -- the program director seems to have a fondness for Black Sabbath/Ozzie Osborne. But how can you stay mad at a station that has John Coltrane in its list of artists?

Friday, May 15, 2009

Can KTNI survive?

Another of my favorite streaming stations, KTNI, or Indie 101.5 seems to be on life support right now. According to Wikipedia, its owner just emerged from bankruptcy. In the Winter Arbitrons, the station only beat out a Spanish language Christian Station and a Spanish Adult station. To make matters worse,its competitor KTNI "Channel 93.3" is almost certainly the Best Clear Channel station in the Modern Rock format. They do seem to break a lot of local artists and their website has a few touches that depart from the CC cookiecutter approach. If I lived there and it was the only alternative station in town, I'd probably listen.

Bit It's not. Indie 101.5 has all the qualities of a great alternative staion, except a good signal and strong ownership. Its program director John "Whip" Wilbur is certainly dedicated to putting out the best radio station her can.

Here's a side by side comparison, taking 10 songs playing at a random hour

Indie 101.5

Operation Spirit -- Live
TV Party -- Black Flag
Punk Rocker -- Teddy Bears feat. Iggy Pop
DLZ -- TV on the Radio
Lucretia, My Reflection -- Sisters of Mercy
I Like You So Much Better When I'm Naked -- Ida Maria
Missed the Boat -- Modest Mouse
A Choppy Yet Sincere... -- Riverboat Gamblers
Cut Your Hair -- Pavemnent
Electric Feel -- MGMT

Channel 93.3

Hammerhead -- The Offsping
Girlfriends -- Single File
Interstate Love Song -- Stone Temple Pilots
The Dirt Whisperer -- Rise Against
Clocks -- Coldplay
Otherside -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Don't Stop -- Innerpartysystem
Drive -- Incubus
Crushcrushcrush -- Paramore
Far Benind --Candlebox

The absolute clincher on their website -- Indie 101.5 Presents -- Sonic Youth. KTNI -- accept no substitutes.