Finding New Music (and Some Old) – There’s Still the Radio

Remember listening to AM and FM radio? Probably not for some of you. For me growing up in L.A., that was my initial introduction to music (along with my older brother’s record collection). Starting with AM’s KHJ Top 40, followed in high school by the cooler FM stations KLOS, KMET, and later the famous KROQ, for the new wave. College in Santa Barbara brought KTMS and in San Luis Obispo the college radio station KCPR (where “Weird Al” Yankovic got his start). How times have changed. As in all things watched and listened to, streaming services have brought sharing, choice, and quantity to the consumers. There are still options for listening to the radio; they’re just in different formats. Satellite and Internet radio deliver commercial-free music in a number of musical genres, both old and new tunes.

Internet Radio

My first exposure to Internet radio was indie rock channel WOXY.com, originally based in Oxford, Ohio, later in Austin, Texas. In 2004, they became one of the first commercial radio stations to transition from land-based FM to Internet-only. They had to shut down in 2010 due to financial difficulties. I was sorry to see them go. They introduced me to lots of new bands: Deerhunter, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Civil Twilight, and lots more.

I luckily discovered Strangeways Radio shortly thereafter. Another indie music channel that actually started out online. They were a great source of new music and still are under a different arrangement (they ended their online station in 2015). They search streaming services, such as Spotify and SoundCloud, and offer songs in multiple formats. They provide daily blogs about new music, Spotify playlists, and Mixcloud mixes. Indie Rock/Pop, Post Punk, New Wave, Dark Wave, Shoegaze, and more are part of the package.

SomaFM first formed in San Francisco in 2000 and is still running as an online channel solely supported by donations from listeners. Congratulations. They have over 20 unique channels to choose from, including Indie Pop Rocks, Heavyweight Reggae, Left Coast 70s, and Underground 80s. My favorite has always been Bagel Radio (“What an alternative rock station should sound like.”). Right now they’re playing Yo La Tengo. Today’s playlist included Thee Oh Sees, Charlatans U.K., Guided by Voices, and The Doors and Deep Purple. They mix it up!

Satellite Radio

SiriusXM is no secret to anyone. It’s what many of us listen to when we’re driving around. My go-to channel is Sirius XMU (channel 35, “emerging artists, indie classics”). I’ve discovered tons of new music here, including Dry Cleaning and Districts (see previous posts) and Murder by Death and Japandroids (see upcoming post). Although, they are venturing a little into rap and pop (Run the Jewels, Billie Eilish), they are still a great source for new indie music. As you’d expect from the name, Lithium (channel 34), is the place for Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and the best of ’90s grunge and rock. First Wave (Channel 33) is ’80s new wave central, including all those one-hit wonders. I just wish they’d dig a little deeper. I can only hear “Friday I’m in Love,” “How Soon is Now,” and “The Killing Moon” so many times.

SiriusXM includes lots of choices for classic rock. First, if you’re a die-hard super fan of a certain group you’re in luck: Elvis Presley, Beach Boys, Beatles, Bob Marley, Pearl Jam, Springsteen, Grateful Dead, U2, Tom Petty, and more all have a channel devoted to their music. There’s also a channel (310) that only plays songs from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees (look for my upcoming post on this year’s awards ceremony in early November). For all-around classic rock, Classic Vinyl (Channel 26) and Classic Rewind (Channel 25) have you covered. The are very similar but “Vinyl’s” focus is ’60s and ’70s, while “Rewind” picks up the timeline with the ’70s and ’80s. And, speaking of going a little deeper into song selection, Deep Tracks (Channel 27) does just that. For instance, instead of “Stairway to Heaven” for the zillionith time, they will play “Going to California” or “Four Sticks” off Zeppelin’s fourth album. They also play singles, B-sides, and concert recordings.

It’s really cool that I’m still turning on the radio to a couple of DJs I listened to in the ’70s and ’80s. Jim Ladd was on KLOS and KMET through the ’70s and early ’80s. Since 2012 he has hosted the Freeform Radio show on Sirius XM Deep Tracks. Richard Blade was a KROQ DJ from 1982 to 2000 and has been a prime presence on Sirius XM First Wave since 2005. A musical full-circle of life!

Trivia ? – Who is usually credited with the invention of radio?

Guglielmo Marconi in the mid 1890s. (Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is a great read (as are all Erik Larson books) weaving Marconi’s wireless communication breakthrough with the story of a contemporary murderer.)