Tag Archives: music

Radio is Dying

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By now I'm sure most if not all of you know that Howard Stern is moving to Sirius satellite radio. Whoopee. I'm not a fan of Stern, so I won't miss him. However, that doesn't mean I don't care about what his departure is doing to radio. As a result of the ratings vacuum Stern's move to satellite is leaving, several stations are switching to all-talk formats.

WHAT?!?

Does FM radio need any more !@#$ talk?! Thanks to Stern's popularity, every rock station has its own cheap imitation of his show. It's a pain is the @$$ trying to find a station with both music I like and a minimum of talk in the morning. My butt is dragging when in the morning and the last thing I want is a bunch of nitwits making fart jokes. Give me good old-fashioned rock! I want to bob my head and tap my toes on the bus, not hear the latest celebrity gossip.

Stern imitators have ruined rock radio in the morning. Now, thanks to Stern's move, things are about to get a lot worse. Several Infinity Broadcasting stations, which currently carry Stern, are switching formats. Some are turning into Jack FM, which is basically a 24-hour broadcast of a college student's iPod Shuffle. Others, like WYSP in Philadelphia, are turning into Free FM, 24-hours of talk. Ugh. WYSP has been playing a mix of modern and classic rock for as long as I can remember. It was never as good as WMMR, but it wasn't crap, either. Now it is. I really hope WRKZ in Pittsburgh doesn't suffer the same fate. They play a decent mix of classic rock, early 90's grunge/alternative, and 80's hair bands. No other station in Da Burgh has a mix like that.

Radio is going down the toilet and Infinity is helping to flush. It's too bad internet stations can't easily broadcast on FM. If you want to hear good rock that's actually mixed and transitioned by talented DJs, I recommend Radio Paradise and Radio Free Colorado.

Pittsburgh Fights Panhandling and Supports Culture

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I was already excited about this news story.

"A proposal to severely restrict panhandling in the City of Pittsburgh was introduced in City Council today."

Pittsburgh’s professional panhandlers drive me nuts and I’d like to see the practice banned altogether. Before you call me heartless and unsympathetic, come to Oakland sometime and witness these phonies for yourself. Anyhow, I thought any effort to combat them would be a step in the right direction.

Then I read this.

"Busking — defined as the public provision of entertainment without a vocal request for money — would be expressly permitted."

Those who’ve lived in Da Burgh for a little while is probably well aware of its inability to retain young people after graduation from one of our fine collegiate institutions. Most of the time, it seems our legislators not only have no intention of fixing the problem (witness the mayoral ads focusing almost entirely on the elderly), but they also seem intent on making it worse. Supporting busking, however, is a step in the right direction.

Buskers contribute to the cultural atmosphere of a city. It’s not like they’re jingling a cup and annoying people for a living. They’re entertaining people. They’re contributing to the ambiance. They’re fun.

Let’s hope this trend continues so Pittsburgh can stop hemorrhaging young people.

[For the record, I had to rewrite this post because I’m an idiot and read "expressly permitted" as "expressly forbidden". – Funky]

Hell Freezing Over?

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I nearly feel out of my chair when I read this. Fellow Pink Floyd fans will understand why.

Pink Floyd reuniting for Live 8
Concert marks first public performance since 1981

LONDON, England (Reuters) — Four members of seminal British rock band Pink Floyd will play together for the first time in 24 years at London’s Live 8 charity concert for Africa on July 2, publicists for the event said on Sunday.

Corned Beef and Curry

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I just got back a little while ago from seeing a band play at Penn Brewery. They're called Corned Beef and Curry and they're a lot of fun. They play a mix of pop and rock covers and Irish folk tunes. A buddy of mine a coworker of one of the band members, Bob Banerjee. Fans of Gaelic Storm might recognize him from the 14 month tour he did with them (playing lead violin).

They play at Penn Brewery on the first Friday of every month. Go see them. You won't regret it. 🙂

Pittsburgh Pride

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One of the fellas who helps out with the RCIA program at the Pittsburgh Oratory, Bob McCarthy is an author. I thought it’d be cool to give him some free publicity. Check out his books, Dualessence and Song of Autumn. Let me know if you read either book. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to get some feedback. 🙂

Since I’m promoting one Pittsburgher, I might as well promote another (though I haven’t met this one). CNN has an article on one of the best rock-n-rollers you’ve never heard of.

Rock’s best-kept secret
Joe Grushecky: Iron City legend, devoted teacher
By Laurie Ure, CNN
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (CNN) — Music critics place him among the best rock and rollers ever.