Yet Another Media Blog

YAMR December Stats

2006-01-05T18:31:00.000-05:00

Total Listening Hours
Last Month: 134
This Month: 5280

Total Station Launches
Last Month: 242
This Month: 6550

Station Presets
Last Month: 72
This Month: 270

Favorite Station Designations
Last Month:
This Month: 4

Obviously our Christmas-themed playlist for December was very popular. Not to worry, so far for January the stats are back down to their regular levels.

YAMR: 2005 Favorites

2005-12-29T17:55:00.000-05:00

My 2005 Holiday Mix was a big hit, but it's time to move on to a new mix. Hopefulyl some of you who came by for the Christmas music will stick around...

The latest mix on Yet Another Music Radio is 2005 Favorites, nearly 3.5 hours of my favorite tracks from the past year.

You'll hear music from:

Alana Grace; Amerie; BarlowGirl; Bebel Gilberto; Ben Folds; Bethany Dillon; Bettie Serveert; Bill Frisell & Petra Haden; Blondfire; Blue Merle; Brandi Carlile; Bruce Springsteen; Charlotte Hatherley; Christina Milian; Cities of Foam; The Click Five; Courtney Jaye; Deep Dish; Disposal Unit; The Duhks; Ellie Lawson; Emiliana Torrini; The Faders; Feist; The Greencards; Heyley Westenra; Imogen Heap; Joy Williams; Kathleen Edwards; Laura Cantrell; The Like; Lori McKenna; Maia Shap; Missy Higgins; Nichole Nordeman; Nickel Creek; Patricia Vonne; Plumb; The Ravonettes; Regina Spektor; Shannon McNally; Shelby Lynne; Shooter Jennings; Stars; Sugarland; Superchic[k]; Tori Amos; Tristan Prettyman; The Weekend; The Wreckers.

That's over 50 tracks of great music to cap off the year. Enjoy!

Visited States

2005-12-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

States I've been to:

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

YAMR: Holiday Music 2005

2005-11-30T11:50:00.000-05:00

For the next month on Yet Another Music Radio, it's Holiday Music 2005, an over three hour mix of music to get you into the holiday spirit.

You'll hear songs from:

3 of Hearts; Alathea; Alice Tatum; Alicia Keys; Aly & AJ; Ashanti; Avril Lavigne & Chantal Kreviazuk; Barbara Bailey Hutchison; Barenaked Ladies; Belle and Sebastian; Berlin Symphony Orchestra; Bethany Dillon; Big Bad Voodoo Daddy; Chris Isaak; Cliff and Danielle Young; Copeland; Cowboy & Spin Girl, Donna Esposito & Frank Bednash; Cyndi Thomson; Da'dra Crawford, Carl Marsh, Monroe Jones, Nee-C Walls; Derri Daugherty, Julie Miller & Third Day; Drea Ryding; Dreams So Real; Fiona Apple; Fountains of Wayne; Guster; Hilary Duff & Haylie Duff; Iberis; Ivy; Jars of Clay; Jason Mraz; Jeremy Camp; Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey; Joe Diffie; Joy Williams; Kathy Mattea; Kortney Kayle; Leigh Nash; Leona Naess; Lizanne Knott; Lizzie West; Love Spirals; Martha's Trouble; Martin Sexton; Martina Sorbara; Mindi Abair; Nickel Creek; Nicole Nordeman; Nnenna Freelon; NRBQ; Olivia Olson; Play; Rascal Flatts; Rob Thomas; Rockapella; Ron Sexsmith; Sarge; Sixpence None The Richer; Skye Sweetnam; Terry Scott Taylor; The Beu Sisters; The Calling; The Mighty Mighty Bosstones; The Ravonettes; Universal Honey; Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight; Whigfield.

It's 67 tracks of Christmas cheer!

YAMR: Cover Songs 4

2005-11-18T20:45:00.000-05:00

This week on Yet Another Music Radio: Cover Songs 4, another batch of hits by the artists who didn't make them famous!

For over three hours you'll be able to listen to the following:

The A-Teens cover ABBA
Adam Sandler covers Warren Zevon
Aimee Mann covers Carly Simon
B. B. King covers Vince Guaraldi
Barenaked Ladies cover Public Enemy
Bob Dylan covers Hank Williams
Brian Ray covers Smokey Robinson
Brian Whitman covers Brenda Lee
Brooks & Dunn cover Johnny Cash
Brown Derbies cover Duran Duran
Chrissie Hynde covers Paul McCartney
The Corrs cover ABBA
Diana DeGarmo covers Marvin Gaye
Dolly Parton covers Led Zeppelin
Emmylou Harris covers Dolly Parton
Eva Cassidy covers Fleetwood Mac
Farmer's Daughter cover Dusty Springfield
Fountains of Wayne cover Jackson Browne
The Friars cover Queen
Garth Brooks covers Jim Croce
George Benson covers the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Indigo Girls cover Elton John
Jason Mraz covers Modern English
Jean Michel Jarre covers Hot Butter
Johnny Cash covers Hank Williams
Josh Kelly covers Firefall
Juliana Hatfield covers Marianne Faithful
Less Than Jake cover The Partridge Family
The Mamas & The Papas cover Bobby Freeman
Maria Bello covers The Eurythmics
Mark Eitzel covers Bill Withers
Matt Rogers covers Otis Redding
Melissa Joan Hart covers Blondie
Moby covers John Williams
n-trance cover The Bee Gees
Nashville Superpickers cover Led Zeppelin
Nikko Smith covers Stevie Wonder
Norah Jones covers Dolly Parton
Redd Kross covers The Carpenters
Reel Big Fish cover a-ha
Sammy Kershaw covers James Taylor
Sara Evans covers Lori McKenna
Schrödingers Cat cover Peter Gabriel
Seal covers Dionne Warwick
Sheryl Crow covers The Who
Son Volt cover Leadbelly
Special Consensus cover Nanci Griffith
Ted Leo covers Kelly Clarkson
Tori Amos covers Joe Jackson
The Wallflowers cover Blur

50 songs--over 3 hours of music. Enjoy!

Vampires Like Meat Loaf

2005-11-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

Admit it, you've waited all your life to see Meat Loaf & Ben Kingsley in a vampire movie together. So you'll be the first in line to see BloodRayne when it comes to theaters in early January!

YAMR October Stats

2005-11-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

Total Listening Hours
Last Month: 73
This Month: 578

Total Station Launches
Last Month: 196
This Month: 1048

Station Presets
Last Month: 15
This Month: 61

As you can see, a big jump in October, mainly due to the popularity of my Halloween playlist. Hopefully some of you new listeners will stick around, and it will be interesting to see if my Christmas playlists in December are able to do the same sort of business.

I Still Got Mad Math Skilz

2005-11-04T15:09:00.000-05:00

At least at the 8th grade level...

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

YAMR: New Music

2005-11-02T11:36:00.000-05:00

My Halloween playlist was a huge success--thanks to everyone who tuned in. Hopefully some of you will stick around as we return to regular programming for November (December will be Christmas music, of course!)

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: New Music, fifty of my favorite tracks from the current year.

You'll hear music from: Annie; Beady Belle; Bebel Gilberto; Ben Folds; Bethany Dillon; Bettie Serveert; Bill Frisell & Petra Haden; Blue Merle; Brandi Carlile; Bruce Springsteen; Charlotte Hatherley; Christina Milian; Cities of Foam; The Click Five; Courtney Jaye; D'Nell; The Duhks; Emiliana Torrini; The Faders; Imogen Heap; Joy Williams; Kaci Brown; Kathleen Edwards; Laura Cantrell; The Like; Lori McKenna; Melissa Dori Dye; Michael Bublé; Missy Higgins; Plumb; Polly Paulasma; Rachael Yamagata; The Ravonettes; Regina Spektor; Sara Evans; Saving Jane; Shannon McNally; Shelby Lynne; Shooter Jennings & George Jones; Stars; Sugarland; Superchic[k]; Tori Amos; Tristan Prettyman; The Weekend.

That's 3 hours and 15 minutes of musical enjoyment. Give it a whirl!

YAMR: Halloween

2005-10-22T00:15:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Halloween, over three hours of music to get you ready for the spooky holiday.

Artists/composers frightening you include: 16 Horsepower, Austin Lounge Lizards, Ben Colder, Bert Convey, Big Dee Kornngay, Bob Ridgely, Bobby (Boris) Pickett, Bobby Please, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Boris Karloff, The Born losers, Carl Orff, Castle Kings, Charlotte Martin, Chris Kevin & The Comics, Christophe Beck, Chubby Checker, Danny Elfman, The Daylighters, Earl Patterson, The Edgar Winter Group, Edvarg Grieg, Evanescence, The Friars, The Fuzzmores, Gene Moss, The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society, Jack & Jim, Jack Marshall, Jimmy Dee, J.S. Bach, John Carpenter, John Williams, The Keytones, The Legendary Invisible Men, Leroy Bowman, Little Richard, Mike Oldfield, Modest Mussorgsky, Natacha Atlas, North American Halloween Prevention Initiative, The Phantom Five, Poe, Ray Lewis, Roy Clark, Soupy Sales, Southern Culture on the Skids, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Swingin' Neckbreaker, Taratula Ghoul, The Taratulas, Thought Gang, Vic Mizzy, Wojciech Kilar, & Zacherle.

All in all, it's over fifty ways to scare your way to Halloween!

Woodsongs

2005-10-18T10:56:00.000-04:00

If you're like me, you like acoustic folk and Americana and other grassroots music. If you're also like me, you like live performances. If you're also like me, you like discovering new music.

And if you're like me, you like free stuff!

So if you're like me, you'll like Woodsongs, the Website for the Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour, where you'll find the Woodsongs Show Archive: audio and video of nearly all of the performances on the show.

(The only bad thing is that the audio and video is in Windows Media format...)

Time's Top 100 Novels

2005-10-17T16:32:00.000-04:00

So, Time magazine has come out with a list of what they pick as the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present.

Turns out that I've read more of them than I figured:

Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Neuromancer by William Gibson
1984 by George Orwell
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons

All of which are good books, which would lead me to believe that the other 91 books on the list are at least decent as well. But best? Hmmm. While Ubik is a good book, there are several Philip K. Dick novels that I'd rank above it: A Scanner Darkly, The Man in the High Castle, and VALIS, just to name three.

The 3-Variable Funny Test

2005-10-17T15:38:00.000-04:00

the Wit
(61% dark, 30% spontaneous, 15% vulgar)

your humor style:
CLEAN | COMPLEX | DARK

You like things edgy, subtle, and smart. I guess that means you're probably an intellectual, but don't take that to mean pretentious. You realize 'dumb' can be witty--after all isn't that the Simpsons' philosophy?--but rudeness for its own sake, 'gross-out' humor and most other things found in a fraternity leave you totally flat.

I guess you just have a more cerebral approach than most. You have the perfect mindset for a joke writer or staff writer.

Your sense of humor takes the most thought to appreciate, but it's also the best, in my opinion.

You probably loved the Office. If you don't know what I'm
talking about, check it out here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice/.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Jon Stewart - Woody Allen - Ricky Gervais

The 3-Variable Funny Test!

- it rules -

If you're interested, try my latest:
The Terrorism Test

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 79% on darkness
You scored higher than 8% on spontaneity
You scored higher than 5% on vulgarity

Link: The 3 Variable Funny Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

YAMR: Soundtrack Songs

2005-10-07T18:19:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Soundtrack Songs, over three hours of songs from movie soundtracks.

Songs from: Batman Forever; Blue Crush; Bubba Ho-Tep; Cold Mountain; Confessions of s Teenage Drama Queen; Cruel Intensions; D.E.B.S.; Die Another Day; Donnie Darko; Ella Enchanted; Freaky Friday; Herbie: Fully Loaded; Hitch; Ice Princess; Josie and the Pussycats; Kill Bill, vol. 1; Kill Bill, vol. 2; The Lizzie McGuire Movie; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Mallrats; Me, Myself & Irene; Mean Girls; Men with Brooms; Napoleon Dynamite; The Perfect Man; The Princess Diaries 2; Shanghai Knights; Shark Tale; Shrek 2; The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; Starsky & Hutch; Sweet Home Alabama; A Walk to Remember.

With songs by: The 5, 6, 7, 8's; Abra Moore; Alana Grace; Alison Krauss; Aly & A.J.; Amerie; Anne Hathaway; Annie Lennox; Atomic Kitten; Ben Folds Five; Beulah; Bowling for Soup; Brian Tyler; Chantal Kreviazuk; Charlotte Martin; Christy Carlson Romano; Disposal Unit; The Donnas; Eddie Murphy & Antonio Banderas; The Faders; Fatboy Slim; Frou Frou; Gary Jules; The Goops; Ivy; Jessica Harp; Jewel; Josie and the Pussycats; Kari Kimmel; Katy Rose; Lillix; Lindsay Lohan; Lipps Inc.; Nancy Sinatra; Paul Oakenfold; Pink; Placebo; Plumb; Pussycat Dolls; Rogue Wave; Sarah Harmer with The Tragically Hip; Seal; Shannon McNally; Shivaree; Simple Plan; Superchic[k]; Tom Scott; Tomoyasu Hotei; Toploader; U2; The Weekend; Zero 7.

The makes for over 50 songs of rockin'/poppin' soundtrack goodness. Get 'em while they're hot!

YAMR: Cover Songs 3

2005-09-30T23:50:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Cover Songs 3, yet another batch of 50 great songs as covered by other artists:

7 Seconds cover Nena
Alison Brown & Indigo Girls cover Simon & Garfunkel
Barenaked Ladies cover Wham
Beth Orton covers The Ronettes
Carlotte Martin covers The Rolling Stones
Chely Wright covers Robbie Nevil
Def Leppard cover Badfinger
Fastball cover Herb Alpert
Fountains of Wayne cover Electric Light Orchestra
Fountains of Wayne cover Britney Spears
Frank Black covers The Beach Boys
Grant Lee Buffalo covers The Carpenters
Hugh Masekala covers The 5th Dimension
Jane Monheit covers Judy Garland
Jason Falkner covers Electric Light Orchestra
Jay Farrar & Kelly Willis cover Townes Van Zandt
Jem covers Paul McCartney
Jewel covers Lynyrd Skynyrd
John Wetton covers Genesis
Karrin Allyson covers Elton John
Lisa Stansfield covers Bobby Darrin
Love Spit Love covers The Smiths
Mandy Barnett covers Jim Lauderdale
Mandy Moore covers Cat Stevens
Matthew Sweet covers The Carpenters
Mindy McCready covers Linda Ronstadt
Nada Surf cover Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Neko Case covers The Everly Brothers
Nickel Creek cover Bob Dylan
Novaspace cover Cyndi Lauper
Pam Tillis covers Bruce Hornsby
Pat Donohue covers Henry Mancini
Renée Fleming covers Joni Mitchell
Rod Stewart covers Elton John
Sarah McLachlan covers XTC
Son Volt cover Del Reeves
Styx cover The Beatles
Suzy Bogguss covers Lucinda Williams
The Bacon Brothers cover Kenny Loggins
The Butchies cover The Offspring
The Goops cover The Foundations
the innocence mission cover Henry Mancini
The Pussycat Dolls cover Soft Cell
They Might Be Giants cover Cub
Tin Machine cover John Lennon
Tori Amos covers The Rolling Stones
Tori Amos covers R.E.M.
Tukuleur cover Toto
Wilson Phillips cover Elton John
Wyclef John covers Pink Floyd

It's over 3 hours of covers songs. Can there possibly be any more? Why yes, there will be a Cover Songs 4 at some point...

Fall TV Preview: Sunday

2005-09-18T07:25:00.000-04:00

New Show of Note: There' sonly one new show on Sundays, and it's a stinker: The War at Home (FOX 8:30) is a perfect example of the sorry state of network sitcoms.

Returning Favorite: The West Wing (NBC, 8pm) was invigorated last season with its election campaign storyline, which will continue this season as they stretch it out all the way through March. Which means that we'll probably be sick of it by the time it finishes.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: None really; Sunday is one of the few nights on the schedule where things are balanced out. For example, at 8pm you can shoose from a reality show (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC); a procedural (Cold Case, CBS); a drama (The West Wing); an animated comedy(The Simpsons, FOX); and a fantasy (Charmed, WB). Too bad the networks cast seem to comprehend this kind of counter-programming on their other nights.

Also New: Nothing.

Also Returning: The 17th(!) season of The Simpsons, still entertaining after all these years; and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC, 9pm) brings Chris Noth back to the L&O fold.

Fall TV Preview: Saturday

2005-09-17T15:28:00.000-04:00

New Show of Note: Nothing.

Returning Favorite: Justice League Unlimited on the Cartoon Network (10pm) is probably the best television series about super-heroes ever, as it plays with the entire expanse of the DC Comics Universe.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: Note even trying to put something new or interesting on Saturday. Heck, at the very least the networks could use the night to burn off episodes of cancelled shows that are already produced and paid for. But low ratings on Saturday have become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Also New: Still nothing.

Also Returning: Football on ABC, Movies on NBC, proceedural reruns on CBS, COPS and America's Most Wanted on FOX. Yawn.

Fall TV Preview: Friday

2005-09-17T09:30:00.000-04:00

New Show of Note: Threshold (CBS, 9pm), which yes is yet another secret alien invasion show, but this one has the best cast: Carla Gugino (from the brilliant-but-cancelled Karen Sisco) as the star, along with Brent Spiner & Peter Dinklage.

Returning Favorite: NUMB3RS (CBS, 10pm), last season's most pleasant mid-season surprise, both in quality and the fact that it garnered enough ratings for a second season. The bad news is that Sabrina Lloyd is gone; but the good news is that Navi Rawat returns. Someday soon I'll have to write up a post about the woderfulness that is the radiant Navi Rawat, so you'll understand.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: Cancelling Joan of Arcadia, a wonderful show that dared to explore faith, and replacing it with The Ghost Whisperer (CBS, 8pm), another talking-to-the-dead show that claims to be based on the experiences of a crackpot medium.

Also New: Three Wishes (NBC, 9pm) features Amy Grant and the bunch of do-gooders traveling each week to a new town and bestowing three wishes on its inhabitants. It's a show intentionally designed to tug on the heart-strings, and even my cold heart has nearly moved to tears just watching the previews. But I have to wonder: how mean is it to all the other of requests they get for help when they'll only fulfill three of them?

Also Returning: The Bernie Mac Show and Malcolm in the Middle, two of the best shows I don't watch, are banished to the FOX Friday 8pm death slot. Nothing else that FOX has tried here has worked--maybe a couple of single-camera comedies will. Yeah, right.

YAMR: Live Tracks 2

2005-09-15T19:54:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Live Tracks 2, over 3 more hours of great live recordings.

Artists in this week's playlist are: Abra Moore; Automatic Baby; Average White Band; Barenaked Ladies; Ben Folds; Big Country; Burlap to Cashmere; Cat Stevens; The Corrs; Cranberries; Credence Clearwater Revival; Dixie Chicks; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Fiona Apple; Genesis; Heather Nova; Hole; Joe Jackson; John Mellencamp; K's Choice; Kansas; Kristy Thirsk; Moxy Früvous; Phil Collins; Pink Floyd, Pretenders, Robert Randolph & The Family Band; Rosanne Cash; Sam Phillips; Shakira; Sheryl Crow; Soul Asylum; The Sundays; They Might Be Giants; Todd Snider; and Violent Femmes.

Fall TV Preview: Thursday

2005-09-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

New Show of Note: First there was Kolchak, the Night Stalker, which was the inspiration for The X-Files. Now Frank Spotnitz, one of the producers on The X-Files, brings us a new Kolchack in Night Stalker (ABC, 9pm). Let's hope that it lives up to its ancestry.

Returning Favorite: Alias (ABC, 8pm)--after that shocking season finale last May, I've been on the edge of my seat all summer. Yes, things this season have shark bait written all over them: a pregnancy, a new girl, etc., but we have faith here that J. J. Abrams and crew will be able to pull it off. Plus, Lena Olin is back again, and that's always good.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: Thursday at 8pm, which sees Alias go head-to-head with Survivor (CBS), Joey/Will & Grace (NBC), The O.C. (FOX), Smallville (WB), and the season's most criticaly acclaimed new comedy, Everybody Hates Chris (UPN). I mean really people, there are only so many ways to divvy up that demographic pie. I can pretty much guarantee that by the end of November sweeps, either Alias or Smallville will find itself on a different night.

Also New: Reunion on FOX (9pm). I don't care how cute Chyler Leigh is, after watching the pilot, which included the afterschool special double-whammy of both an unwanted pregnancy and drunk driving, I'm not sitting through 19 more hours of that. How they could take such an intriguing premise and screw it up so badly is beyond me.

Also Returning: Wait, ER (NBC, 10pm) is still on? Really? Huh. And ABC feels the need to counter-program with Prime Time Live. WTF? Hey, here's a free bit of advice, ABC: try putting either your critically aclaimed drama or your new drama on at 10pm, where ER is waning.

Fall TV Preview: Wednesday

2005-09-14T22:44:00.000-04:00

New Show of Note: Invasion (ABC, 10pm), which will probably be the best of this year's alien invasion series, thanks largely to the fact that i's created by Shawn Cassidy, who brought us the sublime American Gothic. It also is the most likely to last the season, thaks to having the good fortune to be scheduled after:

Returning Favorite: Lost (ABC, 9pm), the best new show of last season, which survived its bad movie of the week premise to deliver a gripping genre show that appealed to a wide audience. And you know what? I'm really not in any hurry to see all of the mysteries of the island resolved--I'm just enjoying the ride.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: Putting Veronica Mars (UPN, 9pm), last season's second-best new show, up against Lost. Yeah, the mystery was compelling, but it was really the characters and the writing that made us want to turn in each week. But really, UPN, if you want to give your critically acclaimed but low-rated show a chance to catch on, do'nt put it up against a show that is not only a ratings smash but also one that all of your likely viewers are going to be tuning in to!

Also New: Criminal Minds (CBS), E-Ring (NBC), Head Cases (FOX), and Related (WB)--all new dramas being offered up by their respective network as sacrificial lambs against Lost. Seriously, people, how about some counter-programming? NOne of you could try slotting a sitcom, newsmagazine or reality show here?

Also Returning: Law & Order (NBC, 10pm), amazingly in its 18th season. Don't worry if you miss an episode because you're watching Invasion though, as I'm sure you'll be able to catch it in repeats at some point.

Fall TV Preview: Tuesday

2005-09-13T16:53:00.000-04:00

New Show of Note: Bones (FOX, 8pm) brings Angel's David Boreanaz back to television. Yeah sure, we'd prefer to have had more Angel, and teaming him with Emily Deschanel may work. Or not...

Returning Favorite: Gilmore Girls (WB, 8pm), one of the best-written and -acted shows on tv, returns for a sixth season. Frankly, I don't care if Luke & Lorelei end up together or not, just so long as it continues to be funny and interesting. Our Tuesday night TV watching group spent the summer watching the first season on DVD, and I was impressed at how quickly the show found its feet early on.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: The 10pm hours finds returning Boston Legal (ABC), a lawyer show; new Close to Home (CBS), a cop show; both up against perennial ratings grabber Law & Order: SVU, a cop & lawyer show. Too much similarity for one hour, which will probably end up with Close to Home biting the dust.

Also New: Supernatural (WB) aims to be a Kolchack for the teen set; My Name is Earl (NBC) is getting notice from critics as one of the few actually funny new comidies; and Commander in Chief (ABC) gives us Geena Davis in the Martin Sheen role as President, because surely viewers aren't burned out on fictional Presidential politics. Oh hey, look, they're all on at 9pm, the same time as:

Also Returning: The Amazing Race (CBS), the only network 'reality' show worth watching, which mixes it up for the fall season with a family edition featuring teams of four. I can't tell you how glad I'll be to not see the token bickering engaged couple for a season.

My Cyborg Name

2005-09-13T15:07:00.000-04:00

Kinda cool, actually.

Fall TV Preview: Monday

2005-09-12T20:31:00.000-04:00

We're kicking off our weeklong preview of the fall television season with Monday:

New Show of Note: Prison Break on FOX (9pm), the high-concept drama of a guy who purposely goes to prison in order to break out his wrongfully convicted brother. This actually debuted in late August, and so far has been good escapist fun, as long as you don't think about it too hard. It's only scheduled to run until the end of 2005 (in order to make way for 24 to return in January), so hopefully there will be some resultion as they actually make good on the title's promise.

Returning Favorite: Arrested Development (also on FOX, 8pm) was pretty much the funniest show on tv for two seasons running, and frankly its amazing that it is coming back for a third go-around.

Bonehead Scheduling Move of the Night: Two new sitcoms with Buffy-alums as costars: Kitchen Confidential (FOX) with Nicholas Brendan, and How I Met Your Mother (CBS) with Alyson Hannigan. Against each other in the 8:30 slot. How is a Buffy fan to choose? I'll probably go with Kitchen, seeing as it's on right after Arrested Development. Then again, Mother has Doogie Howser...

Also New: Surface (NBC) is also in the 8pm slot, although it looks as though SciFi channel will be carrying it in later-in-the-week re-broadcasts, so even though it looks to be the weakest of the three invasion-themed shows this fall I'll probably at least sample it to see if it's any good.

Also Returning: Las Vegas (NBC, 9pm), although I was really starting to get fatigued on this show near the end of last season, and they're bringing in Lara Flynn Boyle as a new cast member to spice things up, which is never really a good sign for a show. Still, there's always Nikki Cox...

Bad Day for the Big Ten

2005-09-11T09:13:00.000-04:00

It was not a good day yesterday for Big Ten football, as all three of the top-ten ranked teams lost: #4 Ohio State lost to #2 Texas in a squeaker, #8 Iowa took a shellacking from unranked Iowa State, and my own beloved #3 Michigan Wolverines looked inept against the hated #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

I always wonder why the AP ranks Michgan so high in the preseason year after year, when it usually means the kiss of death for the team, especially is they have to play a lwoer-ranked Notre Dame. Their lowest preseason ranking of recent years was in 1997, when they were ranked #14--and that was the year they went on to win the National Championship.

Celebrity Poker

2005-09-11T00:12:00.000-04:00

Another good week of Celebrity Poker Showdown, with some good play and entertaining table talk. Amber Tamblyn was doing well at first, but then decided to try to bluff at the wrong times and ended up being the second player out. Alex Trebek was probably playing the best poker at the table, but except for one lucky break near the end he just couldn't get the cards. But Cheryl Hines--I don't think I've ever really seen her in anything (she's on Curb Your Enthusiasm, but I've never watched more than 5 minutes of that show) but she's smart and funny and pretty and can play cards; I certainly won't mind her being in the final round.

YAMR: Phil Collins (Doesn't Suck)

2005-09-08T20:21:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Phil Collins (Doesn't Suck).

But wait, I hear you say, doesn't Phil Collins, y'know, suck?

No he doesn't--and this week's YAMR playlist aims to prove to you that Phil Collins is, in fact, cool.

Now pay attention:

Phil Collins is perhaps best known as a solo artist. And while his recent albums have been lacking, well, that happens to just about every aging pop.rock star, yes? But in his early 80's heyday, Phil was putting out some damn fine pop recordings. While everyone knows the hits, I've included some of his lesser-known solo tracks: "I Missed Again" and "Hand in Hand" come from his first solo album, Face Value. Phil frequently employed the Earth, Wind & Fire horns on his solo albums, and "I Missed Again" showcases them to great effect; he also tended to put an instrumental on his albums, and "Hand in Hand" is one of the best. "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" comes from Phil's second solo album, Hello, I Must Be Going!, and it's a piano ballad with a great melody and heart-felt lyrics. No Jacket Required was Phil's big breakout album, and one of the best though least-played song from it is "Doesn't Anybody Stay Together Anymore?" with its pounding drums on the chorus.

Of course, Phil was first and foremost a drummer, specifically coming to fame as the drummer for the 70s prog-rock band Genesis. When lead vocalist Peter Gabriel left the band, Phil stepped out from behind the drum set to become the lead singer. "Dance on a Volcano" is the lead track from Genesis's first post-Gabriel album, A Trick of the Tail, and shows off Phil's rock drumming techniques in a song that hues rather tightly to the Genesis storytelling song style. "Down and Out" comes from the first post-Steve Hackett Genesis album, ...And Then There Were Three..., and is another drumming showcase for Phil ina song that's rhythmically all over the place.

My all-time favorite Genesis album is Duke, which for me strikes the perfect balance between their old storytelling days and their modern pop/rock albums; my favorite song from Duke--and in fact on my top ten list of songs ever--is "Turn it On Again," a song that at first listen appears to be a simple pop song, until you realize that the verses aren't in straight 4/4, but rather in 13/4, and the rhythm is slyly traveling all over the place.

Rounding out the Genesis selections is a live recording from one of their concerts, an "Old Medley" that features Phil doing vocals on many of the old songs that Peter Gabriel originally sang.

Phil was not only the drummer for Genesis, but also for Brand X, a jazz-rock fusion band that Phil worked with as a side project in the mid-70's. I've included three tracks from one of their albums, Moroccan Roll: "Sun in the Night," "Why Should I Lend You Mine (When You’ve Broken Yours Off Already) ..." and "Macrocosm." Not the Phil Collins you're used to, right?

One way that you can judge the coolness of an artist is by the others who cover his songs. Here are some of the Phil Collins cover songs I've included:

The Postal Service cover "Against All Odds" in an alt-rock style.

Dennis Brown gives "Another Day in Paradise" a reggae flavor.

Both Angry Chiwawah and From Zero give "I Don't Care Anymore" an angry rock edge.

Changing Faces give us an R&B version of the ballad "One More Night."

There are two versions of "Something Happened On the Way to Heaven" by Deborah Cox: An R&B version and a dance version.

Ol' Dirty Bastard recasts "Sussudio" as a Hip-Hop track.

The Matthew Show do "The Roof is Leaking."

Fourplay give "Why Can't It Wait 'Til Morning" the smooth jazz treatment.

And there are five covers of Phil's first big solo hit, "In the Air Tonight": Lisa Brandt, Nonpoint, Robert Michaels, Touré Kunda, & DMX all give it a whirl.

In the late 90's, Phil played around with his own big band: The Phil Collins Big Band. They put together a live album of their performances, and I've included their versions of "Sussudio," "The Los Endos Suite" and "Pick Up the Pieces."

Back in the early 80's, Phil produced an album for Frida, ex- of the Swedish pop mega-group ABBA. The two songs from that album on this playlist are a cover of Phil's "You Know What I Mean" and "Here We'll Stay," a duet with Phil.

And that wraps up this week's playlist, over 3 hours of music proving that Phil Collins doesn't suck. Listen for yourself and find out!

Weekend Movie Watching

2005-09-08T11:12:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was a long one, so I managed to watch all three of the DVDs I had out from NetFlix:

Man of the House wasn't horrible, nor was it anything memorable either. The high concept was: Tommy Lee Jones as a Texas Ranger assigned as a bodyguard to a houseful of UT-Austin cheerleaders. From there it just about wirtes itself, and apparently it did, as there's nothing original or surprising here. Everyone showed up and did their jobs, and that's about it. Oh, and Christina Milian needs to look for better scripts; with this and Be Cool she's now paid her dues in crappy Hollywood formula pics, and she's much better than the material whe's been given.

The Pacifier on the other hand is just a disaster. Vin Diesel as a Navy Seal who has to serve as a bodyguard to a houseful of kids. Could have been decent family fun on the order of Cheaper by the Dozen, but no, this is just a snooze-fest from begining to end.

Woody Allen's Manhattan Murder Mystery was at least sometimes funny and sometimes mysterious. Allen and Diane Keaton are (surprise!) a couple of Manhattanites; when Keaton thinks that their next-door-neighbor has killed his wife, she involves all of their friends in the mystery, and before long Allen has to join in just to try to keep his marriage together. Not a great work by Allen, but at least it holds your interest.

I Contribute to the Decline of 16th Century Civilization

2005-09-08T09:26:00.000-04:00

Several months ago I suggested to Jon Silpayamanant that his band, Il Troubadore, do a cover of The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." Well, they did, and it turns out to big one of their biggest hits at their live shows. You can download an MP3 of their version here.

Il Troubadore are a 16th century indy band. No really--it's fun music. Go listen.

YAMR: Cover Songs 2

2005-09-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Cover Songs 2, another batch of 50 great songs as covered by other artists:

Atomic Kitten cover ABBA
Counting Crows cover Joni Mitchell
The Cranberries cover The Carpenters
Darren Hayes covers E.L.O.
Deana Carter covers Melanie Safka
Deanna Kirk covers Boris Karloff
Dishwalla cover The Carpenters
Dixie Chicks cover Fleetwood Mac
Elton John covers Tammy Wynette
Frickin' A covers Rick Springfield
Frida covers Phil Collins
Gary Allan covers Todd Snider
Heather Nova covers Bruce Springsteen
Jason Mraz covers Seals & Crofts
Jenny Queen covers Moby
Johnette Napolitano covers The Carpenters
Jonatha Brooke covers James Taylor
Kelly Willis covers Bruce Robison
kidneythieves cover Patsy Cline
Leigh Nash covers Cat Stevens
Lucy Kaplansky covers Nick Lowe
Mandy Moore covers Joe Jackson
Martina McBride covers Beth Nielsen Chapman
Maura O'Connell covers Kim Richey
Nelson Hubbard & Venus Hum cover E.L.O. & Olivia Newton-John
Nickel Creek covers Sinéad Lohan
Novaspace cover Midnight Oil
Oleta Adams covers Elton John
O.A.R. & Robert Randolph & The Family Band cover Led Zeppelin
P. M. Dawn cover Prince & The Talking Heads & Harry Nilsson
Petra Haden covers The Who
Phil Collins covers Genesis
Phil Collins covers Elton John
The Ramones cover Spider-Man
Rusted Root cover Santana
Sara Evans covers Tammy Wynette
Sarah McLachlan covers Jim Henson
Senor Coconut & His Orchestra cover Deep Purple
Shawn Colvin covers The Police
Sherrié Austin covers Dolly Parton
Sheryl Crow covers The Who
Sixpence None the Richer cover E.L.O.
Smash Mouth cover Steely Dan
Suzy Bogguss covers Nanci Griffith
They Might Be Giants cover XTC
Todd Snider covers The Steve Miller Band
Tom Jones and The Cardigans cover The Talking Heads
Tori Amos covers The Police
Tori Amos covers Nirvana
Wilson Phillips cover Jackson Browne

It's over 3 hours of covers songs. Can you listen to them all?

Buy Music & Contribute to Disaster Relief

2005-09-01T20:16:00.000-04:00

Over at CD Baby, one of the best online music stores for independent music, many of the artists have agreed to donate their entire profits to the Red Cross for disaster relief. So check it out. Not only will you be helping people in need, you'll also get some great music (and the confirmation emails alone are worth your while--they're quite funny!)

(link via Postmodern Barney)

Also, over at Audio Lunchbox--a great place to buy legal downloads from indie artists--they're donating 10% of all sales to the Red Cross.

If you want to donate directly to the Red Cross, Yahoo! makes it easy.

Now That I've Got This New Blog, I Can Do All of These Stupid Polls

2005-08-31T22:41:00.000-04:00

You Know Yer Indie. Let's Sub-Categorize.

You're Avante Garde Indie. You listen to abstract
music like free-jazz and Krautrock. You drink too much coffee and you scare the [bleep] out of the rest of us. We're afraid to call you pretentious because we know that we all just
don't get it. There are few of you out there, and most of you will probably die soon.

brought to you by Quizilla

The TV IV Wiki

2005-08-30T18:02:00.000-04:00

If, like many of us, you were non-plussed when TV Tome underwent a change of ownership and makeover into TV.com, you'll be happy to see the emergence of The TV IV Wiki, which, while still in the early states of building up content, looks to be well on its way to usefulness. Plus, since it's a wiki, you can add in your own television knowledge without too much muss or fuss.

(link via TV Squad)

Celebrity Poker, Week 2

2005-08-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

Last night's Celebrity Poker Showdown thankfully was miles better than last week's. Even at his most annoying, Howie Mandell was easier to take than the idiots on last week's Reality Show Stars edition. Plus, the power was more interesting as well, and for once the two best players at the table ended up facing off in heads-up action.

My biggest complaint about the show is that, when it gets down to the end, you pretty much know who's going to win each hand depending on how much time is left in the program. One of these weeks I'd like it if they'd throw us off-balance and have the game end 10 minutes before the end of the show, rather than right at the end.

Next week is Girls Night Out. I usually find Caroline Rhea very funny, so two hours of her and the rest of the ladies yukking it up should be fun.

YAMR: Country Women of the 90s

2005-08-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Country Women of the 90s, over three hours of songs from my favorite female country singers of the 90s.

Artists in this playlist: Alison Krauss, Allison Moorer, Chely Wright, Deana Carter, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, Gretchen Peters, Jo Dee Messina, Joy Lynn White, Julie Miller, Julie Reeves, Kathy Mattea, Kelly Willis, Kim Richey, Lari White, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Lila McCann, Linda Davis, Mandy Barnett, Martina McBride, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Matraca Berg, Mila Mason, Mindy McCready, Neko Case, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, Redmon & Vale, Sara Evans, Shania Twain, Shannon Brown, SHeDAISY, Sherrié Austin, Stephanie Bentley, Suzy Bogguss, Terri Clark, and Trisha Yearwood.

Over 50 tracks of great country music, playing all this week on YAMR!

Name Change: Yet Another Media Blog

2005-08-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone. So, it turns out that I can't go on ad infinitum about music the same way that I can about comics. No big suprise there, I guess. But instead of just folding after a couple of weeks, I've decided to broaden the focus a bit.

Henceforth, this will be Yet Another Media Blog. In addition to music, I'll also talk about movies, television, books, games, etc. (Comics will still be covered over on my flagship blog, Yet Another Comics Blog.) Hopefully this will give me more to talk about (especially with the new tv season fast approaching).

And don't worry, I'll still keep up with Yet Another Music Radio, updating to a new playlist every Thursday.

Also note: the URL of this blog has changed to reflect the new name as well. I don't think that'll be much of a deal though, as I don't very many people have bookmarked this blog yet.

Songcatcher

2005-08-19T14:15:00.000-04:00

How did I miss this one?

I came across it at the public library: Songcatcher is a soundtrack album for a movie I'd never even heard of (it came out in 2000). The songs are mostly a bunch of traditional folk songs, performed by a who's who of female country/folk artists: Roseanna Cash, Iris Dement, Dolly Parton, Emmy Rossum, Emmylous Harris, Allison Moorer, Patty Loveless, Julie Miller, Maria McKee, Sara Evans, Gillian Welch, Deana Carter, Hazel Dickens, & Pat Carroll. Good stuff--worth a listen if you manage to come across it.

YAMR: Cover Songs 1

2005-08-18T18:59:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Cover Songs 1, over 3 hours of artists performing songs by others:

The A-Teens cover ABBA
Adrian Belew covers King Crimson
Ben Folds Five cover The Flaming Lips
Bowling for Soup cover Britney Spears
The Corrs cover Fleetwood Mac
Cry Cry Cry cover R.E.M.
The Derailers cover Prince
The Dixie Chicks cover Bruce Robinson
The Donnas cover Billy Idol
Eva Cassidy covers Fleetwood Mac
Fatal Mambo cover Mungo Jerry
Frente! cover New Order
Heather Nova covers Peter Gabriel
Jamie Hoover covers The Traveling Wilburrys
Jessica Harp covers The Kinks
Joe Cocker covers Elton John
Jon Bon Jovi covers Elton John
Jonatha Brooke covers The Alan Parsons Project
Jump 5 cover Katrina and the Waves
Kate Bush covers Elton John
Kimberly Locke covers Judy Garland
Kristy Thirsk covers Fleetwood Mac
LeAnn Rimes covers Willie Nelson
Lisa Stansfield covers Barry White
Lisa Stansfield covers The Four Tops
Lori Carson covers Todd Rundgren
Mandy Barnett covers Jim Lauderdale
Mandy Moore covers The Waterboys
Mandy Moore and Michael Stipe cover The Beach Boys
Mary Chapin Carpenter covers Lucinda Williams
The Mavericks cover The Hollies
Mindy McCready covers Kim Richey
Mo' Horizens cover Ray Charles
Moxy Früvous cover Deep Blue Something
Natacha Atlas covers Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Orbital cover Ron Grainer
Patti Rothberg covers Carl Douglas
Peter Gabriel covers Leonard Cohen
The Rembrandts cover XTC
Sarah Brightman covers Queen
Save Ferris cover Dexy's Midnight Runners
Schrödingers Cat cover Prince
Sheryl Crow covers The Carpenters
Sonic Youth cover The Carpenters
Steps cover ABBA
Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé cover Soundgarden
They Might Be Giants cover The Allman Brothers Band
Tori Amos covers The Rolling Stones
William Shatner covers Pulp
Wilson Phillips cover The Mamas and The Papas

Whew! That's 50 songs of cover-y goodness, playing all week on YAMR!

YAMR: Live Tracks 1

2005-08-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

Playing this week on Yet Another Music Radio: Live Tracks 1, a bunch of my favorite live tracks.

Who's on this playlist? How about: Abra Moore, Angie Paris, Average White Band, Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds, Billy Joel, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, The Cardigans, Deanna Kirk, Dido, Ed's Redeeming Qualities, Evanescence, Guster, Heather Nova, Jamie Cullum, Jessica Andrews, Joe jackson, John Lennon, Joss Stone, Kim Richey, Los Lonely Boys, Maura O'Connell, Moxy Früvous, Nanci Griffith, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Peter Frampton, Phil Collins, Poi Dog Pondering, Queen, Rosanne Cash, Rusted Root, Sara Evans, Sarah McLachlan, Shakira, Tara MacLean, They Might Be Giants, Todd Snider, Tori Amos, and Wild Strawberries.

Whew!

Forty-five live tracks, nearly three and a half hours of music.

Enjoy!

Tristan Prettyman

2005-08-09T17:24:00.000-04:00

Earlier today I purchased/downloaded Tristan Prettyman's album Twenty Three from iTunes. I've listened through it about 1.5 times so far a like what I've heard. It's that mellow female singer/singwriter stuff that I seem to like so much. iTunes strangely has its primary category as 'Rock,'--which it certainly isn't--but I also found it listed under 'Folk,' which is closer to the mark. My favorite track so far is the opening track, "Love Love Love," which you can listen to and/or watch this video on her Website.

Jenny Queen

2005-08-07T23:04:00.000-04:00

Received in the mail yesterday Australian country singer/songwriter Jenny Queen's album Girls Who Cry Need Cake (ordered used via Amazon). I've only listened through it once so far, but I'm really liking it. It's mild-mannered folk/country. My favorite tracks are "Drowning Slowly," "Kentucky Turn," and the Moby (!) cover "Porcelain."

Free Music

2005-08-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Everybody likes free music, right?

This week's free tracks over on the iTunes music store are:

"Bad Day" by Canadian singer/songwriter Daniel Powter, a pop ditty that's catchy if perhaps a tad overproduced.

"I Put Myself Together" by blues legend Charles Brown.

Other places to find free music:

Free Tracks on Audio Lunchbox

Free Downloads on Amazon.com

Welcome to Yet Another Music Blog

2005-08-05T12:35:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to Yet Another Music Blog. My name is Dave, and I'll be your host.

I've been successfully blogging about comics over at Yet Another Comics Blog for nearly a year now, and have decided to branch out with yet another blog, this time about music.

My musical tastes, like my comic reading, are rather eclectic. I tend to like 'good' music no matter the genre, although 'good' is something that's open to interpretation. The main thrust of my musical listening, maybe 50% or so, is female singer/songwriters, although I frequently wander off into country, old-school jazz, classical, ska, power pop, oldies, etc. Anyway, as this blog develops, you'll probably get to know my tastes a little better.

As a companion to this blog, I've also started an Internet radio station via Live365: Yet Another Music Radio. It's free to listen to, as long as you don't mind hearing an occasional short adventisement (it's certainly less obnoxious than regular commercial radio!) I plan on creating a new radio program every week, centered around a theme. But right now it's just running a bunch of random songs I had laying around. I'm forbidden from publishing an actual playlist, but I can tell you that some of the artists currently playing on the station are: Equation, Deanna Kirk, K's Choice, The Waifs, Emm Gryner, Josh Rouse, Kathleen Edwards, Great Big Sea, Patty Griffin, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

(BTW, running the radio station costs me a chunk of change each month. So while Yet Another Comics Blog is ad-free, at some point this blog may need to set up a tip jar or an Amazon affiliate program or Google ads or something to help defray the costs.)

So there you have it. Please bear with me as this blog finds its feet. I probably won't post quite as often here as I do over on the comics blog, but we'll see how that goes. Who knows, I may have more to say about music than I think!

Yet Another Music Radio (Test)

2005-08-04T20:32:00.000-04:00

Yet Another Music Radio, my new online radio station, is up and running as a test at Live365.