As I plan to leave my full time spot on the radio station this week, I've been looking back at some of the tunes and bands that busted out during my 11 year run at CYY. These are some of my favorites. Been a pretty interesting 11 years of CYY music that's for sure. 

 

I've followed this band proudly since their early Ep and compliation work in the later 90's. First time I saw them was '99 at the Asylum. They were supporting their debut full length record and there was about 30 of us there. Since then, Josh has done quite a bit. He doesn't do anything but great stuff really. Them Crooked Vultures, Eagles of Death Metal and he's played on countless records. Queens of the Stone Age though... they're one of the best rock bands since the 70's. Seriously. It's not even up for debate. Their first album is still by far my favorite. Luckily during my time at CYY, we've seen a handful of records from the fellas and I've had Josh on Spinout a couple of times. Even Mikey called in a couple years ago. For any wrongs we might have done on the air on CYY over the past 11 plus years... Queens always makes it right. I believe they're the best rock band in the world these days.

 

By the time I made it to CYY in Feb of 2005, Nine Inch Nails already slammed the world pretty hard for the better part of 15 years. JUST as I arrived though they slammed one more big record home and I'm psyched to have been able to play the tunes during my time on the station. This one I can't ever get tired of. Rockin, bad ass, dark, it moves well, sexy, machine-like. That's Nine Inch Nails to a tee!

 

Atlas Genius...

aren't changing the course of the world or anything, but I'm a huge fan of great songs and songwriting. These guys write great songs. Songs I myself, never get tired of. These two songs I can still listen to repeatedly today and not care one bit. Great songs have that type of charm. I feel like they are one of those groups that are enjoyable and successful because they connect in the right ways to a better time for pop rock songwriting, the 80's. That's not a bad thing.

 

Spoon...

made great records for years leading up to their break through success with this album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga". Since then, they've made nothing but great records.

 

Young the Giant...

another newer band that just writes some really good tunes. No rocket science. Just good.

 

MGMT...

that's a pretty kooky band. First thing I ever played, on Spinout, was "Time to Pretend", still my favorite song of theirs. Man that tune sounded great on first listen. Weird, fuzzy, cosmic, druggy, trippy, alternative slop. Super great tune. Luckily we started playing it on CYY in rotation soon after and it did, ok, at best.

A lot of people flocked to "Electric Worry", another track off their debut full length Oracular Spectacular; although at the time nothing was happening with it as a single. I switched to "Kids" on Spinout. Played the living daylights out of it. Keep in mind, I was playing this off the album itself. Just a tune I thought was the stand out and people would flip over. Hopefully. Eventually.

I saw the band at the Paradise in Boston just after the album came out and they were great. At the end, the band left the stage. Ben and Andrew, the two main dudes stayed on stage. They both took mics and one of them hit a button on the keyboard and it triggered the music for "Kids" which they did straight to a pre-recorded instrumental. The place went bat-s..t crazy. It was like the band kicked into their signature hit that's been around for 40 years. Yet, this was not a single nor around for 40 years. It was barely around. It wasn't being promoted. It was an album track. It was a song that fans and the cool kids knew for a couple years. MGMT used to play it at college parties in Connecticutt. The Paradise went bonkers. The whole room was bouncing up and down and they just strolled around the stage singing it like electro-hippes. I was like holy s--t! I've been playing this song on Spinout! People like it and it's just an album cut! How cool and refreshing is that!!

 

I was walking through a mall in Salem, NH a few months down the line and over the PA system in the music mix, "Kids" comes on. IN THE MALL!! Again, this wasn't a single yet and no one was pushing it from the label. It was happening naturally. I remember bumping into a record label rep shortly after that incident and I told him about it and that I'd been playing "Kids" for a while. He said "Kids? Huh".  The label at that time still didn't have a follow up in place for "Time to Pretend". Ok then... hello?! Maybe... this... is... the one...?

A couple years later after "Kids" became a smash for them, the band played the State Theatre. I'm sure many of you were there. Packed room. They don't even play that song. Hey, I don't care myself. I don't need the band's biggest hit played for me to enjoy a show, but 99% of the people there did and there's nothing wrong with that. You have that tour bus outside cause of that song. You're in Maine because of that song. Come on folks. Not playing your hit single to be cool, was uncool about 30 years ago. Anyways, the tunes still stick with me for sure. Great new alternative, whatever that means anymore!

 

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