Above image via Facebook: Noah Kahan

The Alt Nation Monthly is here! What does this mean?! Well, I’ll be writing about the coolest station ever, Alt Nation (Sirius XM channel 36) each month. Hence the name. I’ve loved the station since 2012. “The Monthly” will be a nice round-up of everything going on. Let’s do this!

Bands making noise on Alt Nation!

In recent months, some bands have separated themselves from the pack, getting more rotation. Canadian indie rockers The Beaches keep rolling with “Blame Brett.” Their album “Blame My Ex” is fantastic. Then we have British rock band, Last Dinner Party (Florence + the Machine meets HAIM). “Nothing matters” is explicit and catchy! Australian duo Royal Otis has a new single, “The Door.” Very cool stuff.

Keeping with British rock, LoveJoy has shades of Franz Ferdinand, with singles like “Call me what you like” and “Normal People Things.” Singer/songwriter Willow Avalon is getting attention with her song “Stranger.” The acoustic buildup and full-band chorus is sooo good! I heard it for the first time while driving and I got chills. The winter moonlight shined—I looked up the song before I got out of the car. And if anyone loves the Killers and Elvis, check out Bridgette Calls Me Baby, specifically their single “Impressively Average.” It’s anything but average!

Advanced Placement

Each week during Advanced Placement (Wednesdays at 7pm), Regan plays brand new tracks and world exclusives. Some have made an impression on me. Starting with Alice Merton’s “Run Away Girl.” This passionate upbeat jam is her best since “Roots.” Sea Girls “I want you to know me” has a driving rhythm with a solid chorus. Green Day’s “One-Eyed Bastard” rocks hard and will be insane live. The Forecast’s “Good Journey” shows they’ve still got it and then some.

Alt 18 Countdown!

The one and only Madison hosts the Alt 18 countdown each Saturday at 1pm (it’s always on the app). For the 1/6/24 edition, Cold War Kids had a huge jump, taking the number 3 spot! Check out their awesome interview with Tatiana. The Killers had a big debut with “Spirit” in the top 5. Noah Kahan took home number one with “Stick Season.” He’s been on a roll, from performing on SNL to announcing a massive North American tour which kicks off in March.

Fun music video

One of the coolest new music videos is “Bella” by Ekkstacy. It’s filmed in black and white, with a model walking around the city and smoking cigarettes. It really fits the song. Maybe there’s nothing going on here. But the simplicity is so striking! See for yourself.

Upcoming releases:

New LP’s for the Alt Nation world: Green Day “Saviors” (Jan 19), Last Dinner Party “Prelude to Ecstasy” (Feb 2).

Okay that’s it for now. See you next time!