MusicBoxPete Podcast

On today's all-new edition of the cast, we look over songs that had crossover appeal and had the rare distinction of being big hits both on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and on the Hot 100 chart. We look back on songs from the late 90's into the early 2000's which was the peak period of crossover success where acts were getting prime real estate coverage on FM radio both from pop and alternative. W...

On today's brand new cast, we take a look at the songs that held the reign for the longest stays at number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart. We look at songs that were on top for 10 weeks or more, and talk about the impact that each of these songs had in music history and in the lives of music listeners most importantly. Songs like Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy", Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In M...

On today's edition of the cast, we switch gears and chat all things Northeastern hockey with my good friend Joey Maiullari as we preview the 2026-27 season. We talk about the return of Joaquim Lemay for a fifth year who was made captain along with Andy Moore and discuss how that will help maintain leadership stability. Joey and I also give our picks for 3 players to watch this year along with Giac...

On today's all new episode of the cast, I introduce a new recurring feature on the cast called Artist History, where I detail an artist's entire history on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts with all the songs that charted, where and when they peaked, and how many weeks they were on the chart for. On today's episode, we take a look at Incubus history on the chart, starting from when they first chart...

On today's all new episode, we take a look at the chart for the week ending Sept. 8, 2001 just before the 9/11 attacks, and take a look at what music was popular before our world changed forever shortly thereafter. The chart featured music from the chart topper Alien Ant Farm, along with tracks from Sum 41, Incubus, and a whole host of others that represented the idyllic and innocent times we live...

On today's all new cast, we take a look at the nu-metal acts that adorned the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts way back in the day, and further examine how these acts made an impact on the charts in the late 90's and early 00's. We revisit bands such as Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, and Papa Roach who made an immediate impact on the charts with their early hits and how it started a movement that...

On today's brand new cast, we travel back in time to the summer of 2003, and look back on the songs that were featured on the very first mix CD that I ever made. We take a look back at the entire original tracklisting, and how they fared on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and divulge some stories about each song's impact on me, and how the songs will be remembered during that era. Songs lik...

On today's all new cast, we take a look at the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks for the week ending June 26, 1999 and take a travel back in time to revisit some of the alternative classics that made the year so enjoyable. From Red Hot Chili Peppers "Scar Tissue" and Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy", the chart is a snapshot of all the events that happened during that period like the Women's World Cup and als...

On today's all new cast, I give you my personal list of the Mount Rushmore of artists/bands in the history of the Modern Rock Tracks chart. I go through each artist and give you their individual stats and why they belong on this list. I also talk about some artists that almost made the list, and how the list gradually shifted to include the best of the best that represented the musical evolution a...

On today's edition of the cast, we take a gander at the Billboard Modern Rock Charts and recap artists who reached the top of the chart on their very first chart entry. It's a feat that was actually more difficult to accomplish than it looks way back in the day, with some artists unable to reach the summit in their first chart appearance. We take a look at all the artists that reached the summit f...

On today's all new episode, we go over Billboard's list of the Top Modern Rock Songs of All Time list that originally came out back in 2013, and dissect some of the choices on there and go over which songs belong on the list and which shouldn't, plus songs that could have been moved higher up on the list. The best-of list has been updated several times since by Billboard to allow some newer songs...

On today's all new cast to kick off 2026, we talk about the history of Billboard Airplay Monitor and this short lived offshoot from Billboard magazine that was critical in determining how the Modern Rock Charts was formed based on audience impressions from modern rock & alternative stations across the country. We talk about its history and how the impressions were calculated, and how it illust...

On today's special year-end edition of the cast, we wrap up 2025 with a pretty bow and give you my picks for the top songs of the past year, and also compare them with Billboard's Top Alternative Airplay year-end chart, comparing and contrasting the two charts seeing which songs are on both charts, and how they differ and are unique in their own way. I talk about some of my favorite albums of the...

On today's edition of the cast, we talk about Billboard's recent announcement that they're altering the recurrent rules for songs that have overstayed their welcome on the Hot 100 charts, changes that were largely made due to the current stagnation on the chart from tracks that have overstayed their welcome, and songs that were played relentlessly by FM radio and streaming algorithms. We talk abou...

On today's all new episode of the cast, we take a look back at the Billboard Modern Rock Chart for the week ending October 31, 1998 and see what was popular on the chart around the time as we were getting ready for Halloween that year, and what artists and songs really mattered to use the most. We take a look at songs from the likes of Goo Goo Dolls, Eagle Eye Cherry, Hole, Barenaked Ladies, The O...

On today's all new edition of the cast, we take a gander at the CMJ Top 250 Alternative Songs list from 1979-1988, and use that list to imagine what the Billboard Modern Rock Chart would look had it started way earlier back in the 1980's. We plug the gap with songs from the early 80's that defined the era such as Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf", Talking Heads "Burning Down The House", The Cla...

On today's all new edition of the cast, we go over some of the hard-rock/metal acts that made an appearance on the Modern Rock Tracks chat over the years, and how their little foray into that world filled in the gap and found their niche among listeners who don't casually listen to their music in the first place. We talk about Metallica's reign on the chart, and how they found most of their succes...

On today's all new episode of the cast, we take a look at some hip-hop songs that crossed over and appeared on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. We take a look at how the Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill, and Eminem enjoyed some crossover success on the chart and how it helped expose their sound to listeners from different musical backgrounds and increased their audience exposure in the process as w...

On today's brand new episode of the cast to kick off the new season, we take a look at the 9/11 Banned Songs list that was issued by Clear Channel in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th attacks that wasn't an outright order, but as a request to not play songs that were deemed insensitive and questionable that contained references with anything that was associated with 9/11. We take a look at the hundr...

On today's brand new episode of the cast, we step back in time and check out the playlists for WFNX way back in the day, and find out what songs they were playing back then to the masses and how those songs mirrored what was on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart as well. We talk about the different representation of music genre wise, and how that played a big role in channeling WFNX's rise as a...

On today's latest episode of the cast, we delve into the plethora of cover songs that graced its way onto the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks over the years, and talk about at how some of these artists made a name for themselves by tackling a cover song that can sometimes be a daunting task, but is definitely worth it in the long run by putting your own unique spin on it. We talk about how some cover...

On today's all new cast, we break down some statistics and records as we go behind the leaderboards on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and talk about who holds the record for most #1 songs, most chart entries, longest time spent on the chart, and longest reign spent on top of the chart. We discuss some of the major record holders including Foo Fighters, Green Day, Linkin Park, and Red Hot C...

On today's all new episode of the cast, we look at the plethora of female singer-songwriters that dominated on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks back in the day, and talk about at how their influence paved the way for future singer-songwriters to set the tone and edge for what was to come down the road. We discuss at how Sarah McLachlan got her start on the chart, and how she spearheaded the female...

On today's all new episode of the cast, we chat about all the Boston bands that got their start and made their mark on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. So many legendary and established bands from the Bay State got their start on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and we chat about when they debuted, their first song to chart, where they peaked, and how they made their mark on the chart and on li...

On today's edition of the cast, we take a look at songs that dominated the summer going back to 1997 and continuing through 2008, and take a look at why songs get most of their chart life and success during the summer months than any other time of the year, and how these songs came to define our summers when we were hitting up the beach, on vacation, or partaking in any other summer activities tha...