Thursday is like Second Wednesday

[shameless shilling]
I want to tell you about something that is very dear to my heart. It is the local independent radio station here, KEXP. It's publicly funded radio, so there are no commercials. Unlike most public radio stations, however, this one is nearly all music. That's 4-6 songs in a row, then a brief air break to tell you what you just heard, then back to the tunes. Most of the programming is categorized as rock/eclectic, which means that they play mostly independent-label rock, electronica, and hip hop. There's some dipping into the 70's, 80's, and 90's, but instead of hearing Led Zep and the Stones, you get the Stooges and 13th Floor Elevator; instead of Tom Petty and Elton John, you get Patti Smith and Tom Waits; instead of Nirvana and Green Day, you get...ok you still get Nirvana--it IS Seattle--but you also get Belle and Sebastian and Stereolab. Best of all is the wide array of new, starving bands that fill out the majority of airplay.

Despite the indie focus, KEXP is NOT a college radio station (it started out that way, but lost funding until it gained some support and new facilities from Paul Allen of Microsoft fame). They have full time DJs, and the majority of their programming is in-house. This means no listening to dull people who are too cool to betray any aspect of their personality other than bored detachment. They make an effort to provide music that is somehow connected from song to song, so that each block of music has a certain feel. And their freedom from corporate pressure means that they have access to pretty much anything that they want to play, so you are constantly exposed to new stuff.

Often, there's a song playing for which I have utterly no use. On regular radio, this would mean that I could count on hearing that song every hour for weeks (see Red Hot Chili Peppers or Kid Rock). On KEXP, I may never hear it again. So I hold my nose for three minutes and check out what comes next. The only times I ever get sick of a song is when it's been leaked way ahead of the album, because then it gets requested all the time, or when there's an upcoming local show by a band that I dislike..

Aside from the default rock/eclectic programming, there are special shows on the weekends and weeknights from 6-9pm. Of special note are the Monday and Tuesday night shows. Monday's show is Best Ambiance, featuring music from Africa. The host does a great job of selecting interesting and varied music. Wo' Pop, on Tuesday night, features popular music from around the world, except for Africa. You won't get the Japanese version of Celine Dion with this show. You will get pop and traditional music from throughout Asia, Australasia, South America, and Europe. Both Best Ambiance and Wo' Pop are incredibly solid shows.

The cool thing is that YOU can listen to these shows, anytime you want. Just go here and select a style of music or the name of the show you want to hear, and you've got the whole station at your fingertips. There's a two-week streaming archive, so you can scroll through the playlist and find an set that looks interesting and just start at that date and hour. Finally, the website hosts some good free subscriptions, like the Free Music Song of the Day and the weekly Music that Matters podcasts.

Anyway, I hope you follow the links and explore the site. If you're not into indie/experimental music, at least check out the international shows.
[/shameless shilling]