The Ramones (Something Old), R.E.M. (Something New), Vampire Weekend (Something Borrowed), Kings Of Leon (Something Burned) & More!

It's almost the New Year, so I figured I would go with the theme of that waxing poetic statement of "Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something _____". Well... sort of... Anyways, this blog promises to be a tad shorter than the last one as we are getting lost of brief news tidbits that have been trickling down since Christmas.

In the "Something Old" department, besides myself, we have The Ramones. This news can also fall into the category of "it's about time", "way overdue", and about 1,000 other cliche statements. The Ramones are getting their first Grammy. The pioneering punk band will be honored at an event in Los Angeles on February 12, a day before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony is held. At this time, we're not sure exactly what that award entails, but it is great news nonetheless.

In the "Something New" category, we check in with R.E.M. The group has released a two minute trailer previewing tracks from their upcoming album Collapse Into Now, out in March. The clip shows the alt-rock vets rehearsing new tracks "All the Best," "Mine Smells Like Honey," "Every Day Is Yours to Win," "Oh My Heart," and more. Is it me or is Michael Stipe looking more like Elvis Costello with those glasses? Click here to watch it.

Covering the "Something Borrowed" aspect, we have Vampire Weekend. They have released an iTunes Sessions, which features a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm Going Down."

In the last category in regards to our theme, "Something Burned", that award goes to Kings Of Leon. They were forced to cancel a gig at London's O2 Arena after a tour bus caught fire outside the venue. Firefighters treated six unidentified people for smoke inhalation and no major injuries have been reported. The band will reschedule the show at a later date.

Finally, here's our "more" entry. This is kinds old news, by industry standards, but I didn't have a chance to note it on the last blog. Gorillaz wrapped up their tour in New Zealand, of all places, with guests like former members of The Clash Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, as well as Bobby Womack, Little Dragon, and the American Syrian Orchestra (!!). It was a tour for the memory books - you may remember that the group kicked off the tour, which was only 48 dates, in Madison Square Garden in NYC with special guests Lou Reed & Mos Def. The band hopes to repeat this type of tour again, but even front-man Damon Albarn says, "This may never happen again..." Let's hope he's wrong. In any event, yes... the Gorillaz ruled in 2010.

That's it for now. Keep listening & keep the comments and suggestions coming!
Peace out,
Dave

Coldplay, Bamboozle Festival 2011, Christmas Madness Through The Years & More!

The elves & I here at 360 Degrees of Alternative have been very busy during the past 2 weeks. Between putting the finishing touches on our 1st annual Christmas CD and drinking way too much spiked eggnog, someone finally noticed that the blog hasn't been touched in a few weeks. We will dispense with the wrapping and bows, so you open this "gift" right now - Happy Holidays!!

First off, there's been quite a buzz on the net recently about the new Coldplay release. More details are starting to surface, so here's what we have so far: Chris Marting has informed the BBC that Coldplay’s next release will be a concept album. He explained it as being “from the point of view of two people who are a bit lost, two like-minded outsiders who meet in a very difficult environment and therefore have a journey together.” He said, “It’s a concept album but it's supposed to be very personal within a big framework. Does that make sense?" I don't know - I'm still back at the two lost people section... I also know that Brian Eno will produce this next album.
Here's a link to your 1st Christmas present: Click here to watch the "Christmas Lights" video.


The 2011 version of the annual three-day Bamboozle Festival will run April 29th, 30th and May 1st at the New Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ (15 min west of NYC) and the organizers are starting to release performer information. Holding true to their commitment to offer up an eclectic lineup, main stage artists confirmed so far include A Day To Remember, Boys Like Girls, New Found Glory with Marky Ramone, Waka Flocka Flame, Circa Survive, Streetlight Manifesto and the RX Bandits.


I've been making a lot of mention as of late about all the new albums / releases that are due to hit the open market between January and the Summer 2011, with a big push in the Spring. Now, we're getting word of a great deal of tour announcements and dates. The following bands have scheduled tours for next year:
- Jimmy Eat World
- Foo Fighters
- My Chemical Romance
- Radiohead
- The Flaming Lips
- Cage The Elephant
... and that's just for starters.


The latest issue of "Rolling Stone" is doing a feature on the top 15 Christmas songs of all time. It is definitely a list for discussion. We here at 360 Degrees aren't going to get too wrapped (pardon the pun) in this, we are offering two things: our own list as well as our own CD... gift #2 to you!
In my book, here are some of the biggest alternative Christmas songs in history:
1). "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid.
Yeah, I know we've all heard this song a great many number of times over the past 26 years. But it's importance lies in the fact of the amount of charity that came out of it and the events like Live Aid that happened the following summer.
2). "Baby Please Come Home" by U2.
A one shot deal by the boys from Ireland. A fantastic remake of the 1963 Darlene Love classic. To add credibility, it's also on the 1st CD release for charity in conjunction with Special Olympics.
3). "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses.
One of the few Christmas songs I know that not only appeared on groups' greatest hits collection, but may have defined the band more than their staple, "I Know What Boys Want". When this song came out, alternative and rock in general, was way overdue for an original Christmas song. This track fit the bill in spades and is still widely played.
4). "Christmastime" by Smashing Pumpkins.
This song, which only appeared on the 3rd CD charitable release for Special Olympics, was also completely "out of character" for this group - which was a good thing. Many people, at first, thought this was a lead vocalist Bill Corgan solo project as there wasn't an electric guitar or drums or anything heavy to be found within 100 miles. The song showed just how versatile and talented the group could actually be.
5). "Merry Christmas Eve" by Better Than Ezra.
Another original song written and released a few years ago. It mostly gets played on rock and "modern" stations, but to this day, I cannot figure out why more stations don't play this song. It is very well written and composed - in fact, EVERY person who listens to this song for the first time, wants me to burn a copy for them or they go out and buy the song... it's THAT good.

Now, (attention: sales pitch ahead), all these songs (except for the 1st one) are on our 1st annual Christmas CD "360 Degrees Of Alternative Christmas". We have a few left if you would like one. 20 songs in all - no digital remastering, no BS... just great tunes. Something for everyone. Just drop us an email at alternatv@midcoast.com. Allow us a week or so to get you one in the mail.


Another part in the blog title is "Christmas Madness Through The Years". This is the history part of the blog as I went back in time (pre-1983) & found some cool (and hysterical) alternative Christmas moments;
- 1982: New Order provides their fans with special 7" record containing "Rocking Carol". The B-side contains their version of Beethoven's "Song Of Joy". Only 4,400 are produced and all were given away in a rubber-stamped bag that also contained a party hat, a whistle, some streamers, and a bit of candy.
- 1982: On the opposite end of the spectrum, Fear also releases a holiday offering called "Fuck Christmas" - a song that clocks in at only 45 seconds long.
- 1980: The Police play a pair of Christmas concerts in a huge tent on Tooting Bec Common. The 5,000 capacity tent has it's own heating system, but no seats. Just as well though, their fans will have a chance to dance to keep warm.
- 1979: Elvis Costello was part of a huge Christmas concert that featured Paul McCartney & Wings, as well as Rockpile. I still find it ironic that at this juncture in music history, Wings were on their last legs and Costello was just starting to hit his prime...
- 1978: Ian Dury fans had that "sinking feeling" at his concert at the Ilford Odeon. The over-excited fans were midway through the show when the floorboards gave way under excessive pogo dancing and caved in. The only thing that saved the punters from a quick trip to the basement was a sagging carpet. Wow...
- 1977: How's this for a Christmas bash? The infamous NME Christmas party was underway at Dingwalls on the 24th. Music was provided by Dave Edmunds and The Flaming Groovies. Attending the party are members of The Clash, The Ramones, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Squeeze and many more!

Well, that's about all the time I have for today. The elves are screaming to use the stations' computer. Think I'll get them their own for Christmas...

Til next time, happy holidays & keep listening!
Peace out,
Dave

Shaping Radio Stations And Listeners, Then & Now

We received a lot of interesting and positive feedback from the last blog, which was a slight departure from the norm. I usually like to include what's new in alternative rock, as well as some history, interesting and sometimes funny tidbits, and what's to come in regards to the station. Consider this entry as part #2, continuing from last week. For those of you who thought the last blog had some interesting thoughts, but on a whole, was kind of off, don't worry - this type of blog is not the new boss.

I have to admit, I'm one of those people who were totally immersed in rock n' roll by the time I was 12 years old. By that age, I had shed almost every ounce of "pop radio" from my system. I say, almost, because my Mom still listened to that genre of music quite often, especially in the car. Since I wouldn't have my drivers license for another four years, she still "had control" over the radio whenever she had to cart me around somewhere.

By 16 - another life changing event. No, it wasn't the fact that I not only had a summer job and had the money to buy my 1st "killer stereo", or obtained my drivers license and therefore could use the car and therefore could listen to whatever tunes I wanted. One of my best friends, Scott, got the idea to hook up a TV coaxial cable to the back of his stereo receiver via an adapter instead of using that same group of wires to watch cable television. We both lived in rural New Hampshire at the time and "good" radio stations, in our opinion, were very few & far between. However, after he hooked up the cable, he was able to pull in stations from Boston and even Rhode Island with amazing clarity. We now had access to tons of songs & bands that we had never heard of. Heck, some of these were bands the local record store never heard of nor stocked the vinyl! We didn't know it at the time, but these stations shaped our likes, dislikes, and listening.

This in turn shaped us throughout college when Scott & I both went on to obtain degrees in radio and communications. We were both heavily involved in our campus radio stations and swapped music constantly. Looking back, I consider us both to be lucky to be able to attend college near Boston. One station in particular, WBCN, was influential in our music and for me, quite heavily. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this progressive station, WBCN has been an icon for over 40 years. The station has been credited with launching the careers of The Cars, The Police, U2 and 'Til Tuesday, just to name a few, because they were the first station in the US to play songs by these bands.

Now, you don't have to be involved in the radio business to realize that formats as well as stations come and go - sometimes rather quickly. For a major market station to last more than 40 years, with the same format in tact, and still featuring local programming, is nothing short of a miracle these days. I still listen to WBCN - going on 30+ years.

In hindsight, I find it humorous to think about the time when I first got into professional radio. I was young and ready to change the world! However, I was not prepared for the business side of it, the egos, and the uncertainty of it. That changed quickly and I learned as well as learned to adapt. That led me to bigger and better gigs at larger (bigger market) radio stations where I eventually had a hand at programming. Ironically, now I was the one (hopefully) shaping listeners and other radio stations. I eventually got to meet and talk to a number of rock artists that I was a fan of. To date, I've not yet become a skilled enough writer to paint an accurate picture to describe what some of those meetings were like. While they were all memorable, I can say that some people were really cool & some were total assholes.

All these years, memories, and changes have not only influenced my taste in music, but also influenced me to start this station and what to play. However, this time through the Internet and satellite, my hope is to not only possibly influence and hopefully entertain in the process, but to also to educate. At 360 Degrees of Alternative, I like to think we are "classic to cutting edge" when it comes to alternative rock. That's why we feature five decades of music, because I truly believe you cannot appreciate the present without respecting the past.

Until next time, keep listening!
Peace out,
Dave

Play It, And They Will Come

OK Dave, what's up with the title? Actually, this has been on my mind for a little while... I was just unsure in how to transfer it from brain to paper, or in this case, computer. The thought process actually started a little more than a week ago when the usual array of commercial radio stations (as well as satellite and Internet stations) started playing Christmas music 24/7.

The first thing that popped into my head was, "Great... here we go again." It's not that I don't like Christmas music. My main beef is there are a lot of songs... good songs, great songs in fact, that are NOT played on commercial radio (in general - other mediums are also guilty). I've always liked music... my entire life. In fact, my Mom has told me that I used to crawl to the beat of a tune! So, it stands to reason that Christmas music, along with other genres, would become a natural part of my life... and it has. However, how many versions of "O Holy Night" can one person stand before it loses it's effect? Especially when you have a gamut of modern artists trying the sing & "tag" the living shit out of it? Don't believe me? Play that particular song that's been recorded by Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion & a few others I can't think of right now, and play them all back to back. It starts to sound like some insane and/or torturous competition... and you're the one who loses.

Taking this same thinking and applying it to what I'm trying to accomplish here at 360 Degrees, is one of the main focal points of why I started this whole crazy thing in the first place; to take listeners out of the boring everyday mainstream and help them discover that there is (no pun intended) a viable alternative.

Yes, I realize that the station is nowhere near perfect... in all honesty, I doubt it ever will be, because I believe there is no such thing. Yes, I've added a great many songs over the past 9 months. Guess what? I've also removed some tracks as well. Believe it or not, I actually listen to the station on a daily basis. Yup... daily. It gives me a chance to see how the tracks blend together, the quality of the music, as well as a number of other aspects.

Judging from the overall positive response, I'd say the station is doing well. And that there my friends is the key. It has taken a while, but we are getting noticed. I've said from the beginning, I'm certainly not in this for the money. Sure, we've made a couple of bucks along the way, but there's no way I can quit my day job yet. The bottom line here is, when you understand your self-worth is not your net-worth, then you get a taste of real freedom. The self-worth of 360 Degrees of Alternative as a whole is high - thus it allows us to have & explore the freedom I want while gaining a following and enjoying the musical journey along the way. And you're the one who wins...

I know one of the biggest debates that will probably never go away, is "what is true alternative"? I receive an email about this, in one form or another, at least once a week. First off, there is no such animal as "true" alternative. This genre of music is an aspect of rock 'n roll - which was a bastard child from the very start.

Since it is a vein of rock, that means it spans the decades. That, in turn, gives us the freedom to offer decades worth of cool music that is alternative. I realized from the get-go that this genre has people who like "modern" as well as "old school". So do I - that's why we play it. Since alternative is a vein of rock, it is also has influences from throughout the years. This is a cool thing. Many a "modern rock / alternative" artist has been noted in saying, "Hey, without this band or that band, our band would not exist." And some of these bands go back 20, 30 years or more...

So, based on this, I'd like to pass along another piece of enlightenment... I don't give a shit what "experts" say or think in regards to what songs or groups are important, or should be included or excluded, and so on. Yes, I feel debate is good as long as it's healthy, but I'm not going to program the station based on God-knows-how-many people's opinion. I hate to break it to some of these people - I own the station & you don't. Don't like it? Start your own!

I don't mean that last sentence as an insult. In fact, I mean just the opposite. Heck, that's why I started my own station - I didn't like what I was hearing through certain mediums. By being part of the Internet and satellite radio community, it turns out, there is no right or wrong way to program a radio station, or more specifically, to feature the music you love. There is only "to broadcast" or "not to broadcast". I've received feedback and emails from people telling me what they think of the station - I've been accused of selling out and praised as an innovator. That's like being accused of high-dollar and a slum dog at the same time!

I'd like to leave you with a thought. Maybe you're scanning the stations on your radio right now. Maybe you're doing the same either with satellite or through the Internet. And maybe, you just can't find anything you want to listen to. Instead of getting into a vitriolic rift hidden by the veil of email, why not just "do your own thing". It will take a lot of work, but instead of being a single voice telling someone to piss off, you can be part of a large independent voice that's trying to make this wonderfully cool thing called radio and music, a better place.

Until next time, keep listening!
Peace out,
Dave

A New Clash Movie, New York Dolls Revival, Stop Your Wining & Other Cool Stuff

Whew! The Thanksgiving leftovers are finally gone as is black Friday & cyber Monday. Time to get back into the spirit of things alternative!

Some interesting tidbits came down the pike recently, like the blurb that hit the media regarding a new biopic on the Clash. According to the BBC, former Clash members Mick Jones and Paul Simonon will co-executive produce a new biopic about the making of the band's classic 1979 album London Calling. The cast of the film has not been announced and shooting is scheduled to begin next year although no dates have been released. The Clash and late singer Joe Strummer have been the subjects of several films already, including the documentary Westway to the World, Julian Temple's Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten and The Rebel Truce: The Clash, which is slated to premiere on BBC America on December 12th.

I was reading through some history notes over the past day or two and realized that it was during this week back in 1972 that the original New York Dolls drummer, Billy Murcia, died of an overdose of barbiturates while the band was on tour in the UK. According to police reports, Murcia was placed in a tub of cold water and some "friends" tried getting some coffee in him when they could not wake him. Ever tried drinking coffee while you're unconscious? Doesn't work very well...
However, within a month, the band has a new drummer, Jerry Nolan, and starts performing a bunch of gigs at the Mercer Arts Center in New York. By March 20th 1973, a mere 3 1/2 months later, the Dolls are signed to Mercury Records.

Ya gotta love Jack White! Yeah, he can be kind of a temperamental artist, and he seems to be in the news (music-wise) a great deal, but this time he's pissed at his fans. Say what? Yup - it's all because, according to White, he was just trying to outwit so-called "flippers" who buy limited-edition releases, only to sell them for much higher prices online.

But after his Third Man label auctioned off a limited-edition White Stripes LP on eBay for $510, White Stripes fans complained - and White fired back on the forum of the label's subscription series. "We sell a Wanda Jackson split record for 10 bucks, the eBay flipper turns around and sells it for 300," White wrote. "We're not in the business of making flippers a living. We're in the business of giving fans what they want."

But he didn't stop there... "We've done giveaways, contests, auctions, etc. a lot of different ways for vault members to get first crack at limited records when we don't have to ... seriously stop all of the whining, because what you communicate to us is that all of the trouble we go to isn't worth it because nothing we do will make you happy. we'll try to do back rubs door to door when we get a chance. Sincerely the staff at third man records."

In other news briefs, one buzz lately seems to be all about videos. First, The Killers released their 5th annual Christmas song & the accompanying video, "Boots", last week. Proceeds from the song will benefit (RED) and help fight AIDS in Africa. Very cool indeed.

The 2nd video, "Hurricane" by 30 Seconds To Mars, has been banned from MTV as well as other media outlets. Never mind the video is 13 minutes long, (I'm sorry - that's not a video... that's a movie short), but apparently at the 9:20 mark there's a scene where a woman reaches between another woman's legs and strokes her (over leather panties). Gee, no wonder it landed the clip in the "not-safe-for-America" bin... It's also once again reinforcing that age-old adage that sex on TV is more dangerous than violence. Please - skip the hate mail...

Finally, taking a quick look back in today in alternative rock history - the year is 1980 and the Talking Heads begin their tour of the UK tour starting with a few gigs at the Hammersmith Palais, supported by an obscure band from Ireland named U2...

That's about it for this entry. As always, keep on listening & keep the comments and suggestions coming!

Peace out,
Dave