By Karen Glauber
Patti Smith played at the Disney Concert Hall four years go, the day before everybody’s world shut down from COVID. On the occasion of Women’s History Month, she had this to say: “I read that it’s the Month of the Woman. That’s really nice and all, but being a girl myself, I thought, one fucking month?” So here we are, one fucking month.
At SXSW this year (my 36th, but who’s counting), I was on a panel moderated by Ted Cohen, and when I brought up the fact that I was recently able to tell one of my more problematic A&M bosses from 30+ years ago how terribly and condescendingly he treated me (his response was, “Well, at least you got something out of it”), so many women attending the panel were telling stories about their problematic male bosses.
Years ago, I predicted that #MeToo would solve nothing and that gender inequality would always exist UNLESS it was the women in executive positions hiring other women and protecting them. A recently emerged feminist anthem, Paris Paloma’s “Labour,” is already at 100m streams on Spotify and has generated countless covers on TikTok. Liz Erman at Nettwerk turned me on to this song, and you should definitely be aware of it.
Honestly, there are several massively streaming songs that EVERY programmer should be playing right now. The first is Michael Marcagi’s “Scared to Start,” which will be at 100m streams when I wake up tomorrow, streaming over 2.5m per day. You should’ve played Noah Kahan months before you eventually capitulated. Stop fighting these huge streaming records that target your demo. Good Neighbours’ “Home” is another slam dunk for you. This London duo, now shepherded at radio by Robbie Lloyd, is everything an Alt programmer could want, including whistling. It’s easily one of the most programmable songs of the year, boasting a memorable sing-along chorus with a lyrical sentiment that even you can relate to. Another undeniable single, Djo’s “End of Beginning,” is already over 225m Spotify streams. Djo is Joe Keery from Stranger Things, a favorite TV show for the younger part of your demo. This song is two and a half minutes of perfection.
The other most-obvious song is Cigarettes After Sex’s latest, “Tejano Blue,” which is already at 11m Spotify streams. It’s certainly the sexiest song of this bunch, a testimony to singer Greg Gonzalez’s genius. When John Allers declares “Tejano Blue” to be a “radio” song and adds it at Live105, it’s time to take notice. The band’s two Kia Forum shows are nearly sold out, and the ticket counts overall are incredible. Josh Venable’s daughter told him that all of her friends are obsessed with “Tejano Blue,” hence his add this week at WZNE Rochester. Also on board are 91X, WEQX, KROX, WGBJ, WWWX, Music Choice, WJMZ and, importantly, Alt Nation. Here’s to our friends at Partisan on their continued success with this band.
At Kris Gillespie’s urging, I saw my new favorite band at SXSW. Fat Dog reminded me of classic Foetus from the mid-’80s, and I caught them at FLOODfest, hosted by our friend Aaron Axelsen. Also memorable was Partisan’s Angélica Garcia, whose single “Color De Dolor” reminds me of Kate Bush. What a gorgeous voice and stunning presence! It wouldn’t be SXSW unless I followed (stalked) a band during the time I was there. In the past, I’ve been obsessed with Calexico, The Polyphonic Spree, Aqualung, Patti Smith, Todd Rundgren, Aurora, The Airborne Toxic Event and Lo Moon. This year marked the return of Lo Moon, whose new record is coming out on Thirty Tigers. I could see this band play every day and be blissfully happy. Matt Lowell’s voice is reminiscent of Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis (RIP).
Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws played a few acoustic shows, including songs from the band’s upcoming album on New West. Nada Surf is invited to play the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas in October. My kid now likes emo (and Weezer), but I’m hoping we survive Coachella first.
SONG TO HEAR (AGAIN): Nation of Language’s “Weak in Your Light,” which is now #2 on the Alt Nation Alt18 Countdown!
