Fungus

Music about no future now has a future. Oh, the irony.

Fungus is one of my very favorite channels and Lou Brutus does a wonderful job with it. You'll hear old and new punk along with some industrial and ska thrown in. If you're not a big punk fan then you may be surprised at how varied it can be, so give it a try.

Fungus, punk/hardcore/ska, XM 53
My previous experience with channel: it's been a preset since XM added it to the line-up.

Heard on Fungus: Skanorreha (thursdays noon and 9:00 pm ET)
"Oh Canada!", Five Iron Frenzy; "Johnny Quest Thing", Less Than Jake; "She's Mine", English Beat; "Bangin'", Bim Skala Bim; "Alcoholic", Fishbone; "I'm Cool", Reel Big Fish; "Pollution", Hippos; "Out All Night", Pietasters; "Providence Is", Mighty Bosstones; "The City with Tw", Goldfinger; "28th Teeth", Buck O Nine; "Tears of a Clown", Beat; "Leaving", Catch 22; "Martian Girl", Aquabats; "Ebin", Sublime; "Acceleration 5000", Blue Meanies.

Time spent listening: an hour or so.

Tomorrow: XM Liquid Metal, heavy rock, XM 42

BPM

Didn't like it one bit. Please make it stop.

BPM, dance hits, XM 81
My previous experience with channel: none.

Heard on BPM:
"Massive Mix 69", Barry Harris; "Free Falling", Kat People; "If I Close My Eyes", Reina; "Fine Day", Kristy Hawkshaw; "You Won't Forget", Dannii Minogue; "I See You Baby", Groove Armada; "Feels Good", Dolce; "Just A Lil' More", David Guetta; "Connected", Paul Van Dyke; "Sand In My Shoes", Dido.

Time spent listening: eternity (well, it seemed that long)

Tomorrow: Fungus, punk/hardcore/ska, XM 53

America

I'm sure to some people it don't mean a thang if it don't have that twang, but I'm not one of those people. I will admit that I prefer America and Hank's Place to Nashville and Highway 16. So what's the difference between America (classic country) and Hank's Place (traditional country)?

My untrained country ear will take a stab. The songs on America sound to be more polished than the songs on Hank's Place. Also America plays newer artists than Hank's Place. Nashville and Highway 16 just play pop music dressed up in country clothes.

America, classic country, XM 10
My previous experience with channel: none really.

Heard on America:
"Spring", Tanya Tucker; "Hey Good Lookin'", Hank Williams; "Last Cheater's Waltz", T.G. Sheppard; "Drinkin' My Baby", Charlie Daniels; "John Deere Tractor", the Judds; "Friend Lover Wife", Johnny Paycheck; "Mama's Don't Let Your Babies", Ed Bruce; "Texas Me and You", Asleep at the Wheel; "Willy Jones", Susan Raye; "Choices", George Jones; "Don't Worry", Marty Robbins; "Little Ways", Dwight Yoakum; "Teach Me to Cheat", Kendalls; "I'm No Stranger", Keith Whitley; "What's Happened", Jessi Colter; "She Used to Love Me A Lot", David Allan Coe; "Corpus Christi Bay", Johnny Rodriguez.

Time spent listening: an hour or so.

Tomorrow: BPM, dance hits, XM 81

Frank's Place

When I first got XM a few years ago I listened to Frank's Place every now and then when I wanted something other than my usual channels (rock, classical or jazz). However I haven't listened to it for about a year now. I'm glad that Bootcamp brought me back to Frank's Place, it's a channel that I can leave on for hours at a time, although it just missed earning a preset.

Give Frank and friends a chance if you haven't tuned in yet.

Frank's Place, American standards, XM 73
My previous experience with channel: I used to listen to it frequently.

Heard on Frank's Place:
"Let the Good Times Roll", Ray Charles; "Goody Goody", Julie London; "All or Nothing", Bill Henderson; "Where's the Rain", Barbara Streisand; "River, Stay 'way", Frank Sinatra; "Falling in Love", Helen Merrill; "This Can't Be Love", Art Tatum; "It's All Yours", Lynn Taylor; "Ain't No Use", Arthur Prysock; "Blues in the Night", Johnny Mercer; "Be Kind to Your Parents", Michael Feinstein; "Why Shouldn't I", Rosemary Clooney; "With Every Breath", Frank Sinatra; "Imagination", Ella Fitzgerald; "Try a Little Tenderness", Jimmy Durante; "It Might As Well", Singers Unlimited; "Moonlight Becomes You", Johnny Mathis.

Time spent listening: about an hour.

Tomorrow: America, classic country, XM 10

Reflection and Projection

I was unimpressed with this past week. The only channel I like is Luna. On the other hand, the only channel I really dislike is Sunny. The others I could have ranked any where in between.

I rate the week's channels this way:
1. Luna
2. the 90's
3. Music Lab
4. Mix
5. The City
6. Sunny

Channels next week:
Mon. Frank's Place, American standards, XM 73
Tue. America, classic country, XM 10
Wed. BPM, dance hits, XM 81
Thu. Fungus, punk/hardcore/ska, XM 53
Fri. XM Liquid Metal, heavy rock, XM 42
Sat. Audio Visions, new age, XM 77

This week jumps around even more than last week. At least Fungus is included, it's one of my favorite XM channels.

Sunday Spotlight
XM Public Radio (XM 133)
This is a very new addition to XM Radio. Also Bob Edwards, formally of NPR's Morning Edition, joined XMPR this month. Throw in shows from Public Radio International, American Public Radio and WBUR radio in Boston and you have a very respectable public radio channel on XM. The Connection is also a very good interview show and it follows Bob Edward's show in the mornings. Also try to catch Only a Game on weekends. It covers the world of sports.