DC ROCK CLUB
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Thursday, April 09, 2009

XM Radio


I recently got a new car (well, new to me) and it came with XM Radio. I'm now deciding which stations to program. The only station I knew was The Bridge which plays mellow rock. When Sacklunch, Potsy, and I sailed from Annapolis to Newport, RI that was the station we listened to the most. Apparently it's maritime law that you must listen to mellow rock when sailing. "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills, and Nash is also required listening or the Coast Guard will sink your boat.


So, does anyone have any suggestions for which stations I should program, besides The Bridge? So far, I like XMU (indie rock), 1st Wave (Classic '80s alternative) and Little Steven's Underground Garage Rock (figure it out). Are the 60's, 70's or 80's stations any good? What about the sports, news, or entertainment channels?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

What's the new hot rod?
--Swetty

Jumbo Slice said...

2007 Honda CR-V. It's all pimped out with heated leather seats, sunroof, and cup holders galore. Truly the American dream on wheels (but made in Japan).

My brothers encouraged me to get a minivan but I wasn't about to fall for that trick.

rick m said...

I've had Sirius for a couple years now and love it. IF you want to hear bluegrass, or reggae, or classical, it's all right there. My go-to stations are the ones you mentioned along with the Loft (sort of a less hyper-cool XMU), Soul Town (old Motown type stuff), and of course the Grateful Dead station and Jam On.

Jumbo Slice said...

I'll defintely program Soul Town. I love the Motown. I saw The Loft but figured it was stuff you'd hear playing in a Pot Belly or coffee shop.

If I commuted I might tune into Howard Stern. Probably won't listen to any MLB, NBA, or NFL unless I'm on a road trip.

Gayle Weiswasser said...

I had XM for many years and I have to say I've been disappointed since the merger with Sirius. XM Cafe was great - its new iteration, The Spectrum, is much more predictable. Same with 80s. Overall I have found the new channels to be much more like terrestrial radio (narrow, overplayed song list) than XM was. That said, I like Spectrum (in moderation), Lithium, 80s, First Wave, and occasionally Classic Rewind.

Enjoyed the Southern Cross video - thanks!

Unknown said...

Backspin for old school hip hop and they play the friday night mixes from DJ's in their prime that used to take over late night radio in NYC - amazing shit being mixed live on the radio by Melle Mel, Afrika Bambaataa etc... not sure what nights but I randomly catch it. I think Bambaataa is doing a new version of it now on Fridays.

The rest you already know. The reggae stations are decent and the Canadian CBC has some cool stuff every once in a while. Stern is amazing on satellite - not that the show is better but that it is looped and they no longer set everything up to happen at a certain hour so the whole thing is decent and perfect for commuting as you can catch a different part of the show on the way home (or switch to 101 and hear what happened 3 hours ago.)

Anonymous said...

Try The Verge- all indie Canadian music. Lots of New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Weakerthans, etc.