I'm really just in it for the extensive vamping, thanks

"Based on what you've told us so far, we're playing this track because it features funk roots, flat out funky grooves, a subtle use of vocal harmony, call and answer vocal harmony (antiphony) and extensive vamping."

- Pandora, explaining to me why it had just served up "Sayin' It and Doin' It" by James Brown.

Thanks, Tarus, Buck, and everybody else who kept poking at me to give Pandora a go.

RootDownFM.com - Great, independent Net.Radio

The powers that be are doing the best they can to shut down independent programming on the Internet.

I'm pleased to report that there's a new option for lovers of the kind of music you don't hear on the FCC-regulated radio airwaves: RootDownFM.com, a subscription-only service that plays "jazz, funk, hip-hop, soul, latin, reggae, afrobeat, leftfield, downtempo and beats."

RootDown FM is a subscriber-only, internet radio station, streaming live 24/7. Subscription is the only way we can cover costs and keep our playlist as freeform and funky as our listeners like it (check our Music Policy) and ad-free.

Subscriptions cost just US$7.50 per month and we are offering a 3 day Free Trial for a limited period only!

Let's put that $7.50 a month in perspective: for less than the cost of a CD, or eight downloads from iTunes, or a movie ticket, or a couple of fancy crappucinos at a franchised coffee bar, you can have 24/7 high-quality streaming audio coming into your office or home for a full month, and discover artists new and old that you probably haven't heard before.

For the record, this blog has no affiliation with RootDownFM, aside from the fact that your correspondent is a delighted, early subscriber... and we get nothing out of our suggestion that you sign up, other than the satisfaction of potentially steering some readers to an ever-changing collection of excellent music, curated by music lovers for music lovers.

RootDownFM.com