IVANA KILLS FOR THE KILLERS, SUM 41, HOOBASTANK, THE MUSIC AND INTERPOL

OCEAN BREATHES SALTY: I was trying to explain radio promotion to a musician whose band has occupied more space in this column in the past two years than any other. I love this band so much it induces migraines, insomnia, panic attacks, crying jags and intermittent bursts of extreme joy, but I didn’t want to scare him, so I opted for subtlety: "Doing promotion is like being in the movie Open Water, except that had a happier ending—they die." I think I saw him flinch. But we soldier on. Fight the good fight. Learn to love the sensation of beating one’s head against the wall. Because the alternative (doing something else) isn’t an option because what we do ultimately matters. Or so we keep telling ourselves. Can music find an audience without radio? Of course it can. But there’s nothing quite like a song on the radio (and video on MTV) to motivate CD sales. Take The Killers, for example. Top 5 PoMo airplay on "Somebody Told Me" plus newly anointed "Big Ten" video play from MTV equals the #18 CD in the country! That’s the power of radio (even if it means spending way too much time each week arguing with Seth Resler). Musicians shouldn’t necessarily be exposed to some of the details of promotion, like the "toll takers" blocking a record from being added until the price is right (of course, they’re in the biz for the "love of music"). Or the programmer who rips the song to shreds, only to ask if the band is available for his festival a moment later. At least if we were selling cars, we’d be pretty sure that the intention of the person entering our showroom was to purchase a car, as opposed to a case of beer. If you think about it, radio promotion is a completely counter-intuitive endeavor. Too much thinking makes my head explode—back to the usual column filler… PoMo is preparing for the upcoming Labor Day holiday by launching a slew of huge records, guaranteeing that we’ll be spending our "day off" glued to our computers and phones. Although the new Sum 41 single doesn’t hit until tomorrow, Howie Miura and Christine Chiappetta landed KROQ, WXRK, WHFS, KXTE, KPNT, WXTM, WSUN and WBRU today! "We’re All to Blame" sounds like a smash even to our sleep-deprived senses. Before you overthink this record (and knowing you, you can’t help yourself), think of all the great times you’ve had with Sum 41: Your station festivals where Sum 41’s performance became the clear highlight of the event. Those nights encouraging their underage drinking. The occasional Paris Hilton sighting—you can say you saw her when. This band is part of the very FABRIC of your station. Wear it well… All signs are pointing to Hoobastank’s "Same Direction" being another PoMo hit, bolstered by new adds this week from CIMX and WEND. Screaming "smash" the loudest are the stations that weren’t the biggest supporters of "The Reason" (picture Howie and Christine pushing a boulder marked "Hoobastank" up a steep hill—god forbid the rest of you would give the "benefit of the doubt" to the single following a #1 PoMo hit)… Despite the sudden arrival of so many new "automatics" this week (Cake, Jimmy Eat World, Good Charlotte, The Used and Sum 41), the Capitol gang had a double-digit add week on The Music’s "Freedom Fighters," including WBCN, 91X, WWCD, WBUZ, WARQ and more!… Speaking of The Used, Lynn McDonnell returned from her European holiday and swiftly wrapped up WXRK, KROQ, Q101, 99X, X-96, KXTE, WSUN, KFMA and more on "Take It Away." Live105 came in on My Chemical Romance’s "I’m Not Okay (I Promise)," while WBRU and CIMX weighed in with huge adds on Secret Machines’ "Nowhere Again." For those interested in seeing Secret Machines (they’re genius), the band will be opening for Interpol, beginning in October…. Speaking of Interpol, KEDJ, WLIR and KACV can rub their "Slow Hands" all over us, while Q101 has declared the song one of its coveted "staff picks." Ask Nan Fisher or any of the KBZT guys about seeing the band perform on a yacht last night in San Diego. Hearing the lyric, "turn on the bright lights," surrounded by the lights of San Diego, was an unbelievable experience… Coheed & Cambria’s "A Favor House Atlantic" sounds incredible on the radio. The polarized audience response appears to be shifting to all positive, with phones exploding at every station. WHTG, WEND, WJRR and WLUM added the record this week, as the remaining stragglers appear to be lassoed… Another huge week for Rob Goldklang on Muse’s brilliant new single "Hysteria," including WOCL, WSUN, WDYL, KTZO and WLUM… Epic has a gazillion PoMo records in play right now, with Modest Mouse’s "Ocean Breathes Salty," Good Charlotte’s one-listen smash "Predictable," Korn’s "Word Up" and Chevelle’s "Vitamin R" demanding your IMMEDIATE attention. At this rate, they’re going to have to find more room in the Top 10 for Epic (because there are a lot of songs in the Top 10 this week)… Congrats to Geordie on reeling in KROQ on Breaking Benjamin! For those attending the VMAs this weekend, the Polyphonic Spree will be appearing on the show! How cool is that????… The Virgin clan are heading into their add week on The Explosion’s "Here I Am" with early adds from Live105 and WMAD!… SONG TO HEAR: R.E.M.’s "Leaving New York"… PEOPLE TO WATCH: Leslie Fram, Scott Burton, Marc Young, Rae Cline, Bill Carroll, Marty Whitney, Russ Schenck, Stephanie Harty and Gaby Skolnek.