Exploring My Love of Triple A Radio
The more I write about radio, the more I realize that I really am a Triple A radio lover at heart. They do play some stuff that I don’t listen to, especially the more classic rock side of the catalogue, but I do really love a lot of what plays on Triple A. In San Diego, we have a great Triple A station (KPRI) and even though Sophie (KCSF) is officially Hot AC, they have their own Triple A tendencies. There is definitely a crossover with the alt rock playlists, but I find that Triple A plays more stuff that I love than I hate. So let’s take a look, shall we? Here’s the current top 10 in Triple A:
1. Coldplay - Lost
2. Snow Patrol - Take Back The City
3. O.A.R. - Shattered (Turn The Car Around)
4. Eric Hutchinson - Rock and Roll
5. Ray LaMontagne - You Are The Best Thing
6. Pretenders - Boots of Chinese Plastic
7. Killers - Human
8. Beck - Orphans
9. Bret Dennen (feat. Femi Kuti) - Make You Crazy
10. Sara McLachlan - U Want Me 2
I look at the rest of the Triple A chart and see all sorts of stuff I listen to - Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams, Keane, Death Cab For Cutie, Augustana, Delta Spirit, Ben Folds/Regina Spektor. I don’t even mind the occasional John Mayer song. I can listen to a Triple A station anywhere in the country a lot longer than your average Alt Rock station. Yes, there are exceptions, but for the most part, I pretty much try to find the Triple A station or pray for satellite radio when I am travelling (though my fave XM stations were lost in the merge with Sirius. Boo.) Because what’s the alternative? Most of the time it’s a crappy CC alt/active rock station that I can listen to for about 20 minutes before they play something I totally hate. Speaking of alt rock, you know you’re curious about their top 10 - what exactly crosses over? So for comparison, here’s the Alt Rock Top 10:
1. Offspring - You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid
2. Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
3. Rise Against - Re-education Through Labor
4. Apocalyptica - I Don’t Care
5. Weezer - Troublemaker
6. Killers - Human
7. Shinedown - Second Chance
8. Metallica - The Day That Never Comes
9. Theory of a Deadman - Bad Girlfriend
10. Death Cab for Cutie - Cath
Um, yeah. I could go the rest of my life not ever hearing another Offspring and Metallica song and I would totally be okay. I’m also gonna complain about hearing the new Guns and Roses on alt rock radio. Not to mention crap like Mudvayne, Hoobastank and Linkin Park. (Though I do think Triple A played Linkin Park’s “Shadow of the Day”, which I will admit is tolerable only in that it sounds like bad U2.) Of course, there is plenty of alt rock that I still listen to. And I am always happily surprised when alt rock embraces something I would never guess would make it into mainstream radio programming (The Ting Tings at #38!) but that doesn’t really happen that often.
I guess my point here is that while my first love of radio was built upon a great alt rock station (XTRA in its heyday) and re-inforced by a renaissance in alt rock radio led by KBZT and Indie 103.1, I think lately my musical taste runs decidedly on the Triple A side. I’m definitely gonna need to work through that idea.
