Altrok Radio Showcase 424, October 25, 2013

Last Friday, we aired the 424th Altrok Radio FM Showcase, featuring classics alongside the new music we added to Altrok 90.5 HD2 back on this past Tuesday

It sounded very much like this:

Altrok Radio FM Showcase, Show 424 (10/25/2013) by Sean Carolan on Mixcloud

Altrok Radio Showcase 423, October 18, 2013

A couple of weeks ago, we aired the 423rd Altrok Radio FM Showcase, featuring classics alongside the new music we added to Altrok 90.5 HD2 back on October 22.

It sounded very much like this:

Altrok Radio FM Showcase, Show 423 (10/18/2013) by Sean Carolan on Mixcloud

Altrok Needs Your Help - Pledge Drive 'Til Friday

People of most of Earth,

The very existence of Altrok 90.5 HD2 is kind of a miracle. We're preserving the kind of radio that was done years ago; where new Modern Rock was played because it was fresh and challenging, and not because a consultant somewhere said "this is what you'll be playing, because it's what everyone else is playing."

At the same time, when we do play something new, we play it a lot. That's because we think it's worth knowing well. We think it's bad for worthy new music to disappear into a massive playlist. Even so, our new music collection is bigger than most commercial stations' entire libraries.

Then there's our collection of classics, frequently featured and presented without reservation.  From the early days of garage rock and punk through the better parts of the dissolute nineties, our library isn't just large, it has an attitude. And we're passionate about it because, in many cases, we (okay, "I") played it on the radio when it first came out.

We present this without commercials, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and with minimal (and hopefully informative) intrusion by our weekday hosts: Tom Brennan in the morning, Margaret Cristell on mid-days, and Sean Carolan (that'd be me, they guy who's been pursuing this dream since 2001) during the afternoon.

Of course, there are costs. For a lot of Altrok's history, they were borne by me alone. Our partnership with Brookdale Public Radio opened the door to reliable operation, more listenership, more attention from (and subtle influence on) the music industry, and more exposure for the bands we play. The latter of which was always the point.

But now we stand at a crossroads: expand, or don't. We'd like to expand, but to do so, we need your help. Brookdale Public Radio is happy to maintain us at the level we're at, but there's a lot we can't do at this level:

- Staff the station at all times. Weekdays are nice, but we want more.
- Provide space where bands can come to perform for our listeners. A lot of bands want to, but we have to turn them away. We simply haven't got a place for them, nor do we have anyone available to handle them when they're here.
- Increase our HD signal. As more cars get HD Radios in them, they're more likely to tune in, and we want to be sure we're running enough power to actually serve them as well as good ol' FM does. The FCC has already approved a 1000% power increase for the digital portion of the 90.5 signal; we just need to do the engineering necessary to make it a reality. (This will help Brookdale Student Radio at 90.5 HD3, too.)
- Not to mention that, when we ask for donations and don't get them, the powers that be tend to look at us kinda funny. Passion's one thing, but it doesn't pay the bills by itself.

So we're asking all this week for your help.  We're taking a different enough approach from public radio, from commercial radio, and even from other alternative stations, that we hope you'll agree that it's worth your contribution. We think it is, of course, but it's up to you.

If you agree, here's your opportunity to lend a hand:

https://www.formstack.com/forms/wbjb-altrok_pledge_form

Yes, it redirects to a different site. Don't panic - they can do the secure handling of your credit card that we can't. Yet. That might be another thing for us to spend money on.

Thanks in advance for using that link to donate at any level you wish, but even if you can't, keep listening to Altrok 90.5 HD2. That helps, too. (Just not enough to pay for anything.)

-Sean Carolan
 Content Director, Altrok 90.5 HD2

The Altrok Top 30, 10/22/2013

Here's the new music we're playing the most at Altrok 90.5 HD2...that is, when we're not playing classic alternative that you may not have heard in a while.

And if you haven't yet done so, we could use your help to keep our computers running, our artists paid, and our lights on. Donate here and support Altrok 90.5 HD2.

Rank	ARTIST Track Release
1	The Vaccines Melody Calling Melody Calling EP
2	Fratellis Seven Nights, Seven Days We Need Medicine
3	Arctic Monkeys Do I Wanna Know AM
4	Diane Birch All The Love You Got Speak A Little Louder
5	Cults High Road Static
6	Arcade Fire Reflektor Reflektor [Single]
7	Lovers The Modern Art Museum of the Modern Kiss Goodbye A Friend in the World
8	mum Candlestick Smilewound
9	Franz Ferdinand Bullet Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action
10	Au Revoir Simone Crazy Move In Spectrums
11	Dinosaur Bones Sleepsick Shaky Dream
12	Kissaway Trail The Springsteen Implosion Breach
13	Nine Inch Nails Everything Hesitation Marks
14	The Bongos My Wildest Dream Phantom Train
15	The Mission UK Born Under a Good Sign The Brightest Light
16	Moby The Perfect Life The Perfect Life [Single]
17	Yuck Rebirth Glow & Behold
18	Sisu Sinking Feeling Blood Tears
19	Oh Land Renaissance Girls Renaissance Girls [Single]
20	Mike Doughty The Idiot Kings Circles Super Bon Bon Sleepless...
21	Wolf & Cub Shut Me Out Heavy Weight
22	Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Run The Speed of Things
23	Kelley Stoltz Double Exposure Double Exposure
24	Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip Stunner Repent Replenish Repeat
25	The Blow Make It Up The Blow
26	The Joy Formidable Silent Treatment Silent Treatment [Single]
27	Arthur Channel Lighten Up Arthur Channel
28	Augustines Cruel City Cruel City [Single]
29	Waxahatchee Coast to Coast Cerulean Salt
30	Sky Ferreira You're Not The One You're Not The One [Single]

And So It Begins (Kinda)

I'm sitting on a train headed into NYC at the moment. My goal is to head to Brooklyn for the Conflict Of Interest industry party, then hit Jesse Clegg's set on the LES, then The Bongos at The Living Room, and then head up to Terminal 5 for Placebo. And then, who knows?

Needless to say, it's the CMJ Festival that's making this all possible. I anticipate overload...

Altrok Radio Showcase 422, October 11, 2013

Our latest Altrok Radio FM Showcase, featuring classics alongside the new music we'll be adding next week to Altrok 90.5 HD2, looked a lot like this...

Segment 1:

• Porcelain Raft - The Way Out - Permanent Signal
• Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip - Stunner - Repent Replenish Repeat
• Pere Ubu - Final Solution - Terminal Tower (Compilation)
• Jesca Hoop - Feast Of The Heart - Hunting My Dress
• of Montreal - Our Love is Senile - Daughter of Cloud

Segment 2:

• Lovers - The Modern Art Museum of the Modern Kiss Goodbye - A Friend in the World (Grinder 2226)
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Stop - Take Them On, On Your Own
• Klaxons - Twin Flames - Surfing The Void
• Together Pangea - Offer - Snakedog [Single]

Segment 3:

• Kelley Stoltz - Double Exposure - Double Exposure
• Radiohead - Knives Out - Amnesiac
• Islands - Can't Feel My Face - A Sleep & A Forgetting
• Little Daylight - Overdose - Tunnel Vision [EP]
• Translator - Necessary Spinning - Heartbeats And Triggers
• The Go! Team - Titanic Vandalism - Proof Of Youth

Segment 4:

• The Vaccines - Melody Calling - Melody Calling EP (Grinder 2225)
• The Church - Already Yesterday - Heyday
• The Decemberists - O Valencia! - The Crane Wife
• Yazoo - Don't Go - Yazoo
• The Hives - Walk Idiot Walk - Tyrannosaurus Hives

Segment 5:

• Gemini Club - Sparklers - Sparklers [Single]
• Paul Kelly - Dumb Things - Under The Sun
• Dum Dum Girls - I Got Nothing - End of Daze [EP]
• Wildlife - One For The Body - On The Heart
• Weekend - July - Jinx

Segment 6:

• Fratellis - Seven Nights, Seven Days - We Need Medicine (Grinder 2224)
• The Records - Starry Eyes - The Records
• An Horse - Trains And Tracks - Walls
• Royal Teeth - We Can Glow - Glow
• The Go-Gos - We Got The Beat - Beauty And The Beat
• CSS - Dynamite - Planta

...and it sounded very much like this:

Altrok Radio FM Showcase, Show 422 (10/11/2013) by Sean Carolan on Mixcloud

Altrok Radio Showcase 421, October 4, 2013

Our latest Altrok Radio FM Showcase, featuring classics alongside the new music we'll be adding next week to Altrok 90.5 HD2, looked a lot like this...

Segment 1:

• Sisu - Sinking Feeling - Blood Tears
• The Vaccines - Melody Calling - Melody Calling EP
• Moev - In And Out (feat. Sarah McLachlan) - Head Down
• Sleeper Agent - Get Burned - Celabrasion
• The Jam - The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had To Swallow) [First Version] - 7'' Single
• The Hundred In The Hands - Pigeons - Pigeons [Promo Single]

Segment 2:

• mum - Candlestick - Smilewound (Grinder 2223)
• Julian Cope - Planet Ride - Saint Julian
• Mystery Jets - Half In Love With Elizabeth - Twenty One
• The Julie Ruin - Ha Ha Ha - Run Fast

Segment 3:

• Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Run - The Speed of Things
• XTC - This Is Pop - White Music
• Norah Jones - It's Gonna Be - The Fall
• Peace - Lovesick - In Love
• The Mekons - Rosanne - Punk Rock
• The Joy Formidable - Silent Treatment - Silent Treatment [Single]

Segment 4:

• Diane Birch - All The Love You Got - Speak A Little Louder (Grinder 2222)
• ABC - Show Me - The Lexicon Of Love
• The Magnetic Fields - Xavier Says - Distortion
• Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) - Bloodletting
• Madness - Death Of A Rude Boy - Death Of A Rude Boy [Single]

Segment 5:

• Augustines - Cruel City - Cruel City [Single]
• The Waitresses - I Know What Boys Like - The Waitresses
• They Might Be Giants - You Probably Get That A Lot - Join Us
• Pop Will Eat Itself - Games Without Frontiers - Peace Together [Compilation]
• Wire - Three Girl Rhumba - Pink Flag
• Jack Penate - Spit At Stars - CD Single

Segment 6:

• Cults - High Road - Static (Grinder 2221)
• Shonen Knife - Twist Barbie - Let's Knife
• The Cast Of Cheers - Human Elevator - Family
• Mirror Travel - Parties - Mexico [Single]
• Bis - Love Will Tear Us Apart - Fact 2002 [EP]
• Rubblebucket - Save Charlie - Save Charlie EP

...and it sounded very much like this:

Altrok Radio FM Showcase, Show 421 (10/4/2013) by Sean Carolan on Mixcloud