i always love looking for and finding new music.  there are a number of places i look. iTunes is the first place i look.  even though its not a perfect shopping experience i tend to find new stuff that strikes my interest.  other places i look are amazon.com’s mp3 page as well as The Currents web site.  as far as physical stores i usually head over to Cheapo for music shopping.  they have a great selection for old records as well as decent prices on used cds.

but, when money is tight, like it might be for a few people out there, i turn to internet radio stations. the main one i listen to is MPR’s The Current (Click for Stream). Even though i can listen to it right on my radio, i am not always in my car or in a place i can turn the radio on.  this stream is very good quality and perfect for listening on your iPhone or on your computer.  Another radio station i will listen to is Fresh Air a radio station from Edinburgh.  its a student run radio station and they play music that i might not hear on mainstream radio.  For a more ambient dj mix mood i turn to Groove Salad. its a nice mix of electronic and dance music.  very ambient and not distracting.  A really slick station that The Current got its influance from is KCRW.  they have a music only stream that is very good.  lots of non pop top 40 stuff.  mostly lesser known bands and local LA music.  Finally there is a new one that got my attention recently that is also from Minnesota Public Radio and that’s Radio Heartland. its a great mix of americana, bluegrass and roots music.

but more often than that i turn to podcasts.  with the podcasts i can keep the music on my ipod, go back and listen to it often.  i have found a few thatfeature a new song everyday.  first on my list is The Currents Song of the day (opens iTunes). like it says, there is a new song everyday.  they feature local twin cities artists as well as new songs from up and coming artists.  its definatly worth downloading every track on the list.  you will be introduced to many new artists that you may not have heard otherwise.

next on my list is IdieFeed (link opens Alternative feed in iTunes).  this group covers many styles of music: alternative, Indie Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, Electronica, Preformance Poetry and Blues. This one is very nice.  each track gets introduced and after the track plays there is a very short biography of the artist.  very informative and is updated 2-3 times a week.

next are a few music review and interview podcasts.  First on my list is Sound Opinion from American Public Media. this si a weekly program and is about an hour long.  often they spend the first half of the show interviewing an artist about a new album or they talk about the big release of the day.  the second half of the show is about reviewing certain album releases for that week.  its very informative and though i don’t always agree with them, they really know what they are talking about and they are very interesting to listen to.

After that is another one from Minnesota Public Radio called Musicheads. This is hosted by The Current’s Bill DeVille and features conversation with other DJs from the station about new music that has arrived locally and nationally.  it runs about a half an hour and is always interesting.

Than i will listen to KCRWs Morning Becomes Eclectic. This one runs between 40 and 60 minutes and covers all styles of music from jazz to pop to reggea to classical.  ussually focusing one one artist per episode they interview and give background on the artists and talk about inspirations and direction.

Which brings us to the final 2 that i like, both from NPR.  The first is All Songs Considered. this is a great show that features new and eclectic artists as well as covering the bigger names.  they also have a fantastic website with even more indepth interviews, photos, videos and blogs.  Also from All Songs Considered is thier Live Concerts podcast. This is a fantastic pocast that will feature FULL concerts by many artists like Radiohead, The Raconteurs, the Ting Tings and She & Him. There are also some videos that are called “tiny desk concerts” which are filmed in studio at the hosts desk.  also very slick.

so there you have it. a decent list of places to get FREE music when money is tight.  there are many more out there but these are the ones that i like and listen to all the time.  what do you listen to?

my wife and i were at Ikea yesterday looking for some ideas for things and to just see whats new. we don’t get out there very often but we thought we would this time just for fun. while walking through the lighting section i happened upon a new item. a floor lamp. or was it? the sign said it was but than had a big “NOT” on it as well. this brought me back to the 1990’s when it was cool to say “NOT” after something that was not true. example: “Nirvana is the worst band ever… NOT!” like that. so is it a floor lamp or isn’t it?

my wife and i were walking through the drug store today while we were waiting for a prescription to be filled when we saw the oddest thing. it was an air freshener in the shape of a fish. for fisherman i guess. i am not sure what it would smell like but i can guess. somethings should not be used as a model for an air freshener.

its time to support someone you can trust! Harvey Dent is that someone! The following is taken from his website…

Harvey Dent is the one man with the courage, the guts, and the steel to stand up to the violent mob gangs that are destroying Gotham.

Why Harvey Dent?

We all know about the crime that makes us scared to walk home at night, scared to take public transportation, scared sometimes even to leave our own house.

Harvey Dent can stop the crime wave. Because Harvey Dent is the one man who can target the real sources of the violence – organized crime and corrupt cops.

Harvey Dent Put Dirty Cops Behind Bars

When nobody else had the guts to do it, Harvey Dent took on the dirty cops – and secured 11 guilty verdicts.

And he’s not stopping there.

When everybody else was throwing up their hands about massive police corruption, Dent started a public tip line for citizen complaints about corrupt cops. The tip line has received thousands of calls – and let citizens fight back against corruption.

Harvey Dent vs. The Mob

Harvey Dent is taking aim at the Mob kings that are feeding off the misery of Gotham citizens.

Dent has sworn that if he is elected District Attorney, he’ll go after the worst mob kingpin first – Sal Maroni.

Harvey Dent Can Stop The Crime Wave

Take one look at these numbers:

Crime has skyrocketed 97% in Gotham over the last 4 years.
Murders up 78%
Armed robberies up 76%
Rapes up 58%
Violent attacks up 97%

Isn’t it time for a change? Isn’t it time to support Harvey Dent?

(i love viral marketing, and the marketing for the new Batman movie “the Dark Knight” is brilliant!)