Drive 105 to become Love 105

According to Chris Riemenschneider in a story in the Star Tribune, Drive 105 will be changing to Love 105, which wouldn't mean much, given Drive 105's middling brand of alternative rock, if it weren't for the fact that that means no more Homegrown on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. I had a great time during my tenure on the show as a co-host, and as guest host the couple of times I got to do it.

Homegrown, my hat's off to you, and may you land on your feet, whatever that means.

So at this point, in the last couple months, the Strib has cut 145 employees, the Pulse has ceased print publication, Jim Walsh got unceremoniously axed from City Pages, and now Homegrown's done?

Just what in God's name is the world coming to?

Tonight on Homegrown

Tonight at 10 p.m. CST on Drive 105 and also at radiohomegrown.com, I'll once again be guest hosting in Dave Campbell's stead while he's out on the road. Tonight's guest will be Minneapolis hip-hop duo extraordinaire Big Quarters, who just released their debut LP, Cost of Living, about a month ago. Good times are guaranteed.

Low on Homegrown

Last night I pre-taped an episode of Homegrown with Low, who just released Drums and Guns on Sub Pop back on March 20. They won't be coming back through here until April 14 for a show at First Ave (which will also be featuring Loney, Dear, whom I heartily endorse as a worthwhile live experience), but they were down here doing press, so Homegrown hooked it up, but Dave Campbell couldn't be there to do his usual bang-up job hosting, so I had to do it all by myself. Andrea Myers was supposed to be there, but she wasn't feeling well, so Mandy and Christopher stepped in ably so I wouldn't have to be out there all by myself. By the end of the show, I had settled in much better. Anyways, Low played two live songs, "Breaker" and "Sandinista," both from their new disc, and the version of "Sandinista" was particularly excellent and very different from the album version.

So go ahead and tune in on Sunday night at 10 p.m. on Drive 105 to check it out if you're around the Twin Cities, or you can also get it off the website as a podcast a couple days after it airs.

Thus ends the shameless plug.

Mind the gap

Sorry there's been a bit of a dry spell here for the past couple weeks--I've had a family emergency to deal with that's been taking my mind away from music, but I'm back behind my desk at the Pulse offices now, and I should have some new stuff soon. I was up on Homegrown last night for an appearance by rap duo extraordinaire MC/VL, who were a lot of fun, so that should be up soon at Homegrown's website. In the meantime, you can head over to The Bottle Gang and check out some of the stuff I've contributed over there, most recently about local musician Rob Skoro's Scottish Picnic drink, which he firmly made up the name for on the spot last night at the 331. More soon.

I'm on the radio right now.

But you're probably not going to catch it, because I highly doubt you're reading this at 11 p.m. on a Sunday night. Nevertheless, you can listen to me on Homegrown at this address. I'll have some more stuff to say about all this later.

Radio Free Minnesota

I'm posting this for two purposes: 1.) to direct you to the website of Homegrown and tell you that I'm going to be on there tonight, New Year's Eve, with Dave Campbell talking about the year in music and playing some staff picks and some of my picks. Given that it's NYE and all, we pre-taped it on Wednesday, but you can listen online tonight at 10 pm CST. You can also listen on Drive 105 (105.1, 105.3 and 105.5) if you're in the Twin Cities. Come on, you probably have nothing else to do tonight, right? And 2.) to get that picture of Hinder further down the page. I can't stand looking at that anymore.

the blog returns to music. and there was much rejoicing.

so the current is starting up the request form for mark wheat's second annual "greatest love songs of all-time" show, which will air on valentine's day. but, really, who cares about love songs? danny siegelman's presenting the first annual "greatest break-up songs of all-time" online that same day, and i'll bet you anything if you weighed all the break-up songs out there against all the love-songs, the break-up songs would be the equivalent of the fat kid getting on the see-saw. i voted for pedro the lion's "bad diary days" because, holy jesus, that song gives me break-up chills every time i hear it. it's a phenomenally incisive look at the way that a situation can just go south without you ever seeing it. horrifying.

while we're on the topic: "the scientist" by coldplay. it was overplayed, yes. coldplay is definitely a little on the cheesy side, yup. but dammit, that's what you need in a break-up, am i right? on a purely volumetric scale, this song has produced the greatest quantity of personal waterworks for me of any song ever. it's not even a close second for "this year's love" by david gray, which is probably second. i guess "this year's love" is probably a love song, but it gets to me, too.

i'm trying to come up with some local songs that have kicked my heart around its chest cavity. "afterthoughts" by bellwether. "that one" by p.o.s. "broken toes" by love-cars. "i don't know if it's helping" by ela. oh buddy. that song is fan-frigging-tastic for the old break-up moments. anybody else?

oh, here's the link to the current's page with the thing about the stuff:

the current

critics' show on homegrown

well, our friend dave over at the howwastheshow.com forums has tracked down an mp3 of the homegrown critics' show so i'm posting the link here:

homegrown critics' show (01.08.05)

critics show on homegrown

i enjoyed myself a great deal during my rookie appearance on KQ homegrown's annual critics picks show last night and mei young assures me that it'll be up shortly for your listening pleasure at the homegrown website. the group comprised david de young from howwastheshow.com (misattributed with hilarious consequences as styx lead singer dennis de young on the signs in the lobby), chris riemenschneider from the strib, rich horton from rift, chris bahn from the onion, lyndsey thomas from city pages and ross raihala from the pi press. there was a lot less drunkeness than last year (i hear) but we still managed to have a capital time.