89X and Rides Again kept me in my car

I was listening to Detroit's New Rock Alternative, 89X, on the way home from a friends house today and a new song caught my ears right before I got out of the car. I liked it enough that I stayed to listen to the entire song before going inside. It was song called Infected from a group named Rides Again, an alternative rock trio out of Ontario, Canada.

Before I started listening to XM Radio, my car radio was typically tuned to 89X. It is actually a Canadian based station that delivers modern and alternative rock to the metro Detroit area. They sometimes feature music that isn't completely mainstream yet, including more local acts like Rides Again.

The song I listened to today really reminded me of Hoobastank with some really great, driving guitar hooks and riffs. What's really funny, is when I went to look up the band, I couldn't remember the name of the group. Their name sounds a lot like Rise Against, so I was looking for the song under their name, obviously with no luck. I finally went to 89X's web site and found what they were playing. The band recently added the song to YouTube:

Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails wants you

After writing about Nine Inch Nails releasing their latest album online a few weeks ago, I recently found that Trent Reznor has now announced a project that allows you to be a part of the creative process. Reznor recently submitted a video to Youtube to explain his vision. In it, he explains how he wants people to submit their own videos for the music on the Ghosts album. He talks about how the tracks on the album were intentionally unnamed as to not influence the outcome of any videos produced.

This is on the heels of what Reznor proclaimed a very successful album release. I think this is another great way for a musician to connect and interact with their fans. Here's the video if you want to learn more:

R.E.M. dropping their latest album on iLike

I came across a blog post on Techdirt today that talks about R.E.M.'s latest album, Accelerate, and how it will be available on the music social network, iLike, a week before it hits stores. Techdirt referred to an MSNBC article on their blog as they explained how R.E.M. is another example of how music groups are reaching out to broader audience by allowing fans to get their music free or early in new and more dynamic ways than a CD. I mentioned Trent Reznor from the group Nine Inch Nails last week and how he has applied the same business model. I think it's a great way to promote your music and build an even bigger and more devoted fan base.

Although I don't follow R.E.M. that much, I think they have written some great alternative/pop songs that have somewhat defined a generation. One of the songs that I'll always remember from their collection is It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine). Here they are performing the song live in Toronto:

New Album for The Bravery

In my Facebook feed I saw that The Bravery was on tour and would be in the Detroit area in the next few months. I first heard this band back when I played MVP Baseball 2005. The band contributed their song "An Honest Mistake" to the soundtrack of the game. It was often playing in the background of the menu screens of the game.

The modern alternative group has written quite a few catchy and addictive tunes. I always want to sing along when I hear one. The recently release radio tunes of "Believe" and "Time Won't Let Me Go" are the first ones that come to mind.

You can check our their MySpace page for tour dates. Their new album, called The Sun and Moon Complete, is set to be released March 18th, 2008. It's a very interesting album as it will be released as a 2 disc set. According to the bands' MySpace blog post, the first disc, called "The Sun", will be 12 songs originally produced by Brendan O'Brien. The second disc, called "The Moon", is the same exact 12 songs in the same order, but re-worked and "re-imagined" by the band. Very interesting concept and a great way to show something unique by the band.

Here's the band playing in Times Square during the 2008 New Year's Eve show on ABC:

DJ Armando rocks my commute

I love commercial free radio. I love XM. In the last few months I've been listening to DJ Armando's show, appropriately named Addiction, on the way home from work. His show airs on channel 81, also appropriately named BPM, from 5PM to 6PM and 8PM to 9PM EST. So, even when I have to work the late shift, I can catch him late on my drive home(as I did this evening). I don't know what it is, but I just enjoy listening to electronic/dance music in the car. Just turn it up and thump those speakers. It's great listening to an hour long mix. It definitely makes the drive better. I'm definitely addicted to it.

If you want to check DJ Armando out, he has a pretty cool website. I did find that it has some downloads of mixes he's done. I'm tempted to download a few just to check it out.