120 Seconds Debut: Tomorrow (3/18)

I also got the heads-up about this from Matt, but waited for more media to chime in (FMQB has.)

The first 120 Seconds minisode will be up via MTV Hive's 120 Minutes site tomorrow morning, March 18. (You already knew Matt was in Austin for SXSW, right? Right there, that's where I'm envious, but I'll be at CMJ this year, so that's all right then...)

So does 120 Minutes wind up starting off with a bang at SXSW? Could be...

120 Minutes (And Pinfield) Coming Back To MTV2

120 Minutes, the venerable MTV show that featured up and coming alternative bands up until roughly Y2K, will be returning soon as a monthly show on MTV2 and a weekly "120 Seconds" webcast on MTV.com, with Matt Pinfield once again taking the reins.

Monthly seems a bit sparse, mind you, but I'll take what I can get. The channel credits the still-vibrant legacy of the original show with its decision to go forward with a new version.

Plus - and I'm a bit biased on this point, of course - recent times have been fertile for exactly the sort of Modern Rock I've always felt Alternative should have been representing all along, until erstwhile metal bands decided they were "grunge" and took over the format, and I suspect Pinfield will be as on top of that as he always has been (while, of course, keeping an eye on what MTV thinks ought to be there.) If listenership at Altrok 90.5 HD2 is any indication, though, there'll be a reason for the stuff we're playing to filter through to there (as it already has at 105.3 The Spy and at KSJO's soon-to-expire experiment, "Save Alternative" in San Fransisco.)

Matt adds the following (we've been texting): "Everyone's goal is to bring it weekly. The 120 Seconds minisodes will be weekly on MTV.com; we wanted to get it started, but I anticipate it being weekly in the not-too-distant future."

So a bit of good news there, and all the more reason to keep tuning in to Altrok 90.5 HD2 while the gears grind toward production at MTV Networks - you want to be familiar with this stuff, right?

So, What Have We Been Playing, Anyway? Altrok Chart 3/16/2011

As we veer closer and closer to being part of "the industry", what with a terrestrial radio signal and all, it's probably reasonable for us to start being a bit more upfront about what we've been playing at Altrok 90.5 HD2...so here's the forty songs we played the most last week:

TW	LW	MV	Artist	Title
1	8	7	Cold War Kids	Sensitive Kid
2	2	tie	Peter Bjorn and John	Breaker Breaker
3	5	2	Atkins, Nicole	You Come To Me
4	9	5	British Sea Power	Observe The Skies
5	10	5	Asobi Seksu	Perfectly Crystal
6	3	-3	MEN	Boom Boom Boom
7	30	23	Calvi, Anna	Blackout
8	25	17	Home Video	The Automatic Process
9	31	22	Dum Dum Girls	There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
10	38	28	Sick Of Sarah	Simple Parts
11	20	9	Dom	Living In America
12	11	-1	Jonquil	It Never Rains
13	32	18	Radiohead	Lotus Flower
14	35	20	Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The	Belong
15	36	20	Wire	Please Take [EFC]
16	16	-1	Gang Of Four	I Can See From Far Away
17	81	63	Hank & Cupcakes	Hit
18	104	85	James, Wendy	You Tell Me
19	105	85	La Resistance	Understanding
20	106	85	Late Night Alumni	Angels And Angles
21	62	40	One Black Orchid	Nuthin
22	107	84	Papercranes	Shell
23	63	39	Plan B	Stay Too Long [EFC]
24	91	66	Return To Mono	Framebreaker
25	93	67	Soft Swells	Every Little Thing
26	96	69	Vaccines, The	Blow It Up
27	67	39	Adele	Rolling In The Deep
28	76	47	Does It Offend You Yeah	The Monkeys Are Coming
29	51	21	Flogging Molly	Don't Shut 'Em Down
30	58	27	Jennings, Shooter	California Via Tennessee
31	69	37	Bibio	Excuses (Radio Edit)
32	100	67	Boxer Rebellion, The	Cause For Alarm
33	70	36	Big Search	Getting Warm
34	71	36	Black Pistol Fire	Sort Me Out
35	109	73	Bright Eyes	Jejune Stars
36	74	37	Decemberists, The	This Is Why We Fight
37	50	12	DeVotchKa	100 Other Lovers
38	78	39	Fleshtones, The	Bite Of My Soul
39	52	12	Fujiya & Miyagi	Cat Got Your Tongue
40	40	-1	Funeral Party	New York City Moves To The Sound Of L.A. [Dave Sitek Remix] [EFC]

What'll it be next week? Tune in and find out...