Ear Candy

After painstakingly listening to our local radio stations today I've come to one conclusionÉthe end is near!

After ten hours of turning nobs and dials I couldn't have been more depressed or jaded, the apocalypse is upon us. I really had no other choice, this conclusion was made after hours of trying to find a reason not to write thisÉI failed.

Our local radio market is primarily made up of the following, give or take a few.

2 - Country stations

2 - Classic rock stations

2 - Pop stations

2 - Christian stations

1 - Public radio station

1 - Talk radio station

1 - Sports talk station

This list is filled with diversity, giving the listeners of Cape a broad spectrum of music/radio programming to choose from. However, there is one genre that is not represented hereÉModern rock.

It is easy to scoff at the idea that we need a Modern rock station. What is Modern rock anyway? Simply put, Modern rock is new/popular rock music that is presently being played by musicians/artists on radio stations all across the world. The key word here being presently.

Over the last ten years Modern rock stations have popped up EVERYWHERE but here. They might guise themselves with key words such as "the cutting edge" or "new rock first" but they all have one thing in common, they are playing music by musicians that are relevant in today's music scene.

Cape Girardeau is a college town of approximately 40,000 people. Cape, the largest town between St. Louis and Memphis, is considered by most as the hub of the Heartland. These facts in themselves should give credence to the fact that Cape should have a Modern rock stationÉno luck.

I think you might be surprised at some of the "mainstream" artists that are being overlooked in our local radio community. Take the band Tonic for instance. The song "Knock Down Walls" off the new release "Sugar", climbed to #9 on the rock charts but was not even given a spin locally. Tonic's next release, "Mean to Me" is receiving heavy rotation on radio stations across the country. At this point I can only wonder, will you get to hear it?

This is not an isolated incident. I could name dozens of bands/songs that have received air-play elsewhere over the last few years but have not been given the light of day locally.

At the time of this writing, the following bands/songs were on Billboards Modern Rock Top 10, The Cure-"Maybe Someday" and Lit-"Miserable". These songs are being played over the airwaves in major markets across the nation. These two bands are by no means newcomers to the music industry and I can only wonder out loud why I haven't heard this tunes in Cape?

It would be easy to digress back to the stone-age and attribute demographics as the main culprit in the lack of new music to this area. But with the twenty-first century upon us, instant information has become the norm, not the exception and throwing buzz words around like "demographics" and "bible belt" are easily seen as excuses and not fact.

I bring this information to you not as an attack on our local radio stations but as a wake up call to our common senses.

Rock music is not dead. It's done what it has always done. It has changed, grown and evolved into what is now called "modern rock". Unfortunately it is being greatly misrepresented (if represented at all) in our town. Remember this simple equationÉfor rock music to become classic, it first has to be played today.

I'd like to know what you think. More new music? Everything is fine? I have no idea what I'm talking about? Whatever you think, drop me a line. You can email me at sweetearcandy@yahoo.com or send me your thoughts to P.O. BOX 699, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702 Attn. Ear Candy.

Artist - Lit

Title - A Place In The Sun

Label - RCA/1999

Teenage angst along with catchy, crunchy guitars and sawed-off harmonies is what Lit is all about.

After pushing college radio to the #1 spot with their first release, Tripping the Light Fantastic in 1997, Lit set their eyes on the next levelÉA Place In The Sun.

The first release off A Place In The Sun gave them just that. "My Own Worst Enemy" slammed the band into the national spotlight. With an infectious guitar lick that plays over and over in your head along with the fact that the chorus of this song makes up a piece of every body's life at one time or another, pushes "My Own worst Enemy" into power-pop heaven.

"Zip-Lock" continues down this sunny path of rambunctious jams. Turn it up, roll down the windows and smile wideÉthese are summer tunes regardless of the season.

"Miserable" slows things down a bit. With an edge so sharp it's liable to jump right out of the speakers and cut you. The greatest thing about this song is the play on wordsÉ"You make me comeÉYou make me completeÉYou make me completely miserable". With- out giving too much awayÉ"Miserable" is a song of love gone bad (duh).

Lit's second release pushes all the right buttons, not bad for a bunch of tattooed Gen Xers, only looking to have some fun. Fun is "A place In The Sun".

Rating - 4 out of 5

Artist - Tonic

Title - Sugar

Label - Universal/1999

Tonic formed in Los Angeles in 1994. The group won rock fans over with their first release in 1994, Lemon Parade. The album included the soaring pop-rock songs "Open Up Your Eyes" and "If You Could Only See". Lemon Parade, which sold more than 1 million copies and produced the most-played rock song on U.S. radio in 1997 ("If You Could Only See") gave them a strong foothold to work with on their follow up album.

Sugar starts up where Lemon Parade left offÉ ROCK'N! "You Wanted More", the song, which also appeared on the "American Pie" soundtrack and was a summer radio hit, starts with a heavy riff that rises into a bittersweet chorus, giving you an idea of things to come.

Without missing a beat "Knock Down Walls" knocks the rock right out of you! Grinding guitars, a thumping bass and pounding drums make "Knock Down Walls" the quintessential rock song.

"Mean to Me," a slow but angry arena-rock song, is receiving major air-play as you read this. Tasty slices of melodic guitar backed by surreal harmonies pushes this song to the forefront of what modern rock is all about, pure, genuine heartfelt energy.

I could go onÉsong after song, but you get the idea. Sugar is sweet as molasses. Pour it into your CD player and taste this Ear Candy.

Rating - 4 out of 5