Music Director Notes 5-15-12

"Greetings from the Interior"

...no, don't ask...

Well, for those of you who don't already know, I am to be married this weekend and will be going on my honeymoon the following week, so y'all will have to live without my most enlightening posts until after Memorial Day.

Yeah, I know, sad, huh?  In the meantime:

MISSING CDs:

Does anyone happen to know the whereabouts of the following CDs?

• Xavier Quijas Yxayotl (2 CDs)
• Mary Youngblood (2CDs)  

SPINITRON:  GREAT JOB, FOLKS!

Spinitron is looking great!  There's only one DJ who is still filling out the tracking/library number in the Song Note field incorrectly, and almost everybody is now submitting their playlists online, ON TIME!  Way to go!

***Note: If you submit your playlist in Spinitron, you do not--repeat, DO NOT--have to submit a paper playlist! Save yourself some time and headaches...and save KRZA some paper!***


NEW RELEASES:

World: Ablaye Cissoko and Volker Goetze's CD "Amante Dionti" features trumpet and African Kora--beautiful, delicate, and haunting.  Very tasty, nice way to wind down a show.

Eclectic: Damon Albarn's "Dr. Dee" takes an interesting journey through Medieval folk experiments with definite Classical notes.  I liked the more folk-y tracks better, myself, but form your own opinions on this one.

Jazz:  The Rich Thompson Trio is my favorite pick of this week's adds for tight ensemble playing, keeping the music moving, and just overall awesomeness.

Bluegrass: New Town holds it down nicely; definitely worth an ear.

Thanks, all, and we'll see you on the 28th!

Music Director Notes 5-7-12: What is a New Release?

Greetings!

I don't know about you, but I am totally groovin' on the rain we're getting--let's hear it for precipitation!

So, let me tell you a little bit about the path that new CDs take after they come through the doors of KRZA and  land in my inbox.

1. KRZA usually receives at least five new CDs every single day.  Most of these CDs come from one of two sources:
     a.  New releases from the music promoters: These are brand new, hot-off-the-press recordings.
     b.  Donations from listeners, musical organizations, bands, etc.

2. Every CD that comes in gets previewed for quality and FCC compliance by yours truly.

3. CDs that pass the preview process get entered into the Music Database, receive a label and some colored library tape, and are put on the New Release shelf.  Everything else goes into "The Morgue" and are given away as premiums, volunteer thank-you's, etc.

4. CDs that make it through the preview process get sorted into two piles:

• Recordings that are NEWER THAN SIX MONTHS are classified as New Releases. Right now, any recording that were released after October 2011 are considered New Releases.  
• New Releases are assigned a Tracking Number (that little five-digit number I'm always bugging you about for your playlists) and go on the New Release shelves behind the DJ chair in the on-air studio.  
• Once a week, I compile a report of the number of new release tracks you all air on your shows and submit it to CMJ, the College Music Journal.  Music promoters can then log into CMJ, look at this report, decide what new recordings would fit with what we air here, and send us more music along those lines. 

• Recordings that are OLDER THAN SIX MONTHS but are still new to KRZA are NOT New Releases, and are therefore NOT assigned a Tracking Number.  
• KRZA doesn't have an elegant solution yet for what to do with these CDs.  However, we want YOU to know about them, so what we're doing right now is putting them on the New Release shelves, for lack of a better option. 
• "Stay tuned" for further developments on this front.  

The upshot of all of this information is:

If the CD in your hands is a New Release -- i.e., if it has a Tracking Number on it--please: 

• Check the "NEW" box in Spinitron
• Enter the Tracking Number in the "Song Note" field

If the CD in your hands is NOT a New Release:

• Leave the "NEW" box in Spinitron unchecked
• Leave the "Song Note" field blank

As always, if you're totally confused, don't hesitate to give me a jingle: 719-589-8844 or 1-800-290-0887 or shoot me an email at music@krza.org.  

Now, on to the fun stuff: 

CLASSICAL: Pertinent to the above ramblings, KRZA is a proud recipient of several CDs of classical music from Taos and Santa Fe!  Keep your eyes peeled in the Classical closet for recordings from Santa Fe Pro Musica and the Taos School of Music!

Thanks, everybody!  Until next week...

Music Director Notes 4-30-12: Picks of the Week

Hey, all!

No pressing studio news this week, so on to the fun stuff:

We had a nice haul of new releases this week.  Here are some of the highlights:

JAZZ:
Arturo Sandoval, native of Cuba, is a protege of Dizzy Gillespie, and it shows. Man, does this guy ever put out some serious noise.  You can check out his bio here: http://www.arturosandoval.com/artist.html.  And you can check out his latest CD, Dear Diz, right here at KRZA!

ROCK:
I put Norah Jones's latest album, Little Broken Hearts, in the "Rock" section, because it sounds more like the rock ballads that came out in the 50's than jazz or any other genre.  However, you can enjoy it during a variety of shows!

ECLECTIC: On the other hand, instead of putting Mickey Hart's new album, Mysterium Tremendum in the "Rock" section, where fans of the Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic would think it belongs, I put it in Eclectic.  This album crosses genres in sound...and does so quite well, I might add.  Enjoy!

More news next week.  In the meantime, have a great one!

Music Director Notes, 4-24-12: Playlist Sumbission

Howdy, all ~

YEAH!!

A Gold Star to the DJs on Wednesday April 18th for submitting ALL of their playlists, ON TIME, and IN SPINITRON!  Woo Hoo! 

A Silver Star to the DJs on Tuesday April 17th: only one paper playlist kept you from Gold Stardom!  

Way to go, folks! We're totally getting it!

LIBRARY NUMBERS:

There are two (2) or three (3) DJs who still don't quite get the library number thing.  I'll bet they don't read this blog.  BUT in case they do: 

My Dear DJs Who Are Using The Wrong Numbers On Your Playlists: Please see my last post on this blog.  There's a neato diagram and everything on where to find the library number and where to enter them in Spinitron.  Thanks.

EMPTY CD CASES:

We've had a little rash of empty CD cases of late, and I actually found a CD from the Alamosa Public Library in the preview station a few weeks ago.  Let me just remind you gently to be more mindful when putting away CDs after your show!

If anyone knows the whereabouts of the following disks, either put them on my desk upstairs or drop by the station during business hours and leave them on my desk with a note.  I'll reunite them with their cases and put them away:

• "Klezmer!  Jewish Music from Old World to Our World"
• Ruben Naranjo y los Gamblers: "El Mero, Si Senor"
• Arvil Bird, "Live Arvil"

NEW RELEASES

Finally caught up on previewing from the backlog left from the Spring Fund Drive and Sound Exchange reporting!  Woo hoo!  Here's the pick of the litter:

World Music: Amadou & Mariam Folila are known as "The Blind Couple of Mali", and they do upbeat, even rocked-out version of traditional music from Mali in at least three different languages.  Very cool!

Jazz: Man, oh, man, Hailey Niswanger can blow a serious sax of many sizes!  Like her CD title, she's "The Keeper"!

Rhythm and Blues/Soul: Okay, I'll admit that I associate this kind of instrumental retro-funk with Sesame Street, but definitely check out The Sugarman Three for your next mix-up show.  Good booty-shakin' jive!

Bluegrass: I am pleased to announce that KRZA is now the proud owner the latest Carolina Chocolate Drops album!  Booyah!  And also, if you feel like updating your bluegrass show a little, check out The Punch Brothers.  Hot, hot, hot!

Right-o, I think that's it!  As always, if you have a question or need some help, feel free to give me a shout: 589-8844 or 1-800-290-0887.

Thanks!

Music Director Notes 4-17-12: What Is A Tracking Number?

Greetings and Felicitations!  (Remember that Star Trek episode? Or am I dating myself again?)

Table of Contents:

SPINITRON

• New Release Numbers

• Uploading playlists from other programs

NEW MUSIC

SPINITRON
New Release numbers: Okay, there still seems to be some confusion as to what numbers to put where in Spinitron when doing the data entry.  Let's see if this blog will let me upload a screen shot...

Cool!  A little fuzzy, but you get the idea.  Learning new stuff every day...

So, here's the scoop.  When you play a track off of a new release CD (on the shelves behind the DJ's chair), in Spinitron, you need to:

(a) Check the NEW box.
(b) Type the KRZA library number into the "Song Note" field.

I know you can do this, because I do this every week for Swingtime in the Rockies.  And if I can do it, anybody can.

Remember, you can also upload a playlist from another program. Instructions -- including iTunes instructions -- can be found here: http://www.spinitron.com/user-guide/guide.php?p=import#playlists.  The field headings take a little finagling, but it's doable.  Stay tuned for more detailed instructions in upcoming blogs.


MUSIC

Okay, now on to the fun stuff.  I'm finally beginning to catch up on previewing, and here are a couple of CDs that stood out:

SOUL: If you looked up "Soul Music From the 70's", in the dictionary, there would be a picture of "The Right Now" in there, smiling and waving.  Awesome!

ECLECTIC/CLASSICAL: All right, video game junkies, this one's for you: the greatest video game music, including classics such as Tetris, Super Mario Brothers, and--yes--Angry Birds (my personal addiction) has now been immortalized by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. This will have your classical music listeners--at least the ones 50 and younger--cocking their heads and saying to themselves, "Hey, I KNOW that tune..."

Have fun!

Music Director Notes 4-10-12: Picks of the Week

Howdy, all!

Well, we survived yet another Fund Drive, and I want to thank all of you again for your hard work.  All in all, the KRZA staff thinks that this was the most smoothly-run drive ever (at least in our collective memory!) and we couldn't have done it without all of you!  You rock!

This will be short and sweet, since, now that Sound Exchange is done, I have a lot of previewing to catch up on!  :-)

NEW IN THE LIBRARY:

ECLECTIC: Montana Skies is a classical/rock crossover duo featuring cello and guitar.  If you love the 2Cellos CD,  you're going to dig these two!

ROCK: Freshkills sounds like David Bowie, the B52's, and the Cars all rolled into one.  Good, tight playing, great lyrics; just watch out for Track #3.

JAZZ: A KRZA fan donated a four-disk Quadromania compilation of Miles Davis.  In my experience, these collections have more than their fair share of bad takes by the great names--which is probably why this donor decided to unload it--but there are usually a few gems worth digging for.  And if you're looking for a particular song, it's almost guaranteed you'll be able to find it here, so it's an easy place to look for requests.

Thanks as always, folks, and we'll see you next week!

Music Director Notes 4-3-12: iTunes and Spinitron

Howdy, all ~

Due to the Fund Drive and Sound Exchange reporting, I'm way backed up on previewing new releases, so nothing new on that front yet.

In the meantime, here's some Spinitron stuff:

There are at least 32 shows per week that feature live music. For the week of March 26 to April 2, I only received 16 playlists!  

Folks, I REALLY need your playlists--Spinitron or paper-- before you leave the building at the end of your show.  Late (or nonexistent!) playlists are absolutely useless to me.

If you're having trouble with Spinitron, PLEASE either

• Call the on-call phone number or 
• Submit a paper playlist.  

I don't mean to sound alarmist, but the FCC can fine KRZA if we don't report all of the music that airs.  Those annoying playlists are one of the most important parts of your job here (aside from your showing up with your lovely voice and music).

Now, that said, here is some Spinitron stuff that has come up:

1. There is no need to keep track of your talking breaks to make the timing of your show exactly one hour long.  All the FCC is interested in is:

• the approximate time the song aired (between 11 AM and 12 PM, for instance), 
• the length of the song, 
• the name of the song, 
• the artist, 
• the album, 
• and the label. 

     Don't sweat the timing too much, or you'll drive yourself crazy.  And not turn in your playlist.

2. If you are using your computer, iPod, or other mp3 player and can't locate label information:

• GREAT place to look up label information: www.allmusic.com. 
• If you can't find the label, you can always type in "label unknown"

3. iTunes users: you can upload your playlist!  Instructions are here: http://www.spinitron.com/member/help_pop.php?hf=import_itunes.html.  Just be careful about your file headings; make sure they match the Spinitron headings.  Again, if you have any trouble, either call the on-call phone or submit a paper playlist.

Thanks everybody for your patience with this new system.  I know it seems persnickety and cumbersome right now, but in the long run, once we get everybody up to speed, it will allow you to make your playlist available to our listeners on the web...and make my job a heck of a lot easier (yeah, I'm selfish! :-)

Thanks, all!  You rock!