SOUND MIRROR: First of all, congrats to Jacent Jackson on his new gig as PD at the legendary Live105! He, his lovely wife Steph Harty and their kids will be making the move westward in time for the station’s annual sold-out BFD extravaganza on June 1. We’ll be there (with KONGOS) as one of the many members of their welcoming committee. Jacent has proven himself to be a formidable programmer, most recently leading WLUM to ratings heights heretofore unrealized, while also consulting WFUZ Wilkes-Barre (located an hour-and-change from the hellhole that is my hometown)… While we grumbled about last week’s high temps, nothing compared to the POLAR VORTEX experienced by Chicagoans this past winter—perhaps a deciding factor in Jim Richards’ decision to leave WKQX and WLUP for San Francisco to program KFOG and KSAN? Although KFOG is a heritage Triple A (home of the “Fogheads”), the format has shifted from its roots, with a significant segment of the panel leaning Hot A/C, while playing currents in excess of 50x/week. It will be fascinating to watch the changes made at both Live105 and KFOG in the months ahead… Our dear friend Dave Barbis has joined Joe Greenwalt (aka “The Man We Tried To Hire More Than Once”) at C3 Management, home to Wild Cub, J Roddy Walston, The Head and the Heart (with Zeitgeist Management), MS MR, among others, and is part of the bigger C3 Presents, which includes ACL and Lollapalooza. This is a great fit for Dave, and we know that he and Joe will have great success…. Did you see St. Vincent on SNL? I was absolutely blown away by her star-making performance. Either you appreciate how epic and modern how she is, and how “Digital Witness” has the potential to be game-changer at the format, or you’re wrong…. The parade of faceless pop-leaning bands at Modern Rock has, for lack of options, turned lesser bands with limited ticket appeal into HEADLINERS. Summer is the perfect time to take a shot on artists that can sell tickets and have the swell of the “underground” moving them forward. Or, to quote Phoenix, “from a mess to the mass­es.” Tame Impala’s “Elephant” was last year’s indie-to-Top 10 smash, for example. Without question, the breakout band at Coachella was Future Islands, whose Letterman appearance has already nearly 2 million views! The band has been around for a while, but it was the added visual ele­ment of a TV performance that brought the single “Seasons Change” to life. While the band’s live show is its best asset, the song SOUNDS like a SMASH. Trust Risa Matsuki to parlay this buzz into a big radio hit!... I’m equally obsessed with Harvest band Syd Arthur, whose latest CD Sound Mirror was released today. Happy Syd Arthur Day!!! Harvest also signed Morrissey, whose latest is, truthfully, among his best… If I was a PD, I would’ve been first at the format to play Sia’s “Chandelier.” What an incredible song!... Leave it to Rob Cross at XMU to find the NEXT BIG THING—his track record is unimpeachable. This time, he was first to play In the Valley Below’s “Peaches” in a significant rotation, and it’s selling 1,000 pieces/week, just from his airplay!... Hooray to Buddy Deal on his Most-Added week on Joywave’s “Tongues.” Yes, Joywave is the vocalist on the Big Data single (another 8 adds this week!), which means your audi­ence is already on board with the artist! I adore this single—it could be this year’s “Get Lucky”… So which artists are YOU going to break this sum­mer? I have my list ready to go—glad I’m taking the next few days off!…. PERFECT SUMMER SONG: Blondfire “Waves” (just ask Michael Plen)… PERFECT SONG FOR ALL SEASONS: Hozier “Take Me to Church”… Spam me: [email protected].