Tell Us Something We Didn’t Know: Commercial Radio Sucks

Wired has a pretty obvious article on the current state of commercial FM radio called Why Things Suck: Radio. I have always maintained that commercial radio sucks for the obvious reason that it caters to advertisers and the lowest common denominator rather than bold, adventurous programming which basically results according to the Wired article in “watered-down programming designed primarily not to offend.”

In a lot of ways, the heyday of FM radio in the late ’60s and early to mid-’70s was an anomaly as it pretty much flew under the radar catering to rock fans with often eclectic tastes. It is only when people realized that this audience actually had income to spend did advertisers and big business get involved and the audience was looked at less as a consumer of programming to consumers of products. Like the major record labels who feed the commercial radio machine, the whole point of commercial radio these days is the “commercial” part and not the “radio” part.

One point that makes podcasters like myself smile is the encouraging fact that “85 percent of teenagers now discover new music through sources beyond the FM dial.” With the growth of Internet radio in general and podcasting in particular, music fans now have a place to go where music actually matters. As commercial rock radio fumbles for a new identity and audience they are just now realizing that, unlike years past, music fans have actual alternatives these days. Unsigned Indie artists and bands may not have a completely level playing field, but it is a start.

Later.

Mark

Bodog Battle Semifinals Feature Top Unsigned Bands in North America

Regional Semifinals And Finals Are All That Separate Bands From A $1 Million Dollar Record Contract.

For Immediate Release

With the best unsigned bands in the nation remaining, Bodog Battle surges into the American regional semifinal rounds and onto the regional finals of the worldwide competition. After enduring months of online voting and the “Impress the Judges” rounds, only the top American bands get a chance to fight for their shot at the big time and a $1 million record contract with Bodog Music ( www.bodoglife.net/music).

Just a handful of bands remain from each city, and they must now fight their toughest battles to date as they take on the remaining top bands from their region in the American regional semifinals. Only the best of the best from the American regional semifinals will earn the right to move on to the regional finals, moving one step closer to the coveted $1 million record contract with Bodog Music.

The stakes are high as the bands are being filmed for the second season of the Bodog Battle reality TV series with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage appearing online only at Bodog TV (www.bodoglife.net/tv ). The first season of the popular Bodog Battle of the Bands show aired on fuse TV last year. These bands are fighting for their musical lives on camera, as they attempt to take the next big step onto the regional finals. Playing across the country from Manhattan to San Diego, only a talented, hardworking few will get a chance to live out their dreams of a cross country tour with the hopes of a shot at the finals.

Read more

Rock and Roll Report Blitz: Big Cock

Ok, once you get over the name and actually listen to the music of Big Cock you will be impressed. This is great hard rock (pun intended!) and sounds a bit like a combination of Van Halen and AC/DC playing at a Playboy Mansion party. Yes they sing almost exclusively about sex (and this is a bad thing?) but with songs like King of Cool, Get Me Up and the brand new M.I.L.F. and Built for Speed these guys are loaded for bare.

If you like your rock and roll high energy with a heavy dose of raunch then grab a hold of Big Cock and enjoy the ride. (OK that pun was again, intended).

Check out their MySpace page at http://www.bigcockrocks.com/ and look out for their new CD Motherload coming in February 2008.

Later.

Mark

Rock and Roll Report Profile on Jann Klose

Jann Klose has seen more of the world before he was of voting age than most people will ever see in their entire lifetimes. From the time he was less than a year old, the songwriter/guitarist has lived in his native country of Germany, Kenya, South Africa, Cleveland, OH, and New York. Currently living in the Bronx, Jann has taken all of the musical influences of these lands and combined them all into his version of pop music. In his music, you’ll find large traces of jazz, blues, reggae, and of course, rock.

It’s these styles that are evident in Jann’s newest release, entitled Reverie. The new album stays fresh by changing direction throughout the CDs 12 tracks. From the opening track of “Beautiful Dream” to the final track of “The Beginning,” you’ll hear all sorts of combinations of styles that help make Jann’s music unique. The most interesting tracks on Jann’s Reverie are “Doing Time”; “Clouds”; “Mother Said, Father Said”; along with “Beautiful Dream” and “Hold Me Down”, the 2 tracks that were put on a single previous to the album being released.

Reverie is Jann Klose’s newest album in his long line of self releases and compilations that he has been featured on. This marks the fourth release by Jann, following up his Enough Said, The Strangest Thing and Black Box CDs. Jann’s music has also been featured in the DEAD BROKE movie from Warner Bros Home DVD, the PRAMBORS HITS 3 in Indonesia, and on car maker SAAB’s 60th Anniversay CD in France. He even had a song included on the SERENITY HOUSE CD, a compilation that was put together to benefit the building of the Serenity House Hospice in Doylestown, PA.

But it’s Jann Klose’s Reverie CD that is the focus of this review. Along with Klose and his bandmates (who play bass, keys, drums and violin on the CD), other musicians on the recording lend a hand on oboe, trumpet and flugelhorn, and percussion. With that blend of instumentation, Jann Klose has produced a solid pop effort that has a very worldy feel to it.

You can find Jann and his music at www.jannklose.com and www.myspace.com/jannklose.

Matheson Kamin

Introducing New Rock and Roll Report Contributor Matheson Kamin

I am excited to introduce a new contributor here at the Rock and Roll Report by the name of Matheson Kamin. I’ll let Matheson introduce himself:

With how bad commercial radio can be, I have always paid attention to the underground music scene. When my classmates where listening to Top 40 music, I listened to college radio; the music was better and the artists had more creativity.

I have also followed the local scene here in Cleveland, Ohio. Some of the bands here have been as good or better than the stuff on commercial radio, but they have never received the notoriety they deserve.
During the last decade, I represented a local internet-based record company and an internet-based music publication. After both ventures happened to fail for their owners, I joined Cleveland-based Exciting City in 2004. I have spent more than 2 years with the hard copy publication promoting both the music and art scenes here in Cleveland.

I recently joined up with The Rock-and-Roll Report because there are a lot of local and independent bands that don’t get their share of notoriety. I want to change that.

Matheson Kamin

The Rock and Roll Report Broadcasting Schedule for February 2008

February’s schedule has been set for both Rock and Roll Report Radio and the podcast. It is as follows:

February 6th - Rock and Roll Report Podcast #6

February 11th - Rock and Roll Report Radio on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM

February 2oth - Rock and Roll Report Podcast # 7 “Sex and Rock ‘n Roll”

February 25th - The 3 Amigos on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM

Later.

Mark

Rock and Roll Report Podcast #5: More Indie and Unsigned Rock and Roll Fun That Should be on the Radio!

Well I’ve made it to podcast #5 with all fingers and toes still intact and sanity somewhat in check. Hope you enjoy this week’s podcast as it was put together at 4:00 AM on a Sunday. When the urge strikes you gotta record! I’ll be on the air at CKUT FM next week so the next Podcast should be February 6, 2008. Hope you enjoy the show and don’t forget to email me at rockandrollreport@gmail.com and say hi!

Thanks for listening.

If you want to subscribe to the podcast, just click either of the links below:

Subscribe to The Rock and Roll Report Podcast

Here’s what I played:

1. Rock and Roll Report Intro by Featured on Fridays
2. Lights Out by the Tenspoke Indies
3. Rooftop Sniper by The Brown Hornets
   
4. Without You by Three Quarter Stone
5. Stoned Faces by The New York Vaults
6. Still Number One by Exile Parade
7. Bang by RockChild
8. Sick Times by The Dials

Later.

Mark

More of International Pop Overthrow David Bash’s Best of 2007

Here are some more “Best of 2007″ from International Pop Overthrow Grand Poohbah David Bash:

II. Top Reissues Of Recent Vintage

1. Richard Snow-Richard Snow (Side B)
2. The Grip Weeds-House Of Vibes Revisited (Ground Up)
3. Favorita-Favorita (Popsicle)

III. Top 6 EPs

1. The Treasury-The Treasury (Teetering)
2. The Avenues-The Avenues (Self-Released)
3. The Waking Hours-How Does It Feel (Self-Released)
4. The Nice Outfit-Kissing Jocelyn (Self-Released)
5. Ian Axel-I’m On To You (Self-Released)
6. The Holy Fields-The Holy Fields (Self-Released)

IV. Top 5 Compilations-Single Artists

1. The Sails-Drum Roll Please (Fabtone)
2. Splitsville-Let’s Go!: The Best Of Splitsville (Zip)
3. The Afternoons-Baby, You Know The Deal (Rock Indiana)
4. John Wicks And The Records-Rotate: An Anthology (Kool Kat)
5. The Pillbugs-Monclovia (Rainbow Quartz)

V. Top 5 Compilations-Various Artists

1. International Pop Overthrow Volume 10 (Not Lame)
2. Sweet Relief-Various Rock And Power Pop Artists (Jam)
3. Hook Heaven2-22 Tracks From The Pop Underground (Not Lame)
4. Shake Some Action (Not Lame)
5. Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered V 2.0: In Pop We Trust (Bullseye/Frontline)

VI. Top Tribute Discs-Single Artists

1. The Smithereens-Meet The Smithereens! (KOCH)
2. Jeremy-Yesterday, Today And Forever (Jam)

VII. Top Tribute Discs-Various Artists

1. Sensory Lullabies: The Ultimate Tribute To Jellyfish (Burning Sky)
2. The Young Idea: A Pop Tribute To Anthony Meynell And Squire (Twist)

The Rock and Roll Report Wants Your Videos!

If the podcast and radio show play your tunes, shouldn’t the blog show your videos? I think so and if you do too send me your amazing rock and roll videos and I will showcase them to the world! Actually to my mum, uncle and four buddies that actually read the site but no matter!

Send your videos to:

rockandrollreport@gmail.com

Later.

Mark

David Bash’s Top 125 Albums of 2007

David Bash is both a top notch journalist as well as the man behind the ultra-coo International Pop Overthrow series of concerts that go on from Liverpool to Vancouver, Boston to LA and beyond. Every year David provides me with a comprehensive list of CDs he thought were highlights from from the year just past and this year is no different so over the next few days I will be posting his various choices in Top 125 Contemporary Albums, Top Reissues, Top EPs, Top Compilations and more. Here is his Top 125 Contemporary CDs of 2007:

1. Ice Cream Hands-The Good China (Dust Devil)
2. The Fast Camels-The Magic Optician (Neon Tetra)
3. Peachfuzz-Catch Your Snap (Teenacide)
4. The Nines-Gran Jukle’s Field (TAS Gold)
5. The Scruffs-Pop Manifesto (Self-Released)
6. David Brookings-Obsessed (Self-Released)
7. The Resonars-Nonetheless Blue (Get Hip)
8. The Red Button-She’s About To Cross My Mind (Self-Released)
9. Fountains Of Wayne-Traffic And Weather (Virgin)
10. Mark & The Spies-Mark & The Spies (Screaming Apple)
11. Nushu-Nevermind Lullaby (Self-Released)
12. The Singles-Start Again (Sound Artifacts)
13. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway (Self-Released)
14. The Tripwires-Makes You Look Around (Paisley Pop)
15. Paul Starling-Ghost Waltz (Self-Released)
16. The Procession-Music Magnifique (Retone)
17. Sparkwood-Kaleidoscopism (Excellent)
18. The Fore-Black & White (Beatnik Geek)
19. Graham Day And The Gaolers-Soundtrack To The Daily Grind (Damaged Goods)
20. Jackdaw 4-Bipolar Diversions (369)
21. Switches-Heart Turned To D.E.A.D. (Atlantic UK)
22. The Len Price 3-Rentacrowd (Wicked Cool)
23. Black Tie Revue-Code Fun (Gearhead)
24. The Peaces-Is/Are/Was/Were (Cherry Bomb)
25. Third Of Never-Moodring (Jam)
Read more

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