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Thursday, March 17, 2011

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?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

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...
 
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Congratulations, you've found the hidden text.
 
Welcome to Altrok.com, also available at AltrokRadio.com and AltrockRadio.com. Here's where the remaining listeners of several fine radio stations have retreated, regrouped, and built a replacement strong enough to stand on its own. It builds on the independent legacy of New Jersey's FM106.3, New York's WPIX and WLIR, Oklahoma's 105.3 The Spy, the pre-buyout mindset of KROQ, WBCN and WHFS and of every other alternative station that was destroyed at a moment's notice - not because they weren't making money, but because there was bigger money to be found elsewhere.
 
We've stood by as truly independent alternative rock radio died. Sure, something called "alternative" took its place, but we know for sure that anything that "tests well" with soccer moms just ain't alternative. (Even if some of us happen to be soccer moms.) So we've taken matters into our own hands.
 
This really is independent alternative rock radio, visible here at Altrok.com and audible at our web radio station. It has the classic music that fired our passions back in the day - or that we maybe only heard about from our elders - but it's mostly made of the new music that does precisely the same for us now. We're paying attention to scenes all over the world, watching the energy build, and waiting to see what it creates. Wherever it happens, we'll make sure you can hear about it here. We've been slowly building all this since 2001, and now that you've noticed us, we're glad you're here.
 
Of course, it's only here because you want it to be here, and it can only stay if you help it along - especially by checking out our advertisers (they support us) and by listening (the more that listen, the more visible we are.) Please use the "feedback" link above to let us know whether it works for you, and what you want it to be as the future unfolds. (And if you need help hearing it, let us know that, too.)