Train - Calling All Angels
I need a sign, to that blonde girl from Bleecker Street, Red Lion Sat 12:34 we had a moment...
Out to LA
Radiohead - High and Dry
💙 For That Someone Who'll Know It's for Them “I'm not putting their name here because they'll know exactly who they are when they hear it!!!
Michelle
Foo Fighters - Times Like These
🖤 For Anyone Having a Rough Week “To anybody who's had one of those weeks where nothing seems to go right...
Few alternative songs build like “Sometime Around Midnight.” The Airborne Toxic Event’s breakout single starts with a lonely violin and ends in a full-band storm of heartbreak, and it introduced one of the most literary and emotionally direct bands in modern rock. Led by writer turned singer Mikel Jollett, the Los Angeles band has spent nearly two decades turning personal stories into anthems.
| Formed | 2006, Los Angeles |
| Founder | Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar) |
| Long-time members | Mikel Jollett, Steven Chen, Anna Bulbrook, Noah Harmon, Daren Taylor |
| Genres | Indie rock, alternative rock, orchestral rock |
| Name | From Don DeLillo’s novel White Noise |
Mikel Jollett was a journalist and fiction writer in Los Angeles when a difficult year, including a breakup and family illness, pushed him to write songs. He formed the band in 2006 and named it after the “airborne toxic event” in Don DeLillo’s White Noise. Anna Bulbrook’s viola and violin gave the band a distinctive orchestral edge, and constant touring built a loyal following.
The debut, featuring “Sometime Around Midnight,” “Gasoline” and “Does This Mean You’re Moving On?” “Sometime Around Midnight” became a modern rock radio hit.
Bigger and more anthemic, with “Changing” and the title track.
Romantic and dramatic, with “Timeless” and “Safe.”
Two albums released the same year: one synth-driven and one stripped-back and acoustic.
A companion to Jollett’s bestselling 2020 memoir of the same name about growing up in and escaping a California cult. It is the band’s most personal record.
Jollett brings a writer’s eye for detail to every song. His memoir Hollywood Park became a New York Times bestseller and deepened the band’s reputation for emotional honesty.
The Airborne Toxic Event helped bring orchestral textures and literary songwriting into 2000s alternative rock. “Sometime Around Midnight” remains one of the most enduring modern rock songs of its era.
Cold War Kids, The National, Arcade Fire, The Killers, Frightened Rabbit and Bastille.
In 2006 in Los Angeles.
Mikel Jollett.
“Sometime Around Midnight” (2008).
Mikel Jollett’s childhood, told in his 2020 memoir of the same name.
“Sometime Around Midnight” is one of those songs that stops listeners in their tracks, and it remains a favorite request. Catch it on The Modern Rock Radio Show, check the radio show schedule, or press play on the live stream. Want a specific song? Send a request or dedication.
About this article: Written and fact-checked by The Alternative One editorial team, the programmers and music writers behind the station’s on-air shows. Official artist website: www.theairbornetoxicevent.com. Last reviewed October 2, 2026. Read our editorial standards or tell us about a correction.
We are “The Alternative One!” – your go-to modern rock radio station featuring the best in grunge, modern rock music and underground tracks since the 1990s! Modern alternative rock combines rock, grunge, Alt pop, and electronic elements to deliver a unique, catchy, and introspective sound. #modernrockradio #alternativerock #grunge
