3rd XM Bootcamp

Two XM Music Programs That I Like!

2006-08-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

I am going to talk about two programs on XM that I have been enjoying. Both are on Deep Tracks, XM 40.

The first one is Buried Treasure, which is hosted by Tom Petty and is heard Monday mornings at 10:00 ET. This hour long show features a mix of rock & roll, classic R&B and even blues music. The emphasis is on rarely heard songs by well-known acts such as the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, Muddy Waters and many others. It's a great blend of music; Tom Petty does a good job providing which songs to play. As far as him being a DJ, he's okay. He is kind of non-polished (which, actually, I like). He does do some silly "bits" regarding the studio where he does this program. During his talking about the studio, I do get the sense that he has some grumblings with XM. Overall, I really like this show.

The other program is Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by Bob Dylan. It is on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 ET. Unlike Tom Petty's show, each program is dedicated to a certain theme. One week all the songs were about baseball, another week it was about coffee, and this past week it was about dogs. When the show began it featured mainly obscure songs but I have noticed more familiar songs getting played, yet obscure songs are still being played. I find Bob Dylan's DJ work to be pretty cool. He is doing it kind of tongue-in-cheek - which, if you think about it, fits Bob Dylan quite nicely. He seems to be very comfortable behind the microphone and he seems to be enjoying doing this program. Who knew Bob Dylan had skill in radio broadcasting?

Both of these shows are well worth checking out. It's programs like these that make XM radio to the power of X!

Random Talk About XM

2006-08-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been some time since I last posted. Did ya'll miss me? :)

Anyway, there are a few things I wanted to mention regarding XM. First off, the old American Top 40 countdown with Casey Kasem is back on XM! Both the 70's and 80's channels had a Casey Kasem marathon this past weekend. It was good to hear Casey again. I listened mainly to the 70's countdown shows. I heard some songs I had not heard in some time and some I never heard before. These countdowns are now heard 2 times a week. I know the Wednesday countdown is on the 70's channel at 10:00 PM ET. I checked it out last night but it was one of the countdowns from the marathon - couldn't they have played one that had not been played this past weekend? I hope that some "new" ones start playing within these next few weeks.

XM apparantly switched back to the "Beyond AM...Beyond FM...XM" slogan instead of that horrible "Listen Large". I hated the latter because it made it gave the imppression that XM cares more for quantity than quality; plus, it makes NO sense. How can "large" have a sound? I'm glad XM realized that their new slogan stunk.

I have been listening to a lot of Broadminded, a show on Take Five, XM 155. It features three women - Molly, Christine and Sherry. It's not your typical talk radio and it can be very funny and off the cuff. It's fun hearing them trash talk celebrities and discuss what's happening in their lives. It's on weekdays from 5:00-8:00 PM ET.

I'll try to post again when I get a chance. Sorry it's been so long!

Day 106:Laugh USA - XM 151

2006-05-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

The final day of the XM Bootcamp is Laugh USA, another comedy channel on XM.

Unlike XM Comedy, Laugh USA is more family-friendly comedy. You won't hear any harsh profanity or graphic sexual terms here. What you will hear is a bunch of comedy bits from albums from years ago through recent years. I don't believe there are any weekly programs on this channel. I don't think it has an on-air host either.

I only listened for a brief bit. There are some funny material to be heard (I kind of enjoyed listening to the old Vaughn Meader recordings which spoofed the Kennedy family) but I'm not a big fan of comedy, mainly because of hearing the audience laughing. So I pretty much just skimmed Laugh USA.

Wow...the Bootcamp is over. It started the day after Labor Day of last year and lasted all the way through today (with a break between Thanksgiving and early January). It was fun but I am happy that it is over.

Will I take part in another Bootcamp? I probably will, but I won't write about it. I have pretty much said what I wanted to say and I'd prefer just to listen.

For anybody reading this blog, I do apologize if the writing was not up to great standards. I'm not a professional writer and I'll admit my blog entries have been kind of dull.

I'll try and make some more blog postings in the future. I'm sure I'll have something to talk about regarding XM. Until I do, take care!

Day 105:XM Hitlist - XM 30

2006-05-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp's final visit to the Hits channels and the final visit to the music channels is XM Hitlist.

This is one of the newer channels on XM. XM Hitlist is similiar to KISS. It plays the hottest music of today as well as some older tracks. Unlike KISS, it does have live DJ's. It has two - Michelle and Priestly, both who used to be on the 90's channel (and Michelle also used to be on Top 20 on 20).

Some of the songs I heard were "Rompe" by Daddy Yankee, "Single" by Natasha Bedingfield, "Lose Control" by Missy Elliot w. Ciara, "Savin' Me" by Nickleback, "Waiting for Tonight" by Jennifer Lopez, "For You I Will (Confidence)" by Teddy Geiger, "Buttons" by the Pussycat Dolls w. Snoop Dogg and "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I have been a huge critic of KISS and of XM regarding Hits programming. They have taken a step in the right direction with having live DJ's. However, I'm not sure if XM Hitlist is better than KISS. It doesn't seem to play any interesting older songs. I feel that this channel is okay but should be better. I guess I should not be surprised that I'm not too impressed with XM Hitlist. Hits programmming has always suffered with XM. I understand that repetition is a key factor in this type of radio format but this channel should be playing more older songs instead of the same ones. It's OK to listen to in small doses but XM Hitlist is pretty bland.

Day 104:XM Classics - XM 110

2006-05-24T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Bootcamp's final visit to the Classical channels is with XM Classics.

This is where you can hear a variety of classical pieces, from well known composers to more obscure ones. You'll hear complete classical pieces with information of the songs in between songs. It has 2 DJ's that I know of, Martin Goldsmith (the Program Director) and Paul Bachhman.

I won't be listing any of the songs I heard because, since the songs were so long, I'd only be able to list a few. I did hear a piece by Shubert.

I do not know a lot about classical music. I have to kind of be in the mood to listen to this type of music. But I feel that XM Classics is a great channel. XM, I feel, does a great job with this music and XM Classics is probably the best of them.

Day 103:Lucy - XM 54

2006-05-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

On the final week of the XM Bootcamp (it seems like the Bootcamp has been going on forever!), we visit the Rock channels for the final time with Lucy.

Lucy is an all-hits Alternative rock channel. It covers the big alternative hits. Lately it seems to be covering more new songs but there's still 80's and 90's music being played. There are no DJ's or weekly shows but it does feature some cool yet nonsensical sweepers.

Some of the songs I heard were "Kite" by Nick Heyward, "I Don't Know Why" by House of Love, "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears, "Absolutely (Story of a Girl)" by Nine Days, "Would?" by Alice in Chains, "Work" by Jimmy Eat World, "This Charming Man" by the Smiths and "Sex Type Thing" by Stone Temple Pilots.

I heard that Lucy isn't as good as it used to be now that it is focusing more on newer songs. As I have not listened to Lucy in quite some time, I don't really know if it has gotten worse. It still seems to be a cool hits Alternative channel. While I don't think XM's alternative channels are as good as they were two years ago I still think XM does well when it comes to alternative rock. Lucy is one of the examples of that.

Day 102:E! - XM 162

2006-05-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

Returning to the Talk & Entertainment channels for (I believe) the final time, the XM Bootcamp visits E!

E! is pretty much the same as the cable channel by the same name. This covers Hollywood gossip and stories of celebrities. So if you are interested in this type of programming then E! is perfect for you.

Here's the problem I have with E!...it features mainly programming meant for TV. I do not TV rebroadcasts on the radio. I have cable TV; if I want to listen to E!, I'll watch it rather than hear it. I feel that E! on XM is a waste of bandwidth and it should be dropped in the future. I'm not that crazy about it and usually only tune in during the Bootcamp. If it left XM tomorrow I would not miss it.

Day 101:enLighten - XM 34

2006-05-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp's final visit to the Christian channels is one that debuted recently, enLighten.

This is a southern gospel channel and has been a good addition to XM Radio (it was already part of XM's On-Line service as well as on Direct TV). This is Christian music with a country sound. I'm not sure if there is a DJ...I did a guy announce the e-mail address and phone number. I'm sure there will be a DJ or more in the future.

Some of the songs I heard were "No Wonder I'm so Happy" by the Southern Brothers, "Roll Away" by Legacy Five, "My Past Has Passed" by the Kingsmen, "He Touched Me" by Backwood Quartet, "Soon We Will See" by Greater Vision, "Had it Not Been" by Kevin Spencer, "He Saw it All" by the Booth Brothers and "When He Chose Me" by 2nd Generation.

I'll be checking this channel out from time to time. I think it's great that XM now has a southern gospel channel. It would be nice if The Torch could return to the satellites, which would give XM 4 Christian music channels. enLighten has a lot of promise and I think it will live up to those promises.

Day 100:Ethel - XM 47

2006-05-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

The Bootcamp returns to the Rock channels with Ethel.

Ethel is a modern alternative rock channel. It plays the hottest alternative rock and it also plays songs from the 90's and the early 2000's. It has 2 DJ's that I know of. As far as weekly programs, I believe it has at least one but I'm not sure what they are.

Some of the songs I heard were "Bones" by Radiohead, "Swallowed" by Bush, "Verse Chorus Verse" by Nirvana, "Car Song" by Elastica, "Down" by 311, "Tear You Apart" by She Wants Revenge, "Ball and Biscuit" by the White Stripes and "I Hate My Generation" by Cracker.

Ethel has gone through many changes within the past year. It was recently a mix of the hottest alternative rock with older songs and some indie rock thrown in. It was known by many as a great alternative rock channel. Then a new Program Director came in (his name is Steve Kingston) and turned it into nearly a FM alternative rock station. Many people complained and the channel has now turned into a more deeper alternative rock channel. But it seems to have lost its focus. Steve Kingston is not the right Program Director for Ethel. I'll be checking out Ethel more and see if I enjoy it on a more regular basis. As far as I can tell, Ethel is good but not as good as it was last year. What a pity.

Day 99:The Move - XM 80

2006-05-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Making a final visit to the Dance channels, the XM Bootcamp visits The Move.

The Move was known as an underground dance channel but is now being billed as House and Progressive. As far as I know the format hasn't changed much, if it changes at all. Maybe it plays more well known songs now but I still think the focus is on my rarely heard dance music. There are plenty of remix programs but since I'm not that familiar with The Move, I don't know what they are.

Earlier I heard "Def Mix" by David Morales, which featured many different songs. I also heard "V Gets Jazzy" by Louie Vega/Mr. V and "El Tambor" by Osulande, among a few others.

The Move is not a channel I listen to very often. I have to be in the mood to listen to dance music. I do think The Move is cool though. What I like about it is that the music hardly ever stops, which is what a dance channel should be like. You most likely find a dance channel like this on FM (and you probably won't find a dance channel period). It's just one of the many channels that makes XM special.

Day 98:The Message - XM 32

2006-05-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

Returning to the Christian channels for a final time, the XM Bootcamp visits The Message.

The Message is actually the same channel as the name it used to be known as (The Fish), with a bit more Christian uptempo or rock music. As I don't usually listen to this channel it is hard for me to say if it is better or worse than The Fish. There are no DJ's or weekly shows that I know of.

Some of the songs I heard were "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline, "River" by Out of Eden, "Love Won't Leave You" by Avalon, "Sounds of Heaven" by Kathy Troccoli, "Into Jesus" by DC Talk, "Right Here" by Jeremy Camp, "You Are the Sun" by Sara Graves and "Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris.

I don't have a lot to say about The Message. It's a pleasant Christian pop/rock channel. The sweepers are kind of boring and a DJ or more would be a big help. I wish that The Torch was still on XM Radio, as that was my favorite Christian channel on XM. Hopefully it can come back one day, as The Message is just not the best substitute.

Day 97:Hank's Place - XM 13

2006-05-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp makes its final visit to the Country channels with Hank's Place.

Hank's Place is where you can listen to the early country music, mainly from the 60's through even the 80's. It plays both the big country hits as well as flip sides and album cuts. The sweepers and the DJ's give you the impression that you are located in some old country bar. This is the place to hear REAL country music, not the watered down "country music" that gets played today.

Some of the songs I heard were "It's Me Again Margaret" by Ray Stevens, "Warmth of the Wine" by Johnny Bush, "Big Iron" by Marty Robbins, "Congratulations, You're Absoultely Right" by Tony Booth, "Daddy Sang Bass" by Johnny Cash, "Tiger Woman" by Claude King, "On the Other Hand" by Randy Travis and "Sally Was a Good 'Ole Girl" by Buck Owens.

Though there are a bit too many sweepers that get played, it's hard to find fault with Hank's Place. It is what it claims to be...a channel playing many great classic country songs with the atmosphere of a honky-tonk. I check out Hank's Place from time to time to experience the real country music.

Day 96:Viva - XM 91

2006-05-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

Making a final visit to the Latin channels, the XM Bootcamp stops at a new channel called Viva.

Viva is a Latin pop channel, something that has been missing on XM Radio for some time (ever since Caricia left the satellites). I'm not sure how different Viva is to Caricia. Viva is the channel to hear a lot of Latin ballads as well as more uptempo music. I guess it can be compared to something like The Blend or The Heart. There are no DJ's; I'm not sure if there will be any in the future.

Some of the songs I heard were "Que Me Alcance" by Sin Bandera, "Me Voy" by Julieta Venegas, "Solo En Ti" by Enrique Iglesias, "Dia De Enero" by Shakira, "4:30 AM" by Obie Bermudez, "Una Confusion" by Lu, "Lo Que Me Gusta" by Juanes and "Si Te Perdiera" by Luis Miguel.

It's nice that there is a Latin pop channel back on XM but I hate that a cool Latin jazz channel, Luna, had to replace it. The sweepers on Luna are pretty bad though. Many XM channels have poor sweepers...you would think XM could do a better job making them sound good. I'm not sure if Viva is a good channel. Better sweepers and a DJ or two would improve things for sure. Still, Viva is fine for when you want to hear some Latin pop.

Day 95:The Verge - XM 52

2006-05-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

Returning back to the Rock channels, the XM Bootcamp visits The Verge.

The Verge is basically Unsigned renamed. XM Canada has a small offering of Canadian channels, with The Verge (which used to be Unsigned, which used to be a REAL Unsigned channel). So The Verge is pretty much a new Canadian rock channel. The same DJ's that were on Unsigned - Kim, Leake and Corona - are also on The Verge.

Some of the songs I heard were "Jaws of Life" by Wintersleep, "Playing God" by Crowning King, "In the Beginning" by the Stills, "Take My Money and Run" by Cuff the Duke, "Make a Little Noise" by Joel Plaskett, "Sleepy" by Mellonova, "Working Out Words" by the Diableros and "Yearning" by the Trews.

The Verge is pretty cool, though it seems that the playlist is a bit thin. I listen to this every now and then. It is a bit similiar to XMU without sounding like it. I'm happy that it does not play big hits and is focused on more less mainstream artists. The Verge is just another good XM rock channel.

Day 94:The Village - XM 15

2006-05-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

Making a return visit to the Country channels, the XM Bootcamp lands at The Village.

This is an all folk channel, covering both new music as well as recordings from years ago. This channel is known for its "themes". What I mean is that the channel was known for playing many songs in a row with a certain word in the title. Now, it seems to have artist themes where you can hear a couple of songs in a row by some artist. There are no DJ's (which I feel the channel could use at least one) but it does have weekly programs.

Some of the songs I heard were "Beauty Way" by Eliza Gilkyson, "Mysterious Woman" by Christine Lavin, "Mystics Dream" by Loreena McKennitt, "Dress Rehearsal" by Judy Collins, "You're Aging Well" by Joan Baez, "The Priest" by Joni Mitchell, "Preacher" by Ray Hubbard and "Maybe Someday" by the Incredible String Band.

I find The Village to be a great channel. My only problem with it is that there are no DJ's and the "themes" can be kind of hokey at times. Also, the sweepers heard are sometimes too long. Still, this is a good channel to listen to folk music.

Day 93:Fuego - XM 90

2006-04-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Latin channels with a visit to Fuego.

Fuego is being promoted as being a new XM channel, but it's really the same as what the channel used to be called (Alegria). The new name better suits its format, which is reggaeton. It's still a hip-hop/reggae channel.

Some of the songs I heard were "Yo Voy" by Zion y Lennox, "Latigo" by Andy Boy, "Dale Don Dale" by Don Omar, "Mirame" by Daddy Yankee, "Tuya Soy" by Ivy Queen, "Mulata" by Gallego, "Ay Amor" by Hector y Vito and "Paleta" by Wisin y Yandel.

I'm not exactly sure if Fuego is programmed well but I think it's pretty good. XM is at least making an effort in improving their Latin programming. I'm sure as the years go on that more improvements will take place. It's pretty cool that XM has a Spanish rap/hip-hop channel.

Day 92:The Heat - XM 68

2006-04-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

Making a final visit to the Urban channels, the Bootcamp visits a new channel called The Heat.

The Heat is a rythmatic Top 40 channel. It plays the hottest hip-hop/rap and R&B that is on the pop charts. Artists like Kayne West, Mariah Carey and Ciara can be heard on here. I heard that this channel was supposed to have DJ's (it already has a phone line) but as far as I can tell there are no DJ's on at the moment.

Some of the songs I heard were "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" by Dem Franchise Boys, "Baby I'm Back" by Baby Bash, "It's Goin' Down" by Yung Joc, "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige, "Say I" by Christina Millan, "Oh Boy" by Cam'ron, "Yo (Excuse Me Miss) by Chris Brown and "Don't Phunk With My Heart" by Black Eyed Peas.

I'm not that impressed with The Heat. For one thing, it's playing too many slow songs - rythmatic Top 40 should be uptempo and fun to listen to. Also, it has been known to be quite repetitive. The worst of all is that a good "niche" channel, The Flow, left the satellites for a channel that features music that can be heard on a few other XM channels. That is dissapointing. Why leave out certain genres while other types of music is covered on multiple channels? I feel The Heat is really a letdown and should not be on XM.

Day 91:XM Liquid Metal - XM 42

2006-04-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

Returning back to the Rock channels, the Bootcamp visits XM Liquid Metal, a channel that has returned to XM. Actually, it returned to the satellites; it was on XM on-line since 2004.

XM Liquid Metal plays heavy metal. When it originally was on XM Radio it plays nearly all death metal. It still plays death metal, but now the channel has been "fine tuned". It plays more earlier heavy metal music. It once again has live DJ's who used to be on Liquid Metal. The three are Ward Cleaver (the Program Director), Manny and Coolguy (the latter two were on Boneyard while Ward was on SquiZZ). As far as I know there are no programs featured at the present time.

Some songs I heard were "Mass Hypnosis" by Sepultura, "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies, "Skeleton Dance" by Arch Enemy, "Night Crawler" by Judas Priest, "I Will Be Heard" by Hatebreed, "Ode to the Fallen Hereos" by God Forbid, "Rust in Peace...Polaris" by Megadeth and "Babylon" by Soulfly.

Do I think the "fine tuned" Liquid Metal is better? I'm not sure. There is more variety in the music but it also seems like it has lost its edge a bit. At times it sounds like I'm listening to Boneyard. I guess Liquid Metal is fine. I'm not a big fan of heavy metal music but I'll tune in from time to time.

Day 90:Escape - XM 78

2006-04-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Making a visit yet again to the Lifestyle section, the XM Bootcamp makes a stop at the new channel Escape.

Escape is a clone of Sunny. In fact, I can't tell any difference in either channel. The same man who programmed Sunny (and may still be doing so) is programming Escape. They are both using the same music library. While I don't think the playlists are the same, Escape is really the commercial-free Sunny. Now XM has two easy listening (or beautiful music) channels.

Some songs I heard were "I'll Follow the Sun" by Chet Atkins, "Dance With Me" by Johnny Douglas, "Somethin' Stupid" by Percy Faith, "Route 66 Theme" by Nelson Riddle, "O Solo Mio" by Tommy Garrett, "Mame" by Kostelanets, "Strangers in the Night" by George Shearing and "Personality" by Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme.

If ever I'm in the mood for this type of music I'll now tune into Escape. It is nice that XM has this type of music.

Day 89:Flight 26 - XM 26

2006-04-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

Visiting the Hits channels once again, the XM Bootcamp makes a stop at the new Flight 26.

Flight 26 is very similiar to MIX. This is known as Hot Adult Contemporary music. There's no rap or R&B played; it's mainly a rock/pop channel. There are actually two DJ's heard! One of them, PJ, used to be on the 90's. I don't remember the name of the other DJ (he's new to XM).

Some of the songs I heard were "Pretty Vegas" by INXS, "Clocks" by Coldplay, "Chariot" by Gavin DeGraw, "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield, "Take a Picture" by Filter, "Because of You" by Kelly Clarkson, "Why Georgia" by John Mayer and "Girl Next Door" by Saving Jane.

Flight 26 seems to be pretty good. I think it is better than MIX but I'll have to listen more to be sure. It's cool that it has DJ's right away. XM has always struggled with the Hits genre and the company is starting to show improvements. It's about time! I think I'll be listening to Flight 26 regularly.

Day 88:US Country - XM 17

2006-04-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp returns yet again to the Country channels for a brand new channel that debuted yesterday. It's US Country.

Before explaining what US Country is I need to explain the reason for this new channel (as well as other new ones that debuted yesterday). Clear Channel has some channels on XM and they wanted to add commercials to the channels that are commercial-free. Those channels are Nashville! (XM 11), KISS (XM 21), MIX (XM 22) and Sunny (XM 24). XM needed to "fight back", so to keep customers from leaving XM and going to SIRIUS Satellite Radio XM created some "clones" - 4 channels that are similiar to the Clear Channel ones. These four are US Country (XM 17), Flight 26 (XM 26), XM Hitlist (XM 30) and Escape (XM 78). I'll be covering the latter three soon (two of them this week, in fact).

Now...back to US Country. It is described as a late 1980's-1990's country channel. While this is true it also plays some of today's country music. The sweepers on here are pretty boring and as far as I know there are no DJ's.

Some of the songs I heard were "Why Haven't I Heard From You" by Reba McEntire, "Jesus and Mama" by Confederate Railroad, "Busy Man" by Billy Ray Cyrus, "Ready to Run" by the Dixie Chicks, "Always Late With Your Kisses" by Dwight Yoakam, "All the Good Ones Are Gone" by Pam Tillis, "What Made You Say That" by Shania Twaina nd "She is His Only Need" by Wynonna.

While it seems to be pretty good I'm dissapointed that US Country is playing newer music. Right now XM has three country music channels playing new music (the other two are Nashville! and Highway 16). Plus, XM will soon add a country FM station WSIX (thanks to Clear Channel). That will give XM having FOUR country channels playing new music. Honestly, if XM claims that US Country is a 80's-90's country channel then that is what it should be. I hate false advertising. US Country is a letdown.

Day 87:High Voltage - XM 202

2006-04-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Returning to the Talk & Entertainment channels, the Bootcamp visits High Voltage.

There are only two programs on this channel. They are Opie & Anthony (live weekdays from 7:00-11:00 AM ET) and Ron & Fez (live weekdays drom 11:00 AM-2:00 PM ET). These are not FM broadcasts - both of these shows are directly from XM in New York City.

This is one of the very few non-music channels that I listen to on a fairly regular basis. I normally don't like talk radio, but High Voltage is different. The two shows are different from each other. Opie & Anthony features more outrageous comedy that can be very dark and very non-politically correct. Usually Jim Norton, a commedian, is also on this show. It features a lot of profanity. They can be very funny. Ron & Fez is a show I'm not too familiar with, but the little I heard seems to be pretty good. They seem more laid-back than Opie & Anthony. They also have great timing, with an emphasis on wit.

I'm curious what the future of High Voltage will be like. Maybe some more programs can be added, even if it's just on the weekend. I like this channel, even though it can feature some cruel and crude humor. This channel must be doing something right in order for me to like it, since I normally dislike talk radio.

Day 86:Top Tracks - XM 46

2006-04-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Returning to the Rock channels, the XM Bootcamp visits Top Tracks.

This is a classic rock channel. Whereas Big Tracks (XM 49) covers classic rock from the late 1970's through the early 1990's, Top Tracks covers the early part of classic rock - the 1960's through the mid 1970's. That's not to say that 80's classic rock doesn't get played but it's nice that the two channels were split. There are no DJ's and no weekly programs - it's all about the music.

Some of the songs heard earlier were "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, "I'm So Into You" by Atlanta Rhythm Section, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen, "All Right Now" by Free, "Photograph" by Ringo Starr, "Mr. Soul" by Buffalo Springfield, "Radar Love" by Golden Earring and "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

I like Top Tracks. I like the fact that it plays some surprises as well as those songs played endlessly. The "new" Top Tracks is like a hits-oriented Deep Tracks. I need to listen to Top Tracks more often.

Day 85:The 60's - XM 6

2006-04-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp makes its final visit to the Decades channels with The 60's.

This channel, obviously, plays the pop music from the 1960's. But it also captures the sound of 60's radio. All of the sweepers sound as if you were listening to radio back in the 1960's and it does a good job with entertaining DJ's and playing both bit hits and lesser known songs. Phlash Phelps (whose birthday is today!) and Terry "Motormouth" Young both do an outstanding job. There's also 2 other DJ's - Marty With the Party and weekend DJ/PD Pat Clark. There's a few shows heard on here, mainly CQ USA (two times a day during the week - this is an all request show) and Terry's Sweet Music Machine (counting down the top 16 songs during a certain week and year). This channel also has some great anthology programs, including one for Gene Pitney (who died last week).

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Love Me Do" by the Beatles, "Get Me to the World on Time" by the Electric Prunes, "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire, "I Can't Let Go" by the Hollies, "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game" by the Marvelettes, "The Letter" by the Box Tops, "Shame Shame" by the Magic Lanterns and "Sweet Blindness" by the 5th Dimension.

I think this is the best of the Decade channels, even if it does not have quite the same sparkle as when the original PD, Cleveland Wheeler, programmed it. The sweepers are the best on XM and it does play a lot of unique songs, though that's mainly when the DJ's are live. Still, for 60's pop music this channel can't be beat.

Day 84:America Right - XM 166

2006-04-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp returns back to the Talk & Variety channels with America Right.

This is another talk radio channel, with the focus on conservative talk. Honestly, all talk radio seems the same to me. It just features hosts who think they know it all. I did listen to some of Glenn Beck earlier today and he's not bad. But talk radio really does not interest me, which is obvious reading this blog. I just can't see myself listening to this type of radio.

Day 83:Aguila - XM 92

2006-04-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

It's another return to the Latin channels with Aguila.

Aguila is XM's regional Mexican channel. It plays everything from ranchero, mariachi and other types of music popular in Mexico. It has a DJ named Mad Mexican, who I think does a good job on the air. As far as I know there are no weekly programs on this channel (or on any of the Latin channels; XM needs to improve its Latin programming).

Some songs I heard earlier were "Corazon Encadena" by Graciela Beltran, "Perdoname" by Pepe Aguilar, "Timida" by Cuisillos, "Sufro" by El Coyote, "El Me Mintio" by Diana Reyes, "En Soledad" by Jimena Gallegos, "Por Esto te Amo" by Los Palominos and "Azucar" by Kumbia Kings.

I like what Aguila plays. Since I'm not that familiar with Mexican music I'm not sure if this channel is programmed well. However, I do like what I hear. I think more on-air DJ's and possibly a weekly show or more would make Aguila even better. XM is trying to improve their Latin programming (A new channel is coming in less than 2 weeks called Viva, which plays Spanish pop hits) but I think more improvements will happen in the future.

Aguila is a good channel to hear Mexican music.

Day 82:Audio Visions - XM 77

2006-04-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

Returning to the Lifestyle channels, the XM Bootcamp visits Audio Visions.

This is where you can listen to new age music. It plays the more soothing new age, though this channel does have some interesting shows featuring a bit more uptempo music (Hearts of Space is one of the programs). There are no DJ's, which actually works well with this format.

Songs I heard earlier were "Song of the Seas" by Vangelis, "Dolphin Morning" by Paul Winter, "Out of My World" by Digital Heaven, "Caravan" by Silent Jazz Ensemble, "Part Four" by Michael Whalen, "Brittle Cloud" by Dave Eggar, "Soulstice 21" by Montana Skies and "Forest 2" by Peter Davidson.

This is a great channel to listen to pleasant new age. It would be nicer to hear more uptempo songs but I like what Audio Visions plays. It's nice for this music to be on XM.

Day 81:Extreme XM - XM 152

2006-03-31T09:40:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to make a blog entry about the XM Bootcamp yesterday, so this is a day late.

The next stop on the XM Bootcamp is Extreme XM, which is in the Comedy section of the XM lineup. When this channel first started it was broadcasts of "morning zoos" or programming of that nature. It featured stuff like Bubba the Love Sponge (who is currently on SIRIUS Satellite Radio), Drew Garabo, Monsters of the Mornings and Phillips Phille. The latter two are still on this channel but most of the early lineup is now gone (including one that I kind of enjoyed, the Regular Guys). It now features programming that is not even funny. There's this show called Tony Kornheisner (or something like that) and it seems to be a lot about sports.

Personally, they should scrap this channel or make it better. There's a lot of potential but I think Clear Channel has a say in how the channel is programmed, so I don't expect improvements any time soon. Extreme XM just does not interest me.

Day 80:SquiZZ - XM 48

2006-03-29T08:51:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp returns once again to the Rock channels with SquiZZ.

This is a hard-edge alternative rock channel. It features a lot of songs with profanity in it (and is the reason it has a warning label, titled xL). You can hear acts like Puddle of Mud, Tool, White Zombie, Damageplan, Disturbed and many more. It has live DJ's during the afternoon and evening hours during the week. It also has a couple of shows on, including one dedicated to heavy metal.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Looking Down" by Audiovent, "My Own" by Soil, "Lush" by Cinder, "Through the Iris" by 10 Years, "Sick and Tired" by Default, "Faithless" by Injected, "Click Click Boom" by Saliva and "Sleep Now in the Fire" by Rage Against the Machine.

By and large, I like SquiZZ. When it's good it is great. It is a bit "mainstream" at times (it plays acts like Limp Bizkit and Nickleback and I heard a new Pearl Jam song) and I have heard the repetition is slightly high. Still, it does a good job covering hard alternative rock. People who love this music will probably love SquiZZ.

Day 79:KISS - XM 21

2006-03-28T08:50:00.000-08:00

We return back to the Hits channels with KISS.

KISS is described as pop music for the 21st century. It plays the biggest hits from the past 6 years or more. There are no DJ's or any weekly programs.

Some of the songs I heard were "With You" by Jessica Simpson, "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada, "What it's Like" by Everlast, "Somebody Told Me" by the Killers, "He Loves U Not" by Dream, "Gold Digger" by Kanye West w. Jamie Foxx, "Don't Lie" by Black Eyed Peas and "Never Leave You" by Lumidee.

The good news...KISS does a pretty good job covering the pop music of this decade. The bad news...it doesn't update the playlists the way it should, it has no personality and it is run by Clear Channel. Worse, beginning in May KISS (along with Nashville!, MIX and Sunny) will be having commercials thanks to Clear Channel winning an arbitration ruling allowing them to add commercials to channels they program.

This is my last day listening to KISS. Beginning in a few weeks XM is adding 4 channels that will match the programming that the Clear Channel ones provide. I plan on blocking the Clear Channel ones from my radio. XM will most likely do a better job in programming the new channels anyway.

Goodbye KISS. I won't miss you...XM is adding Hit List, XM 30 (the Kiss replacement).

Day 78:Take 5 - XM 155

2006-03-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Returning back to the Talk & Variety channels, the XM Bootcamp visits Take 5.

This channel is relatively new. It features programming geared to women. It features both programming made for radio as well as TV rebroadcasts such as the Ellen DeGeneres show and the Tyra Banks show. Just recently XM added the crew from Good Morning America. In fact, that was what was on this morning.

Take 5 is not bad but it just does not interest me that much. I'm not crazy about talk radio. I think this channel could be better without the TV rebroadcasts. Still, I applaud XM for at least trying to provide programming for women. Take 5 is adaquate but there is room for imrovements.

Day 77:XM Chill - XM 84

2006-03-22T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp returns to the Dance channels with XM Chill.

This has only been on XM for the past few weeks (it debuted the same day as Big Tracks, XM 49). The type of music it plays is in its title - chill. What is chill? It's sort of a blend of electronica, jazz, R&B and even some rock. It's soothing music that is not too soft. The music is very atmospheric. There are no DJ's and (as far as I know) no weekly programs featured.

Some of the songs I heard were "Otter Rock" by the Chemical Brothers, "Funky for You" by Blu Bizness, "Candlelight" by Urchin, "Perrfect" by Funki Porcini, "Drivin'" by Tassel & Naturel, "Indra" by Thievary Corporation, "Paths (FSOL mix)" by Robert Miles and "Teardrop" by Massive Attack.

This music is very unique. Despite the music being different, XM Chill is pleasant to listen to. This is the perfect channel to listen to whenever you want to unwind and relax. It's a great addition to XM.

Day 76:The Loft - XM 50

2006-03-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Rock channels with The Loft.

This is an acoustic rock channel that is devoted to singer-songwriters (though it does play music from groups too). It plays both well known artists as well as artists that are not well known at all. The music is more mellow, but not so mellow that it will make you sleepy. Both Mike Marrone and Kate Bradley do an excellent job with putting together song sets and giving information about artists, the album the songs come from, concerts, etc.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Drive" by R.E.M., "Slip" by Alejandro Escovedo, "Don't Let Us Get Sick" by Jill Sobule, "Always" by Anne McCure, "Amy" by Ryan Adams, "Volcano" by Damien Rice, "Broadway Hotel" by Al Stewart and "This Boy" by the Beatles.

The Loft is one of XM's "gems". It features lots of great music and great weekly programs. The emphasis is on the music, which is how it should be. I highly recommend this channel for those who are looking for a more sophisticate type of music.

Day 75:Watercolors - XM 71

2006-03-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

The final visit to the Jazz & Blues channels is Watercolors.

This type of jazz is known as "c-jazz" or smooth jazz. It's a more mellow, pleasant form of jazz music. In a sense, it's not really jazz at all. This is the type of music that is good to relax and unwind to. Artists such as Anita Baker, Dave Koz and Hiroshima can be heard. There are two DJ's that I know of - Lily and Program Director Trinity. Both do a very good job. There are some weekly shows but I don't know their names.

Some of the songs I heard were "Brazilia" by Wayman Tisdale, "108 Degrees" by Alex Bugnon, "Regroovable" by Chris Botti, "Want You" by Soul Ballet, "Last Summer" by Jazzmasters, "Spin" by Steve Cole, "Bullseye" by Peter White and "Renaissance" by Chieli Minucci.

I check out Watercolors from time to time and it's a nice channel to relax and just listen to the music. I especially enjoy the instrumentals that get played. I think Watercolors is a fine channel and is definately worth checking out if you enjoy this type of jazz music.

Day 74:The Flow - XM 61

2006-03-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp's final visit to the Urban channels is The Flow.

As far as I know, The Flow is the only 24 hour Neo-Soul station (I'm not counting Internet-only stations). This type of R&B is a blend of the soul music from the 60's and 70's with the hip-hop and R&B of today. There are no weekly programs and no DJ's.

Some of the songs I heard were "Guess Who Loves You More" by Raheem Devaughn, "She's Got the Love" by Calvin Richardson, "Good Morning Heartache" by Chris Botti, "For Your Love" by Hill Street Soul, "Wishful hinking" by Vivian Green, "My Joy" by Leela James, "Let's Get Lifted" by John Legend and "Hurricane" by Eric Benet.

The Flow shows some promise in its programming. It does play songs that you probably will not hear on FM. The channel needs help though. It seems to be programmed poorly. I tune in from time to time and I seem to hear a lot of the same songs. It also plays a music sweeper after a regular sweeper - are two in a row necessary? A DJ or two would help out a lot. XM could do so much with this channel but it does not seem to be a priority for them. As it is, The Flow is pretty good but can be so much better.

Day 73:Big Tracks - XM 49

2006-03-14T09:03:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Rock channels with Big Tracks.

This is a new channel on XM. In fact, it's only been on XM for a few weeks now. This is a more modern classic rock channel. Big Tracks is a "spinoff" of Top Tracks, with the former covering the mid to late 70's through the early 90's while the latter covers the 60's and early to mid 70's. Big Tracks plays the familiar classic rock, including the songs that most classic rock stations no longer play. There are no DJ's and probably will not get any.

Some of the songs I heard were "What About Love" by Heart, "You're All I've Got Tonight" by the Cars, "Horizontal Bop" by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" by AC/DC, "Panama" by Van Halen, "Cherry Pie" by Warrant, "We Live for Love" by Pat Benatar and "You May Be Right" by Billy Joel.

I think Big Tracks is pretty good. There's a good blend of the big hits and the lesser known classic rock. I was uncertain if Top Tracks should have been split but I now think XM made the right choice. One thing that is odd about Big Tracks is that the e-mail address is given out a lot. I guess that is expected for a new channel; I'm pretty sure that will subside in time. I think Big Tracks has been a great choice for XM to provide its subscribers.

Day 72:Family Talk - XM 170

2006-03-09T08:57:00.000-08:00

Today the XM Bootcamp returns to the Talk & Variety channels with Family Talk.

Family Talk focuses on Christian talk or talk of a spiritual nature. As far as I know there are no actual church services, though it does feature sermons. It also features Christian radio plays and some talk shows.

I believe in God and I think it's great that XM provides Christian programming. That said, I don't like Family Talk. It's not because it features sermons (which Christian talk radio should feature). It's because it features informercials for actual programming. For instance, I tuned in earlier to hear this Christian comic (I think she was a comedian) and it was pretty interesting. All of a sudden a male announcer came on saying that if I wanted to hear the rest of what she was saying I would have to send money to hear this on a CD. Are you kidding me?! I found that to be very insulting. It is not fair to provide a program, only to interrupt it midway to ask for money. To me, that is radio programming at its worst.

I don't think I'll ever listen to Family Talk again. I'm glad XM provides Christian programming but they can provide better programming than Family Talk.

Day 71:Chrome - XM 83

2006-03-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp returns to the Dance channels with Chrome.

Chrome is a disco channel but it also plays some funk and freestyle dance music too. It's now billed as a classic dance channel. It plays all of the big hits but it also plays songs that do not get much (or any) airplay on FM radio stations. As far as I know there are no programs featured on here but I heard some mix programs were coming (if they haven't come already). There are no DJ's.

Some of the songs I heard were "Ladies Night" by Kool & the Gang, "After Dark" by Pattie Brooks, "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez, "The Glow of Love" by Change, "Fly Robin Fly" by the Silver Convention, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" by Festival, "We are Family" by Sister Sledge and "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume.

While Chrome is repetitive at times (which I can kind of understand), it does play some songs that are not well known on FM radio and there's a pretty good blend of disco, funk and freestyle. There are times when I want to listen to classic dance and Chrome is a good channel to hear that music.

Day 70:Beyond Jazz - XM 72

2006-03-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp makes another visit to the Jazz & Blues channels with Beyond Jazz.

Beyond Jazz plays progressive jazz. This is jazz music for people who are looking for something more unique in this genre. It features more adventerous music. There are elements of rock, hip-hop, funk, dance and other styles of music. At times the music is weird sounding but that's part of the channel's charm. The Program Director, Russ Davies, can be heard from time to time to give some information on artists and what concerts are being held for the day. There's a few programs featured on here such as Monday With the Masters (featuring a hour of a certain artist) and Wednesday Night at BJ's (featuring a live concert from a certain artist).

Some of the songs I heard earlier today were "It's Your Thing" by Lou Donaldson, "Hockney" by the Bob James Trio, "Morning" by Steve Turre, "J Soul" by Javon Jackson, "Timeless Line" by Marc Antoine, "I Didn't Know What Time it Was" by Nneena Freelon, "Mannerisms" by Jeff Parker and "Vinyl Junkies" by UFO.

I really like what Beyond Jazz plays. It's an unique channel. It's not your typical jazz music, which is an interesting change of pace. It's one of those "hidden gems" found on XM Radio. I should listen to Beyond Jazz more often.

Day 69:The Power - XM 169

2006-03-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

Returning to the Talk & Entertainment channels, the Bootcamp visits The Power.

This is a talk channel for African-Americans, which I believe is based out of Washington DC (I believe it is on AM radio there). This is where you can hear discussions about education, politics, the economy, current events, etc. It's basically the same as any talk radio channel but it is focused on African-Americans.

While I think The Power is a pretty good talk channel, I just don't like talk radio all that much. I kind of tuned out, as it's just not for me.

Day 68:The City - XM 67

2006-03-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Returning to the Urban channels, the Bootcamp visits The City.

The City is the channel to listen to today's hottest R&B music. You can hear artists such as Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Emeniem, John Legend, Mariah Carey and more. There are a couple of DJ's that can be heard during the afternoon and evening hours (I believe Cory and Lisa Lisa are still on this channel). If you want to hear what is happening in today's R&B this is the channel to check out.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Love" by Keyshia Cole, "Oh Yes" by Juelz Santana, "Here We Go" by Trina w. Kelly Rowland, "Temperature" by Sean Paul, "Rodeo" by Juvenille, "Heard 'Em Say" by Kayne West, "So Sick" by Ne-Yo w. L.L. Cool J and "I Love You (Remix)" by Cheri Davis.

While I think The City is a good R&B channel, my main problem is that it is censored. It's frustrating whenever The City plays one of their mix programs (such as Metro Mix) and there's nothing but censored songs being played. My only other problem is that the playlist is a bit shallow, though it IS a R&B Hits channel. Still, I think The City does represent current R&B well. I check it out from time to time whenever I'm in the mood for this music. It's a pretty good channel.

Day 67:Nashville! - XM 11

2006-02-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Returning to the Country channels, the XM Bootcamp makes a stop at Nashville!.

Nashville! is described as the country music from the 90's through today. You can hear all of the well known artists from the past 15 years or so. There's no DJ's and (as far as I know) no weekly shows being broadcast.

Some songs I heard earlier were "Songs About Rain" by Gary Allan, "That's Another Song" by Bryan White, "He's Got You" by Brooks & Dunn, "Jukebox in My Mind" by Alabama, "Out of My Bones" by Randy Travis, "Vidallia" by Sammy Kershaw, "I've Got it Made" by Jon Anderson and "I Miss You a Little" by John Michael Montgomery.

While I think Nashville! is pretty good for what it plays and it seems to have a good playlist, I'm pretty underwhelmed with the channel in general. There's too much newer music being played - XM already has a new country channel with Highway 16. The sweepers are also very boring. It just seems like the channel is just on autopilot (which it is actually). Nashville! could be a lot better. I don't think it is terrible but I'd like to see more 90's country music getting airplay and better sweepers.

Day 66:XM Public Radio - XM 133

2006-02-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Making a visit to the News channels for the first (and apparantly only) time, the XM Bootcamp visits XM Public Radio.

This is sort of like NPR (National Public Radio), though a lot of the content is not on NPR. In fact, there's even a program broadcast for XM exclusively called the Bob Edwards Show (in which Bob used to be on NPR before he was shamefully fired due to mainly his age). There are other programs such as This American Life, On Point and other shows. There are even some shows about music, mainly on the weekends.

I listened to the Bob Edwards show. There was a segment about the Hearst mansion that was pretty interesting. Bob is a great interviewer and he has interviewed writers, singers, artists and many other people with interesting tidbits to share.

My feelings toward XM Public Radio is that it's pretty good but it could be better. For instance, some of the programs are shows that are on Public Television. There's also a lot of repeats due to not having enough programming. I'd like to see XM create more original content for this channel in the future. It could be one of the best channels covering this type of radio programming but right now it's just okay. Hopefully things will improve soon.

Day 65:Spirit - XM 33

2006-02-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp's last visit to the Christian channels is Spirit.

Spirit is XM's all gospel channel. It plays traditional gospel as well as current gospel, including gospel with hip-hop or rap. There's no preaching; it's all just about the music. For the longest time Spirit didn't have a DJ but there is at least one (Denise Hill, known as the Gospel Lady). I believe there's another male DJ in the afternoons. They have a whole hour dedicated to "old-school" gospel. I'm not sure of any other programs featured on this channel.

Some of the songs I heard were "Baptize Me Jesus" by the Delegation Mass Choir, "I See the Lord" by Leonard Scott, "The One" by Gavin, "Touch Your Promise" by Witness, "Make Me Over" by Tonex, "Still Here" by the Williams Brothers, "Victory" by Yolanda Adams and "Looking For You" by Kirk Franklin.

I don't check out this channel often but I find Spirit to be a good channel to hear gospel music. Sometimes the blend of the older songs with the current releases is kind of jarring but I think the channel is programmed well. If I am ever in the mood to be uplifted Spirit is a great choice.

Day 64:XMU - XM 43

2006-02-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

We return to the Rock channels for the XM Bootcamp with XMU.

XMU is known as a mix between indie rock, new alternative, electronica and hip-hop. The focus is on songs that are not big hits within the past 18 months. There's an indie hip-hop show called Subsoniq but other than that I don't think there are any weekly programs. There's also no on-air DJ.

Some of the songs I heard were "Se Lest" by Sigur Ros, "Beneath the Tree" by Robbers on High, "Lousy Pictures" by Wolf Parade, "Killing Time" by Jets Overhead, "Snow Day" by Honorary Title, "Shadowland" by Youth Group, "Way of the Light" by Gift of Gab and "Blood on Our Hands" by Death From Above.

Even though I feel that this channel plays artists that, in my opinion, should not be played on this channel (such as Beck, Bjork, Keane and Death Cab for Cutie), I do realize that XMU is not just an indie rock/hip-hop channel and I do like what is getting played. Despite the mix in genres, I like the way this channel sounds. It would be nice to have an on-air DJ or two though, as I would like to know more about these artists that I'm not familiar with. For all its little faults XMU is a channel worth listening to. I need to spend more time listening to this one.

Day 63:Real Jazz - XM 70

2006-02-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to post this yesterday, so it's a day late.

Yesterday the XM Bootcamp returned to the Jazz & Blues channels with Real Jazz.

This is where you can hear true jazz music. It plays a wide variety of jazz artists, from years ago to today's artists. One of today's artists, Wynston Marsalis, his his own show on this channel (though I'm afraid I don't know the name of it). There's another program called Chick Jazz that features all women jazz artists. Program Director Max Myrick and Jackson Brady both do a very good job running the channel.

Some of the songs I heard yesterday were "Wish List" by Don Braden, "Someday My Prince Will Come" by Miles Davis, "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" by Shirley Horn, "Perdido" by Ben Webster & Dexter Gordon, "Alone Together" by Wallace Roney, "P B & C" by Christy Dana, "One Note Samba" by Eliane Elias and "J and B Blues" by Paul Gonsalves.

Though I don't listen to this channel a lot I do check it out if I'm ever in the mood to hear some real jazz music. I'll admit I don't know a lot about jazz but it seems that Real Jazz does a fine job with the genre. XM has shown a lot of dedication to jazz music and this channel is one shining example.

Day 62:RAW - XM 66

2006-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp makes another return to the Urban/Rap channels with RAW.

RAW focuses on today's rap music, but it also focuses on rap that is not mainstream. It's not family friendly - profanity and the N word are heard quite a lot on here. It features a few DJ's (I know Leo G and Ms. Kitti are on here). On Wednesdays, an album is featured with a track played at the top of the hour. There are a few programs throughout the week and I heard of rumors of a possible underground rap program is in the works.

Some of the songs I heard were "300 Bars" by the Game, "Dumb Out" by Joe Budden, "Holla" by Luke/Petey Pablo/Pitfall, "All Over Again" by Raekwon, "718" by Cormega w. Lil' Fame, "Low, Low, Low" by Trick Daddy, "Wonder Years" by MC Lyte and "Dat Girl" by Potzee.

I rarely listen to RAW because I am not that interested in today's rap music because of all of the profanity and especially hearing the N word. But I do check out this channel from time to time. It seems like it does a good job with rap/hip-hop, though I wonder why it plays censored music from time to time. If you like today's rap, RAW should satisfy you.

Day 61:The 80's - XM 8

2006-02-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Decades channels with a visit to the 80's.

Not surprisingly, this channel is all about the pop music from the 1980's. In between songs are old movie trailers for certain films and some old news stories, mainly about celebrities. It also features ToeJams, which is 80's (and some 70's) dance or new wave remixes. The channel pretty much sounds as if you went back in time to the 1980's.

Some of the songs I heard were "Rocking at Midnight" by the Honeydrippers, "Rosanna" by Toto, "Our House" by Madness, "Someday" by Glass Tiger, "You Are" by Lionel Richie, "I Missed Again" by Phil Collins, "Point of no Return" by Expose and "Don't Let Him Go" by REO Speedwagon.

The 80's channel has gone through some changes in the past few months. One of the DJ's, Heidi Selexa, left in late Summer 2005 (I believe she was fired) and the Program Director, Bruce Kelly, resigned a few weeks later. The channel is still pretty good but it's not the same. For one thing, the playlist seems too "safe" - just about every song I heard was a big hit. I'd like to hear more surprises, though I'll agree that the hits should be the big focus. There is a new DJ named Jason Kidd. He seems to be doing a good job. Anyway, the 80's is good but is not as good as it once was. What a pity.

Day 60:Fox News Talk - XM 168

2006-02-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

Today the XM Bootcamp visits the Talk & Variety with a new channel, Fox News Talk.

This channel covers talk and call-in programs. To be honest., I really didn't listen to much of this channel. I just do not like talk radio. It all sounds the same to me. Listening to talk radio drives me batty so I pretty much tuned out.

Yes, I reallize that taking part in this was to try the different XM channels but I know what I don't like and I am just not going to listen to something that I know I'll dislike. So that's that! :)

Day 59:Fine Tuning - XM 76

2006-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Lifestyles channels to hear Fine Tuning.

Fine Tuning is XM's elcectic channel. It's known as the world's most interesting music. It covers different genres of music, from progressive rock to classical to new age to world music and more. You never know what you will listen to next, which is part of Fine Tuning's charm. It features some interesting programs too. One of the programs plays music from Native Americans, another one plays Celtic music. Despite all the different genres, the songs are put together very nicely and it sounds wonderful to listen to.

Some of the songs I heard were "Skyline (live at XM)" by the Cal Guitar Trio, "Fluffy Tufts" by the Cocteau Twins, "Wave of Sand" by Kitaro, "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Keith Emerson, "Guitar Boogie" by Les Paul, "Release" by Afro Celt Sound System, "Turn of the Century" by Yes and "Colours" by Donovan.

This is one of XM's gems. It's a great channel to listen to some really interesting music. I like the element of surprise that Fine Tuning provides. It's well programmed and is definately worth listening to.

Day 58:Cinemagic - XM 27

2006-02-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

Making another visit to the Hits channels, the XM Bootcamp visits Cinemagic.

This channel is unique. It features scores and songs from a variety of motion picture films, as well as some of the dialogue. In addition, Cinemagic features presentations from time to time. These presentations can be based around a certain theme (such as music from composer Danny Elfman or music from the James Bond films) or interviews with actors, directors, composers, etc. This is a channel for people who love going to the movies and wanting to hear the background music "up front".

Today I listened to "Road to Perdition" by Thomas Newman, "Henry V" by Patrick Doyle, "A History of Violence" by Howard Shore and two scores from James Horner - "Braveheart" and "Legends of the Fall". Last night I heard two from John Williams - "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Jaws".

This channel is truly one of a kind. You certainly won't hear anything like this on FM. Adding dialogue from the films makes the channel even more special. Listening to Cinemagic is almost magical. I'm glad XM has this. I think the original Program Director left but at least XM did get another person to help out. I'm glad because Cinemagic deserves to be the best it can be.

Day 57:Bluesville - XM 74

2006-02-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since the Bootcamp made a visit to the Jazz & Blues channels, but today the Bootcamp visits Bluesville.

This channel is the only blues channel on XM. You can hear recordings from years ago as well as new recordings. All of the well-known blues artists can be heard here. Bill Wax, who is the Program Director of Bluesville, knows a lot about this music and his love and passion for this music is evident by listening.

Some of the songs I heard were "I'll Play the Blues For You" by Albert King, "It Hurts Me Too" by Elmore James, "Crazy Mixed Up World" by Nick Curran, "She Moves Me" by Bill Rhoades, "Everything I Know About the Blues" by Delbert McClinton, "I Hear You Knocking" by Smiley Lewis, "Hard Knock" by the Fabulous Thunderbirds and "Now I'm Cheatin' on You" by Lorraine Turner.

Though I rarely listen to Bluesville I feel this channel is well programmed. Some of the songs do not seem to be "bluesy" to me, but I don't really know a lot about this type of music. I need to check out Bluesville more often.

Day 56:The Blend - XM 25

2006-02-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Hits channels with The Blend.

This is a true Adult Contemporary music channel with a larger playlist. The main focus is on big hits of the 80's through today, with some 60's and 70's songs thrown in. All of the songs are well known to anybody who listens to pop music.

Some of the songs I heard were "Got a Hold on Me" by Christine McVie, "Open Arms" by Journey, "This Love" by Maroon 5, "I Second That Emotion" by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "No More Cloudy Days" by The Eagles (a new song performed live), "Calling all Angels" by Train and "Together Forever" by Rick Astley.

I like The Blend. It's a good channel to listen to familiar songs. Still, it needs some improvements. The sweepers are kind of boring and certain recently released songs get a lot of airplay (Though, to be fair, Adult Contemporary songs stay on the charts a long time). I liked The Blend better when it first debuted back in 2004. The playlist is not as big as it used to be. However, it's still a pleasant channel to listen to pop music.

Day 55:Bluegrass Junction - XM 14

2006-01-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the country channels with Bluegrass Junction.

Not surprisingly, this is a bluegrass channel. It features a wide variety of bluegrass music both new and older songs. There's very few sweepers on here - the emphasis is the music. Felton Pruett was the Program Director but I believe he left XM and there's a new guy programming the channel now (I don't know his name).

Some of the songs I heard were "I Don't Want to Hear it Right Now" by Bad Moon Rising, "Thirty Years of Farming" by James King, "Look Down That Lonesome Road" by Tim O'Brien, "Girl From West Virginia" by Doyle Lawson, "Twister's Devil" by Mountain Heart, "I Wonder Why You Said Goodbye" by Larry Sparks, "I Long to See the Old Folks" by the Stanley Brothers and "This House" by Drew Emmitt.

I rarely listen to this channel but I find this music pleasant to listen to. Bluegrass music is kind of relaxing, even when there's an uptempo foot tapper being played. I have noticed that many bluegrass songs seem to be about nature or about home life. That makes sense to me since this music seems to be about comfort. I need to listen to this channel more often.

Day 54:Alegria - XM 90

2006-01-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Latin channels with Alegria.

Alegria changed formats not too long ago. It used to be a blend of Latin pop and rock. Now it is a reggaeton (pronounced reg-GAY-a-tone)channel. Reggaeton is a blend of Latin rap, reggae and music from Brazil and other South American countries. It has grown in popularity in the past year in the United States and many believe that it will be as big as rap music.

Some songs I heard were "La Que Paso Paso" by Daddy Yankee (this artist is the most popular reggaeton artist), "Se Escaman" by Vico C., "Cuentale" by Ivy Queen, "Chulo de la Calle" by 90 Millas, "Calor" by Hector El Father, "Llame Pa' Verte" by Wisin & Yandel, "Drop it on Me" by Ricky Martin and "Oye Mi Canto" by N.O.R.E..

It's hard for me to say if this channel is programmed well. I have heard of some complaints that it is not well programmed. I think it's not bad, but I'd rather have a Latin rock channel instead. I'll listen to Alegria from time to time but I prefer Caliente and Luna.

Day 53:The Groove - XM 64

2006-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the R&B channels with The Groove.

This is XM's old school R&B channel. This music picks up where Soul Street left off. You can hear a lot of R&B music from the mid 70's through the early 90's. Artists such as Rick James, the Jacksons, Funkadelic, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire and many more can be heard. It doesn't just play the hits either - it plays album cuts and even imported songs from overseas. At night they have Hot Buttered Soul, which features a lot of ballads. Friday and Saturday nights is Funkfest and Sunday mornings is Mimosa, which features more mellow music.

Some of the songs I heard were "Saturday Love" by Cherrelle w. Alexander O'Neal, "Do Your Dance" by Rose Royce, "Everybody Have a Good Time" by Archie Bell & the Drells, "Call Me" by Skyy, "Love's Train" by Con Funk Shun, "Do Me Right" by Dynasty, "Found Lovin'" by The Fatback Band and "Shake" by the Gap Band.

I like The Groove. Old school R&B is enjoyable to listen to. It's really the end of great R&B music. Though this channel seems a bit flat at times (the DJ's usually sound as if they are hidden in the background) I do like this channel. It's not perfect or close to it but it is good.

Day 52:Deep Tracks - XM 40

2006-01-24T08:55:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Rock channels with a visit to Deep Tracks.

Deep Tracks is one of XM's "jewels". It is what FM rock radio used to be back in the late 1960's and early 1970's. This channel plays a lot of album cuts. You can hear songs that have not been on terrestial radio in years or even songs that have never been played on the radio except on XM. Its main focus is deep album rock from the mid 60's through the 70's, but it plays songs from the 80's through today too. Artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Faces, Rainbow, Creedence Clearwater Revival, U2, the Beatles and many more can be heard. Both the Program Director George Taylor Morris and Earle Bailey do a great job with song selections and their on-air delivery. There are great programs such as Headtrips (songs that usually feature a certain word or mood), Fresh Tracks (new music), Grateful Dead Hour (full of Grateful Dead songs and commentary) and the BBC Concert Series (a full hour of an artist recorded by the BBC).

Some of the songs that I heard earlier were "I Wasn't Born to Follow" by the Byrds, "Straight to Hell" by Drivin' N Cryin', "Sweet Virginia" by the Rolling Stones, "Pressure Drop" by Robert Palmer, "Me and Baby Jane" by Leon Russell, "I Looked at You" by the Doors, "Odorono" by the Who and "Heart of the Country" by Paul & Linda McCartney.

This is a great channel. One thing that makes Deep Tracks awesome is that you never really know what the channel is going to play. It may be a deep album track from the late 60's or a well-known hit. It may feature some blues music or some R&B. Just when you think you have the channel all figured out it throws you a curve ball - and that's what makes Deep Tracks cool. It is one of XM's best channels.

Day 51:Top 20 on 20 - XM 20

2006-01-19T08:51:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Hits channels with a visit to Top 20 on 20.

This is, according to XM, the first fully interactive radio station. This plays the hottest pop songs via a countdown determined by listeners' votes, either by phone, by e-mail or even by text messaging. During the afternoon weekdays it features a DJ named Michelle (who used to be on the 90's channel under the name Girl 2.0.). If you want to hear today's current pop songs this is the channel to tune into.

Some of the songs I heard were "Stickwitu" by the Pussycat Dolls, "Dance, Dance" by Fall Out Boy, "There it Go! (The Whistle Song)" by Julez Santana, "So Lonely" by Twista w. Mariah Carey, "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day, "Laffy Taffy" by D4L, "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas and "L.O.V.E." by Ashlee Simpson.

This is the closest that XM gets to being FM, since it has a very small playlist (about 60 songs - 50 current and some older tracks sprinkled in from time to time). The channel is OK but I think it can be so much better. Personally I feel that it's not a TRUE interactive channel. The whole countdown concept seemed fishy to me. Also, it seems like a waste to have a live DJ on a channel where she can only tabulate votes and not play instant requests. Plus some songs that are no longer on the charts are still being featured on this channel. I just think Top 20 on 20 can be so much better but if you love hearing the current pop music over and over, this channel is for you.

Day 50:America - XM 10

2006-01-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

Returning to the Country channels, the XM Bootcamp makes a visit to America.

America features traditional country music. This is the country music from mainly the 1970's and 1980's, though it does play new music as well. You just won't hear any of that "rock" country. Artists like George Jones, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Garth Brooks and many others can be heard.

Some of the songs I heard were "Old Friends" by Willie Nelson, Roger Miller and Ray Price, "The Roots of My Raising Runs Deep" by Merle Haggard, "Storms Never Last" by Waylon Jennings & Jessi Colter, "Tell Me I'm Only Dreaming" by Lorrie Morgan, "High Cotton" by Alabama, "Wilting Rose" by Doug Supernaw, "Kaw-Liga" by Charley Pride and "Virginia's Song" by Mel Street.

This channel has a great playlist and features a lot of great country music. The Program Director, Country Dan, has been sick and has not been at XM for quite some time but I think he's coming back soon. The channel does not appear to have suffered without him there but I hope he returns real soon. America is a great place to listen to real country music that's not too old fashioned.

Day 49:The 50's - XM 5

2006-01-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp returns to the Decades channels with the 50's channel.

This is where you can hear the popular music of the 1950's, both rock & roll and standards. All of the well-known artists from the 50's and early 60's can be heard. In addition, lesser known artists can also be heard. This channel has six different weekly shows. They are: Harlem (covering the R&B music before rock & roll became popular), Rockabilly Roadtrip (covering regional rock & roll music), Cool Bobby B's Doo-Wop Show (featuring doo-wop music), Alex Ward's Pink & Black Days (featuring music, old ads and interesting tidbits), The Strip (featuring "hip" standards), Dancing in the Dark (featuring ballads from artists like Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee) and Daddy Dave's Hollywood Diner (which plays popular music and features interviews and silly sketches). The 50's music is pretty well covered. Matt the Cat, a DJ on the 50's, has a great live program weekday nights.

Some of the songs I heard were "One Mint Julep" by Ray Charles, "School Day" by Chuck Berry, "You Cheated, You Lied" by the Shields, "Little Star" by the Elegants, "Love Love Love" by the Clovers, "Mother-in-Law" by Ernie K. Doe, "Robbin' the Cradle" by Tony Bellus and "Be-Bop Baby" by Ricky Nelson.

While at times I feel this channel is kind of flat, for the most part the 50's channel is great. It features a lot of songs that terrestial radio really doesn't play any more. Despite being born in 1970 I really love this music. There's something exciting about listening to great rock & roll from the 50's. I'm glad I can listen to it whenever I want to. Thanks to XM, rock & roll is still alive!

Three Channels for Day 48!

2006-01-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp is just about through with the Canadian channels. For Day 48, I covered the last 3 due to the nature of the programming. Let me explain them now:

First off is Franc Parler, XM 172. This is an all sports talk channel entirely in French. It seems to be an interesting channel, complete with interviews and possible phone calls from listeners (though I have not heard any phone number being given out over the air). It appears the channel is well made but I don't understand French. Besides, I'm not that interested in listening to sports.

The next channel is Canada 360, XM 244. This is a news channel giving updates about business, sports, weather and top stories. The focus is on Canada and it's all in English. It sounds like an interesting channel to listen to, right? Well, it's not. The sound quality is HORRIBLE and the content is very skimpy. The "updates" cover about an hour a day total and the news is read aby announcers and it sounds like they are reading from a newspaper. It's so dissapointing because this channel has a lot of promise.

The final one is Quoi de Neuf, XM 245. It's supposedly the French version of Canada 360 but the content seems to be better and it's all in French. Why can't the English version be similiar to Quoi de Neuf? The sound quality, though, is bad. Since it's all in French I don't understand what is being spoken.

Anyway, that's all of the Canadian channels. Honestly, they are not that impressive, though only one truly stinks. I'll be back on Tuesday!

Day 47:Laugh Attack - XM 153

2006-01-13T09:13:00.000-08:00

Returning to the Comedy channels, the XM Bootcamp continues its Canadian theme by visiting Laugh Attack.

Laugh Attack is almost similiar to XM Comedy, with the difference being that Laugh Attack's comedy material is mostly from Canadian commedians. It's uncensored, just like XM Comedy.

Honestly, I am just not interested in this channel. I just do not like listening to stand up commedians. Some of them are funny but a lot of them are just not that funny. I listened for a brief bit and then ended up switching channels. It's just not for me.

I think it's cool that there are two uncensored comedy channels on XM. It's nice to have them on XM if I ever want to listen to them. I'd just rather listen to something else.

Day 46:Sur La Route - XM 102

2006-01-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the Canadian channels the XM Bootcamp makes its last visit to the World channels with Sur La Route.

Sur La Route replaced Ngoma at XM 102 and plays an interesting mix of French Canadian music. In many ways the music resembles the music heard on XM Cafe. However, the channel also plays some Folk music, and other styles of music such as "chanson" (I have no idea what this is). It seems more sofisticated than Air Musique.

Some of the songs I heard were "Mon Frere" by France D'Amour, "Reste" by Paul Piche, "Comme un Million" by Claude Dubois, "Le Train Du Nord" by Felix Leclerc, "Angela" by Gerry Boulet, "Dans La Peau" by Michel Pagliaro, "Seme La Vie" by Marjo, "Save My Life" by Marie Phillippe and "Ma Priere" by Pierre Flynn.

I like Sur La Route better than Air Musique mainly because it seems to have a better playlist and music goes well together. The playlist seems to be a bit larger too. Still, I feel bummed that XM had to drop their two major World music channels off the satellites in order to accomodate Canada. Did XM really need two French Canadian music channels? Isn't one enough? I mean, the Canadians only get one in English - it should be the same in French!

Anyway, Sur La Route is pretty good I guess. If I am in the mood to hear music in French, this channel would be the one I would listen to.

Day 45:Air Musique - XM 100

2006-01-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the Canadian channels, the Bootcamp makes a return visit to the World channels and a return visit to XM 100, though this type it is Air Musique.

Air Musique is sort of a mix of Canadian French rock, hip-hop, pop and even dance. It's mainly in French, though once in awhile a song in English gets played. This music is well known in Quebec, Canada but is unknown here in the United States. I don't think there are any DJ's. Last night I think there was some type of dance music being played. One thing interesting about this channel is that the sweepers never mention the name of the channel. Insead of Air Musique, the sweepers say it is Le Mix, or something like that. That's kind of odd.

Some of the songs I heard were "Les Youx Qui Fer" by Boukane, "Les Humains" by Akido, "Call Girl" by Lucie Laurier, "Les Geants" by Projet Orange, "Tom" by Vailliers, "On Va Se Marier" by Plywood Trois Quartet, "Bonzaion" by Loco Locass and "Good Girl" by Crila.

Air Musique is not bad. However, just like Unsigned, it needs to have the playlist be bigger. Also, it seems to jump from hard rock to pop to ballads to hip-hop a bit too much - it doesn't really blend well. It's cool to have a French Canadian channel, but why did World Zone, a TRUE World channel have to be dropped for this? It seems kind of unfair. The only reason Air Musique is on XM (as well as the other Canadian channels) is because of the Canadian government. But I have already talked about that. All in all, Air Musique is pretty good but could be better.

Day 44:Unsigned - XM 52

2006-01-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp will be visiting the recent Canadian channels during this week. It begins with a visit to the Rock channels with Unsigned.

Interestingly, Unsigned replaced another channel that was also called Unsigned. However, there are differences between the two. The former Unsigned focused mainly on American rock acts that didn't have a record label (though it did play other types of music and it sometimes played music from other countries). The new Unsigned is a Canadian rock channel that focuses on indie rock as well as unsigned acts. Well known hits are not heard here, though I did hear "One Thing" by Finger Eleven, which went top 20 over a year ago here in the United States. The music is mainly alternative and it is uncensored. It even has DJ's. In fact it has three of them - Kim, Leake (who is the Program Director) and Corona (I think that's her name!).

Some of the songs I heard were "Sing This Song" by Jeen O'Brien, "Waking" by Boys Night Out, "Morally Deficient Business" by Novillero, "Ms. Genova" by Tin Foil Phoenix, "Broken Plates" by Magneta Lane, "City Girl" by Crush Luther, "Keep Her Away" by Jets Overhead and "Common Art" by Sylvie.

This channel has a lot of promise. The music that I heard sounds pretty good and the DJ's are low-key and pleasant (even if they are not too memorable). Still, this channel needs some improving. The playlist seems a bit too shallow and certain artists get played a bit too often. The sweepers are kind of bland too. But I have high hopes for Unsigned. I just wish the old Unsigned didn't have to leave. It was cool to have an all true "unsigned" channel, but that's in the past now. This is one of the best Canadian channels on XM...if not the best.

Day 43:XM Comedy - XM 150

2006-01-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp makes its first visit to the Comedy channels with XM Comedy, which features raw, uncensored comedy.

This channel features both recordings from stand up comedians such as Richard Pryor and Dane Cook and it also features novelty songs from time to time. It features material not suited for children. You won't hear this type of comedy on FM radio!

Honestly, I only listened to a bit of it. I just do not like listening to comedians do their routine. For some reason, it makes me uncomfortable (and it doesn't have to be dirty comedy either). I think it's the audience laughing...especially if I feel the comedian is not that funny. Because of that I just tuned out XM Comedy. I think it's a fine channel but I just don't like this type of entertainment.

Day 42:XM Kids - XM 116

2006-01-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

Our second and last visit to the Kids "neighborhood" is XM Kids, which won some awards in 2002 for great children's programming.

This channel is designed for children ages 3-8. It features a variety of songs either made for children or are appropriate for them to listen to. It also has some features like Kenny Curtis' Animal Farm (Kenny Curtis is the Program Director for XM Kids) and storytelling. It is all presented in a cute but not sappy way. It does (or did) feature 3 on-air DJ's/hosts (Kenny Curtis, Jinx and Absolutely Mindy).

Some of the songs I heard were "Farm" by Imagination Move, "No Good Toys" by Steve Songs, "Celebration" by Fun Factory, "Baked Beans" by Bow Howdy, "Red" by Laura Freeman, "Body Beat" by Ernie & Neal, "Rock a Hula Baby" by Collin Raye and "Candybar" by Laughing Pizza.

I like XM Kids a lot more than Radio Disney for at least a few reasons. First, there's more music and less breaks or talking. Second, despite Radio Disney catering to a slightly older audience XM Kids seems less cheesey. Third, XM Kids plays songs you won't hear on any other XM channel whereas Radio Disney mainly plays songs that can be heard on some of XM's Hits channels. XM Kids is a great place to hear programming for young children.

Day 41:XM Cafe - XM 45

2006-01-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Woo-hoo! The XM Bootcamp has returned from over a month's vacation! I'm ready!

After a long rest the Bootcamp returnes to the Rock "neighborhood" to XM Cafe.

XM Cafe is described as Adult Album Rock. It's sort of a more mature MIX. It plays many artists featured on Adult Contemporary stations but also plays artists that FM stations generally do not play such as Keb' Mo, Rachael Yamagata, Blue Merle and Ben Kweller. The channel has a laid-back feel to it, but the music is not too sappy. It also features some great programs such as Build Your Own Show (an all request program), Nude Music Review (all new releases) and Sensitivity Training (featuring songs about love or about heartbreak).

Some of the songs I heard were "Cry" by the Sundays, "End of Our Line" by Lauren Ellis, "I Want Your Love" by Chris Isaak, "White Limousine" by Duncan Sheik, "Counting on Time" by Sexsmith & Kerr, "Growing Up" by Peter Gabriel, "King of the Mountain" by Kate Bush and "Caught a Lite Sneeze" by Tori Amos.

This is the perfect channel for those looking for some mellow rock that's not your typical Adult Contemporary. It's a plesant channel to listen to since it features some interesting music. I like that it doesn't cater to the MTV crowd. The only drawback is that listening to this channel for a long time could make you a bit drowsy. Still, this is one of XM's great channels.

The Bootcamp Should Be Resuming Soon!

2006-01-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It's now 2006 and I am curious as to what XM is going to be like this coming year. Hopefully XM will be providing some more amazing programs.

Well, the XM Bootcamp, part 2 should be very soon. I assumed it was supposed to return tomorrow but I have not seen a schedule for it yet. The man who put together this Bootcamp, Mike Alden (known as Shibby on www.xm411.com ) has not posted the schedule yet...he's falling down on his job! :) Hopefully it will be posted soon.

Anyway, I should be back posting again real soon!

Day 40:Special XMas - XM 107

2005-11-28T09:02:00.000-08:00

The last of the 5 Christmas channels is Special XMas.

This is where you can hear the weird or novelty Christmas songs. They can be funny or feature bad singing. However, it's not all wacky and silly. It also plays more common Christmas music. It's the alternative to traditional Christmas music.

Some of the songs I heard were "Let's Put Christ Back into Christmas" by Pat Goodwin, "Christmas in Heaven" by Monty Python, "Christmas Christmas" by Mojo Nixon, "The Annual Office Christmas Party" by Ray Stevens, "Daddy's Drinking Up our Christmas" by the Christmas Jug Band, "Marshmellow World" by Darlene Love, "Jingle Bell Hustle" by Have a Nice Christmas and "Winter Wonderland" by Tina Robin.

It's nice that Special XMas is on for the holidays. You won't hear this music on FM stations. The sweepers are better than last year; hopefully the playlist is better too. I'll be checking out this one again before Christmas is over.

This is the last channel the Bootcamp takes part in for this year. However, the XM Bootcamp resumes January 3rd, 2006 to cover the other channels that the Bootcamp has not visited yet. I'll be back soon!

Day 39:A Classical Christmas - XM 106

2005-11-27T10:58:00.000-08:00

The 4th of the 5 Christmas channels is A Classical Christmas.

This is where you can hear Christmas classical music. There's more choir singing featured on here. This music is generally not heard on FM radio so it's one of the more unique Christmas channels.

Some of the songs heard earlier were "A Spotless Rose" by Winchester Cathedral Choir, "Sing Lullaby" by Polyphony, "Away in a Manger" by Leonard Bernstein, "Christmas Medley" by Carnegie Hall Symphony, "Swete Jesu" by Choir of Kings, "Three German Carols" by Solid Brass, "Rejoice and Sing" by Roberts Shaw and "Joy to the World" by Psalmody.

I like this one a lot better than Country Christmas. It's a nice change of pace from the typical Christmas music. Listening to choir music is very pleasant and just seems appropriate for the holidays. I'll be checking this channel more often. It's nice to have classical Christmas music on XM.

Day 38:Nashville Christmas - XM 105

2005-11-26T09:05:00.000-08:00

The 3rd of the 5 Christmas channels has a country twang to it...the Bootcamp visits Nashville Christmas.

The title of the channel says it all basically. This features Christmas music by country artists from long ago as well as from today. Some of the songs are novelty ones but most feature your typical Christmas music.

Some of the songs I heard were "Let it Snow" by Marie Osmond, "A Very Merry Christmas" by Buck Owens, "Christmas Rock" by Toby Keith, "All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan" by Kenny Chesney, "Conventry Carol" by John Denver, "White Christmas" by Merle Haggard, "Christmas in Your Arms" by Bill Anderson and "Come on Christmas" by Dwight Yoakam.

Out of the three so far this is my least favorite. I like country music but for some reason I find Christmas country music to be kind of boring. I did like the song by Buck Owens but nothing else really interested me. I don't hate this channel but for Christmas music I don't think I'd listen to Nashville Christmas unless I'm in the mood for this type of Christmas music.

Day 37:Holiday Traditions - XM 104

2005-11-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

The 2nd of the 5 Christmas channels is Holiday Traditions.

This is sort of a more easy listening version of Holly. It focuses on the Christmas music from the 40's through the 60's. It's generally the Christmas music that no longer gets airplay on FM.

Some of the songs heard earlier were "Mary's Boy Child" by Harry Belefonte, "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Andy Williams, "Let it Snow" by Dean Martin, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" by the Hillside Singers, "Mistletoe and Holly" by Frank Sinatra, "Frosty the Snowman" by Perry Como, ""O Little Town of Bethelem" by Barbra Streisand and "Silver Bells" by Bing Crosby.

Holiday Traditions seems to be pleasant to listen to. I probably would enjoy the music on Holly, though it seems Holly is a repetitive playlist - hopefully Holiday Traditions is not also. There seem to be less sweepers on here than on Holly, which is good. I find both channels compliment one another and it's good that they are located side by side on XM. This is a good channel to hear enjoyable Christmas music.

Day 36:Holly - XM 103

2005-11-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

As the XM Bootcamp winds itself down for this year (it will be resuming the first week of January), we will be visiting XM's special channels devoted to all Christmas music. Today is Holly.

Holly, which is on XM for a third straight year, features the more contemporary Christmas music. This is the music you can hear on regular FM. However, it features more songs - songs that you most likely wouldn't hear on FM but should. There's no hard rock or rap but nothing too saccarine either.

Songs I heard earlier were "Merry Christmas Baby" by Charles Brown, "Winter Wonderland" by Amy Grant, "Grown Up Christmas List" by Natalie Cole, "Jingle Bells" by Sammy Davis Jr., "Deck the Halls" by Percy Faith, "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole (I consider this one of the best Christmas songs ever made), "Caroling Caroling" by Johnny Mathis and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by the Ronnettes.

This channel plays a good blend of Christmas music. Such as last year, it will also feature Hollygrams - where people can call up and leave a Christmas message to a loved one. This is a nice gesture; earlier I heard some people serving in the military sending out greetings to family and friends.

One thing that's not so nice is that this year all the Christmas channels are being sponsered by the United States Post Office. Considering that XM has temporarily removed 5 of their music channels for these, did they really need a sponser? Well...whatever. That aside, Holly is a fine place to hear great Christmas music.

Day 35:The System - XM 82

2005-11-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Dance channels with The System.

The System plays electronica and trance music. This dance music is more atmospheric than the typical "thump-thump" dance music that is more well known. Not all of it is considered true dance music but it's quite interesting to listen to. This channel features some specialty programs (one is called Subterreanen - I think the spelling is wrong) that feature DJ's but otherwise The System has no DJ's.

Some songs I heard earlier were "Rino's Prayer" by Leftfield, "Serenity" by Armin van Buuren, "Kala Chant Pt. 1" by Praha, "Lovesong" by Ofra Haza, "Lebanese Blonde" by Thievery Corporation, "Offshore" by Chicane, "Pole Position" by Rah and "Hooked" by Seabound.

Out of the four dance channels on XM I like The System the best. It features dance music that is interesting and with an international flavor. A lot of the music is instrumentals but they don't all sound the same to me. It's a pleasant dance channel. It will be off the air for a time though, beginning tomorrow (XM is having 5 Christmas channels through Christmas, with each one replacing a channel until the holidays are over. The System is one of them, with the other 4 being The Heart, The Torch, Luna and XM Pops). I am sure The System will return, as I believe this channel is pretty popular. It's worth listening to.

Speaking of Christmas, the next 5 days will feature the new Christmas channels. I'll be mentioning them in the blog beginning tomorrow!

Day 34:XM Pops - XM 113

2005-11-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

Today the Bootcamp makes a return visit to the Classical channels with XM Pops.

This is where you can hear the most loved and most well known classical songs. You won't hear complete classical pieces here, just specific "songs". There's no DJ's on here - the music speaks for itself. I do think there is some type of program dedicated to classical songs featured in TV commercials, movies, etc. though I don't know when it airs.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Symphony No. 9, 3rd Movement" by Antonin Dvorak, "Sicilliano" by John Sabastian Bach, "Mazurka in B Flat" by Frederic Chopin, "Octet" by Mendelssohn, "Scheherezade" by Rimsky-Korsakov, "Canarios" by Gaspar Sanz, "La Garde Montant" by Georges Bizet and "Spring Sonata" by Beethoven.

It's been some time since I listened to XM Pops. I check it out every now and then and I consider it a fine channel. It's nice to have both a deep classical channel (XM Classics, XM 110) and one that is more familiar, such as XM Pops. It's another good XM channel.

Oh Canada...

2005-11-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

This entry has nothing to do with the XM Bootcamp but does have something to do with XM radio.

For over a year there have been rumors and accurate reports that Canada would be getting satellite radio. If they did they would be using the same bandwidth that satellite radio in the United States is using. Also, the Canadian government ruled that if Canada would get satellite radio that they would have to have 10% of their programming be Canadian content only. Therefore, there would be certain channels that would be 100% Canadian.

The Canadian government approved of Canada having satellite radio, so the rumor mill went into full swing. When would it start and how would the USA subscribers be affected by this?

The answer (or at least most of the answers) were revealed yesterday. XM now has seven Canadian channels. They are the following:

XM 52:(Un)signed
XM 100: Air Musique
XM 102: Sur La Route
XM 153: Laugh Attack
XM 172: Franc Parler
XM 244: Canada 360
XM 245: Quoi de Neuf

There's also a new NHL channel called Home Ice on XM 204. In addition, three channels are gone: Unsigned (the new Unsigned is different), World Zone (used to be XM 100) and Ngoma (used to be XM 102)

Now...I knew Ngoma was leaving. I'm kind of dissapointed but I knew it was going to happen and I was not a frequent listener to it anyway. Losing World Zone is more hurtful for me. Actually, I COULD still hear these channels on XM's On-Line service, which comes with my subscription. But my computer is not really made for on-line music listening. So I am unable to hear World music on XM. What a dissapointment. I was not emotionally attached to World Zone but it was a very well programmed channel and it will be missed by me.

For the most part, I'm OK with Canada having satellite radio. I just wish that XM didn't have bandwidth issues - World music belongs on my XM radio.

Day 33:Open Road - XM 171

2005-11-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

Leaving the music channels for the moment, the Bootcamp visits Open Road, a talk radio channel dedicated to truck drivers.

This is not your usual talk radio. It's very laid back and friendly, and there seems to be a great connection between the host and the callers. In fact, many of the callers go by their CB "handle". Topics are generally about things that are of interest to truck drivers. They even play some country music from time to time. This channel has at least a couple of different programs with different hosts such as Bill Mack and the Bozo Show (or something like that).

I rarely tune in to this channel. I'm not a truck driver and there are topics discussed that I know nothing about and am not that interested in learning (they were talking about something this morning called expediate, which has to do with trailers on the back of trucks - it didn't interest me). Still, Open Road is very unique and it's cool that this channel exists. With information about the trucking business and weather and Interstate updates, I'd imagine this is a very important channel for truck drivers. It's great that XM has Open Road.

Day 32:Soul Street - XM 60

2005-11-16T08:57:00.000-08:00

It's a return visit to XM's Urban channels with Soul Street, XM's classic R&B.

This is where you can hear the R&B music from the 60's through the mid 70's, with some 50's music thrown in as well (and sometimes songs after 1974-1975). R&B music has a rich history and Soul Street highlights plenty of this music. On weekday nights Leah Hamilton hosts The Penthouse, which features the softer music of R&B. Wednesday afternoons Bobby Bennett and Dr. Nick Johnson host Pot Luck Wednesday, which can feature a certain artist or a certain year or some other "theme". This channel even plays Doo-Wop music every other Sunday.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Holy Cow" by Lee Dorsey, "Baby Let Me Kiss You" by King Floyd, "It Takes Two" by Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston, "You're the Reason" by the Ebonys, "Baby, Now That I Found You" by the Foundations, "You Talk too Much" by Joe Jones, "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin and "Secret Love" by Billy Stewart.

Soul Street is one of XM's best channels. The DJ's are great and the music is just about perfect. It's a great channel to listen to classic R&B. Soul Street is a real gem!

Day 31:On Broadway - XM 28

2005-11-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

Making another visit to the Hits channels, the Bootcamp lands On Broadway...the XM channel, not the actual avenue!

This is where you can hear Broadway show tunes both old and new, as well as songs from musicals in movies and other show tunes outside of Broadway. There are some specialty programs (I know there was one on Friday afternoons called Center Stage, which features an interview with somebody on Broadway).

Some of the songs I heard were "Old Deuteronomy" from Cats, "The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines (She Heard Before)" from Evita, "Queenie's Ballyhoo" from Showboat, "Finaletto Act II" from Through the Years, "If Not for Me, For Her" from The Woman in White, "Come Play Wiz Me" from Anyone Can Whistle, "It's Legitimate" from Do Re Mi and "The Grand Waltz" from Grand Hotel.

It's nearly impossible to hear any of these songs on FM radio, which makes On Broadway a channel worthy of having on XM. As someone who is not very familiar with Broadway, it is difficult for me to say if this channel is run well. I do think it has lost its sparkle when the original Program Director (Broadway Bill) left a few years ago. Still, On Broadway is a good channel to listen to classic show tunes as well as those forgotten songs - plus, there's nothing else like it on XM.

Day 30:Caliente - XM 94

2005-11-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Making a return visit to the Latin channels, the Bootcamp visits Caliente.

This is where you can hear the music of the Carribean as well as Cuba and Puerto Rico. Most of the music is uptempo and there's a lot of salsa music. Once in awhile they play a song in English, but the music is mainly in Spanish.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Los Tres Besos" by Ramon Orlando, "Ay Mi Vida" by Jerry Rivera, "El Burrito" by Yerba Buena, "Si Tu Te Vas" by Tommy Olivencia, "Sube, Sube" by Eddy Herrera, "Kuka Cha Kucha" by Hansel & Raul, "Tu Vos" by Frankie Negron and "La Chifiera" by Kulebra.

I like Caliente for the most part. I kind of wish it had a DJ or two and sometimes the slower songs don't go well with the salsa music but overall Caliente is enjoyable to listen to. XM has a way to go before they can consider themselves to be dedicated to Latin music but this channel is good to listen to.

Day 29:The Torch - XM 31

2005-11-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

It's a return visit to the Christian channels with The Torch, XM's Christian rock channel.

This is the more modern, harder sounding Christian music. It's mainly Alternative Christian rock. In fact, most of the songs sound as if they would be played on any current Alternative station. A lot of songs convey the message of Jesus in a subtle way. There's really no preaching heard. This is the type of Christian music to introduce to rock fans who would normally shun Christian music.

Some of the songs heard earlier were "Kamikaze" by Five Iron Frenzy, "All for You" by Jonah 33, "Sanctuary" by Kevin Max, "Bonded" by Tait, "Money Money" by Lassie Foundation, "Into Black" by Disciple, "Long Way Down" by Haste the Day and "Need to Feel Alive" by Forever Changed.

Salem Communications used to program this channel )as well as The Fish, XM 32) but both are now programmed by XM. It seems to be about the same as before (probably because I think the same Program Director is programming it). One improvement that I heard was the fixing of a clicking sound that used to be heard. I'm glad that this was fixed, or so it seems. I think The Torch is a good channel. I check it out every now and then and with the clicking sound gone (I hope!) I'll probably listen more often. However, the channel will be taking a hiatus beginning Thanksgiving in order to accomodate XM's upcoming Christmas channels. However, it's supposed to return after Christmas; I certainly hope so. The Torch belongs on XM!

Day 28:Sunny - XM 24

2005-11-08T08:46:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp is back to the Hits channels with Sunny. This is XM's Easy Listening channel.

This channel is as close to hearing "dentist/elevator" music. In fact, many of the songs sound as if you were in a dentist's office (or least this is the type of music that dentist's offices used to play). It's very soft music and much of it is instrumental. Also, many of the songs are reworkings of classic pop hits.

Songs I heard earlier were "Up Up and Away" by Floyd Cramer, "Love the World Away" by John Fox, "Maybe This Time" by Englebert Humperdinck, "Yellow Rose of Texas" by Mantovani, "The Lady in Red" by Francis Goya, "Walk on By" by the Heart Strings, "Soul Coaxing" by Norrie Paramor and "We've Only Just Begun" by the Carpenters.

This is nice music to relax to. It's very difficult to find this type of music on regular radio, making Sunny quite unique. It's nice to know that this type of soft music can still be heard on the radio.

Day 27:Boneyard - XM 41

2005-11-03T08:54:00.000-08:00

Returning to the Rock channels, the Bootcamp visits Boneyard.

Boneyard is the place to get your hard rock that's not heavy metal. It plays a lot of hair bands as well as more hard rock groups/artists. The focus is on the 80's and early 90's, though it does player some older songs and also plays some current music (the new music is labeled Fresh Virgin Bone). It has a few DJ's that used to be on XM's heavy metal channel Liquid Metal (Manny and Coolguy). This channel has some features such as Ballad Salad.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Peace Sells" by Megadeth, "The Wild and the Young" by Quiet Riot, "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses, "I'm Broken" by Pantera, "Me and the Boys" by Twisted Sister, "Ace of Spades" by Motorhead, "Let's Get Rocked" by Def Leppard and "Little Fighter" by White Lion.

Listening to Boneyard is kind of like reliving my teenage years in the 1980's. I like Boneyard. I like the fact that it plays both big hits and lesser known songs. I also like that it plays new music - music FM radio no longer plays. My one problem with the channel is the sound quality. Some songs are loud while others sound almost muffled. That's always been a problem with this channel. Overall, though, Boneyard is pretty cool!

Day 26:The Joint - XM 101

2005-11-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Bootcamp makes a return visit to the World channels with The Joint, XM's reggae channel.

The Joint plays the hottest new reggae music as well as the music from the 70's through the 90's. It has a Dancehall program at night and I believe there may be some other programs on this channel. I'm not sure if there is a DJ on here - they used to have one. The Joint's focus is on mainly traditional and current reggae, though it also plays some reggae-type music from non-Jamaican and non-reggae artists.

Some of the songs I heard were "Overcome" by Wayne Marshall, "Jah Kingdom Come" by the Twinkle Brothers, "Revolutionary Step" by Pablo Moses, "Hungry" by Fanton Mojah, "Sara" by Sean Paul, "Real Situation" by Bob Marley & the Wailers, "Let it Shine" by Majek Fashnek" and "Rock the Boat" by Inner Circle.

I like The Joint. Reggae music is fun to listen to. Some of the "non" reggae music seems out of place to me, but I can see why it gets played. Though the presentation of the channel is kind of dry (the sweepers are just okay), The Joint is a great place to hear reggae.

Day 25:The Heart - XM 23

2005-11-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today the bootcamp visits The Heart, another Hits channel. This is where you can hear the soft pop songs and the ballads.

These songs are familiar to anybody who grew up listening to mainstream pop music. Artists such as Mariah Carey, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston and Elton John (among many others) can be heard. It's pretty much what you'd expect a channel like this to sound like, though it has a larger playlist than what you would hear on a FM station.

Some of the songs I heard were "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" by Barry White, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, "Chrish" by the Association, "One More Night" by Phil Collins, "You Mean the World to Me" by Toni Braxton, "Every Woman in the World" by Air Supply, "The First Cut is the Deepest" by Sheryl Crow and "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick.

Though I do miss the "old" The Heart when it had a DJ that mentioned requests and dedications, I do like what this channel plays. It just needs some slight improvements (some songs were ended earlier than they should have). It's a good channel to listen to comfort music that is soft and/or romantic.

Day 24:Radio Disney - XM 115

2005-10-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

Now we are visiting the Kids "neighborhood" with Radio Disney.

Radio Disney is a channel designed for children. It features songs suitable for kids, peppy DJ's and lots of chances to win prizes (and you have to be a kid to enter a contest). There's a ton of Disney promos. Radio Disney can be heard on terrestial radio stations across the country (both AM & FM). One improvement from the last time the Bootcamp visited Radio Disney is that you can now see what song is playing on your radio display.

I heard these songs earlier: "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch, "Cha-Cha Slide" by Mr. C the Slide, "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas, "Hamster Dance" by Hampton the Hamster (this song is sort of the crowning jewel of Radio Disney), "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard, "Wake Up" by Hillary Duff, "Get the Party Started" by Pink and "Rich Girl" by Gwen Stefani w. Eve.

I'm not a fan of Radio Disney but I'm not a part of their age group either. It's not that it's bad...it's just that there's too many breaks and Radio Disney plugs. It could also have a larger playlist (XM Kids plays a lot of songs you won't hear on Radio Disney). I'll say this though - I do applaud Radio Disney for having a channel for children. I would have liked to have had a channel similar to this when I was a kid. For all its faults it DOES provide adequate programming for children. I'd like to think Walt Disney would have been proud.

Day 23:MLB Home Plate - XM 175

2005-10-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Making a visit to the Sports channels, the bootcamp is now at MLB Home Plate, one of the newer channels on XM.

MLB Home Plate is an all baseball talk channel, complete with live call-in shows and even a Fantasy baseball program. Major League baseball has been a big boon for XM. That's not surprising due to the fact that baseball is a popular sport. Plus, this sport works well on radio. It's not the only baseball channel on XM. There are many play-by-play channels as well. There's also a channel in Spanish. The World Series is currently going on (Game 4 is today and the White Sox can win it all if they win today), so having these channels must be heavenly to baseball fans. Baseball has been part of XM since early this year, just in time for Spring Training.

I'm not a baseball fan, though I don't dislike the sport. I listened to some of the morning Talk program. It was pretty good. I'll admit I'm not that fond of talk radio. Still, XM seems to be doing a good job with this channel. They do repeat a lot of promos though. Having baseball be a part of XM is a good thing.

Day 22:World Zone - XM 100

2005-10-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Returning to the World channels, the bootcamp visits World Zone. This is the channel where you can hear music from around the world.

It covers many parts of the world, from Brazil to Greece and even the United States (Hawaii). What's great is that you can listen to many different languages. It covers many different styles of music. It has great music "programs" on weekend nights from 10:00-midnight Eastern time. Monday nights cover Carribean music, Tuesday has European music, Wednesday covers soul music from around the world, Thursday has Brazillian music and Friday features dance music mixed by a DJ. This channel has (or had) two DJ's, Shawna Renee and Nikki Strong. I didn't hear Shawna today, so I wonder if she is on vacation or if she is no longer on World Zone; I hope it's the former.

Anyway, some songs I heard earlier were "Resineiro" by Dona Rosa, "Mambo Bado" by Makassy, "Oyimbo" by Femi Kuti, "Abraco" by Daniela Mercury, "Madre" by Khaled, "He Miss Road" by Fela Kuti, "Nasyon Soley" by Emeline Michel and "Sonegaly" by Tarika.

This is a great channel to check out music from around the world. Unlike U-Pop, which focuses on mainly current pop/rock/R&B from Northern Europe (mainly England), World Zone covers more traditional types of music. I have heard some great music on here. I'm very happy that it is a part of XM radio.

Day 21:SonicTheater - XM 163

2005-10-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

The bootcamp returns to the Talk & Variety channels with a stop at Sonic Theater.

Sonic Theater, in some ways, is a more modern version of Radio Classics. Such as the case with Radio Classics, Sonic Theater also features radio dramas and comedies. The difference is that Sonic Theater also covers book readings. You can hear classic novels being read out loud over the radio.

I think Sonic Theater is a fine channel. It's not for my tastes though. I just could not get into what I was hearing. There was this "comedy" about a spacecraft who's underlings were fed up being treated as second-rate people so they took the main crew hostage. It was an odd comedy and I really could not get into it. Even worse, the story was never resolved! One thing about Sonic Theater is that a lot of the shows have "chapters" or different parts that continue the next day at that time. I guess it continues tomorrow, but I won't tune in to find out.

I don't hate Sonic Theater; it just isn't for me. But I'm glad it's on XM.

Day 20:Fungus - XM 53

2005-10-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp returns to the Rock channels with a visit to Fungus, XM's punk/ska rock channel.

Punk music is popular with many people (mainly guys) under 30 years old, yet it is nearly impossible to hear on the radio because of its language and attitude. XM has finally given this music its props. It's mainly punk, but ska music can also be heard. It has some specialty programs such as Rancid Radio and Hee Haw Hell. It has a DJ who really knows his punk music (Lou Brutus, also the Program Director).

Some of the songs heard earlier were "D.U.M.B." by Nobodys, "Stealing People" by Dead Kennedys, "5150" by Tsunami Bomb, "Neat Neat Neat" by the Damned, "It's Not Over" by Face to Face, "Punkerama" by Meatmen, "Knocked Down" by Pennywise and "Sounds Wrong" by Swingin' Utters.

This is a great channel. It has plently of attitude but doesn't take itself too seriously. Before getting XM I don't think I ever heard punk music. I assumed I would hate it. I have found that it's actually pretty cool to listen to. It's nice that punk music has a voice on XM and I believe Fungus is doing a great job with it.

Day 19:U-Pop - XM 29

2005-10-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today the Bootcamp makes a visit to the Hits channels with U-Pop, XM's Global pop channel.

U-Pop's focus is mainly on Northern Europe, especially the United Kingdom. They also play songs from other countries. This channel is a great way to find out what is popular overseas. Sometimes the pop music is better than what is doing well here in the United States.

U-Pop has DJ's, including a morning show hosted by Ted Kelly (who's also the Program Director of the channel). It even has a British DJ who's working in the United States. The DJ's do a good job with the channel.

Some of the songs I heard this morning were "Devil Inside" by Utada Hikaru, "It Ain't Pretty" by INXS, "Disco Infiltrator" by LCD Soundsystem, "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt, "Don't Go" by YAZ, "Jetstream" by New Order, "Spiders" by Moby and "Rip it Up" by Razorlight.

U-Pop is fine for what it does, since it plays music from around the globe that is not getting airplay on terrestial radio. However, it only scratches the surface. I never hear pop music from russia, Brazil, Italy, etc. They might have played some from these countries, but if they have it was not very often. They focus too much time on the United Kingdom. I'd like to see at least some specialty shows once a week that showcases a certain region or country. After all, they claim they are a global pop channel. Because of this I have a hard time enjoying U-Pop. Don't get me wrong - it's a fine pop channel. It's just not covering all that it should.

Day 18:Luna - XM 95

2005-10-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Making a visit to the Latin channels, the XM Bootcamp has arrived to Luna.

This is XM's Latin Jazz channel. This features both Latin Jazz by Latin artists as well as American artists that are playing Latin Jazz. A majority of the songs seem to be instrumental and aometimes there are songs in English.

Some of the songs I heard were "Guachi Guaro" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Ritmo Uni" by Tjader/Palmieri, "Mood for Milt" by Cal Tjader, "Samba e Amor" by Bebel Gilberto, "Basheer's Dream" by Kenny Darham, "Olimar" by Edu Tancredi, "Social Call" by Ray Vega and "Blue Monk" by Giovanni Hidalgo.

In a way, this isn't a true Latin channel but it is very unique and pleasant to listen to. One problem with Luna is that there is this clicking sound that can be heard from time to time. I hope XM can fix that, but since it has been going on for some time I have my doubts. It's not too intrusive though. Luna is a fine channel to listen to. I'm glad it is a part of XM; I need to listen to this more often.

Day 17:Hear Music - XM 75

2005-10-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp makes a visit to the Lifestyle "neighborhood" with Hear Music, a channel sponsered by Starbucks.

This is an eclectic mix of music, though the emphasis is mainly new singer-songwriters. It features mainly well-known artists who are not having big hit singles. It seems to do a good job in covering new music.

Some of the songs I heard earlier were "Wildflowers" by Tom Petty, "Funny How Time Slips Away" by Al Green & Lyle Lovette, "Half Light" by Athlete, "Wild Horses" by Flying Burrito Brothers, "Sitting, Waiting, Hoping" by Jack Johnson, "Suedehead" by Morrissey, "I Will Not Be Broken" by Bonnie Raitt and "Somebody Already Broke My Heart" by Sade.

This channel has improved a lot since debuted in 2004. There used to be a ton of promos and short sets of music; now there's very few promos and more music. It seems that the Artist Choice sets have also been dropped, which for the most part I am happy with. The channel seems more focused. The repetition is not as bad as it used to be also. I have been impressed with what XM has done with Hear Music. This is a great channel for those who enjoy hearing music on the more diverse side. It's just another unique XM channel!

By the way, though Starbucks sponsers it, Hear Music has no commercials played.

Day 16:The 90's - XM 9

2005-10-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Returning to the Decades channels for a third time, the Bootcamp visits the 90's.

This is where you can hear the big hits of the 90's. This channel has gone through a lot of changes in the past 2 years. It went from being a highly interactive channel that focused on mainly big hits to a lifeless jukebox to a deep 90's channel with DJ's to a more boring sounding 90's channel with DJ's. Right now I'm not exactly sure what it is trying to be. I didn't hear a single DJ the time I listened this morning. It does do a good job in blending the different musical styles throughout the decade.

Some of the songs heard this morning were "Last Kiss" by Pearl Jam, "She's so High" by Tal Bachman, "Gonna Make You Sweat" by C&C Music Factory w. Freedom Williams, "Hold on My Heart (live version) by Genesis, "Just a Girl" by No Doubt, "Around the Way Girl" by L.L. Cool J, "All This Time" by Sting and "Save Tonight" by Eagle-Eyed Cherry.

My feelings for the 90's are sort of mixed. There's nothing wrong with what they are playing. I just wish they would go deeper more often. I feel that the 90's is more about hype and less about actual content. Still, for 90's hits you can't go wrong with this channel.

Day 15:Air America - XM 167

2005-10-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Bootcamp is visiting Air America, XM's liberal talk channel. It's also known as "left-wing". This is basically talk radio for open-minded people, I guess.

I did not listen to much of this channel this morning. Honestly, talk radio just does not interest me at all. I just do not like hearing talk radio hosts take calls, mainly because of the lack of time they can talk (commercial breaks) and the fact that the hosts just do not, for the most part, sound like they are interested in what the callers are talking about. I nearly cringe listening to talk radio, so I pretty much tuned it out. I have nothing against talk radio, whether it is political, religious, educationial, etc. It is just something that does not interest me at all. I have tried talk radio before. I have come to the conclusion that I just don't care for it. I'm glad it is a part of XM, as I know that liberal radio is needed. However, it's not part of my needs. But I can't be expected to enjoy everything on XM, can I? :)

Day 14:Music Lab - XM 51

2005-10-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

The XM Bootcamp makes a visit to Music Lab, which is a progressive rock/jam band channel.

Progressive rock is sort of post psychedelia-rock, with a lot of experimentations with the music and the arrangements. It may feature stringed instruments or odd sound effects. The songs may be over 20 minutes in length. Artists that are known for this type of music are early Genesis, Yes (mainly the early stuff), Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd among others. Jam bands are sort of like a mixture of classic rock and progressive rock. I feel that the jam band music does not fit well on Music Lab, though I am glad that XM is at least playing this type of music.

Some songs I heard were "Invictus" by Moses Guest, "Liza" by Django Reinhardt, "Sax Fifth Avenue" by Danny Gatton, "Foam" by Phish, "Barometric Whether" by RAQ, "Etta James" by Reid Ganauer, "Waiting Man" by King Crimson and "Better Off" by Widespread Panic.

I'm not a fan of this type of music, so I very rarely listen to this channel. Still, it is great that XM provides this type of music because it is nearly impossible to find any of this music on FM. Music Lab is not perfect and its sweepers are dumb and kind of creepy but it does provide a type of music that needs to be played. If you are looking for something different in rock music, Music Lab may be what you are looking for.

Day 13:X Country - XM 12

2005-10-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

A return visit to the Country channels brings us to X Country.

This is described as progressive country, though it also can be described as Americana or rockabilly music. This is the country music that is a bit more rock-oriented. You generally will not hear this type of music on FM radio and I'm sure that you will not find an entire station devoted to this type of music. It is country music for people who don't like country music. They have a lot of different programs such as X in Texas (progressive Texan country music), Rogue Calls (an all-request program) and Amardillo Radio (live concert by an artist). Jessie Scott is the Program Director and she does a great job. They even have a recording artist as a DJ - Webb Wilder.

Some of the songs I heard were "Looking at the World Through a Windshield" by Son Volt, "Half a Million Miles" by the Kennedys, "Anything You Need" by Nanci Griffith, "Dream 29 (One True Love)" by Cindy Bullens, "Dollar Bill Blues" by Townes Van Zandt, "Gotta Prove" by Guthrie & Irion, "Rider in the Rain" by Randy Newman and "Let's Go Hikin'" by Tim O'Brien.

X Country is a great channel to listen to country music that is not the norm. It's a nice change of pace from what you would normally hear on the radio. I check it out every now and then and I am always hearing interesting songs. I'm glad it's a part of XM and I hope it stays that way.

Day 12:Suite 62 - XM 62

2005-09-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

A return visit to the R&B/Hip-Hop channels takes the bootcampers to Suite 62. This is an adult R&B channel from the 1970's through today, with more emphasis on the music from the last 10 years or so.

You can hear artists such as Luther Vandross, Usher, Sade, Jill Scott, Keith Sweat and many others. There is no rap music. Most of the music is smooth ballads, though some uptempo songs also get played. There is at least one DJ (though I do not know his name) and there is a late night "program" that is dedicated to more sexy Urban music.

Some of the songs I heard were "All Night Long" by the Mary Jane Girls (this is one of my favorite songs from the 1980's), "Cater 2 U" by Destiny's Child, "Pure Gold" by Earth, Wind & Fire, "Diary" by Alicia Keys w. Tony! Toni! Tone!, "Guess Who Loves You More" by Raheem Devaughn, "Sadie" by the Spinners, "Forever, for Always, for Love" by Lalah Hathaway and "Please" by Toni Braxton.

If awards were given on XM for most improved channel during the year, I would say Suite 62 would be a strong contender to win. With the addition of at least one DJ and the nice mix of music, Suite 62 has greatly improved. It's a nice R&B channel that does not play rap music.

Day 11:Highway 16 - XM 16

2005-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

The first visit to the Country channels is Highway 16. This features the hottest country music of today.

It is a hits-oriented country channel. However, it does throw in some surprises from time to time. For instance, on Friday afternoons (6:00 PM ET) a whole hour is devoted to an album that is coming out or recently came out. During that program every song is played and the artist is interviewed by Program Director Jon Anthony as they discuss the songs on the album. They also have something called Driver's Ed, which focuses on a new artist. Jon Anthony does a good job with this channel.

Some of the songs I heard were "A Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" by Dierks Bentley, "Shoes" by Shania Twain, "Best I Ever Had" by Gary Allan, "Somebody" by Reba McEntire, "Drugs or Jesus" by Tim McGraw, "Believe" by Brooks & Dunn, "Hicktown" by Jason Aldean and "You're Like Coming Home" by Lonestar.

There is repetition due to the fact that the focus is on the hottest music. Still, I think Highway 16 does a good job in adding new music and playing some slightly older songs. I give it thumbs up for actually taking some risks - XM's Hits channels should do the same. I tune in sometimes and it's a good hits-oriented new country music channel.