Many of the people in my generation were not even born at what is considered the Golden Age of Radio. Where stories were told and tales were woven through the Radios in the kitchen and family dining rooms.

Occassionally I was fortunate enough as a kid to get some live baseball games from the East Coast. On a clear night I would somehow manage to pick up Yankee, Met or Red Sox games all the way clearly into my room in Nova Scotia.

As a kid I used to have to fall asleep with a Radio on at night. Today I need the complete opposite, total silence!

Sirius 118 Radio Classics plays great classic Radio dramas like Dragnet and The Shadow, plus material from some comedy pioneers like George Burns and Jack Benny. Spend enough time with Radio Classics and you will be transported back in time. This is where you paint the imagery with your mind and therefore in my opinion, you make the stories much more enjoyable.

What the Golden Age of Radio reminds me in today’s age of Satellite Radio is to really listen to what people are saying. All of the great (and even the not so great) talk show hosts on SiriusXM do what they can to tell their stories so they capture and keep an audience.

Many of the on-air hosts on the music stations also do an excellent job of telling stories. One needs to only turn to Sirius16 Deep Tracks for a great example. Bob Dylan and Tom Petty tell excellent stories related to the music they play on their respective shows.

Give Radio Classics a listen some evening and check out old storytelling at the Golden Age. It is a lesson in Radio history worth learning.

Im going to spend this week discussing two of the more underrated music channels that we as subscribers are very fortunate to have. Today I am reflecting on Sirius 16 Deep Tracks.

I never paid much attention to Deep Tracks until after the merger and a chance listen to Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour. This show originated on XM and came over with the merged channel.  Dylan talks and spins music for an hour based around a central theme. That theme could be an object of nature, a time, place or feeling. Whatever the theme, it makes for amazing radio that is interesting to hear. Dylan can be heard on the Deep Tracks Mondays at 8 pm, Wednesdays at 11 am, Thursdays at 12 am and Sundays at 8 am, all times eastern.

One of my all time favourite songwriters of all time also has a home on Deep Tracks. Tom Petty and his Buried Treasure show plays a great set of forgotten tracks and eclectic styles. Tom also shares his own personal insights into music and life. Truly a radio trip worth taking.  Tom is heard on Mondays at 11 am, Thurdays at 8 pm, Saturdays at 4 am and Sundays at 2 pm, all times again eastern.

The greatest benefit from listening to Deep Tracks is hearing all of these great classic songs that Terrestrial Radio tends to never play. Not too many singles of the B-sides, but the other songs which may never have received the airplay they deserved. Best example I could give is from a few weeks ago where I heard a Steely Dan track from my favourite Dan record, the first one “Can’t Buy A Thrill”. The particular track was not a single but is a great mellow tune on the second side as it spins to the end of the record.  ”Brooklyn Owes The Charmer Under Me”, is just a kick ass track with great melodies and musicianship. The lyrics paint a story about ones love for New York and its occasional insanity.

Spend a few hours with the Deep Tracks and you might hear that great song catching you by surprise. Enjoy! 

The Grammy awards have introduced a category for Americana music. This great blend of country, folk and rock has had a home for years on SiriusXM Outlaw Country. With many Country fans growing tired of the poppy direction of some country, it is glorious to know that the people behind the Grammys have seen the great growth in this kind of music. Fans have packed small venues to see great acts like Charlie Robison and Cross Canadian Ragweed. The “OC” also has been home to the offspring of many of Country’s greatest rebels. Hank Williams the Third has been producing a nice mix of Americana and Traditional Country music with different projects.  Hank the third has also been heavily involved in Metal with Assjack and Superjoint Ritual!

I am happy that it is thanks to Stevie Van Zandt’s visionary idea in creating this station, we see a great focus returning to the music rather than a perceived typical Country image. Many of the artists we hear on Outlaw Country are talented greats who might still occasionally appear on Prime Country or The Roadhouse but have not enjoyed as much commercial success in the last few years.  Yet, these artists are still releasing quality music and packing concert halls.

In looking at the inaugural list of Grammy Nominees for Americana album of the year, we see all people whose music is proudly featured in The “OC”. Bob Dylan, Levon Helm, Wilco and Lucinda Williams released quality albums this year and it is great to see them nominated.

What is discouraging though is seeing one reviewer gripe that this list shows a lack of upcoming talent. This kind of music is only now being recognized by much of the so called “mainstream” media, so why not focus on how great the whole genre is instead?

Sirius XM 63 Outlaw Country features great Americana Music and edgier Country with different influences outside of the pop vein. Worth a listen and number 7 on my pre-set!

Legendary music producer Don Was has been confirmed as the host of a brand new program set to begin airing on Outlaw Country this Saturday, August 29th, The Motor City Hayride.

Was, producer for such notable acts as the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan will act as host of the program, playing and discussing tracks from the Detroit music scene and renegade country acts from across the world.

The Motor City Hayride will begin airing every Saturday night at 10pm EST (with encore broadcasts on Sunday at 10am EST) through Outlaw Country (Sirius channel 63, XM channel 12).

[Via Orbitcast]

The success and popularity of Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour hasn’t gone unnoticed. Sirius XM Radio has now announced the expansion of the program to allow for longer, uninterrupted playtimes.

Dylan’s show will now run for four consecutive hours of the musician’s acclaimed blend of traditional-style hosting and hand-selected tracks.

The program will remain in its regular time slot and channel on Wednesdays at 11am EST on Deep Tracks (Sirius channel 16, XM channel 40) with the longer running time.

Theme Time Radio Hour’s new format begins on Sunday, February 8th 2009 with an encore of Wednesday’s episode at 4pm EST and will air on The Spectrum (Sirius channel 18, XM channel 45).

[Via Orbitcast]

Sirius Radio has announced the addition of new programming being added to their line-up just in time for the holiday season. Aside from the already solid line-up of sports and talk show programming, Sirius is now planning to launch a series of music-centered stations.

New stations such as artist driven channels from Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson will lead the pack of fresh programming.

Sirius is also planning to follow up on Led Zeppelin Radio with a plethora of new single artist channels. Included in the new programming will be AC/DC Radio, Grateful Dead Radio and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Radio.

[Via NewsWire]