DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX HERE

You what song I can’t get out of my mind? “Mambo No. 5.” And really it’s only the part of the song where he says “The trumpet! The trumpet!” If there’s a perfume called “Essence of Hell No. 5″ Lou Bega is certainly the creator of it. I can’t stand the song, but what do I listen for? Yep, “The trumpet! The trumpet!” I hate you Lou! But I’m grateful, too. Simply because Lou gave me an idea for a mix. Yes, “Mambo No. 5″ made me start thinking of pop songs where the trumpet takes a solo, and once I started down that road, well the following mix fell into place pretty quickly. Enjoy!

“Handlebars,” Flobots

From Denver, this band is one of those rare acts who was helped by radio — before they got signed to a major label. How often does that happen in this day and age? I started hearing this tune on my local modern rock station in San Francisco a couple of month ago, and was struck by the clever way the band blends musical styles. The are also noted for their commitment to social activism and progressive causes. Trumpet solo by Joe Ferrone. (more…)

Two weeks ago in this spot, we took a look at the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100. How about we all mosey on over to the Modern Rock chart and see what’s going on there?

Someone’s been dipping into Kurt Cobain’s hair dye stash!

I keed, I keed. Actually, “Rise Above This” isn’t half bad — it’s certainly the best thing I’ve heard from South Africa’s preeminent post-grunge band, and given that it was written about lead singer Shaun Morgan’s brother — who, as you might have guessed from watching the video, committed suicide — it’s also virtually snarkproof. (more…)