social tunes

I've been using the internet to grab radio stations probably since I first heard a radio station mention that it was available to stream online. When I need want to be reminded of home I tune in The Oasis in the City, Denver's KUVO - the best jazz station I've ever heard. For years I carried around a tape of a show DJ Scotty did with his young son in the studio on Miles Davis' birthday. A truly subliminal show. I love listening to his "Origins, orgy in rhythm. Music from the Black Diaspora" show too. However, this is purely old school radio streamed over the web. I can't skip songs I'm not so into, and I have to tune in at the right time - something I'm increasing less likely to do.

In Denver I also liked to listen to CU Boulder's college station, 1190. It was widely eclectic and always something I wasn't familiar with. Its online too - and was often easier to hear online than actually tune in on the AM dial. In Boston of course I tune into WERS from Emerson College. Of the three so far its the only one that streams online without a third party player (surely using a plug in I previously downloaded, but somehow cleaner & easier than choosing one of my many music players).

Another station with a fun local flavor that I'm pleased to see has gone to online streaming (you used to have to download and install a funky player just to tune them in) is the fully solar radio station out of Angel Fire, New Mexico - KTAO. I fond emmories of listening to the morning show and being totally transported to the big open San Louis valley and the canyons up to Angel Fire, Red River...... ahhh, the perennial question - red or green? (since 1996 the official state question of New Mexico).


Lately for me its been all about Pandora (as readers of this blog on the actual page, not via RSS know from the plugin). I've found a vast majority of want I want to listen to represented on Pandora, but this afternoon I realized that last.fm and Seeqpod have deeper catalogs for at least one type of music popular with urban teens - krunk. Looking up the group j-squad I came up with nothing on Pandora but lots on the other two. One frustration I had with Seeqpod though - I couldn't easily see what it was that was playing and at one point one page seemed to be playing two different streams at the same time. I think I'll start checking last.fm out more....