December 11, 2009 (Playlist)

December 11, 2009 (Playlist):
"Our Thirty-Fourth Show: Semester Finale/2009 NMTMies!"

Favorite New Artist/Band Of The Year:
Passion Pit – The Reeling
The Drums – I Felt Stupid
Indie Rock Goddess:
St. Vincent – The Party
"Allen Reed Memorial Cover Of The Year":
The Books (Feat. José González) – Cello Song (Nick Drake Cover)
Jim Adair’s NMTM Lifetime Achievement Award:
Black Flag – Rise Above
"Punk Trunk!" Finale:
The Clash – Janie Jones
Favorite Song That Each Other Played On NMTM:
The Specials – Ghost Town
Discovery – Swing Tree
Favorite Unreleased Song:
Pela – Juarez
Favorite Pop/Dance Song:
Chromeo – Night By Night
Favorite Album Of The Year:
The Antlers – Sylvia
Neko Case – People Got A Lotta Nerve

Breakthrough Artist/Band:
Phoenix – 1901
Kings Of Leon – Notion
Favorite Live Show Of The Year:
Dead Man’s Bones – Pa Pa Power
Blink 182 – Reckless Abandon
Favorite Return To Form:
Cursive – From The Hips
Mike Pop’s Song Of The Semester:
Alice In Chains – The Rooster
Favorite Song Of The Year:
Yeasayer – Ambling Alp
“Mighty Might Boss-Tune”: Bruce Springsteen – Life Itself

Listener Of The Year:
Redneck Jeff

Thumbs-Down Awards
Worst Artist Of The Year: 3Oh3!
Worst Song Of The Year:
Black Eyed Peas – I Got A Feeling
Kelly Clarkson – My Life Would Suck Without You
Worst Person Of The Year:
Kanye West

Background music consisted of various songs by artists and bands that were played on our show throughout the semester.

2009, an epically awesome year, both in the world of alternative music and college radio. Yours truly and Jim Adair were proud to present the second annual NMTMies, honoring the best in alternative and indie rock in 2009. The planning of the show did take quiet a while, but it was totally worth it in the end. Some said it was our best show yet. We certainly got a dozen phone calls throughout the two hours. Thank you to everyone to tuned in, called us or IMed us. The show is nothing without the listeners and fans. Based on 2009 and snippets of what I've heard already, I expect 2010 to be just as awesome as 2009 was. We hope you've enjoyed the semester and get ready for our epic return in late January. Updates and our "Best Of" lists will all be up on the blog. Good luck on final exams, happy holidays, and we'll catch you in 2010 with more great sets. Thank you!

"If I don't see you, in a long, long while, I'll try to find you, Left of the Dial." - Paul Westerberg, The Replacements

St. Vincent - "The Party"


Chromeo - "Night By Night"


Bruce Springsteen - "Life Itself"

The Finale/NMTMies Are Tomorrow!

"Oh...a-my...gawd."

The grandest spectacle on college radio is coming to 88.3 FM KUR tomorrow night, and if you haven't heard already, it's hosted by yours truly, Mike Pop, and Jim Adair. Oh yes, the gruesome twosome of Never Mind the Mainstream will be hosting the second annual NMTMies, featuring the best of alternative music in the year 2009. We've got a star-studded line up of artists and bands receiving awards, along with our "thumbs-down awards", going out to undeniably the worst people who roamed our planet and made ear-bleeding, brain-hemorrhaging music/noise/rubbish in 2009. We'll have another shadower (crossing our fingers for Melissa, again) and we're taking calls and instant messages all show long. We love honoring those who contributed so much to the world of indie rock; and rest assured, our voting has been well thought out, debated on, and decided upon. The poster looks snazzy, we're wearing bow-ties, and it's going to be one of the greatest editions of our show. Please tune in, as we will be signing off until late January 2010. We'll be thanking all of you for supporting us throughout the semester, as you have in semesters past. We'll catch you tomorrow night for one helluva a finale!

Zero 7 - "End Theme"

Grammy Nominees Posted

The Grammy nominees for this year were posted last night on the show's web site. I guess you can say they're the 2010 Grammy's...even though the music was from 2009. Anyway, I'm rooting for all rock bands this year. Especially MGMT, Silversun Pickups, and of course, Bruce Springsteen. And say what you will, but I still support Coldplay and Kings Of Leon after their big releases. "I've never liked them". Oh bullshit. Here's the link for all the fields and categories. And there are plenty of them. Imogen Heap and Neko Case are also up for a few. One of them better walk away with the nod! Stereogum staffer Scott put it best when he said, "The 52nd annual event airs 1/31 on CBS and I gotta feeling that there will be a Michael Jackson tribute."

Michael Jackson - "Man In The Mirror"

Post-Turkey Weekend News/Hello December

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Weekend, because you know, like the turkey itself, the festivities last much longer than Thursday. It all pretty much goes down on Wednesday night (let's not go there for this blogger; I don't think I can show my face in Morristown, New Jersey again). Did any of you go shopping on Black Friday? I'm sure it must've been a zoo at Best Buy. Well, I hope you got the gifts you wanted for your family, friends, or yourself. I, on the other end, slept. And worked a few days, too. I'm thankful for much needed sleep, money for nothing, and new music. This leads perfectly into...

Spoon has a new record coming out. It's called Transference and it's due out in the middle of January (the 19th, to be exact, via Merge). It seems like we're giving up on December entirely and focusing on January here in the music community. But anyway, besides "Got Nuffin", which has been around since the summer and we played on the show, we're being treated to a new one. Unsure if this will be a single, but get a load of "Written In Reverse". People are saying its the kind of music you can expect at a bar. Really? "I don't know about that, Clark." But it is good. And just when you think it's over - surprise. It goes on.

Spoon - "Written In Reverse"

In more S-related news, The Strokes are coming back! "Gonna be a bright - bright - bright - sun shinin' day!" KUR's own Andy Pal would love to hear this. They are getting back into the swing of actually being with one another in January, for possible recordings and live shows. The big news is that they will be headlining England's Ise Of Wight Festival on June 12th. It'll be the first live show the band's done since October 2006 (if they don't play anywhere before then). That's a pretty distance away. But if they do get back into the studio sometime soon, I hope we hear something like this.

The Strokes - "Soma"

Finally, in NMTM news, the end is near, my friends. The show is coming to screeching halt in 2 weeks and we're preparing for it with our "best of" lists. We'll also throw together our NMTMies for this year, which, if you remember from last year's award show, it's a lot of fun. So keep it here for constant updates as 2009 packs up its bags and moves out of its parent's house.

"An Honor Just To Be Nominated"

That's the kind of thing a person or group says when they lose an award. Same can be said for yours truly and Jim Adair. Yesterday, at the 16th Annual Philadelphia AIR (Achievement In Radio) Awards in Philadelphia, Never Mind the Mainstream was beat out for Best On-Air Personalities. We did not get the nod we we're both aiming for. We lost to another show from Neumann University. "Neumann!!!"

All is fair. We have not heard this young lady's program, (which didn't even have a title in the pamphlet we got at the luncheon - weird) but we assume it must be pretty damn great, because we're confident in our show's standings and if we got beat, well then... yadda, yadda, yadda. The rest of the ceremony, which Jim can also claim, was really something. A lot of Philly radio legends were in the house, including soul pioneers Gamble & Huff, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The food was great and we got to meet a bunch of really great people in the biz (not to mention we rode in a limo - big shots over here). One DJ actually informed us about marijuana smoking areas around the Hilton Hotel, where the ceremony was held, and then invited us into his studio sometime. We like to think this special DJ, who shall remain nameless, was totally serious. So we'll be there. It was a good day.

Perhaps next year we'll have better fortune. Thank you to all those who supported us and continue to support us. "It's an honor just to be nominated". We love what we do and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Big ups.

Harold Melvin & The Blues Notes - "If You Don't Know Me By Now"

P.S. We were mentioned in Kutztown University's newspaper, The Keystone. Here's the article.

NMTM Nominated For AIR Award

That's right: Jim and I, with our show Never Mind the Mainstream, have been nominated for Best On-Air Personalities at the Philadelphia Achievement In Radio Awards (AIR Awards). That's a mouthful. But it is exciting. We'll be heading to the Hilton on City Avenue in Philly on November 5th for a banquet and some other award festivities. We're up against 3 other shows from 3 other schools, but we're optimistic. If you've listened to our show (which we hope you have), we're confident in our product being top dollar for college radio. When you're proud of your work, you're allowed to feel lucky. We'll cross our fingers and hope for the best.

We're not entirely sure what it means win this award at this event. Or what we'll win (if anything), but we're pumped to find out. We'll let all of you know how it goes. This nomination isn't just for us, but for all our listeners and supporters who make NMTM the mighty show it's become. Award or not, our goal remains simply this: to play the best alternative and indie rock on college radio.

For more information on The AIR Awards and it's work with The March Of Dimes, check out their website, here.

Paul Westerberg - "Left Of The Dial"

"2009 VMAs", Meet My Thoughts

I surprise myself. I didn't think I'd make it through the whole show. I thought my head would explode and you'd have to listen to our automation setting of jazz and oldies on KUR this fall. Somehow, I survived. And the awards show was interesting. We all secretly love a little drama, don't we? Here are my thoughts. I commented religiously during this extravaganza and here are my uncensored and rude remarks:

8:59 – Who’s this English VJ?

9:01 – Here we go. “Michael Jackson”. Okay already. Madonna, it’s about The King of Pop, not you.

9:02 – Nice cut to Pete Wentz falling asleep during Madonna’s speech.

9:04 – Once again, Madonna – this is not about you.

9:07 – Hey Jimmy Fallon’s here. Sweet cut to vintage MTV launch clip.

9:08 – MJ Tribute with a shit ton of dancers. Special effects on “Thriller” video look great.

9:11 – Crowd is going nuts for “Scream”. Holy shit here comes Janet. Is she lip-syncing?

9:12 – Cool dance number for Janet.

9:13 – Katy Perry is the sexiest woman alive. What’s up with Joe Perry’s white hair streak? They do “We Will Rock You”. Are they related? I’m just thinking about that now.

9:14 – Russel Brand is in the house.

9:16 – “This night is dedicated to great music videos.” Shouldn’t MTV always be dedicated to music videos? Kill me.

9:18 – This guy is getting no laughs.

9:19 – Lady Gaga scares the shit out of me.

9:21 – Pink’s still relevant? Will.I.Am’s singing.

9:22 – Shakira, at 38, is hot as hell. Their spiel is awkward.

9:23 – Lyrically, the worst written song I’ve heard all year: Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You”. Please let best female go to Katy or Taylor.

9:24 – Taylor is a deserving artist. She’s probably the most natural woman nominated. PA local (I hear she’s about 10 minutes from here).

9:25 – KANYE WTF ARE YOU DOING?!?

9:26 – HOLY SHIT. THIS AWARD SHOW JUST GOT MAD AWKWARD.

9:29 – The Buried Life looks cool.

9:33 – People on Twitter flipping a shit about Kanye.

9:34 – BEST ROCK VIDEO, HERE WE GO. Jack Black and Leighton Meester. She’s slammin’. Way to mention shitty bands, Leighton. Coldplay’s got this in the bag. I think.

9:36 – Kings are getting a great roar. Paramore makes me want to drown myself.

9:36 – Green Day wins it. “21 Guns”. I liked the video. I wonder if they still hate America. Fall Out Boy’s starting to cry.

9:37 – BILLLY JOE, YOU ARE REDEEMED FOR SAYING MTV SHOULD PLAY MORE VIDEOS.

9:38 – Hey, it’s the loser of the original Shot of Love with Tila Tequila. Taylor Swift’s in a subway, trying to get as far away from Kanye as possible. Feelings have been hurt.

9:40 – Taylor Swift is angelic. All the extras in this performance look nervous and awkward as hell. This performance is pretty cool, though.

9:42 – Holy shit, their playing Major Lazer.

9:47 – So glad 3Oh!3 weren't at the Warped Tour is Oceanport this summer. Pete Wentz and dude from Cobra Starship just made out backstage.

9:49 – Lady Gaga? What the hell is this.

9:52 – I heard somewhere that Lady Gaga is a beast on the piano. Why wouldn’t she exploit that?

9:53 – We’re back to Will.I.Am., and what’s he doing to “Viva La Vida”?

9:56 – I’ve always been a fan of the 5 Gum commercials.

9:58 – Daughtry’s coming to the Sovereign Center in Philly. I will not be attending.

9:59 – For shitty nominees, text MTVBLOWS to…whatever.

10:00 – Lady Gaga is sitting down now, covered in a cherry Fruit Roll-Up.

10:02 – The Hills makes me want to die.

10:03 – Best Pop Video. I hope Cobra wins. That song is addicting. Nelly Furtado, shut the hell up with your Spanish.

10:04 – I thought Britney Spears died. Megan Fox reminds me of Jennifer Connolly in Career Opportunities. Remember The Clash? My mind wanders…

10:05 – Green Day’s on the stage now. Are they going to burn an American flag?

10:08 – I remember when Green Day didn’t wear eyeliner.

10:09 – Good luck singing with a bunch of idiots in your face. All I can hear is “OMG I LOVE YOU.”

10:13 – I need a beer.

10:15 – Can they stop doing Real World challenges? What’s the music concept?

10:16 – Twilight preview? Vampires? This sucks. Get it?

10:20 – Ne-Yo and some dude from Gossip Girl introduce Beyonce. Awkward intro.

10:21 – See, this is how a female pop artist should dress. Gaga, take notes. Beyonce is classy and sexy.

10:24 – Can she sing Sweet Dream instead?

10:27 – Announcer says Muse, “the band everyone will be talking about tomorrow”. Ha.

10:31 – Puffy! People boo Kanye’s name, chant Taylor’s.

10:32 – Best Male Video. God Eminem is so lame. I hope Jay-Z gets it. T.I. wins.

10:34 – Guy from 300 introduces Muse. Here’s some justice. Their playing “Uprising”.

10:37 – The crowd over there loves it. As they should.

10:40 – Great performance. We’re treated to more Tracy Morgan and Em trying to get people to text their votes for Best New Artist. Surprise cameo by Cyndi Lauper. Who remembers when Tom Green did this back in the day? Hysterical.

10:47 – What the hell is on the dude from All American Rejects’ chest? J-Lo is still alive.

10:48 – Best Hip Hop Video. “Love Lockdown” was actually a good music video. I don’t care who wins, just no Em, please. Or Asher Roth. I heard he was the biggest loser in West Chester.

10:49 – Shit. Slim takes the moon man. He looks like Sinead O’Connor right now. He shows signs of maturity on stage. Maybe I got this guy all wrong. …Don’t think so.

10:51 – Overall, horrible production quality of this show. DJ AM is remembered.

10:55 – Where The Wild Things Are trailer is played in the commercials. Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” seems fitting.

10:59 – Lady Gaga wins the Best New Artist Award. God, she’s creepy.

11:00 – Pink hits the stage. I think I’m going to go to the bathroom.

11:03 – Didn’t someone else wear a tassel like this at the VMA’s a few years ago? I remember it being very awkward. For the love of Christ, she’s on a trapeze.

11:11 – I’ll make a wish: I wish Kanye West gets his ass kicked.

11:12 – Fallon and Sandberg love Boyz II Men. Video Of The Year is up now. Here’s the big one.

11:13 – Beyonce wins it for “Single Ladies”. Happy Kanye?

11:14 – SHE INVITES TAYLOR OUT! OH THE HOOPLA! Now “she gets her moment”. They’re both in red. Gaga is shown with a nest around her face.

11:15 – Taylor took this whole thing in stride. But even Beyonce knows what Kanye did was so dick.

11:22 – Jay-Z arrives. Alicia Keys will be performing with him. Brand calls him the “mayor of New York”. I liked Alicia Keys in the Common music video for “I Want You”. My mind is wandering again.

11:26 – This is a big pro-NYC performance.

11:29 – What is this, a MJ movie preview? I think everyone at this show owes a huge debt to The King of Pop for paving the way. Oh, Michael Jackson’s This Is It.

11:31 – Brand says peace and we are done.

Overall – it was a typical MTV awards show in the later 00s. Take that as you will. Music videos are dead. Kanye West sucks. Goodnight.

UPDATE: That guy I said was "Will.I.Am.", is actually some guy named Wale. My bad. Also Kanye apologized to the world for what he did, but that still doesn't redeem himself.

The Only VMA's Worth Caring About

This post comes hours after praising MTV's earlier days. The nominees for the 2009 Music Video Awards were announced earlier this week, and as predicted, it's mostly all a disgrace. I can name a handful of these artists that merely stole riffs and beats from classic songs and sprinkled their own unpoetical trash on top of it, with help from their millionaire producers, of course. What a joke. These are why are kids are failing out of schools; not because of poor family lives or video games, but because they are witnessing the world's worst music on mainstream MTV, sending the majority of society back thousands of years. Okay - enough.

We're not going to go into "Video Of The Year", "Best Hip-Hop Video", and that other shit. You'll just want to gouge your eyes out in shame. So here are the ones we actually care about:

"Best Rock Video"

Coldplay - "Viva La Vida"
Fall Out Boy - "I Don't Care"
Green Day - "21 Guns"
Kings Of Leon - "Use Somebody"
Paramore - "Decode"

Wouldn't it be sick to see Kings win this one? They won't. Not by a long shot. Other losers: Paramore was last year's flavor and they wrote this tune for a movie, so instant "No" for that video. Fall Out Boy didn't make enough of a splash this year. Coldplay received enough Grammy's to hold them over. Truth is, MTV loves Green Day too much. My guess is those whiny Anti-Americans steal this one and further push teenagers into cliche anarchy in the "punk rock" genre of the late 00's.

Kings Of Leon - "Use Somebody"

Kings Of Leon - New Music - More Music Videos

"Breakthrough Video"

Anjulie - "Boom"
Bat For Lashes - "Daniel"
Chairlift - "Evident Utensil"
Cold War Kids - "I've Seen Enough"
Death Cab For Cutie - "Grapevine Fires"
Gnarls Barkley - "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"
Major Lazer - "Hold The Line"
Mat And Kim - "Lessons Learned"
Passion Pit - "The Reeling"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Heads Will Roll"

This is an exciting one .Okay, so the VMA's are all about "music videos" - correct? Okay, well in this case, I'm rooting for Bat For Lashes, Death Cab For Cutie, or Major Lazer. All really terrific videos, especially the animated ones. But then again, I wouldn't be sad if any of these groups walked away with the moonman. This is obviously what's become of the old "MTV2 Award" and it should go to an alternative act (who remembers the "Best Alternative Video" category in the early 90's?). If I have to choose one, my money's going on Gnarls Barkley.

Gnarls Barkley - "Who's Gonna Save My Soul"

Gnarls Barkley - New Music - More Music Videos

"Best Video (That Should Have Won A Moonman)"

Beastie Boys - "Sabotage"
Björk - "Human Behaviour"
David Lee Roth - "California Girls"
Dr. Dre - "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang"
Foo Fighters - "Everlong"
George Michael - "Freedom"
OK Go - "Here It Goes Again"
Radiohead - "Karma Police"
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - "Into The Great Wide Open"
U2 - "Where The Streets Have No Name"

I dig this category. Every year they come up with another absurd award and this year, it's this nostalgia-redemption one. My vote: Radiohead, Radiohead, Radiohead... or Beastie Boys. The video for "Karma Police" is masterful, but the video for "Sabotage" is such a classic. If neither can't have it, then I say give it to Foo Fighters, Tom Petty, or U2. All these videos are great, I just believe that some are better than others. Ultimately, Radiohead has a history of being robbed, so they deserve this. We'll see how it plays out.

Beastie Boys - "Sabotage"

Beastie Boys - New Music - More Music Videos

Get well soon, MCA. We missed you at All Points West.

What are your thoughts? For the complete list of nominees in each category, check out the VMA website here. And be sure to get ready to vomit when English prick Russel Brand hosts the 25th Annual MTV Video Music Awards, live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, September 13th. I'll watching it with a bucket and a bottle of ipecac.

ROBBED!

Hurts - don't it?

Man... thank God this blog is about alternative music and not about the 81st Academy Awards sucking big time. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE YEAR OF THE UNDERDOG! THE COMEBACK! NOT THE SLUM-DOG! Christ. Well... a squeal, Randy?

2 AM (Now Almost 3) "Futhermore...":

Uh...What???

"The Brit Awards". Oh nine. Well, at least Kings of Leon won something. After all the overly-flamboyant outfits were worn and the slaughtered English language dribbled out of a bunch of proper bloakes' pie-holes, all that remained were the results. Check them out at Stereogum.

*I like to think our blog is just an annoying shortcut icon to a much larger being.

Mike Pop's Take On The Gram-Grams

You would win a lot, wouldn't you?

*SPOILER ALERT: I get angry.
And I'm just doing a Top 10 moment-thingy.

UPDATE!: Okay, here we go.

10. Big thanks to Stevie Wonder for babysitting the Jonas Brothers. Sucks, but someone had to do it. I'm thrilled that they walked away with nothing.

9. The "Hip-Hop Summit". 4 of the best rappers today: Kanye West, T.I., Jay-Z, & Lil Wayne. All big egos, all decent rhymes. Respect for the godfathers and pioneers? For some, but not for all.

8. Carrie Underwood is incredibly hot and her dress was semi-see-through. Country music isn't really my bag, but she sure is. Her performance was good and I'm sure it made a bunch of hick girls very proud.

7. Zoey Deschanel introduces Alison Krauss & Robert Plant at the Grammy's? Why? She's cute, but she's taken, sadly. Ben Gibbard, for the great dude that you are, why couldn't you have remained chunky?

6. M.I.A.: Comic relief.

5. I learned that Taylor Swift is 19. Perfectly legal. Perfectly lethal.

4. Alison Krause & Robert Plant won EVERYTHING. The dude from Led Zep? The girl's attractive and I like to see old people win. That's why I love the Price Is Right (never miss an episode). Is this the year of the comeback? Mickey Rourke and now Robert Plant? Just you wait, Michael Jackson. Just keep away from the kids and stick to pop music. King of Pop? Dethroned. Take over from Lil Wayne. Yes, hip hop is pop now.

3. Radiohead (well, Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood) perform with the USC marching band. Shit, if I had known being a band geek would pay off this way, I wouldn't have given up the saxophone. Twice. Best performance of the night. Hands down.

2. (Look at Jim's post, the one previous to mine. A lot of non-televised awards went out to great artists. Way to go, Bruce! Justice! Kings Of Leon! Radiohead! ... And Tom Petty? Well, uh, okay! Although, Colbert losing for Best Spoken Word is a heartbreaker. "GORE!!!")

1. Lastly, none of the horrible bands/artists won! THE GRAMMY'S WERE NOT ABOUT WHO WON, BUT ABOUT WHO DIDN'T WIN! THANK GOD THE JONAS BROTHERS LOST. AS DID RIHANNA. SAME GOES FOR T.I. & LIL WAYNE (I think he only won Best Hip Hop Record). So Krauss & Plant stole the show. They also preformed like, a million and a half times. I'm happy for them, but the song, "Please Read The Letter"? Mediocre at best. Sorry, but see, this is why I'm not a critic. Yet. SPOILER ALERT: I don't become a critic/taken seriously on any level of professionalism.

"Don't worry, folks, we'll put out another shitty, Anti-American record for all the teenagers to buy next year. Keep your eyes on us.
Love, the Q-Tips."

Okay, so there you have it. Most of the performances were good, the awards went so-so, and as predicted, Radiohead got robbed. Friend of the blog, John Mayer, picked up Best Male Vocals in a Song (your welcome for the NMTM Bump, sir). Whitney Houston looked drugged up as any other day. The Rock needs to go back to wrestling. Katy Perry's performance was God-awful but her eyes are big ... you'll get it later. Also, Kanye's new hair looks like Eddie Winslow with a half mullet. Just not good. At all. The awards weren't as good as last years, but hey, we're in a recession. Not just in the economy, but in almost all aspects of life. Roll with it people. Next year: better. I hope.

There, There, Radiohead. Let's hope for a better turn out with the next record.

Winners Worth Mentioning...

So the Grammy's last night were, well, kinda lame. The nights highlight Radiohead (Thom and Johnny at least) playing "15 Step" with the USC Trojans Marching Band. Also, Thom Yorke put on a clinic with those dance moves. But while Lil' Wayne won an award that Lupe Fiasco should've won (yes, I said it) here are the winners worth mentioning...

• Best Rock Song: Bruce Springsteen, "Girls In Their Summer Clothes"
• Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Kings Of Leon, "Sex On Fire"
• Best Alternative Music Album: Radiohead, In Rainbows
• Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Estelle Featuring Kanye West, "American Boy"
• Best Short Form Music Video: Weezer, "Pork And Beans"
• Best Long Form Music Video: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, "Runnin' Down A Dream" ???????
• Best Electronic/Dance Album: Daft Punk, Alive 2007
• Best Dance Recording: Daft Punk, "Harder Better Faster Stronger"
• Best Musical Album for Children: They Might Be Giants, Here Come The 123s
• Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: MGMT, "Electric Feel," Justice Remix (Justice, remixers)
• Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: In Rainbows
• Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: James Newton Howard And Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight
• Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: Juno

Note: As far as I know, none of these awards were televised. Yay America!

DANCE THOM! DANCE!

December 5, 2008 (Playlist)

December 5, 2008 (Playlist):
“Our Twelfth Show: Never Mind the Mainstream Finale/NMTMies!”

Best New Artist Of The Year:
Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance
Bon Iver – Flume

Best Vintage Artist Of The Year:
The Replacements – I Will Dare
Black Flag – TV Party

Saddest Song Of The Year:
Death Cab For Cutie – Your New Twin Sized Bed

Greatest Beard Of The Year:
Pattern Is Movement – Right Away

Best Live Show Of The Year:
Bloc Party – The Once And Future King
Cold War Kids – Hospital Beds

Best Video Of The Year:
MGMT – Electric Feel
Chad VanGaalen – Molten Light

Best Song That Each Other Played On NMTM:
Beck – Gamma Ray
Crystal Castles – Crimewave

The Allen Reed Memorial Cover Song Of The Year:
Miracle Legion – Academy Fight Song (Mission Of Burma Cover)

Best Album Cover Of The Year:
Sigur Rós – Gobbledigook

Best Album Of The Year:
Tokyo Police Club – Graves
The Hold Steady – Slapped Actress

Best Artist Of The Year:
Radiohead – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Radiohead – Bangers And Mash

Best Song Of The Year:
Bloc Party – Signs
M83 – Kim & Jesse

Jim Adair’s NMTM Lifetime Achievement Award:
The Smiths – William, It Was Really Nothing

Mike Pop’s Song Of The Semester:
R.E.M. – Belong

*Listener Of The Year:
Dr. Mike Freem

**Thumbs-Down Awards:
Worst Album Of The Year: Weezer’s “Red Album”
Worst Artist Of The Year: Shwayze
Worst Song Of The Year: Metro Station – Shake It
Worst Person Of The Year: Pete Wentz

***Background music consisted of various songs by artists and bands that were played on our show throughout the semester. All good things must come to end, I suppose. For this semester, Never Mind the Mainstream is kaput. However, we'll be back in late January with new music and more of the same NMTM you've grown to know and love. Jim and I would like to thank every single person individually, however, that would take a very long time and we tire easily. Nevertheless, thank you to all who tuned in last night and throughout the entire semester. We got so many calls and messages from all of you - we are truly thankful. We hope you had as much fun tuning in/calling in/dancing/etc. to the show as we did making it. On another note, this was our awards show. We had such a great time doing it that we went into hour three! We finished about a half hour over our time was up, but it's all good. What a show. What a semester. Enjoy the music. Enjoy the memories. Enjoy your winter break. Good luck on finals. And lastly, we'll see you "Left of the Dial"! THANK YOU!

M83 - Kim & Jesse


The Smiths - William, It Was Really Nothing (Live)

R.E.M. - Belong (Live & Unplugged)



Peace be with you.

IS THIS IT? YES. THE FINALE!

The be all to end all is tonight, people:
The Never Mind the Mainstream Finale.

We're giving out some sick awards in music categories, among many other interesting honors (The first annual NMTMies!). We're playing the best, the latest, the greatest, and EVERYTHING under the sky so blue. If you've been holding back, now is the time to start listening and experience this biblical event that is college alternative rock radio.

TONIGHT! 6-8 PM! Call in at (610)-683-4058 or IM us on KURRequest - we'd love to hear from our listeners. Catch you then. Remember: this is it! Thank you!

MTV's 25th Video Music Awards: The Collapse Of Mankind

I'm debating whether or not I want to get into this, but whatever, here it goes. Britney Spears: train wreck, worst mother in modern times, Satan, whatever - took home 3 awards. It's obvious that MTV wants to resurrect her (or just bring her up only to have her come crashing down - again). Regardless, her music is ass and I'm surprised she's still alive.

Other categories, let's see. Tokio Hotel (sp?)? The lead singer looks like a chick, sounds like a chick, hair looks like an explosion. Another pop-punk band that ruins good labels and further brings about the Apocalypse. They won Best New Artist. Good God.

Russell Brand was host. Very British. American audiences didn't get him. It's cool, he's British. His whole angle was being outlandish to us. I think he did his job.

I didn't really watch the whole thing, but I heard Lil' Wayne put on a good show. Maybe I'll catch it sometime soon. I mean, MTV will only play it 50 more times within the next 2 weeks or so (they could be playing "Music Videos"...).

What a joke. This makes me want to puke. I'm surprised I didn't talk about the Jonas Brothers. ...Too easy.

Stereogum does a good job of pointing out some awards given to good bands (Death Cab For Cutie, Gnarls Barkley, The White Stripes) in a post last week. Check it out here.

I'm going to go watch clips of early 90's performances at the VMA's and cry. Later.

P.S. In 1991, R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" won Video of the Year. In 1993, Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" won the prestigious one, too. Fast forward: Britney Spears wins it in 2008 with "Piece of Me". ... I am looking forward to the end of time in 2012.

P.P.S. I will not bold shitty artists. They do not deserve it. Even on a cheap college blog.