Quotation Of The Day: Jay Clifford ~ In the cathedrals of New York and Rome / There is a feeling that you should just go home / And spend a lifetime finding out just where that is.
I'm still trying to find out. It's baffling me, maybe it doesn't exist? Dunno. Not happy these days, though, feeling nostalgia for something that maybe never existed. That lyric, btw, is from a song Joan Osborne recorded on her album "Little Wild One." Great album, great singer.
Anyway, to the point of this post.
About three years ago (and i wrote about it at the time: http://spriggsblog.blogspot.ca/2009/01/radio-part-ii.html) i discovered a fabtastic radio station, broadcasting from Oshawa, Ontario, 94.9 The Rock, and listened online every day. They were great! The first time i connected via the Internet they were playing something by Cheech & Chong and i thought, whew, wow, gimme more, i love this! They had a vast playlist, they played classic rock i hadn't heard in yonks plus loads of brilliant new rock. (They were, for example, the first place i ever heard The Arkells and Billy Talent.)
But, hey, life is all about change and a wee while ago 94.9 changed drastically. They fired one of my favourite djs, Rockin' Rod (now Rod West at http://www.977thebeach.ca/ -- music for dentists' offices, bleccch) and drastically reduced their playlist. (And another of my fave djs, Vanessa Murphy, seems to be on permanent maternity leave....) One of their plugs used to be "I haven't heard that song since...." Meaning that that they played stuff i hadn't heard in years. Nowadays it should be " i haven't heard that song since a couple of hours ago."
I intend to keep listening. I like Craig & Rita (hosts of the morning show). But Craig is on holidays this week and i haven't listened at all. Instead, i've been listening to:
http://www.edge.ca/ -- modern rock, it's okay but i don't like the morning guy. I won't listen often. Plus it's corporate
http://www.kociradio.com/home-page.html -- it's from somewhere on Southern California -- Orange County. Usually great, and they play a lot of blues, but occasionally really wimpy.
http://www.q107.com/ -- all classic rock. I like the morning show and i've been listening daily, but i don't really want corporate media.
I've been listening here more than anywhere else: http://www.hauraki.co.nz/ Excellent music, although, as they're from Auckland, not much good for local news and weather.
And since the radio is crapola, i have a huge playlist:
Marc Bonilla -- EE Ticket
Caravan -- In The Land Of Grey And Pink
Joe Walsh -- Analog Man
Colin James -- Fifteen
Various Artists -- The Roots Of Rock 'n' Roll, disc 3
The Rolling Stones -- Forty Licks, disc 1
Gentle Giant -- Free Hand
Radiohead -- Kid A
Donnie Munro -- From The West Side
Lais -- Dorothea
The Grateful Dead -- Aoxomoxoa
John Mayer Trio -- Try!
Calum & Rory MacDonald -- The Band From Rockall
chantal Kreviazuk -- What If It All Means Something
Richard Thompson -- Henry The Humnan Fly
Joni Mitchell -- Hejira
Kim Mitchell -- Rockland
Peter Hammill -- And Close As This
Thin Lizzy -- Renegade
Keane -- Strangeland
Joe Bonamassa -- Driving Towards The Daylight
Ashley Hutchings -- The Compleat Dancing Master
Calum & Rory MacDonald -- The Band From Rockall
Asia -- XXX
Peter Hammill -- Consequences
Ian Anderson -- Thick As A Brick 2
The Move -- Movements, disc 1
Marillion -- This Strange Engine
City Boy -- The Day The Earth Caught Fire
Various Artists -- "Yellow Submarine" Resurfaces
Sky - 4 Forthcoming
Muzsikás & Márta Sebestyén - Morning Star
Joan Osborne -- Little Wild One
Jane Siberry -- Meschach Dreams Back
Joan Osborne -- Breakfast In Bed
Genesis -- ABACAB
Keane -- Strangeland
Brian Plummer -- No Questions
Richard Thompson -- 1000 Years Of Popular Music
Runrig -- Transmitting
8 comments:
I can't agree with you more! I used to be a 94.9 die hard, but new P.D. and new format has left me looking around. Can't say as I like this new sound coming from my spkrs. Well I guess it's back to my i-pod and internet radio... too bad.
I like Craig & Wendy in the mornings but otherwise i no longer listen to 94.9 -- and, like you, i used to be a diehard fan. I've been listening to www.hauraki.co.nz mostly. I kinda like Rockin' Rod's new station http://www.977thebeach.ca/ but i couldn't listen to that stuff for too long -- lite hits, music for dentist's offices
I miss Rita...someone needs to teach Wendy english, it is hard to listen to her butcher the simplest of words each morning..this morning is was Baja, she said Badga thinking she had to pronounce the J...she needs to get out more lol
Wendy's grasp of English is pretty dubious. I heard her pronounce "facade" with a hard c the other day, i.e., "faKAAD." I like her, though, she's funny. But, yes, i miss Rita
More changes on The Rock...haven't been listening as much lately, but I did hear Matt say that Craig was leaving, and that it was okay to mention it since Craig has been talking about it on his morning show. I don't know if it's voluntary or not...but would like to know since I'm a huge fan. The good news is that Vanessa is finally back from her extended leave. I will be sad if I have to look for another radio station again. Like you said, you get attached to these people and they suddenly disappear from the airwaves, as if they never existed. Very disturbing. I'm also finding that the station is playing less of the music that I've loved for the last three years, and more repetitive crap, like the new Rolling Stones. Sigh. I went thru this about four years ago, when Toronto's The Mix disappeared in the night and was replaced by that travesty Virgin Radio (urban music), hosted by the highly annoying Mad Dog and Billy. So unhappy about this latest development...
Yes, Craig is leaving (voluntarily) to pursue a career as a musician. His last day will be Dec. 21st. That Vanessa is back is good news! But i haven't heard her yet, as i usually only listen in the morning.
I find myself in a love / hate relationship with The Rock: they're still my best option, but far inferior to what they once were.
Fred,
Vanessa has announced on FB that Friday will be her last day also (along with Craig's). All the originals will be gone! :(
Vanessa's leaving already ?!
That really is bad news....
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