KTBZ Top 94 of 2009

One of the stations that inspired my 2009 search for the suckiest Clear Channel alternative stations. (The excreable WXEG won) Here's why

1. Feel Good Drag -- Anberlin
2. Contagious -- Trapt
3. Dirt Room -- Blue October
4. Use Somebody -- Kings of Leon
5. Jars -- Chevelle
6. Seasons -- Veer Union
7. Careless Whisper -- Seether
8. Sound of Madness -- Shinedown
9. Burn It To the Ground -- Nickelback
10. I Don't Care -- Apocalyptica
11. You're Going Down -- Sick Puppies
12. Panic Switch -- Silversun Pickups
13. You Better Pray -- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
14. Decode -- Paramore
15. Second Chance -- Shinedown
16. New Divide -- Linkin Park
17. Overcome -- Creed
18. Audience of One -- Rise Against
19. Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a Deadman
20. I Will Not Bow -- Breaking Benjamin
21. By the Way -- Theory of a Deadman
22. Break -- Three Days Grace
23. The Fixer -- Pearl Jam
24. Check My Brain -- Alice in Chains
25. Indestructable -- Disturbed
26. Say It -- Blue October
27. Lifeline -- Papa Roach
28. Lollipop -- Framing Hanley
29. Drowning (Face Down) -- Saving Abel
30. Notion -- Kings of Leon
31. This Is It -- Staind
32. You're Gonns Go Far Kid -- The Offspring
33. Troublemaker -- Weezer
34. Beautiful -- 10 Years
35. Savior -- Rise Against
36. Long Gone -- Chris Cornell
37. Hollywood Whore -- Papa Roach
38. Hate My Life -- Theory of a Deadman
39. Medicate -- AFI
40. Black Heart Inertia -- Incubus
41. Wheels -- Foo Fighters
42. If You Only Knew -- Shinedown
43. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To -- Weezer
44. All I Want -- Staind
45. Believe -- Staind
46. Ain't No Rest for the Wicked -- Cage the Elephant
47. I Almost Told You That I Loved You -- Papa Roach
48. Breaking -- Anberlin
49. Half-Truism -- The Offspring
50. Again -- Flyleaf
51. Uprising -- Muse
52. Back Agaisnt the Wall -- Cage the Elephant
53. Know Your Enemy -- Green Day
54. Bonfire -- Third Eye Blind
55. Last Man Standing -- People In Planes
56. Something In Your Mouth -- Nickelback
57. Shakin' Hands -- Nickelback
58. Kings and Queens -- 30 Seconds to Mars
59. Sink Into Me -- Taking Back Sunday
60. So Close So Far -- Hoobastank
61. Ignorance -- Paramore
62. Hey You -- 311
63. Cyanide -- Metallica
64. On My Way -- Billy Boy on Poison
65. She's A Genius -- Jet
66. Spaceship -- Puddle of Mudd
67. Mind Control -- Tamtric
68. East Jesus Nowhere -- Green Day
69. Brother -- Pearl Jam
70. Welcome All Again -- Collective Soul
71. Hear Me Now -- Framing Hanley
72. Champagne -- Cavo
73. Wrong -- Depeche Mode
74. Sometime Around Midnight -- Airborne Toxic Event
75. Song I Hate -- Toadies
76. 21 Guns -- Green Day
77. Without You -- Hinder
78. Crawl Back In -- Dead By Sunrise
79. All You Did Was Save My Life -- Our Lady Peace
80. Whiskey Hangover -- Godsmack
81. Blood On My Hands -- The Used
82. Armageddon -- Marilyn Manson
83. It's Alright -- 311
84. Kristy Are You Doing OK? -- The Offspring
85. Sex on Fire -- Kings of Leon
86. 1901 -- Phoenix
87. One Day -- Matishyahu
88. Should Be Loved -- Blue October
89. 100 Little Curses -- Street Sweeper Social Club
90. Desolation Row -- My Chemical Romance
91. Just Breathe -- Pearl Jam
92. Get On Your Boots -- U2
93. In Looking View -- Alice in Chains
94. Substitution -- Silversun Pickups

Essential 11 for November

Here we are with 11 of the newest coolest songs you should be demanding your radio station play -- well 9 of these are new. Two of them are actually a year old and are just now getting the airplay they deserve

1) Down By the Water -- The Decembrists with Guests Gillian Welch and Peter Buck who contriubutes his own Byrds like guitar work.
2) Money Grabber -- Fitz and the Tantrums No, not punk rock. This is yet another neo-soul band, a genre that I am usually not impressed with -- Nostalgia is a trap best avoided. And yet -- a little songcraft, a good beat and lyric goes a long way and this one's got it all.
3) 1983 -- Neon Trees Speaking of nostalgia, this band evokes a cotton candy version of the Cure. I mean that in a good way. I happened to prefer The Cure when they did the pop as opposed to crafting their doomy masterpieces.
4) Holiday -- Vampire Weekend This one isn't making much of an impact, but I love the video -- 17th Century fops carousing and beating up surfer dudes.
5) People Say -- Portugal the Man This is certainly their most accessible music, but listen closely to the lyrics if you think this band has gone soft. For some reason it's catching on after a year's hibernation.
6) New Low -- Middle Class Rut Another two man band. This was a regional hit last year -- big on the West Coast-- that's getting a new life now that they've released their debut album.
7) Paris (Ooh La La) -- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals The best song off a really disappointing album from a really awesome live band. I'm still waiting for the magic to be transferred onto CD. This lot little rocker is the exception.
8) Faith -- Alejandro Escevedo A really blistering number from his new album
9) Back Down South -- Kings of Leon The second single is as close to a ballad they get -- reflective, wistful and warm.
10) Machine Gun Blues -- Social Distortion More of the same for these veteran punkers. More is what we need given the recent shortage of punkers.
11) We Used to Wait -- Arcade Fire This haunting number is slowly catching on -- WRNR, CJZN and now WFNX have picked up on it, Built on a single minor key piano chord repeated over and over.

enjoy it while you can

WSJO (Channel 92.3) in San Jose was just sold to Principle Broadcasting and the word is out that there's a format switch in the offing. Too bad. This means that Clear Channel only has one listenable Alternative station and the Bay area has none (KITS having narrowed its playlist down to total irrelevance) So give it a listen while you can. http://www.channel925.com//home