Underground Garage

Only 29 hits on this post eh?!? More people want to find out if a Nait5 is better than a 5i or a 5 with a Flatcap over and over again?

Or do people not know what "Underground Garage" is?

Here is the lineup from the show:
IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES
THE STROKES
THE NEW YORK DOLLS
THE PRETTY THINGS
BO DIDDLEY
BIG STAR
THE ROMANTICS
THE RAVEONETTES
THE DICTATORS
THE D4
NANCY SINATRA
THE MOONEY SUZUKI
THE ELECTRIC PRUNES
THE CYNICS
THE PETE BEST BAND
THE CHAINS
THE CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND
THE CEASARS
THE CREATION
THE SINGLES
THE PAYBACKS
THE FLESHTONES
JARVIS HUMBY
THE STEMS
THE FONDAS
THE CONTRAST
THE WOGGLES
THE CHESTERFIELD KINGS
BOSS MARTIANS
THE HIGH DIALS
LYRES
THE FORTY FIVES
THE SHAZAM
THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS
THE STAR SPANGLES
THE CHARMS
THE FUZZTONES
THE FLAMING SIDEBURNS
THE GORE GORE GIRLS
THE SWINGING NECKBREAKERS
DAVIE ALLAN & THE ARROWS
RICHARD & THE YOUNG LIONS

Like I said, the show is supposed to come out on 3D DVD. When I talked to my friend Carey yesterday, she said they spared no expense on this show. She said the camera crews were everywhere and got everything on film. There was also a big rivalry which was done intentionally of Detroit versus New York bands. Carey had breakfast and flew home with Ron Ashton who was very positive about the whole event.

Like I said in the post above, a revolution has happened. Little Steven's 2 hour radio show started two years ago and has become the top-rated program on several of his affiliates, which is HUGE that a Sunday night show can out do a morning drive-time show! Now Sirius have a hit "Underground Garage" show in less than a month! And in this time the movement reformed The New York Dolls, The Pretty Things, got Nancy Sinatra out of retirement, etc. At the show, Bo Diddley introduced himself as "I used to play for some of your grandparents". There were fans aged 4-80 at the concert and everybody had a good time, how cool is that!?

For those who have continued to read this far and still don't get my enthusiasm, this is HUGE. And it's only one genre of music. Satelite radio gets genuine instantaneous feedback from subscribers. My satelite box periodically downloads my viewing and listening history and habits via phone line. In other words, they know what people are or aren't really listening to.

In the past year, radio has gotten so good that I now have dozens of channels to choose from instead of only choosing between one station or playing a record.

Ron The Mon,
Needle and Radio Freak

Ron,

I've heard satellite radio in a rental car and thought the sound was piss poor. The BBC sounded like it was recorded in a coffee can. I'm assuming your feed is better, and not the compressed junk I heard. It's really good to hear that Sirius isn't just comercial free clear channel -- since I don't have cable, I'd have to get a receiver to pick this up or is it available on the web (or CD swap )?

Dan

I'm interested, definately.

I don't have sat radio but I do have Dish Network. Sound through the Dish Net. radio channels is, well, o.k., but I'll look for the underground garage show.

Eric

Dan,
I first heard Sirius in a rental car too. And the sound was piss-poor. On a recent visit to Radio Shack, I found out why though.

The Sirius "module" can be plugged into the car, portable, or home units. This greatly reduces cost. You pay the subscription rate for the module, which is now less than $100 per year. In fact, to get Sirius for a years subscription, the car, portable, and home unit combined is less than $300; or about the cost of two CDs per month.

So why do the car units sound like crap? Sirius promote their product as able to be installed in less than 10 minutes in a car by an amateur! I knew that was the problem!!

Sirius recommend mounting the "dish" and "module" on the car dashboard in a wireless fashion plugged into the cigarette lighter. As a Naimee you probably understand the two problems here.

One, "wireless" means the already compressed digital satelite signal is frequency modulated (FM) and "broadcast" through your car radio antenna. Pretty lame. Two, the cigarette lighter or auxillary power ports on the car are not part of the "star" grounding of the car. It is pretty much understood that proper grounding of car hi-fis eliminate extraneous noise. Instead of using a coil to reduce alternator motor noise, proper grounding eliminates it. The same goes for Sirius. Hardwire the satelite ground to the regulator ground for best sound quality. Also, the Sirius car unit has a "pre-amp out" which goes directly to a car units' pre-amp in. My Toyota has a CD input (aux) which can be connected this way. In other words, spend the extra $100 to have the unit professionally installed or do it right yourself.

The Radio Shack salesman I encountered was very knowledgeable (I know, you think I'm making this up!). He had the Sirius properly installed in his car and offered me to hear it. It sounded much better than the rental car I first heard. He said Sirius doesn't want salesmen to mention any installation problems and only talk about music and information content. Many of us hi-fi nuts forget that what it's really about is the music!

But even properly installed, the sound is average. In Detroit, FM radio stations vary on quality; some are very good, some are horrific. Sirius, properly installed, is in the middle ground for everyday content. However, this "International Underground Garage Festival" that happened this past weekend is an entirely different story.

Be aware that my DishNetwork home satelite receiver is on a 30-amp separate circuit (spur), and on its own single shelf dedicated stand. It is now my most listened to piece of hardware. This weekends' concert sounded fabulous; on par with a good FM tuner! Therefore the variable has to be the broadcast booth. We all know CD sucks, so I won't go there! As I said, it is comforting to know that the satelite medium isn't the problem, and that there is great potential.

For you Brits, it is important to differentiate between satelite and "digital" radio. First, satelite is of a higher quality. Secondly, satelite (in the US) is currently only minorly regulated. I despise Howard Stern, but I despise the FCC more. The fact that Clear Channel is able to be more successful on Sirius is a statement of content quality, not sound quality. Anything that gets the government out of our bedrooms and living rooms has got to be good!

I've used my satelite receiver through a Linn Numerik with decent results. I'd be curious to hear it through an AV2. Anyone done this? If Paul Stephenson talks about how good ipod sounds with a Naim power supply, I'd be curious to hear a Naim power supply for a Sirius as I think it sounds better than MP3.

As I keep mentioning content is the key here!

As Joey Ramone sang, "Do you remember lying in bed, with the covers pulled up over your head? Radio playin' so no one else could see,...We need change and we need it fast, before rock's part of the past,.....Do you remember Murray the K, Alan Freed, and high energy?,.... Hullaballoo, Upbeat, Shindig and Ed Sullivan too?,....Will you remember Jerry Lee, John Lennon, T. Rex and Ol' Moulty?"

That's what this forum should be about. When you've reduced yourself to posting about how a 102 isn't good enough for a 250, you might as well move to USA where you can buy a 44 Magnum and blow your head clean off.

Hi-fi is a means to an end; the MUSIC!!! Not an end in itself. For you guys who keep asking the "panel" here if your hi-fi is good, how about asking the old clever Linn question, "Do you use yours every night?".

I love my Naim hi-fi, and even though I haven't spent money on it in years, it allows me to broaden my musical horizons. I see more live music now than ever. I listen to more recorded and live music at home than ever before. I appreciate that many of you have contributed points here on how to improve my hi-fi with set-up techniques, mains improvemnets etc.

But the bottom line is if you don't expand the styles of music you listen to, if you don't go see more live music, your hi-fi sucks. End of story.

The song "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" really affects me as I used to listen to my hi-fi with headphones on with the covers pulled up over my head, late at night! Not only did I listen to WABX (one of the best FM stations ever to exist), I use to DX and try to get New York stations (which occasionally happened on a clear night!). The early 70s is happening again, a revolution is occuring. If you don't get what I'm saying, sell your entire hi-fi now and invest the cash in White Castle. It would be a better investment.

Ron The Mon,
Needle-Freak

Eric,
Channel 6025 on DishNetwork. Channnel 25 on Sirius.

If you want any tips on how to make your DishNetwork box sound good let me know via private e-mail. Put "Naim" in title.

Ron The Mon,
Needle-Freak

Nick,
Without embarrasssing you, I know you are responsible for 60 of the 64 hits here so far!!!!

SRC, WOW, you are waaaaay cool!!!!

In case I've never said it aloud before, you are welcome at my house anytime, for any length of time! On a single day, I could introduce you to Ron Ashton alone and you'd die a happy man!

When you buy the "International Underground Garage" DVD (The 3D part has got to be waaaaaay cool), and I know you will, you are welcome to live out your mid-life crisis and move in with me for a couple years. We have a lot to discuss.

If you are not aware, Detroit (Pontiac specifically) has the best "Dance Music" scene going on in the world! When you see DJ Assault, you will "cream your jeans", if I have my British lingo down. Dance music, underground, rock, jazz, classical: there is not a single musical genre Detroit doesn't excell in!!!

Peace Brother!

Ron The Mon,
Needle-Freak

As I keep mentioning content is the key here!

Absolutely true. With a high speed internet connection there's a ton of great music out there also. Apart from the beeb, many college stations are broadcasting on the net. A great example is Radio 1190 (CU's college station) -- the Ogg Vorbis stream is even in stereo while of course AM is not. http://www.somafm.com/ is a good source too. In Denver the local FM radio selection is terrible. Apart from KUVO (Jazz) it's mass market crap. Clear Channel has bought up many of the local radio stations. Great if you want to hear the same 20 songs over and over. In fact NIPP (a local promoter) just settled out of court with Clear Channel after a suite in which Clear Channel would not play music by artists who were doing shows for NIPP. Internal Clear Channel memos supposedly talked of crushing the local competition.

I use to DX and try to get New York stations (which occasionally happened on a clear night!).

Funny, I used to do the same (but I'd try to get Chicago from California). It's in peoples nature to seek diversity. Feed 'em Dave Matthews 24/7 and they'll soon look elsewhere. For me FM is pretty much dead.

Dan

Nick,
In the early 80s I was in the good old USMC. The music scene in Detroit had taken a hiatus anyway so I was lucky to have mainly been stationed in Washington DC which had a great punk and raggae scene.

Update my website with current photos? OK, but I'll warn you, your wife will start having fantasies. I look that good!

BTW, you called me "certifiable". Is this some hip British lingo for "super cool guy"?

Ron The Mon,
Needle-Freak

Certainly.

Cool. Very Cool. Wished I lived in Detroit. Or Memphis maybe.

Thanks for taking the time to post Ron.

I know how frustrating it must be that nobody shares your enthusiasm simply because we can't really but there ARE still some real music fans left out here who give a fuck about what's happening out there so thanks for the heads up.

P