Classic Rock Musings, Rants & Raves

I’ve always been indifferent to the playlists of radio stations for one simple reason: I have so many CDs I create my own playlists. OK, I suppose there’s a little more to it than that. When I was young and dumb, it was KMET and KLOS all the way. But I soon soured on the classic rock formats that took overe these and many other stations whenever another Fleetwood Mac tune leaked out of my speaker. Which isn’t to say I don’t like Fleetwood Mac — I do, just not 25 times a day. If it wasn’t for Mark & Brian, Uncle Joe Benson and Jim Ladd, I wouldn’t have any reason to tune into KLOS.

At the other end of the dial is KROQ, always hip and on the cutting edge. The problem is that a lot of what’s hip and cutting edge these days isn’t exactly candy to my ears. Which is probably why, for the last few years, I’ve been listening to talk radio. But even that’s starting to wear thin. I mean, you can only listen to blowhards like Tom Leykis, Adam Carolla and Danny Bonaduce blabber on about themselves for so long.

Aside from the boring formats and big egos, radio here in Los Angeles, as well as in other major metropolitan markets I imagine, is feeling the pinch from satellite and the Internet. When, at least, that’s what you hear. I’m not qualified to comment on the regulation slowly seeping into the Internet radio scene, but for awhile there, it was like anyone could become a DJ. Seriously though, do podcasts pose any real threat? I doubt it. And really, neither do satellites.

Howard Stern may have put a little scare into the big radio conglomerates when he first signed on with Sirius, but that’s seems to have died down a bit. In fact, if Stern’s ego — much mightier and more annoying than Leykis, Carolla or Bonaduce — has its way, he’ll probably return to terrestrial radio at some point in the not-too-distant future. No amount of money can soothe a beast with a shrinking audience.

This brings me to The Sound 100.3 FM in Los Angeles. The latest in a long line of boutique radio stations with a twist, The Sound does indeed rock to a different and diverse beat. I stumbled onto the station one day when I heard them playing the Grateful Dead. No one, I thought, plays the Dead without a specific reason, so that was a revelation in itself. But I kept listening — Bob Marley, then the Talking Heads, then the Black Crowes, then Coldplay, then… I wasn’t only hearing great songs I had never heard on the radio; I was hearing great songs I had never heard at all. A bit of the old weird with a wild selection of the new can often kill the broth, but somehow The Sound is turning out soufflés.

With their strategically placed billboards around town and along the freeway corridors, screaming “World Class Rock” and “Where Music Matters,” the instigators behind The Sound have taken to staging listener gatherings to gauge reaction, hear from diehard music lovers, introduce new artists and announce their existence. I was recently privy to such an event at the Gibson Guitar Showcase in Beverly Hills. Myself and about 50 others were treated to a fantastic brunch, a bag of swag, some stimulating musical discussion and a live performance by a young three-piece blues band from the British Isles called Back Door Slam. It was one of the nicest Sundays I’ve had in awhile.

I guess I could play favorites with The Sound because of their hospitality, but I’m really pulling for this station. They were sincerely receptive to the comments and suggestions that bounced around the room. Some faulted the station for being too soft and playing certain songs twice in the span of 24 hours, but for the most part The Sound is on the mark and winning converts. Of course, being “different” and serving the eclectic tastes of a discerning few can be a major obstacle for a brave new radio station, especially these days. Indeed, they’re swimming upstream here in La La Land where everyone’s a critic with a blog and a movie deal. But somebody’s gotta kick it up a notch.

Yes, boys and girls, the Clear Channels of the world haven’t killed the true spirit of rock radio. The Sound is angling for its own blue lagoon in a sea of mediocrity. They don’t have hyper DJs signing breasts at the Playboy Mansion. Instead, they play music that resonates, irregardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, marital status, security clearance, education, years on the job, number of siblings, length of hair, or favorite NBA team. Isn’t it nice to be a music lover and explorer of new and wondrous sounds instead of a demographic? See for yourself by heading over to The Sound website — where they stream the tunes as they’re playing and encourage your input.

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