Hello political-sticker enthusiasts. Why the hell is it you need to post twenty of those things on every metal rod and lightpost I see? Yes, I get it, you don't like the current politics. I'm sure the bands on the concert posters you covered don't like your politics. Why don't you take that energy and plant a tree in one of the many empty floral lots downtown? There's one near the curb on 2^nd East between The Green Ant and Ken Sanders. Start there. Let's kick today's post off with a brand new look at the 337 Memorial Wall.

--- After the departure of Portia Early, X96 threw the old Live & Local show into hiatus mode for two months and let all the music they'd been gathering from locals sit in a giant bin in the back. Last month the show was finally revised... again, this time by Andypants to play from 10PM-Midnight on Sundays. But that's not all folks, Andy now showcases a single band every weeknight at 9PM for a segment being called “Beehive's Best.” I withheld commentary and judgment on the idea until after I listened to a few shows, especially considering the company fallout three months prior and the changes that followed. Now with a few weeks of listening in my head, let's review. I'm not going to lie, its nice to have it back. Local music on any station is a good idea, people get very tired of the same-ol-same-ol' and fresh approaches and songs are an oasis, especially these days while Emo takes its jolly time to die off. Being able to hear bands playing in town on X96 is a great thing.

But... 10PM-Midnight on Sunday is a death-slot, and we all know it. The only people listening at that point in the week are high school and college students finishing up the last of their assignments before they have to dredge themselves back in six hours. Its a spot of convenience, and if the $2500 price tag is still attached to it, it's overpriced at that. I have to give Andy respect for bringing locals back to a weekday format, the last local I ever heard on a weeknight was Larkin's Garden back in 1995. Yet at the same time... one song? Just one? You couldn't make an X-Set out of it? You couldn't postpone overplaying the new Beastie Boys by five minutes? One song is not exposure to our music scene, one song is what iTunes does as a courtesy to shut up Indie music lovers who complain they hype too much Pop. While it is a fine attempt it should be expanded upon. I could write more on this topic but I've gone on long enough about it. Kudos to Andy and whoever allowed him to bring it back, no question! But for the station in general, they either need to fully embrace putting locals on at all hours of the day or walk away from it entirely.

Onto my stuff, coming up over the next few weeks I'll have band interviews from a show at Burt's, Matt Black and his films and a look at Nappi Clothing. Plus some comic artists come to town, this month's Gallery Stroll and speaking of strolls we'll take a look at this season's Fashion Stroll. Summer is on its way out and fall usually brings a lot to the table, very promising looking down the road, with coming festivals and shows. But we'll see what happens.