JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Do You Mix All the Drink Flavors in the Soda Machine Together?!

When I started my internet radio station back in 2003 I thought that I was almost the only one in the world who could tolerate listening to a self-made CD that went from prog rock's Yes to The Del McCoury Band to the New Grass Revival to prog rock's The Strawbs to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band to alternative's Coldplay to Grammy-nominated Americana artist Darrell Scott to Jethro Tull to Mary Gauthier to Allison Krause to Nick Drake to psych folk's The Incredible String Band to Wilco to, etc.

After 2,000+ listeners from all over the world have bookmarked my station and listenership is again approaching over 1,000 hours a month and I have interviewed the likes of Ian Anderson, John McEuen, Carl Palmer, John Cowan (5x), and Chris Squire (5x), I guess that I am not really alone in this auditory maelstrom.

How many of YOU folks like such an eclectic mix of musical flavors? If so, why? Please don't bother with why not - it drives my wife of 20 years crazy!

Best,

:)Steve

P.S. If this is not your cup of tea, what crazy flavors do YOU like to mix together? Come on; admit it!

It is a bit of a silly question asking people why they like such great music and fantastic artists. By the way my wife of 30years and yours would make good buddys. Some of your mixes ar tame compared to mine. Stravinsky with James Brown and some Scottish folk blended down with some cheesy pop plus Prog Rock classics. I listen to and like just about anything. I was brought up on big bands, 60s pop and blues with a bit of soul.. Not keen on Country though although some is OK. JIM

I listen to all genres except rap. It doesn't bother me to mix and match. I'm one of those that will listen to Christmas music when it's 100 degrees outside, too.

Hello Steve,

Most of my life I have lamented the fact that radio stations are not eclectic enough. That is definitely changing now, and it is due mainly to the advent of MP3 players.

I think most of us enjoy the surprise of variety...the older folks among us may remember making our own cassette tapes of various songs. Some of those are legendary in my memory.

In Minneapolis, there is a radio station called The Current. You can see their playlists on the internet. They have embraced this variety with great success, although they mostly play new alternative music. But the trend is encouraging to me, and internet stations like your own are also hugely influential.

My favorite musical period was the rock of the early 70's and late 60's---you never knew what was coming next, and it was all thanks to The Beatles. Hopefully, a new version of this openness to variety is emerging...good news for songwriters, if you ask me.

Big Jim - Love your mixes; Stravinsky with James Brown; cool.

I loved the ethic of 1970s AM radio (mine was WABC in New York City) when you could hear all types of great music from different genres one song after another. John McEuen talks with me about that in our interview.

Sounds like you should start Classical, Soul & More! Web Radio.

:)Steve

Hi, Tricia! I gotta agree with you about rap. I try to be open- minded about all genres however a music that glamorizes a violent, criminal lifestyle (and whose musicians and their minions sometimes kill each other in real life!) and calls women bitches and hos, etc. on a regular basis needs to be flushed.

Oh yeah, and it doesn't sound very good either.

Steve

Lyle must correct you on one minor point the rock of the 60s and 70s was not just thanks to the Beatles. There were hundreds of great British rock bands in the early sixties. A lot like The Animals, The Troggs, Small Faces, Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Nazareth etc became very famous internationally and influential. The Beatles were only a tiny part of that influential scene. Most of these bands in turn were influenced by Blues, Jazz and Soul music imported from America.
I agree that most stations now just play current trashy pop. Good music is rare to find on radio.

Hello Lyle! Some of us even remember 8-track tapes!

[/quote]In Minneapolis, there is a radio station called The Current. You can see their playlists on the internet. They have embraced this variety with great success, although they mostly play new alternative music. But the trend is encouraging to me, and internet stations like your own are also hugely influential.[/quote]

I'm not sure about 'hugely' influential yet, but thanks for the boost. Some of the legendary folks that I interview actually start to listen to my station after our interviews. And 'alternative' is a favorite genre of mine.

[/quote]My favorite musical period was the rock of the early 70's and late 60's---you never knew what was coming next, and it was all thanks to The Beatles. Hopefully, a new version of this openness to variety is emerging...good news for songwriters, if you ask me. [/quote]

Very much agreed. I try to play a lot of indie and unsigned bands on my station as well (at least 33% if not more, in fact). I have learned about some really cool music through my myspace site. And when I look at the chart of the most popular tunes on the station, those talented indie and unsigned folks are very well represented. You certainly don't need a recording contract to make great music!!!

Best,

:)Steve

Big Jim - Very good points. I will most probably be interviewing members of Deep Purple, The Moody Blues, and (hopefully) Led Zep over the next 6 months to a year. I will certainly let y'all know when these interviews take place.

:)Steve

Sure,
I may listen to Webb Pierce and then Beethoven and Paul Weston.

HI Steve. A good few years ago I did a one off gig with a duo called The Blue Diamonds or was it The Diamond Boys cant quite remember. Anyways these two guys were original members of The Moody Blues although they were not called Moody Blues in them days they were the Blue Jays. That night the guys did a revue of music that influenced them when they were young. Awsome I might forget the names but will never forget the performance and the diverse range of genres and songs they sang. We finished the night off with an impromptu jam. I played blues harp but despite that the audience loved it.

Hey BIG Jim - Very cool experience indeed. I'll have to check out your soundclick link.

Best,

:)Steve S-N

Hey Steve,

Yeah, I'm kind of like that, don't mean to be, just sort of happens. Last weird one was Synthetic Salsa Blue, electronic samples mixed with a Latn vibe. It's not getting much play, um, I wonder why ? LOL Please dop by and have a listen....cos no-one else is.

cheers, niteshift

Why would anyone NOT like it?

Darrell Scott and Mary Gauthier? Both are previous JPF Award nominees and Mary has been a JPF member since 1998. She played at our very first Boston Roadtrip showcase in 1999. = )

Brian

Hey Big Jim,

Well, we basically agree, since there were dozens of influential bands of that period. But I still give the credit to the Beatles for opening the floodgates--not sure how it would've happened without them and their immediate global popularity. And it's hard to find other groups that embraced eclecticism as early as they did (of course they were there--from Animals to Zappa). But if not for the Beatles--who were imitated quite heavily if you recall, hard to escape their influence back then--I wonder if that British Invasion would have changed the world the way it did, or even have been called that.

Either way, I still hope with all my heart that popular tastes push artists toward an expansion of style, rather than the easier, more marketable practice of sticking to one specific style per act. I am probably NOT in the majority with this opinion, but it sure would make radio less boring to me.

"It's the same old story
It's the same old game..." -Ray Davies

Hey Lyle and so say all of us..... Check out Rory Gallagher if you have not already that man could play. The Beatles were a bit too pop for me. I preferred the kind of bands we are talking about. Maybe that is why they were succesful plus they had Epstein.