Altrok Radio Music Update #168

Firstly, the important stuff:

Altrok Radio is at http://www.altrokradio.com

Please remember to tune in whenever you can - every hour you listen turns into more visibility for the station; we show up higher in search listings, and such like that. And if you'd like to help us keep the stream running, check out the advertisers if they appeal to you; your interest actually helps fund us.

Now then, in addition to the outstanding Altrok Radio music mix that got us an Editor's Pick nod at Live365 and at About.com, we've added features we know you'll like...

Thursdays at 11:30am Eastern (and repeated at 9:00pm), you get to hear Sean Carolan (often referred to in these dispatches as "me") showcase the new music we've added this week on the Altrok Radio FM Showcase. New stuff, classic stuff, and Jeff Raspe with his Altrok Radio Underground Pick Of The Week...

And on Friday, it's Altrok's Eighties Friday: music from the eighties that mattered then AND now. An eight hour playlist that features some of the best that decade had to offer, drawing from all the music that was available at the time (yes, even from the seventies.)

But for now - we've got songs to let you know about.

This week, our Grinders (the stuff we play heavily) include music from:

- Air Traffic
- Help She Can't Swim
- Simian Mobile Disco
- The Trudy
- Interpol
- Blood Red Shoes

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- Chow Chow - Suits Like Animals
- Digitalism - Pogo
- GoodBooks - Passchendaele
- Hadouken! - Liquid Lives
- Billy Harvey - Kaleidoscope Gun
- IO Perry - Honeybee
- Left Right + Centre - Control
- Maritime - For Science Fiction
- Modest Mouse - Florida
- The Pigeon Detectives - Wait For Me
- Popup - Chinese Burn
- Spoiler NYC - I Hung My Head
- The Transmissions - I'll Run It
- The Valley Arena - Kick At The Ceiling
- VHS or Beta - Can't Believe A Single Word
- Wait Think Fast - Bridge and Cars

Our Featured Classics:

- Aztec Camera - Oblivious
- Cake - Rock and Roll Lifestyle
- The Cure - The Hanging Garden
- Devo - Gates Of Steel
- Doves - Black And White Town
- Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
- The Fall - Victoria
- They Might Be Giants - Don't Let's Start
- U2 - Seconds
- X - White Girl

As always, thanks for listening!

- Sean Carolan
Altrok Radio
On your computer right now at http://www.altrokradio.com

On the radio Fridays at 10pm, at 90.5 The Night

Brother Can You Spare Some Context?

Monday night I went to see the Smithereens at Jenkinson's Pavilion. This time I got there with time to spare and didn't miss anything like with the Psychedelic Furs two weeks ago.

The Smithereens were great. They played all the songs from Especially For You and the hits that came after that. The crowd was a loyal fan club, singing along with each track word for word. Pat carried on a pleasant engaging banter with the middle-aged crowd throughout the show, and in the end he invited about a dozen girls up on stage to dance along to "A Girl Like You". He played my request for "In A Lonely Place", although I think they might have planned to play it anyway. They clearly had a fun time, and they seemed comfortable with being the Smithereens in 2007.

Now faded from glory, they were a premiere New Jersey band back in the late 80's. They cut their teeth playing at the Court Tavern, The Dirt Club, the Stone Pony and other clubs from the time.

They were the kind of band that could have been as big as any pop band of the day, but for whatever reason never made it huge. Their songs are original, sincere, well crafted pieces of rock and roll poetry. Pat's voice is signature, not unlike that of Richard Butler from the Furs. Not unlike that of John Easdale. Why some bands become cultural icons and some don't is a great mystery.

And now for some bile. As with two weeks ago, G106.3 was the co-host/promoter for the show, and one of their DJ's was playing tunes before and after the show.

Now G106.3 is a shadow of it's former glorious self, FM 106.3. But as I've stated before, it's not too bad, and relatively good compared to the rest of the radio dial. They tout themselves as Jersey's rock alternative, which is fine. And of course the Smithereens are alt rock heroes, so it makes sense G106.3 would want to be involved.

Unfortunately, the DJ spinning that night had no clue. No,in fact, being clueless would imply he didn't know better, so that's not true. He was just awful. Based on the tunes he spun, you'd think it was a Warrant concert from sometime in 1988. On top of the mindless,I'm-so-cool, yee-hah banter that so many DJ's are helpless to resist spewing, this guy played almost nothing but metal tracks. Now I might not mind a night of hard rocking metal if that's what I chose to go out and hear, but this was a night with a crowd to see the Smithereens, an ALTERNATIVE MUSIC crowd. Def Leppard? Something and something else and Van Halen? I thought I heard Poison, maybe. Then after a few tracks he'd belch out "G106.3, your rock alternative!" So not only are you making the people in the club physically ill, but now a bunch of poor hair metal kids are gonna be thinking they can request Ratt and Guns 'n Roses on G106.3. And of course anyone who wasn't aware of what G106.3 actually plays and was looking for an alternative station to listen to has to be convinced they must be a cheesy rock station, and will look elsewhere.

Nice way to cross promote, dude. Next time, try a little context. CONTEXT. Alt station, alt band, ALT MUSIC!

An Uncomfortable Truth and an Unanswered Question

A couple of weeks ago I read the Anthony Keidis biography titled Scar Tissue. For any of you who haven't read it yet, I encourage you to do so, as it traces Anthony's anything but ordinary childhood and adolescence up through to his life right now. I found it very interesting, especially his intimate involvement in the organically grown LA punk scene of the late 70's.

I had been aware for a long time that Anthony had had "some" involvement with heroin, and I certainly knew that the Chili Peppers original guitarist Hillel Slovak had died from an overdose. My impression had always been that he had experimented or dabbled a bit like so many other artistic/performing personalities. What I was not prepared for was to discover the length, breadth and intensity of his drug problems. I won't go into all the details of his chemical romance, but let's just say, HOW THE HELL IS THIS GUY STILL ALIVE?

It turns out Anthony has been a hard core addict for the majority of his life. He has apparently been clean for the last seven years, but for most of the 80's and 90's, you'd have had a better chance of finding him with a needle in his arm than a microphone is his hand. Fortunately for the world he's got the constitution of Rasputin, just like Iggy Pop. Drugs seem to have had little physical long term impact on them. Few have been so fortunate.

For the longest time I had a naive belief that the punks, new wavers and alternative bands that I have come to love and admire were far less drugged than the corporate, hard rock dinosaurs they had sent to cultural extinction. I seem to remember reading or hearing back in the late 70's that the punks didn't do hard drugs, that's what all those old bands did. Maybe a line of coke at a party, or an upper offered by a groupie, that's pretty tame, right? And of course a bit of drinking, because that's legal anyway, but after all, it's rock and roll, right? We didn't expect our proto-heroes to be the Osmonds, right? After all, being alternative meant you didn't do all that stupid stuff, because you were smarter and cooler. Ha ha.

Well it turns out that many of my music heroes are/were a serious bunch of dope heads. Dee Dee Ramone? Major druggie. Iggy Pop? big league dopie. Kurt Cobain? Heroin victim. Anthony Keidis? heroin, cocaine, uppers, downers, pot, alcohol, anything available, all the time, for 30 years. This is a potentially long list, but it is safe to say that it would be easier to list the bands and artists who never had or developed some problem with drugs. It turned out the punk and alternative circles could be just as debaucherous and destructive as the classic rock scene, and all too often were. At least the haircuts were better.

I clung to this naivete for far too long. Only after reading Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me, We Got the Neutron Bomb and now Scar Tissue was I no longer able to ignore what had been obvious. I guess I new the truth long before but wasn't comfortable facing it. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I, Stiffy Biceptz has never so much as even tried any drug, other than alcohol. I liked feeling that I had more in common with these folks. Apparently not as much as I would have liked. I guess I have little connection at all other than liking the music. I'm looking more Osmond all the time and I don't like it.

And the more you look, the more it seems like everyone involved in the performing arts has had some brush with substance abuse issues. The old blues masters drank sterno and other god forsaken liquids. Event the great composers of the previous centuries were smoking or snorting or drinking something exotic. Hollywood? Same old pattern.

So why should this be?

Part I of II

Altrok Radio Music Update #167

Folks,

Firstly, the important stuff:

Altrok Radio is at http://www.altrokradio.com

Please remember to tune in whenever you can - every hour you listen turns into more visibility for the station; we show up higher in search listings, and such like that. And if you'd like to help us keep the stream running, check out the advertisers if they appeal to you; your interest actually helps fund us.

So then, in another stunning attempt to illustrate what's so great about Altrok Radio, let's sidestep our tendency to play a lot of the music that's currently defining the jagged edge of underground pop culture, and focus on our classics.

Our classics are the songs that signify thirty years of rock innovation. Starting with those who rebelled against the bloated, self-important stasis of the rock scene in the seventies, continuing with the artists who stood against empty pop in the eighties, and who clued in early that alternative rock itself had become bloated and self-important by the late nineties. So when we play The Ramones, The Clash, Buzzcocks, Gang Of Four, The Cure, The Smiths, The Pixies, and P.J. Harvey, it's because we know their music remains relevant.

We play our classics not only because they're great, but because, so many years hence, they still have something to say - and our current music is evidence that someone's listening.

(And when we do it all day on Altrok's Eighties Friday, that goes double.)

All that said, bet you're wondering what classic and new songs we've added...

This week, our Grinders (the stuff we play heavily) include music from:

- The Polyphonic Spree
- Lismore
- Scissors For Lefty
- The Cribs
- Kate Nash
- Travis

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- Air Traffic - No More Running Away - Fractured Life
- An Angle - Clean And Gold - The Truth Is That You Are Alive
- Art Brut - St Pauli - It's A Bit Complicated
- Chemical Brothers - All Rights Reversed (feat. Klaxons) - We Are The Night
- Digitalism - I Want I Want - Idealism
- Editors - An End Has A Start - An End Has A Start
- Val Emmich - Break - Songs, Volume 1; Woodstock
- The Front - Social Bat - Smiles & Handshakes
- Health - Crimewave - Health & Crystal Castles (Split 7'')
- Interpol - Who Do You Think - Our Love To Admire
- IO Perry - Everyday - Split Yourself In Two
- Poison Control Center - Glory Us - MP3 Demo
- Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles - Carnavas
- St. Vincent - Now. Now. - Marry Me
- White Rabbits - Kid On My Shoulders - Fort Nightly

Our Featured Classics:

- A Blind Dog Stares - Thru The Fence - 12'' Single
- Bauhaus - Spirit - The Sky's Gone Out
- The Clash - The Guns Of Brixton - London Calling
- Depeche Mode - Dreaming Of Me - Speak & Spell
- Earlimart - We Drink On The Job - Everyone Down Here
- Flesh For Lulu - Siamese Twist - Long Live The New Flesh
- The Lightning Seeds - Love Explosion - cloudcuckooland
- Passion Puppets - Like Dust - Beyond The Pale
- The Stone Roses - Fools Gold - Stone Roses

As always, thanks for listening!

- Sean Carolan
Altrok Radio
On your computer right now at http://www.altrokradio.com

On the radio Fridays at 10pm, at 90.5 The Night

Wait, What? Asbury's Brick Wall In Crisis

I hate it when a good bar closes. I hate it even more when I don't get a chance to hang out there before it does.

While I've been preoccupied with building for the future in New Brunswick (yep, Ready Steady Go Tuesday seems to be percolating along nicely under Drew's stewardship) a nascent scenelet at the Brick Wall in Asbury Park may fall victim to the upstairs neighbor.

Said upstairs neighbor apparently doesn't think too highly of a scene developing below her, and has petitioned for the town to pull the Brick Wall's liquor license. She's always lived above a bar, I guess, but now it's loud or something?

(Memo to other nascent scenelets: make sure you get the upstairs squared away, as well as the neighbors. While my sympathy for complaints from people who live above bars is nearly nil - what do you expect people at a bar are gonna do, whisper and hum? - it's better not to have to encounter the problem at all.)

And so, there's a hearing tonight at the Court House in Asbury Park, and the club's owners have asked for a show of public solidarity, which I'm happy to echo here. It'll be happening at 7pm, and if there's a success, I suspect a very nice evening at the Brick Wall will be had.

And if not...meh.

Altrok Radio Music Update #166

Firstly, the important stuff:

Altrok Radio is at http://www.altrokradio.com

Please remember to tune in whenever you can - every hour you listen turns into more visibility for the station; we show up higher in search listings, and such like that. And if you'd like to help us keep the stream running, check out the advertisers if they appeal to you; your interest actually helps fund us.

Now then, in addition to the outstanding Altrok Radio music mix that got us an Editor's Pick nod at Live365 and at About.com, we've added features we know you'll like...

Thursdays at 11:30am Eastern (and repeated at 9:00pm), you get to hear Sean Carolan (often referred to in these dispatches as "me") showcase the new music we've added this week on the Altrok Radio FM Showcase. New stuff, classic stuff, and Jeff Raspe with his Altrok Radio Underground Pick Of The Week...

And on Friday, it's Altrok's Eighties Friday: music from the eighties that mattered then AND now. An eight hour playlist that features some of the best that decade had to offer, drawing from all the music that was available at the time (yes, even from the seventies.)

But for now - we've got songs to let you know about.

This week, our Grinders (the stuff we play heavily) include music from:

- The Cure
- The Bird And The Bee
- Jack Penate
- James
- Bobby Cook
- Arctic Monkeys

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- 120 Days - Justine
- Joseph Arthur And The Lonely Astronauts - Diamond Ring
- The Bees - Listening Man
- Blood Red Shoes - It's Getting Boring By The Sea
- The Electric Soft Parade - Misunderstanding
- Harrisons - Dear Constable
- Kate Nash - Foundations
- The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
- The Octopus Project - I Saw The Bright Shinies
- Pete And The Pirates - Come On Feet
- Pull Tiger Tail - Hurricanes
- Robbers On High Street - Crown Victoria
- Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe
- Travis - Selfish Jean
- White Rabbits - The Plot

Our Featured Classics:

- Elvis Costello - Pump It Up
- The Descendents - Clean Sheets
- Dogs Die In Hot Cars - Pastimes And Lifestyles
- The Fall - Theme From Sparta F.C. #2
- Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - Balloon Man
- Joe Jackson - Friday
- New Order - Crystal
- The Pixies - Debaser
- Roxy Music - Over You
- The Stranglers - Skin Deep

As always, thanks for listening!

- Sean Carolan
Altrok Radio
On your computer right now at http://www.altrokradio.com

On the radio Fridays at 10pm, at 90.5 The Night

Altrok Radio Music Update #165

Firstly, the important stuff:

Altrok Radio is at http://www.altrokradio.com

Please remember to tune in whenever you can - every hour you listen turns into more visibility for the station; we show up higher in search listings, and such like that. And if you'd like to help us keep the stream running, check out the advertisers if they appeal to you; your interest actually helps fund us.

Now then, in addition to the outstanding Altrok Radio music mix that got us an Editor's Pick nod at Live365 and at About.com, we've added features we know you'll like...

Thursdays at 11:30am Eastern (and repeated at 9:00pm), you get to hear Sean Carolan (often referred to in these dispatches as "me") showcase the new music we've added this week on the Altrok Radio FM Showcase. New stuff, classic stuff, and Jeff Raspe with his Altrok Radio Underground Pick Of The Week...

And on Friday, it's Altrok's Eighties Friday: music from the eighties that mattered then AND now. An eight hour playlist that features some of the best that decade had to offer, drawing from all the music that was available at the time (yes, even from the seventies.)

But for now - we've got songs to let you know about.

This week, our Grinders (the stuff we play heavily) include music from:

- Cajun Dance Party
- GoodBooks
- Sky Parade
- The Dance Party
- Architecture In Helsinki
- Bloc Party

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- Air Traffic - Get In Line
- Arctic Monkeys - Flourescent Adolescent
- The Bees - Got To Let Go
- The Bird And The Bee - Again & Again
- Help She Can't Swim - All The Stars
- Left Right + Centre - Polaroid Retreat
- Letters & Colours - Indistinct
- My Federation - Don't Wanna Die
- The Polyphonic Spree - Section 23 (Get Up And Go)
- Pray For Hayden - Death Of Me
- Satellite Party - Kinky
- Scissors For Lefty - Ghetto Ways
- The Trudy - 3 Minutes 4 U
- Wild Carnation - I'd Rather Drive A Truck

Our Featured Classics:

- The Comsat Angels - After The Rain
- Julian Cope - Planet Ride
- Thomas Dolby - I Love You Goodbye
- The Hoodoo Gurus - Like Wow-Wipeout
- Killing Joke - Eighties
- Nine Inch Nails - Sanctified
- The Psychedelic Furs - Dumb Waiters
- The Sisters Of Mercy - Walk Away
- The Three O'Clock - Jetfighter

As always, thanks for listening!

- Sean Carolan
Altrok Radio
On your computer right now at http://www.altrokradio.com

On the radio Fridays at 10pm, at 90.5 The Night

I Drove an Hour and All I Got Was the Fixx

Stiffy Biceptz is still a bit annoyed this morning. Last night I drove an hour from my house down to Jenkinson's in Point Pleasant to see the Psychedelic Furs. If you've never seen them live, let me tell you that it is a great experience. Thirty years on Richard Butler and company still sound great. They haven't lost any of the magic that made them so loved way back a long time ago. And Richard's voice is just so signature. The Furs have improved with age and having the opportunity to see them in a small club is just something I won't miss--except for last night...

The show was really a triple bill supported by the Alarm and the Fixx. Now I've never really been an Alarm fan for whatever reason, and the Fixx were always just there. So in classic Stiffy club style, I planned to go a bit late and hopefully miss the first two bands and walk in just as the Furs took the stage. Back in my Green Parrot days I was faultless at getting there just in time to miss the opening act, moving straight to the front of the stage and see the band I came to see. The whole idea of opening bands just doesn't work for me.

So I left home around 8, got gas and cruised down route 195 to Point Pleasant. On the way I found out that the fireworks postponed on the fourth were going to be that night, which meant that parking might be troublesome. Sure enough, the place was an absolute zoo. I parked on New York Ave, and hiked all the way back down the boardwalk. It felt great to have my boots on, heading out to a show. Just as I arrived at the club the fireworks started and everyone was squealing. I walked in and as I got to the back where the club is, I thought I heard a familiar sound...

For some reason there was no one at the entrance to take my ticket so I just strolled in to discover the Furs where on stage already! What's going on?? It turned out they had decided to change the lineup and that I had just missed them. They played two more songs and were done. Now I was really pissed. Not only had I missed the one band I wanted to see, but no one even wanted my damn ticket!

At this point I wasn't sure whether I wanted to stay. But after a few minutes of huffing a puffing I figured I might as well see the Fixx if for no other reason that to get my money's worth. By now they had decided to start looking at tickets again and when I casually strolled out and tried to get back in again, a bunch of bouncers swarmed around me like I was trying to smuggle in uranium or something. So I had to go back in the correct entrance and get my hand stamped. I mentioned to the dim bulb who took my ticket how I had just walked in 20 minutes ago without so much as a dirty look and she thanked me very seriously for telling her. The borders are once again secured general! Give me a break.

The Fixx came on twenty minutes later and I managed to wedge myself up near the stage. Turns out they were very good and I was glad I had stayed to see them. I might even pick up a CD of theirs.

After the show the jabbering semi-witless DJ played a bizarre hodgepodge of new wave-alterna hits and the thin crowd actually danced for the better part of an hour. At one point a few of us old timers started bouncing into each other a bit but completely under control. A big meathead bouncer came over and told us to stop moshing. A request by me for some Dramarama or Wonderstuff was met with a look of shock and horror. As I walked away I caustically remarked "I guess that's just too cool to play, huh?" And he pretty much said yes. After building up a bit of a groove, he then proceeded to alienate everyone off the dance floor with remarkable speed. A rare talent indeed. Sweaty and happy, I walked down an empty boardwalk to my car and cruised home with the windows open enjoying the cool moist summer air, singing along to Genie In a Bottle blasting from the radio. Turned out to be a fun night even without the Furs. Happy memories of many similar late night returns from the Parrot or the Pony came flooding back. Was this 1989? 1991? Ahhhhh...

In two weeks the Smithereens will be there, why not come join me?

Today: Altrok's Eighties Friday - Here's The List

Today and every Friday, you'll hear a big pile of the music we had available in the 80's, all day and through the night, in CD Quality MP3 Pro, on Altrok's Eighties Friday at Altrok Radio.

Got a slow connection? We've put it up for you in glorious mono as well - check the "slower connections" link on the right of the page.

We do it every Friday, and we do it with a lot of tracks you won't necessarily hear on your average "Eighties Rewind" special...and that's 'cause we were there, and we know the stuff that sold well wasn't necessarily the stuff that we keep going back to. "I Ran" and "I Melt With You" have been shoved out of the way to make room for some really good stuff (often including the good stuff A Flock Of Seagulls and Modern English made that got completely overshadowed by their "one hit wonders".)

The bands for today (7/6/2007) are:

---

A Flock Of Seagulls, ABC, Adam and the Ants, Alphaville, Adam Ant, APB, Au Pairs The B-52's, B-Movie, Bauhaus, Berlin, Big Audio Dynamite, Blancmange, Blondie, The Bongos, David Bowie, Buzzcocks The Chameleons, The Church, The Clash, Lloyd Cole, Elvis Costello, Cult Hero, The Cure The Danse Society, The Dead Milkmen, Depeche Mode, Devo, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Dolby's Cube, Dramarama, Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy, Ian Dury And The Blockheads The English Beat, The Europeans Fad Gadget, The Fall, The Farm, Figures On A Beach, John Foxx, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Fun Boy Three With Bananarama Gang Of Four, Gene Loves Jezebel, Peter Godwin, Martin Gore Happy Mondays, Heaven 17, Hoodoo Gurus, The Hoodoo Gurus, The Human League Icehouse, The Icicle Works, Intaferon, Intro Joe Jackson, The Jam, Japan, Joy Division Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Killing Joke Liquid Liquid, Love And Rockets, Lene Lovich Madness, Magazine, Medium Medium, Ministry, Modern English, Peter Murphy New Musik, New Order, Nine Inch Nails, Gary Numan Oingo Boingo, OMD Robert Palmer, The Plimsouls, Pop WIll Eat Itself, Pop Will Eat Itself, Iggy Pop, The Pretenders, The Primitives, The Producers, The Psychedelic Furs, Ltd. Public Image R.E.M., The Ramones, Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers, Stan Ridgeway The Screaming Blue Messiahs, Scritti Politti, The Selecter, Seona Dancing, Sex Pistols, Pete Shelley, Shriekback, Simple Minds, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Smithereens, The Smiths, Spandau Ballet, Split Enz, Squeeze, The Stone Roses, The Stranglers, The Style Council, Sugarcubes Talking Heads, Tears For Fears, That Petrol Emotion, The The, Time Zone, tv21 U2, Ultravox, The Undertones Violent Femmes, Visage The Waitresses, Wire, The Woodentops X, XTC Yazoo 

Altrok: We've Got All The Independence You Can Handle

It's The Fourth Of July, and as you probably know, we're all about independence, right? I mean, we're open to suggestion, but we don't pick music because we're told to, we pick it because we like it. And since you're in front of a computer reading this on a major holiday, we figure you might just want to listen to it.

And so, as always, there's another whole new selection of songs - eight hours worth starting right this moment (whenever this moment happens to be) - pulsing from our servers in CD Quality MP3 Pro, at Altrok Radio.

By the way: if you CAN listen today, please do - we can use the boost. No, really; it's a holiday, and our numbers usually go down, so please help keep them up...

Got a slow connection? We've put it up for you in glorious mono as well - check the "slower connections" link on the right of the page.

The bands for today (7/4/2007) are:

---

!!!

Adam Ant, APB, Art Brut, Autokat, The Automatic

Best Fwends, The Blakes, Bloc Party, The Bound Stems, British Sea Power, Bromheads Jacket, The Butterflies Of Love

Kate Cebrano & The Ministry Of Fun, Chemical Brothers, The Chemical Brothers, The Clash, The Comsat Angels, Bobby Cook, The Cribs, CSS, The Cult, The Cure

Datarock, Depeche Mode, Dogs, Doves

Earlimart, Echo & The Bunnymen, Editors, Electrelane, Elephants, The English Beat, Esiotrot, ExileInside

The Faint, Feist, Field Music, Fields, The Fountains Of Wayne, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Fun Boy Three

Charlotte Gainsbourg, Garbage, The Gas, Jigs Giglio, The Go! Team, Ben Godwin, Good Shoes, Grandaddy

The Ides Of Space, Islands Lost At Sea

Tommy Keene, Killing Joke, Klaxons

Labasheeda, LCD Soundsystem, Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Locksley, The Long Blondes, Look Down, Louis XIV

The Maccabees, Madness, The Magic Numbers, Manic, Maximo Park, Mission Of Burma, Modest Mouse, The Monolators, Morrissey, My Federation

The National, The New Pornographers, Nine Inch Nails, Nitzer Ebb, Noisettes

Brendan O'Shea

Candie Payne, Peelgreems, Jack Penate

R.E.M., The Ramones, Reverend And The Makers, Mark Ronson, The Rumble Strips

The Sammies, Sea Wolf, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Skidmore Fountain, Soundpool, Spearmint, Split Enz, Sugarcubes

Talking Heads, Teddybears, Trembling Blue Stars

Ultravox, UNKLE

Vanessa And The O's, Laura Veirs, The View, Visage

Washington Social Club, Weapons, The White Stripes, The Wild Deer, Wire, The Wombats

Xerox Teens, XTC

You Am I, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Youth Group

Tonight: It's Ready Steady Go Tuesday!

Folks,

If you're within range of New Brunswick, NJ, here's your chance...

- No work Wednesday!

- Starts early, stays open late (if you want it!)

- Mind expanding new tracks!

- Classics that make you want to do everything you expect to do when you're hearing them classic tracks...

No excuse. Nuh-uh. Be there.

Ready Steady Go Tuesdays

Marita's Cantina
1 Penn Plaza
Albany St. & Easton Av.

21-and over, no cover

9pm until the law says otherwise

-Sean

Altrok Radio Music Update #164

Folks,

Firstly, the important stuff:

Altrok Radio is at http://www.altrokradio.com

Please remember to tune in whenever you can - every hour you listen turns into more visibility for the station; we show up higher in search listings, and such like that. And if you'd like to help us keep the stream running, check out the advertisers if they appeal to you; your interest actually helps fund us.

Here's what you need to know about what we play: it's our opinion that there's no such thing as a "golden age" - in fact, "golden ages" are overrated by definition. They occur whenever things are good for long enough that pundits step back and say "wow, things are pretty great right now". Problem is, when the pundits have the time to say things like that, it means things have actually slowed down a bit...in fact, it's almost always an immediate precursor to things not being so good anymore.

See, when you're writing about how good things are generally, you're not saying anything about specific good things...and that might be because you're no longer noticing them.

So Altrok Radio doesn't think there was a golden age in the late 70s, the early 80's, the late 80's, or the 90's...because there's good new music being made all the time. You've just gotta know where to look.

And Altrok Radio tries to make it a little easier for you. We're scanning the shops and trawling the Web, finding as much that's happening now as we can - and then we showcase it for you. All you have to do is tune in.

Speaking of new music...This week, our Grinders (the stuff we play heavily) include music from:

- Esiotrot
- Reverend And The Makers
- Washington Social Club
- Editors
- Chemical Brothers
- Candie Payne

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- Black Kites - Paper Heart
- Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches
- Bobby Cook - Deja Vu
- The Cribs - Our Bovine Public
- The Cure - Love
- Arlan Feiles - Sign Up
- Adam Franklin - Seize The Day
- Ben Godwin - New World City
- Islands Lost At Sea - The Way We Played It Yesterday
- Lismore - It's Come To This
- The Loungs - Armageddon Outta Here
- Manic - Carolina Ghost
- Mr Derry - Goodnight
- Peelgreems - The Magic Envelops Me
- Sky Parade - I Feel Surreal
- The White Stripes - Conquest
- You Say Party! We Say Die! - Monster

Our Newly-Added Classics:

- Adam and the Ants - Stand and Deliver
- The Bluebelles - Cath
- The Clash - Brand New Cadillac
- John Foxx - Europe After The Rain
- Love & Rockets - No New Tale To Tell
- Morrissey - The Last of the Famous International Playboys
- Pop Will Eat Itself - X Y & Zee (Electric Sunshine Style Mix)
- The Ramones - Cretin Hop
- The Replacements - Hold My Life
- The Smithereens - Time And Time Again

As always, thanks for listening!

- Sean Carolan
Altrok Radio
On your computer right now at http://www.altrokradio.com

On the radio Fridays at 10pm, at 90.5 The Night