Radio 92.9

Contrary to Radio 92.9’s feedback page I would imagine Boston’s Radio 92.9 (formerly WBOS) was getting slammed with negative comments. If you look at today’s last 100 songs played they appear very similar to WBOS.

Radio 92.9 tried to change to many things all at once. If they slowly changed the programming then I don’t think they would’ve have pissed off as many people.

1. Billy Idol – Cradle Of Love
2. Bush – Machine Head
3. TALKING-HEADS – LIFE DURING WARTIME
4. Eddie Vedder – Hard Sun
5. FUEL – SHIMMER
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Around The World
7. GREEN-DAY – BASKET CASE
8. White Stripes – You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do
9. Rancid – Time Bomb
10. Ben Folds Five – Brick
11. Foo Fighters – Big Me
12. VIOLENT-FEMMES – BLISTER IN THE SUN
13. Incubus – Dig
14. FILTER – TAKE A PICTURE
15. NIRVANA – ALL APOLOGIES
16. BLUR – SONG 2
17. BOB MARLEY – COULD YOU BE LOVED?
18. Silversun Pickups – Lazy Eye
19. U-2 – EVEN BETTER THAN THE REA
20. Default – Wasting My Time
21. Beastie Boys – Brass Monkey
22. REM – Supernatural Superserious
23. COLLECTIVE-SOUL – SHINE
24. ALANIS MORISSETTE – YOU OUGHTA KNOW
25. Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal
26. Linkin Park – Bleed It Out
27. Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock
28. Alice In Chains – Would?
29. WEEZER – ISLAND IN THE SUN
30. OASIS – WONDERWALL
31. RED-HOT-CHILI-PEPPERS – AEROPLANE
32. POLICE/STING – ROXANNE
33. SEMISONIC – CLOSING TIME
34. STONE-TEMPLE-PILOTS – SEX TYPE THING
35. Ramones – Blitzkrieg Bop
36. Radiohead – Bodysnatchers
37. JET – ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL
38. GREEN-DAY – SHE
39. Blink 182 Dammit (Growing Up)
40. TEMPLE-OF-THE-Dog /PEARL-JAM – HUNGER STRIKE
41. U-2 – I WILL FOLLOW
42. FRANZ FERDINAND – TAKE ME OUT
43. DAVE MATTHEWS-BAND – STAY (WASTING TIME)
44. Puddle Of Mudd – Blurry
45. MODEST MOUSE – DASHBOARD
46. Alice In Chains – Rooster
47. Offspring – The Kids Aren’t Alright
48. LitWed – My Own Worst Enemy
49. Linkin Park – What I’ve Done
50. JAMES – LAID
51. NIRVANA – THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD
52. Fuel – Hemorrhage (In My Hands)
53. Finger Eleven – Paralyzer
54. DEPECHE-MODE – PERSONAL JESUS
55. SOUNDGARDEN – BLACK HOLE SUN
56. Beastie Boys – No Sleep Till Brooklyn
57. GOO-GOO-DOLLS – IRIS
58. RED-HOT-CHILI-PEPPERSWed – SOUL TO SQUEEZE
59. INXS – NEED YOU TONIGHT
60. Good Charlotte – Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
61. Bush – Comedown
62. 3 DOORS DOWN – IT’S NOT MY TIME
63. BARE-NAKED-LADIES – THE OLD APARTMENT
64. CRACKER – LOW
65. THE KILLERS – SOMEBODY TOLD ME
66. Muse – Starlight
67. TOAD-THE-WET-SPROCKET – ALL I WANT
68. Butthole Surfers – Pepper
69. PEARL-JAM – ALIVE
70. THE STROKES – LAST NIGHT
71. BLACK-CROWES – HARD TO HANDLE
72. JACK JOHNSON – IF I HAD EYES
73. Linkin Park – In The End
74. Blink 182 – First Date
75. Stone Temple Pilots – Wicked Garden
76. Breaking Benjamin – Breath
77. POLICE/STING – MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE
78. LENNY KRAVITZ – ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY?
79. Sublime – Wrong Way
80. White Stripes – You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do
81. Soundgarden – Pretty Noose
82. RED-HOT-CHILI-PEPPERS – DANI CALIFORNIA
83. Nine Inch Nails – Closer
84. Green Day – American Idiot
85. 311Wed – All Mixed Up
86. SNOW PATROL – SHUT YOUR EYES
87. Beastie Boys – She’s Crafty
88. NIRVANA – LITHIUM
89. Papa Roach – Last Resort
90. REM – Supernatural Superserious
91. PEARL-JAM – CORDUROY
92. Offspring – Gone Away
93. BOB MARLEY – NO WOMAN NO CRY
94. CAKE – THE DISTANCE
95. Hole – Violet
96. Staind – So Far Away
97. Presidents Of The United States Of America – Lump
98. THE CLASH – I FOUGHT THE LAW
99. HOUSE-OF-PAIN – JUMP AROUND
100. Radiohead – Bodysnatchers

The Ballad of Ronnie Drew

A who’s who of Irish musicians including U2 (Bono, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, & The Edge, The Corrs (Andrea Corrs), Sinead O’Connor, The Pogues (Shane MacGowan), The Dubliners, Hothouse Flowers (Liam O Maoniai), and others.

The Song in the Macbook Air Commercial

Apple always seems to pick catchy and relatively unknown artists for their commercials. The current Macbook Air (love the laptop) commercial is no exception. The song is called “New Soul” and it’s sung by Yael Naim.

Griffin House

Griffin House is a new artist from Nashville definitely worth checking out.  His new “CD” Flying Upside Down” is available for only $7.99 on iTunes and definitely worth every cent!!

Downtown Line

I Remember (It’s Happening Again)

Leftover Lunch – WFNX Boston

Probably the best hour on local Boston radio comes from Julie Kramer’s Leftover Lunch.  Playing only the best classic alternative tunes from the 80s and early 90s!

http://wfnx.com/shows/juliekramer/default.aspx 

http://www.juliekramer.com/Home.html 

Now Playing on XM’s Fred

How good is this station!?!? How good is this song!?!?

birds fly (whisper to a scream ) – icicle works

WBOS Boston Is Now Radio 92.9

So a very popular radio station in Boston formerly called WBOS has recently changed its name to Radio 92.9. The former WBOS was geared more towards a 30 and above crowd that had a lighter mix of tunes. They didn’t play the heavy alternative songs like WBCN 104.1 or the “tad bit” more obscure stuff like WFNX. WBOS focused on the safe hits of the 80s, 90s, and today!

Well without warning WBOS changed its name & brand to Radio 92.9 while at the same time firing all of its DJs, cutting back on commercials and even more dramatically focusing on that younger pop alternative, made to look alternative clones that the music business have been shelling out. They are obviously targeting a younger audience but I have yet to hear anyone praise the new format (unless you read their testimonials) but rather I know a few who have taken them off their presets.

First off, the move to limited commercials and no talk is very interesting since it sounds very familiar to the XM and Sirius model which I love. 20 years ago the radio could dish out anything they wanted and you were forced to listen to them since that’s all there was. Today we have iTunes, downloaded music, XM Radio, YouTube (which is great for music videos) and a host of other competitors. Even though I really liked the WBOS DJs (especially Morse on Music) they are adapting to the times. This I like, however, the problem with Radio 92.9 is that they can’t seem to find their voice. They play a lot of crap that’s a cross between alternative and pop. A mix of WBCN, WFNX, Kiss 108 and Mix 98.5. Just because you throw in a mix doesn’t mean people will like it. How about some groundbreaking music that’s NOT alternative pop that the music industry wants you to hear. The man reason I like the River (92.5) is because they play good music no matter where it’s from – independent or major label. I would imagine (AND HOPE) that The River extends their reach deeper into Boston – I mean it is a bigger market than metro west. It would be nice if the radio business actually acknowledged that Damien Rice and Ray Lamantagne are amazing artists even though they don’t sell as many albums as Maroon 5 – who are very weak by the way!

The new Radio 92.9 appears to be straddling the fence, not quite sure what kind of tunes to play. Pick a genre and go with it! WFNX is not necessarily my favorite station but take a listen to Julie Kramer’s Leftover Lunch or XM’s Fred to hear what good programming sounds like. Thank goodness for the Internet, iTunes (which is huge for independent artists) , YouTube, Julie Kramer & XM Radio!!!

Update 2/27/08:  Is it just me or does it sound like Radio 92.9 listened to the feedback and changed their play list back to sound more like WBOS?  Please feel free to leave your comments below.  For their last 100 songs see:  http://rockphoria.com/2008/02/28/radio-929/   

Disintegration

I recently met a girl who was a HUGE Cure fan yet she never heard of Disintegration.  How could you be a Cure fan and not know Disintegration?  This is like being a vegetarian but never eating vegetables.  Disintegration is Robert Smith’s masterpiece and one of the greatest CDs of all time.  Definitely my desert island CD for those dreary days.

For Squirrels – Mighty K.C.

Until recently (thanks to XM Radio’s Fred) I had forgotten all about this classic from For Squirrels. I don’t believe they had much more than this song but what a good one it is! You can’t help but sing to the uplifting chorus – sounds a lot like REM!