HARDER TO BREATHE: It figures that the day before I leave for vacation (aloha), a low-grade fever lodges itself in my body, depleting my already PMS-ridden self to a level a smidgen above "coma." Is this ironic, or merely coincidental? As the muted TV in my peripheral vision flaunts the new daytime shows I’ll TiVo, but never watch (like Starting Over), I’ve been trying to keep track of the day’s activities via phone/fax/e-mail/IM. I think I’ve got a handle on it, but if I happen to leave anything out, please spare your critique until I’m somewhere with a view of the ocean.
I suppose I can finally take a week off now that the new Strokes single, "12:51," was #1 Most Added. First time I heard it in Chris Woltman’s office, the song reminded me of The Cars’ "My Best Friend’s Girl," handclaps and all. Yeah, the vocals sound like they’re buried somewhere in Jersey, maybe beneath the Meadowlands (with Jimmy Hoffa), but that’s what I thought when I first heard "Seven Nation Army." Besides, who am I to question the artistic intent of a band whose first CD had such a profound cultural/musical impact? Maybe this is the sound of the future we’ve all been so desperately seeking.
According to my calculations, this week’s combined spins of "Seven Nation Army" and "The Hardest Button to Button" makes The White Stripes the most-played band at PoMo. Maybe it’s the fever talking, but I’m taking this as a sign that there’s hope for the future potential of format-exclusive bands like Interpol, Hot Hot Heat, BRMC (did you see this week’s 20k+ debut?), etc. As of this week, one year after its release, Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights has sold more than 200,000. If you don’t believe this is significant, especially in today’s climate, then you definitely weren’t around when labels would CELEBRATE when a new PoMo band sold 50,000. Of course, the margins were different (this was before it cost $600 for an add in a small market without an airport) but that’s a topic for another time. Maybe what I’m trying to say is that your audience’s taste has finally expanded beyond a selection of songs from the same six or seven bands that comprises 75% of the format’s collective airplay. I haven’t even started my vacation and I’m already thinking "half full"—how unlike me!
Since I’m incapable of having a linear thought today, before I drift into another tangent, let me mention some of the stations that RCA’s Chris Woltman, Bill Burrs, Dennis Blair and John DiMaio reeled in this week on The Strokes, including KROQ, Q101, WBCN, Y100, Q101, WPBZ, KNRK, WROX, WARQ and dozens more! Today also marked John’s last day at the label. Beginning Monday, he will be segueing into his new digs at 550 Madison, where he will assume the position as VP Modern East Coast for the label that was #2 Most Added this week with The Ataris, Columbia Records. The few idiots at radio who have decided to let Pop radio have "ownership" of The Ataris in their market are making a profound mistake. PoMo radio broke this band. Adding "The Saddest Song" is your payoff—it will ignite phones (ask Mike Peer) and keep your listeners from straying up or down the dial. All day, every day, you tell me how IMPOSSIBLE it is to break new bands on your station. You can’t devote the spins necessary to getting a read on whether or not a song could be a hit. Guess what—you broke The Ataris. Chris Roe’s voice is unmistakable to your audience. If ever Columbia handed something to you on a proverbial silver platter, this is it. Please take a moment and draft your thank-you notes to Jeff Sodikoff , Stephanie Harty, and if you’re really savvy, Charlie Walk. In the "P.S." part of your note, be sure to ask any of the above to send you a copy of the new Raveonettes’ CD.
Despite my begging, Live105 PD Sean Demery has continued to play coy when I ask him to send me a swab of his DNA for cloning. A 10-minute conversation with him provides creative nourishment for days.
As records develop at PoMo, so do the careers of those sweating blood on their behalf. Jive’s Lorraine Caruso and Joanne Grand have done a spectacular job with Three Days Grace’s "I Hate Everything About You," landing K-Rock, Y100, WBCN and KNRK this week—MONTHS after this record was launched! Lorraine said she won’t have her baby until this song is a hit. I said I won’t have my baby until Interpol’s "Obstacle 1" is a hit (which may explain why only one of us is pregnant).
A little further uptown, Arista’s Shannah Miller and Dave Lombardi (with Laura Curtin in L.A.) are changing the boundaries of PoMo with every OutKast add, including WBCN, WHFS, KTBZ, WAQZ and KMBY this week. MTV added the video(s) into "Buzzworthy" this week, too! Who’s cooler—OutKast or (insert faceless Active-leaning PoMo band)? Who sells more records? Ergo, which one are you going to play?
Nobody but Virgin’s Jenni Sperandeo could convince me to spend last Friday night at a Teen Vogue party. The lure was the chance to see IMA Robot, who, I’m pleased to report, are absolutely BRILLIANT. They blew my mind in a good way (the display of ’80s fashion on "young Hollywood" had an opposite affect).
Epic’s Joel Klaiman sent me a copy of the new Travis CD, 12 Memories, which I will be listening to repeatedly on my vacation. I’ve implanted a computer chip in my head so that Mediabase will be able to track this. In the meantime, our friends at WDYL added "Re-Offender" this week.
In my absence, Nan Fisher will be "Performing As" me (god help her). Erika will have the freedom to play George Michael, Neil Finn and Robbie Williams in our office to her heart’s content… SONG TO HEAR: Hanson’s "Underneath" (which they wrote with Matthew Sweet).
PEOPLE TO WATCH: Mary Shuminas, Steven Strick, Lisa Worden, Howie Miura, Todd Sievers, Nancy Stevens, Garett Michaels, James Van Osdol, Leslie Fram, Steve Kingston, Jonathan Lev and Ross Zapin.
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