Video: R.E.M Cover Editors for BBC Radio 1

The song in question is "Munich". Starts off a bit shaky, but it once again goes to show that legends have their preferences, too.

Another Piston Unsiezes: It's Eighties Friday

For those who stopped by the station last week and found it oddly silent, there's a reason - here in the microeconomic petri dish that we know as "web radio", we ran out of the only currency that keeps things humming: free time. Or, more specifically, unbegrudged free time - the free time you've got available that you're not expected to be spending in another way.

So, um, we're here. With a new Eighties Friday playlist.

Let me try to explain what that means, at least in such a way that'll make you want to listen to it...

Consider the Eighties. If you were paying attention to most radio stations, you probably thought the Eighties were the beginning of the gradual slide in quality that swallowed Billy Joel and Phil Collins whole, and forced Air Supply down your throats, too.

Chilling.

Now consider the things those stations weren't playing, except as the occasional one-hit wonder. There were great records from The Clash, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Violent Femmes, New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Smiths, R. E. M....all of which now get trotted out as "classics", but that mainstream radio back then would only touch (perhaps) as a novelty. We play them.

We also play the stuff that was underground then, and stayed that way, except for the bit where new bands today lean on them as influences. Gang Of Four, Hoodoo Gurus, Public Image Ltd, Bauhaus, Chameleons, The Fall, Killing Joke and Ministry are just a few of the bands that released tracks in that era that we still think are worthy of play.

And then, because we really want you to feel like you're in the eighties listening to a really great station (rather than here in the naughties listening to your computer) we play the seminal tracks that showed up in the seventies to get the ball rolling...Sex Pistols, Joy Division, Gary Numan, Ultravox (with John Foxx), Buzzcocks, The Ramones, Iggy Pop...

Every Friday, there's eight (almost nine) hours of a new Eighties Friday playlist, presented to you in CD Quality MP3 Pro.

And we need you to listen, and possibly check out our advertisers below, just to keep our effort healthy enough to keep it going, because in the end, you're what keeps us here. (Thanks!)

We're Back! (That's Good News, Right?)

Hey there...

Altrok Radio is back on the air.

The smoke has cleared, the skies have parted, and as it turns out, we have a future.

What happened? A few things:

- Lots and LOTS of encouragement. I mean LOTS, and I thank everyone who sent a thoughtful message or two for taking the time to do it. It's very much appreciated.

- Some of the obstacles that seemed so insurmountable Wednesday night turned out to be less formidable than expected.

- I saw a future without Altrok Radio, and it wasn't pretty. I *had* to fix that...

What remains to be done?

- The station is pretty much what it was when it shut down, and there won't be any new playlist adds, or airings of the weekly show, for a couple of weeks. Finding new tracks and producing the show take up the lions share of the time I have to do the station, so this'll free up the time I need to fix things I think are broken.

So, we're not entirely out of the woods yet. But there's music coming from the station now, and a plan to go forward. We'll do what we can to keep that happening.

Of course, you can keep helping in all the ways I've mentioned previously: tune in and stay tuned in, use our link at AltrokRadio.com if and when you buy things from Amazon, and check out our advertisers at AltrokRadio.com, too. Your interest in them helps put money in our hands.

And if I wasn't emphatic enough before, thank you for sending a note or two about what you'd be missing without Altrok Radio. That helped a lot; it really did.

Thanks!

-Sean

This Is Why They Thought Up The Phrase "Oh, Snap!"

Now I know what a world without Altrok Radio would sound like. It's as though the spirits all came to me in one night.

Alright, I have some tracks up on the server, I've turned it on again, it's playing...

(Maybe I'll even buy the biggest goose in the poultry shop and send it off to Bob Cratchit's house.)

Um, Sorry. Now What?

I probably should remember not to trust my instincts, because they so very rarely turn out to be correct. Hard data's often hard to come by, and often, you're unaware of it until it smashes you in the head.

And so it was with Altrok's goodbye message yesterday. It could be read as blaming you for the station's failure, and that's not true. Please consider this an apology.

Truth is, Altrok was as good as it could be, given my limitations on doing what really needed to be done to make it viable. As the work of a hobbyist, it was stellar; when compared to a professional operation it was feeble. The music was always good, but all the fit and finish details around that were stale and getting staler, and we had no way to make sure it stayed fresh.

Strangely, the situation's a lot like the recent news about Bear Stearns, the huge bank that suddenly collapsed within a few hours last Sunday.

Also, it was always in a precarious position in terms of my scraping together the time necessary to keep it going and, in a Bear Stearns-like scenario, I looked into my reserves of goodwill - the only currency that was keeping Altrok afloat - on Wednesday and found them empty. A collapse quickly followed.

Continuing that metaphor, Bear Stearns would have been in a much better position if people had just paid their mortgages on time - but given that they had made sure their portfolio was full of people who weren't likely to do that, they bear the brunt of the responsibility (and of the result.) I was basing my success on something that I couldn't possibly count on, and the same downfall applied.

Should people pay their mortgages? Sure - unless they got suckered into procuring a bad one. Should people click on the ads at AltrokRadio.com? Sure - unless they don't quite get that ads pay for the service.

So I kind of failed in communicating the way I did; let me be clear that the failure is really due to my ineptitude, rather than your lack of commitment. I was committed all along, of course, but just to doing it wrong.

If I find a way to do it correctly, with some level of confidence, I could be back on the air with it, or at least with something like it. But first I have to figure out what lessons to learn from the high volumes of failure I've generated thus far. One good thing is that this did force a bit of a logjam break on one of the big constrictions I had - the one where a hobby shouldn't have the impact on my family that it had. It's now been redefined as something that'll take sacrifice to achieve, and everybody's pretty much okay with that. (Guess they also got tired of me glumly pacing around the house.)

That said, it's not as easy as plugging things back in and flicking the switch, because I really do have to figure out what was so dissatisfying about the original endeavor.

But I really hate having turned it off, and I really want to turn it back on. And, at least, I don't have to find a new transmitter.

Altrok Radio is on hiatus.

It has been a privilege to bring you Altrok Radio.

Over the years, it's been fun trying to bring you the best in new music and relevant classics, but there comes a time when one must move on, and this is the time.

We know there's lots of other places where you can hear new music, and it may have been presumptuous of us to think, in today's world, that we could keep you interested to the point where you actually listened regularly, or told other folks to listen in as well.

And, apparently, clicking on advertisements at altrokradio.com was a bit of a stretch, too.

And God forbid you should actually come out to a club night we were sponsoring.

We tried to make a little money at this; we really did. But it was pretty much all for naught. We've finally come to the realization that, frankly, the audience for what we did at Altrok Radio was pretty much ourselves.

And for a while, that was okay; it was fun while it lasted. But nobody clapped loud enough or long enough for us to hear, and so now's the time to move on.

We're sorry we couldn't spend the time necessary to make it an actual contender for your attention.

Maybe we'll find a way to do it again in the future; while it's nice to think that's a possibility, it's unlikely. There's always hope, though.

But it's going to take some convincing, and probably a lot of effort on the part of someone who isn't me, 'cause I've done my best for seven years, first with the website, then the web station, and it hasn't worked. It's okay, I'm not holding my breath.

At any rate, time's a-wasting; we're outta here. Seeya 'round.

Music Update #197: Support Your Local Web Radio Station!

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...

Mondays at 11:30am Eastern (with a preview at 0730 GMT) 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 Black Keys
- The Kooks
- The Locarnos
- Look See Proof
- We Are Scientists
- The Blacks

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- The Breeders - Bang On
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - We Call Upon The Author
- The Charlatans UK - Oh Vanity
- Does It Offend You Yeah - Being Bad Feels Pretty Good
- The Fashion - Like Knives
- Islands - The Arm
- Joe Jackson - King Pleasure Time
- Kara Keith - Kick This City
- Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong - Lonely Buoy
- The Mae-Shi - Young Marks
- Midnight Juggernauts - Shadows
- Reverend And The Makers - State Of Things
- Soundpool - Do What You Love
- The Whip - 'Trash'

Our Newly-Added Classics:

- ABC - That Was Then But This Is Now
- Blondie - Picture This
- Marshall Crenshaw - Little Wild One (No. 5)
- Dogs Die In Hot Cars - I Love You 'Cause I Have To
- Dramarama - Out In The Rain
- Electronic - Getting Away With It
- Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People
- Richard Hell & The Voidoids - (I Belong to The) Blank Generation
- Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind
- Sparks - Music That You Can Dance To

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

Tonight: THE NEXT UNDERGROUND Downstairs At The Court Tavern

The New Brunswick scene doesn't have a Melody Bar or a Roxy any more, but it does have a future...starting Thursday Night at The Next Underground. Be there to make it happen...details below.



Hosted By:
Altrok Radio's Sean Carolan, DJ Drew & DJ IronMike
e-mail

When:
Thursday Mar 13, 2008
at 9:00 PM

Where::
DOWNSTAIRS at The Court Tavern
124 Church St.
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
United States
 
View Map

The Next Underground's debut party is coming up Thursday night, March 13, downstairs at The Court Tavern. Details are at myspace.com/nextunderground.

The Next Underground's three DJs draw on the rich musical history of New Brunswick's club scene of the 80s and 90s (think the Melody and the Roxy) and update it with a current mix of electrohouse, nu-rave, europop and altrock.

The Next Underground will *be* underground - downstairs at The Court Tavern, 124 Church St., downtown New Brunswick. This Thursday, March 13 - no cover before 10pm.

There's more info at myspace.com/nextunderground

Music Update #196: Support Your Local Web Radio Station!

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...

Mondays at 11:30am Eastern (with a preview at 0730 GMT) 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:

- Bauhaus
- Foals
- Pete And The Pirates
- The Teenagers
- Lemuria
- The B-52's

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- British Sea Power - No Lucifer
- Crystal Castles - Vanished
- Justin Currie, - Out Of My Control
- Flowers Forever - Beach Bum
- Foxboro Hot Tubs - Mother Mary
- Friendly Fires - On Board
- The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be
- MEN - Make It Reverse
- Mezzanine Owls - Snow Globe
- Miracle Fortress - Digital Love
- The Mystery Jets - Young Love (feat. Laura Marling)
- Panther - On the Lam (copy remix)
- These United States - First Sight
- Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave
- We Are Scientists - After Hours

Our Newly-Added Classics:

- The Clash - The Right Profile
- Esthero - That Girl
- Let's Active - Every Word Means No
- Nine Inch Nails - Down In It
- Oingo Boingo - Grey Matter
- Soft Cell - Chips On My Shoulder
- Matthew Sweet - Tonight We Ride
- They Might Be Giants - The Statue Got Me High
- The Vapors - Waiting For The Weekend
- XTC - Generals And Majors

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

This Thursday At The Court Tavern: The Next Underground

Keeping it short, and it's gonna be sweet:

You're gonna want to be at New Brunswick's Court Tavern this Thursday for our new-look Next Underground night. Three DJs holding court below street level:

http://myspace.com/nextunderground

You're welcome to join the street team, too; go here and 'friend' us:

http://myspace.com/newbrunswicknext

Be a part of it, either building it or enjoying it.

Join in the chant.

Music Update #195: Support Your Local Web Radio Station!

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

- Tapes 'n Tapes
- Red Vein
- Black Kids
- The Kills
- Forward Russia!
- The Presets

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...

Mondays at 11:30am Eastern (with a preview at 0730 GMT) 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.

Plus we've got newly-added music:

- The B-52's, - Funplex
- The Black Keys, - Strange Times
- The Courteeners, - What Took You So Long
- Dan Wilson - Baby Doll
- Does It Offend You Yeah - We Are Rockstars
- Flowers Forever - Black Rosary
- Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper
- Guillemots - Kriss Kross
- Look See Proof - Local Hero
- The Raveonettes, - Dead Sound
- Sons And Daughters - Darling
- The Teenagers, - Love No
- Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand A Chance
- Miss Alex White, & The Red Orchestra - Future Talk

Our Newly-Added Classics:

- Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet
- Ciccone Youth - Burnin' Up
- Front 242 - Welcome To Paradise
- Gene Loves Jezebel - The Motion Of Love
- Morrissey - Piccadilly Palare
- The Psychedelic Furs, - Heaven
- Public Image Ltd. - Seattle
- The Sisters Of Mercy, - Black Planet
- Squeeze - Slap & Tickle
- Wire - Ahead

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

The Melody is Where the Heart Is

So we had our second annual Old School Melody Reunion on Saturday, February 16. While the last one was held way up north at the Loop Lounge in Passaic Park (thanks, Pat Pierson!), this one was a lot closer to home, right on Livingston Avenue in New Brunswick. And while I realize there is always a certain fear when you throw a party that no one will come (esp. in a risky weather month like February), both the weather and nostalgia gods did smile on us that night, and we had yet another packed house. And this time, we had the extra-added bonus of Matt Pinfield. Matt was so funny. . .after missing the last two parties (we did sneak an all-ages soiree into September at the Court Tavern), he did everything in his power to ensure he did NOT miss this one, including booking a room at the Hyatt the night before to make sure he would, indeed, be in town!

As others have already noted, the buzz at this reunion was palpable. It was practically crackling in the air. And as a person who's attended all three parties to date, I can tell you they just don't get old. First of all, the DJs are as energetic about their duties as they ever were. Ed Wong was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement, and he trucked all the way from Philly to be here. Sean Carolan was beaming from ear to ear, and with good reason since he is a key driver behind these things (and is trying very hard to keep it going with his monthly--for now--Running With Scissors nights at the Court). And of course, the aforementioned Mr. Pinfield, who, by the way, was looking fitter and sharper than I'd ever seen him, was having a blast greeting his peeps and generally schmoozing the room as the implied guest of honor until he took over the tables at 10PM.

You can see the playlist elsewhere on Altrok.com, and although I have been listening to many of these songs and artists in the years since the Mel shut down/I moved away, hearing many of them in this context brings back to mind long-ago scenes from THOSE days. I think my favorite memories of the Melody/Roxy scene were from 1985-6, before I was 21. If you showed up at the Mel before 10PM, you wouldn't get carded. Needless to say, I had no problem showing up early. Not only could I get in, but I could also find a close parking space if I got there early. And boy do I remember getting hammered. My friend Pete and I would order pitchers of Red Deaths all night and pretty much close the place. Fueled by booze, we'd practically never leave the dance floor, as Matt and the gang spun tunes from our favorite New Wave, Early Alternative, and Industrial bands like The Cure, New Order, Ministry, Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnymen, Stone Roses, etc. etc. On Sunday and Wednesday nights, the only place to be was the Melody.

The Melody was probably the most unique nightclub I've ever frequented, and here's why. See if you can add to the list:

• sheet music as wallpaper in the bathrooms
• again, Matt Pinfield
• the ever-changing art on the walls downstairs
• ripping it up on the postage stamp-sized dance floor, All. Night. Long. (doesn't anybody dance anymore?)
• oh, the cocktails!
• the clubby Village vibe without the haul to Manhattan
• the crowd's edgy style (I used to even spike my hair a bit, but only on the top, so it looked really silly because I had the rest of it french-braided; never had the nerve to cut it all short)
• Greasy Tony's at 3:15AM
• seeing Dramarama live in the "attic" room upstairs, as well as others: Kiaro Skuro, Bigger Thomas, Bouncing Souls. . .

Fortunately, we DO still have some places and bands dating from that prime-time in our young lives that still exist today, and I am very thankful for them:

• The legendary Stone Pony
• The Court Tavern (how on earth this place survived the wrecking ball I don't know, but they are now building condos up and around it, yet it's still there. . .go Court!!!)
• The Count Basie Theatre
• Vintage Vinyl
• The Garden (need I write its full name?)
• Bruce
• 90.5 The Night, a great little public radio station that's risen like a phoenix from the ashes of FM-106.3, boasting many of the same DJs that made that station what it was, right down to Loretta Windas on weekends
• Everlounge, which has done the same thing and is essentially half of the Whirling Dervishes (who, by the way, are BACK and will be playing Asbury Park's Wave Gathering festival this spring!)
• Naturally, I've saved the best for last. . .WE STILL HAVE DRAMARAMA!!

And now, we have these great reunion parties. Essentially, the only difference is that many of us are now wearing wedding rings and the party starts a little earlier. In fact, one of the DJs remarked, "This was supposed to be a 35-and-over event. NOT ONE of the women in here is over 35!!" I have to say, I agree. The women looked fabulous! See the pix on PhotoBucket for evidence of this. And by the way, guys. . .you were looking pretty good yourselves. It's gotta be the dancing; keeps ya young!! (Either that, or alcohol really does act as a preservative!)

Sure, we don't have our place any longer, but we still have our music, we still have each other, and if it's any indication from having attended all three of our post-demolition soirees to date, we still have the same joie-de-vivre we ever did. And if home is where the heart is, the same certainly applies here. The Melody Bar wasn't just a place: it was a spirit. And the crowd keeps proving over and over that we still have that in spades. Just then it hit me: I was in the Melody Bar. . .again!!

Justice's "DVNO" Is Logo-Riffic

I know I played "guess the logo" while watching this one - try it!