My favorite Houston radio station by far is 106.9 The Point, "The Best of the 80's, and more from the late 70's and early 90's!" Just browsing through their "Last Songs Played" list on the website reveals many timeless classics, including "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison, "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone, "Open Your Heart" by Madonna, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" by Chicago, "Hold On Loosely" by .38 Special, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, "If This is It" by Huey Lewis and The News, and "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams. And that's just in the last two hours! Go ahead and listen to it online. You know you want to.
Now, usually, when I am in my car, I'm listening to XM Radio, which I received as a gift last year. It's great, there are lots of stations, and no commercials, and you can almost always find something to listen to. Each station is devoted to a certain time period or style of music, such as "Alternative Sounds of the 70's and 80's" (Fred - XM 44), "Hard Alternative in the Post-Grunge Era" (Squizz - XM 48), or "All of Alternative Rock music's Monster Hits" (Ethel - XM 47). Take your pick! Of course, it does get more diverse than those three, with other stations like The Fish (XM 32), which plays Christian Pop, and Cinemagic (XM 27), which is completely devoted to playing movie soundtracks. You can find a station for pretty much any kind of music you would want to listen to.
At least, that's what I thought, until I got to Houston and discovered 106.9 The Point. I found myself switching back and forth from satellite to non-satellite radio depending on my moods (commercials=annoying, but come on! 80's! Late 70's! Early 90's!). I had to do this because there was no station on XM that could compete with The Point in 80's classic rock territory.
Until now.
XM sent me an email recently telling me about 10 new stations that they added. I perused the list, not thinking that any of them would be interesting, or that I would ever listen to them. I was right about nine of the ten, but one stuck out. It was called "Big Tracks" (XM 49). Check out the tagline on their website: "The 70's wasn't the end of classic rock - only the beginning. From mullets to air guitars, Big Tracks delivers classic rock's best, straight through the early 90's. What a rockin' state of mind that is." Rockin' indeed. And check out the "What you'll hear" list: Journey, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Boston, The Police, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen!
Sorry, 106.9 The Point. I mean, I still love you, you know that, it's just that I - well, I've found someone else. You know, she's really upfront with me, she always tells me what song is playing. You do that online, sure, but not in the car. I miss that. And she doesn't have commercials. That's a big factor, too. Really, it's not you. It's her.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
A Flashback
When I hear a new song, there are few occasions on which I like the song immediately. Usually I have to hear it a few times before I decide that it is truly a good song. Maybe I'm slow to commit, or maybe it's just a selection mechanism, to weed out those catchy songs that will become tiresome after I hear them four or five times. I've found that usually the best songs, and the ones that I end up liking the longest, follow an opposite progression. When I first hear them, I don't feel strongly about them one way or the other. Then as I hear them a few more times, they start to grow on me, until I'm listening to them more and more often.
This happened to me recently with the song "Only" by Nine Inch Nails. Now, I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, "Nine Inch Nails? Really? Isn't this the same guy who was just talking about Van Morrison and Paul Simon?" And I have to admit that I wasn't expecting any of the songs from their most recent album, With Teeth, to grow on me the way this one did. After all, the last time I listened regularly to Nine Inch Nails had to be some time in Middle School, back in the height of my Metallica phase ("phase" might be the wrong word, I mean, I still like Metallica, I'm just less obvious about it now). And sure, a large part of the reason that I started listening to them was because they were loud and counter-cultural (at least to an Irish Catholic boy living in Suburbia). But the more I listened to Nine Inch Nails, the more I got out of the music. It was complex, at times melodic, at times simple, but always powerful, and quite emotional.
However, my young ears were not yet trained enough to pick up on these subtleties, and so, in High School, I forgot about Nine Inch Nails, along with the countless other "Heavy Metal" bands found in my collection from that time (Metallica, Skid Row, Faith No More, Slayer, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine, and Soundgarden are the ones I can remember). Which was why I was surprised when I heard "Only", and heard something quite different from the Nine Inch Nails that I remembered. I didn't hear thrashing metal guitars, I heard a catchy beat. I didn't hear screaming vocals, I heard a melodic line. I expected the music to remind me of those metal bands I had abandoned, but the bands it reminded me of surprised me greatly. The self-conscious lyrics made it sound like it could have been a Bright Eyes song, while Reznor's half-singing, half-talking vocals brought to mind David Byrne and the Talking Heads. Needless to say, neither is exactly of the same genre as Nine Inch Nails.
Of course, the music itself is decidedly Nine Inch Nails, and couldn't be mistaken for anything else. And this is saying quite a bit, that I could stop listening to a band for, say, 10 years, then come back and recognize their new material immediately as being theirs. But if you listen to "Only", you'll quickly notice that it doesn't sound like what you would expect from a band with a reputation for being loud and industrial. It's fairly tame, actually. And that reflects the passage of time. Since Nine Inch Nails debuted, metal went from new and fringe to much more mainstream and accepted, and then disappeared almost entirely. But the things that Reznor was doing in the music withstood the test of time, which is why a new album so many years later can still be effective. Back then, I listened to it because it was new and different. Now, I listen to it because I like it.
And so I find that, when I pick up my old albums by bands like Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, or Faith No More, the music still holds up. It's no longer edgy, and has lost its ability to anger the older generations, but at least when it lost that, it didn't lose its listenability entirely. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for Skid Row or Slayer.
Hey, isn't the guy from Skid Row on Gilmore Girls now? Is that show still on?
This happened to me recently with the song "Only" by Nine Inch Nails. Now, I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, "Nine Inch Nails? Really? Isn't this the same guy who was just talking about Van Morrison and Paul Simon?" And I have to admit that I wasn't expecting any of the songs from their most recent album, With Teeth, to grow on me the way this one did. After all, the last time I listened regularly to Nine Inch Nails had to be some time in Middle School, back in the height of my Metallica phase ("phase" might be the wrong word, I mean, I still like Metallica, I'm just less obvious about it now). And sure, a large part of the reason that I started listening to them was because they were loud and counter-cultural (at least to an Irish Catholic boy living in Suburbia). But the more I listened to Nine Inch Nails, the more I got out of the music. It was complex, at times melodic, at times simple, but always powerful, and quite emotional.
However, my young ears were not yet trained enough to pick up on these subtleties, and so, in High School, I forgot about Nine Inch Nails, along with the countless other "Heavy Metal" bands found in my collection from that time (Metallica, Skid Row, Faith No More, Slayer, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine, and Soundgarden are the ones I can remember). Which was why I was surprised when I heard "Only", and heard something quite different from the Nine Inch Nails that I remembered. I didn't hear thrashing metal guitars, I heard a catchy beat. I didn't hear screaming vocals, I heard a melodic line. I expected the music to remind me of those metal bands I had abandoned, but the bands it reminded me of surprised me greatly. The self-conscious lyrics made it sound like it could have been a Bright Eyes song, while Reznor's half-singing, half-talking vocals brought to mind David Byrne and the Talking Heads. Needless to say, neither is exactly of the same genre as Nine Inch Nails.
Of course, the music itself is decidedly Nine Inch Nails, and couldn't be mistaken for anything else. And this is saying quite a bit, that I could stop listening to a band for, say, 10 years, then come back and recognize their new material immediately as being theirs. But if you listen to "Only", you'll quickly notice that it doesn't sound like what you would expect from a band with a reputation for being loud and industrial. It's fairly tame, actually. And that reflects the passage of time. Since Nine Inch Nails debuted, metal went from new and fringe to much more mainstream and accepted, and then disappeared almost entirely. But the things that Reznor was doing in the music withstood the test of time, which is why a new album so many years later can still be effective. Back then, I listened to it because it was new and different. Now, I listen to it because I like it.
And so I find that, when I pick up my old albums by bands like Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, or Faith No More, the music still holds up. It's no longer edgy, and has lost its ability to anger the older generations, but at least when it lost that, it didn't lose its listenability entirely. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for Skid Row or Slayer.
Hey, isn't the guy from Skid Row on Gilmore Girls now? Is that show still on?
Friday, April 07, 2006
Some Things that Need Saying
I just listened to the Red Sox beat the tar out of the Orioles to the tune of 14-8. Granted, at one point that score stood at 11-0, but a win is a win, and the important thing to know is that the Sox are off to a 3-1 start to their season, which is currently good for first place in the AL East.
I missed baseball. So much. Why can't they just play all year? These guys don't need to see their families. They need to keep their fans entertained!
Anyway, now I'm listening to the Yankees at Anaheim. It's 3-1 Angels in the 5th. The announcers were just making fun of Carl Pavano, the Yankee pitcher who is out with an injury listed as a "bruised buttocks." One announcer said "that must have been quite a bruise," to which the other replied "I would hate to have that examined regularly." Just shows that Yankee bashing is catching on across the country. You have to love it.
Yesterday I made a trip to SuperTarget. If you're not familiar, it's like any other Target, except that it contains a grocery store and, in its entirety, is about the size of Rhode Island. Anyway, I purchased a pair of flip-flops and a six pack of beer. From the same store. Plus I got quite a bit of exercise walking the mile and a half from the clothing section to the grocery and then to the checkout. And, to cap off the experience, the beer I bought was Sam Adams Boston Ale, which I have been unable to find at most places in Texas. Usually they carry the regular Boston Lager, but that's it, which is disappointing because I find the Boston Ale to be far superior. SuperTarget truly lives up to its name.
4-1 Angels.
So the rest of my day yesterday was spent driving out to the offices of the Cypress-Fairbanks school district, not because I was teaching today (the kids are on a band trip to Dallas. Like that could possibly be more important than their private lessons. Sheesh.), but because I had to pick up a check from the payroll office to replace the one my bank ate (see previous post). They wouldn't mail it to me for some reason. Which meant that I had to spend almost three hours driving out there, picking up the check, and driving back. And picking up the check took about five seconds. Why did it take so long, when this is normally a 30- to 45-minute drive each way? Well, there was a huge accident on the West 610 loop at I-10, right where I needed to go, which meant that I had to find a way around it, while also dealing with all the traffic of other people coming off the highway, which was closed in both directions. We're talking a ten-lane highway, right in the middle of Houston, right at the intersection with another ten-lane highway, completely shut down for hours, with no viable alternate routes. The term "Traffic Jam" doesn't begin to describe it. But, eventually, I got the check.
And believe it or not, my weekend traffic woes do not end there. Tomorrow morning and Sunday night, I am traveling out to a gig at a church West of town. Normally, I would take 610 up to I-10 (deja vu!) and head West. However, in their infinite wisdom, the Houston traffic Gods have seen fit to close down I-10 West for the weekend. It's closed. Why? Construction. For the whole weekend. So I have to take four-lane, traffic light-laden Memorial Drive instead, which will probably be full of all the people who would have been on ten-lane I-10, were it open. Hopefully, since it is the weekend, it won't be too bad. Or maybe I'll try to find an alternate route (translation: I will be horribly lost for hours on the streets of Houston tomorrow).
This city changes you. I used to love driving. Houston took that from me. I have to wonder how much longer it will be before I lose all will to live.
I missed baseball. So much. Why can't they just play all year? These guys don't need to see their families. They need to keep their fans entertained!
Anyway, now I'm listening to the Yankees at Anaheim. It's 3-1 Angels in the 5th. The announcers were just making fun of Carl Pavano, the Yankee pitcher who is out with an injury listed as a "bruised buttocks." One announcer said "that must have been quite a bruise," to which the other replied "I would hate to have that examined regularly." Just shows that Yankee bashing is catching on across the country. You have to love it.
Yesterday I made a trip to SuperTarget. If you're not familiar, it's like any other Target, except that it contains a grocery store and, in its entirety, is about the size of Rhode Island. Anyway, I purchased a pair of flip-flops and a six pack of beer. From the same store. Plus I got quite a bit of exercise walking the mile and a half from the clothing section to the grocery and then to the checkout. And, to cap off the experience, the beer I bought was Sam Adams Boston Ale, which I have been unable to find at most places in Texas. Usually they carry the regular Boston Lager, but that's it, which is disappointing because I find the Boston Ale to be far superior. SuperTarget truly lives up to its name.
4-1 Angels.
So the rest of my day yesterday was spent driving out to the offices of the Cypress-Fairbanks school district, not because I was teaching today (the kids are on a band trip to Dallas. Like that could possibly be more important than their private lessons. Sheesh.), but because I had to pick up a check from the payroll office to replace the one my bank ate (see previous post). They wouldn't mail it to me for some reason. Which meant that I had to spend almost three hours driving out there, picking up the check, and driving back. And picking up the check took about five seconds. Why did it take so long, when this is normally a 30- to 45-minute drive each way? Well, there was a huge accident on the West 610 loop at I-10, right where I needed to go, which meant that I had to find a way around it, while also dealing with all the traffic of other people coming off the highway, which was closed in both directions. We're talking a ten-lane highway, right in the middle of Houston, right at the intersection with another ten-lane highway, completely shut down for hours, with no viable alternate routes. The term "Traffic Jam" doesn't begin to describe it. But, eventually, I got the check.
And believe it or not, my weekend traffic woes do not end there. Tomorrow morning and Sunday night, I am traveling out to a gig at a church West of town. Normally, I would take 610 up to I-10 (deja vu!) and head West. However, in their infinite wisdom, the Houston traffic Gods have seen fit to close down I-10 West for the weekend. It's closed. Why? Construction. For the whole weekend. So I have to take four-lane, traffic light-laden Memorial Drive instead, which will probably be full of all the people who would have been on ten-lane I-10, were it open. Hopefully, since it is the weekend, it won't be too bad. Or maybe I'll try to find an alternate route (translation: I will be horribly lost for hours on the streets of Houston tomorrow).
This city changes you. I used to love driving. Houston took that from me. I have to wonder how much longer it will be before I lose all will to live.
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