WTJU Rock Promos au Go Go

 

 

The recent WTJU Rock Marathon fund drive was a huge success, with a stellar week-long lineup of specially-curated programs that was a joy to hear. WTJU, the Sound Choice in Central Virginia, really doesn't fundraise like anyone else -- it's like an explosion of sound AND a rock 'n' roll history lesson from some of the coolest music fans around (and also people like me).  

Take a listen to EVERYTHING that WTJU does -- from folk and blues to jazz and rock -- by listening at wtju.net. 

For the big Rock Marathon, I was once again honored to collaborate with the nimble Lewis Reining and the Mighty WTJU Promo Art Players to crank out another batch of (mostly) wacky marathon promo spots. These radio ads have been compiled together in one combustible place! Hear 'em all right here.  

Thanks to all of the gang:, Erin O'Hare, Brian Keena, Dave Moore, Jenn Lockwood, Rick Clark, Nathan Moore, Zoe Krylova, and Sunny the Promo Dog, who is giving me direction, as shown.

You don't have to wait for a big WTJU fund drive to donate. Go to the easy and secure donate page at wtju.net/donate. 

(Photo by the mighty Zoe Krylova!!) 

Face For Radio: Open Source RVA and Radio Wowsville

My two radio shows are still going strong. Thanks for asking.

Open Source RVA, the weekly news-talk program that I co-host on WRIR 97.3 FM in Richmond airs Fridays at noon. 

WRIR is available online by clicking this spot, and you can hear previously-aired Open Source RVA podcasts by going to the program's nifty Soundcloud page here. 

The Source is WRIR's omnibus news hour, where we talk to area newsmakers, politicians, community activists, artists, nonprofit leaders, musicians and, yes, pro wrestlers. Thanks to producer Krysti Albus for keeping it sounding cohesive. 

Radio Wowsville, the music show that I co-host (on alternate weeks) with Rick Clark, can be heard Sunday nights at 11PM on the mighty WTJU 91.1 FM in Charlottesville. 

The freeform, "anything goes" Wowsville has been haunting the air since 1995 (or 1996) and is, as the promo claims, broadcast live from a cave/sound lab in Grottoes, Virginia. 

Listeners can tune in to the Wow by following this link, and can listen to past broadcasts of the show -- and all of the other great WTJU music programs -- by going right here. 

It's a fascinating listen, I think. But I'm a little biased. 

 

My Radio Life (an update)

Hey, this is pretty cool. A radio commercial that I produced and helped to voice just copped WTJU 91.1 FM a "Best Station Promo" award from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters.

This is the third of these beautiful statues that I've helped WTJU to snag (he said humbly) over the years. Thanks to brilliant engineer Lewis Reining, and "The Mighty WTJU Art Players" -- Erin O'Hare, Colin Powell and Nick Rubin.  And, of course, WTJU station manager Nathan Moore. Check out the winning promo, entitled "Rocco," by clicking here.

I hardly ever put stuff about my radio work on this blog, so I guess this is a good time to mention Radio Wowsville, which I co-host on WTJU 91.1 FM and http://wtju.net with fellow DJ Colin Powell (pictured right). "The Wow" (as the kids call it) is heard every Sunday night at 11PM EST, and has been broadcasting new, obscure and often audacious music across the Central Virginia airwaves since the Eisenhower administration.

Listen to WTJU's live online stream right here. And to call back past WTJU shows, including the last two weeks of Radio Wowsville on Sunday nights, go right here.

That's the music side of my radio life. I also co-host a news-talk show, Open Source RVA, that airs every Friday at noon EST on WRIR 97.3 FM and http://wrir.org.


Open Source RVA covers mostly Virginia topics, with a focus on the Richmond region, and brings listeners long-form interviews with politicians, newsmakers, musicians, artists. chefs, writers and historians. On the hosting front, I'm joined by fellow journalists and writers Kate Andrews, Piet Jones, Angela Lehman, Dina Weinstein, Dale Brumfield, Bryce Maddox, Baylen Forcier, and the intrepid ladies from RVA Dirt, Melissa Vaughn and Jessee Perry. Each week on the Source, producer Krysti Albus and I (pictured) try to inject a little fun into local coverage of people and events, and we pack each episode with everything from original news coverage to stories about the arts, literature, music and theatre.

Listen to WRIR's live stream right here.  And to  hear previous Open Source RVA broadcasts and special audio features, go to the show's Soundcloud page right here.

2015: The Year in Don

2015 was a busy year for me. I worked for three clients primarily, and they kept me hopping with big assignments that occasionally took me out of my comfort zone. I was often so booked up with writing work that I couldn't properly promote it or talk it up. There are worse problems. So consider this long blog post a corrective to bad marketing and too little spare time in 2015.

It was also a weird year because quite a number of my bigger and (to my mind) better magazine writing assignments never made it online. These days, that basically means they didn't exist. In order to read them, someone would have to buy a print issue of the magazine in question -- who does that anymore? -- or visit the local library to snag same, or wait until the next checkup to pick up what's on the waiting room table. I'm told that, in 2015, I was very popular in doctors' offices across the region.

Outside of writing, I celebrated something of a milestone this year. The radio show that I co-host on WTJU 91.1 FM in Charlottesville and WHAN 102.9 FM in Ashland/Richmond, Radio Wowsville, celebrated its 20th year on the air in 2015. These days, I'm aided and abetted on alternate weeks by the resourceful Colin Brother Breakdown Powell and our "anything goes" free-form music show can be heard each and every Sunday at 11PM — with streams of the program available after the fact — at http://wtju.net. I'm not a braggart, but Radio Wowsville does not suck, has never sucked and will never suck, and if you are a music fan enticed by challenging sounds, the Wow (and the rest of WTJU's stellar broadcasting) is always worth your time and attention.

This was also the year that I started getting recognized for the commercials and voiceover work that I often do for WTJU. One of the radio spots I wrote and voiced won the award for Best Station Promo from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters. Read (and hear) all about it here. I was also nominated for a Golden Mic Award from the national Intercollegiate Broadcast System and will learn if I'm "Best in the Nation" in March. More info here. This all follows the commemorative "Don Colorado Award" that I copped from my WTJU brethren -- so much better than an Oscar!

In 2015, I continued to host a weekly news-talk radio show called Open Source RVA on WRIR 97.3 FM in Richmond, another great non-commercial frequency that I'm proud to be a part of. Primarily focused on local guests and topics — plumbing everything from the arts to business to local politics — the Source can be heard every Friday at 2PM, and live broadcasts and rerun streams of the show accessed at http://wrir.org. You can visit the show's Facebook page and see what we've been up to right here. A tip of the hat to OSRVA producer Baylen Forcier, who helped me to weather quite a few off-air storms and dance around some formidable obstacles in 2015.

When it comes to the written word, here was The Year in Don... or what I can remember (or will admit to):

"The Water is Coming," for the January issue of Coastal Virginia Magazine, told of the imminent threat of rising sea levels nationwide, and how so-called "nuisance flooding" is already affecting Virginia's coastal towns. I have to say that this was among the more difficult of the assignments I took on this year. I had a wealth of research and data to draw from, and the experts, city planners, advocates and water-logged citizens all gave me great quotes and sobering stories. I regret that I couldn't quote or cite everyone who gave me their valuable time and insight on this one. (illustration by David Uhrin).

Also in January, I wrote a piece called "Back in the Spotlight" for Richmond magazine.  It was about live theater (in the form of a production of "A Lion in Winter") returning to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, once the home of the now-defunct TheatreVirginia. I would write more about the VMFA later in the year (see below).  Photo by Chris Smith.

My Coastal Virginia Magazine feature on Virginia Beach's Cape Henry Lighthouse, unofficially titled "The First Beacon," tells the story about America's very first Federal works project (overseen by the team of Washington and Hamilton) and how it is getting a second life through careful restoration. (I love the folks at CV but their preferred headline,"Cape Henry Lighthouse Is Finally Getting Fixed," gives the article a severe urgency that was not intended.) Photo courtesy Preservation Virginia. 

More theater: For Richmond magazine, I interviewed Carol Piersol, the founder and artistic director of 5th Wall, who was infamously ousted from her stewardship of Richmond's Firehouse Theatre. Read "Rising Action" here.

I wrote a piece in January for Coastal Virginia Magazine that was not published until the magazine's October issue, and never reprinted online, but it may have been, if not my best published work this year, certainly the one feature that I most enjoyed writing. Surprisingly, the story was about quilts. Yes, quilts. My feature, "In Stiches," took a long look at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's stunning collection of early American coverings as well as a handsome new book on the collection, "Four Centuries of Quilts." I fell in love with the brazen colors and evocative social history contained in these beautiful old blankets, and while it didn't spur me to take up the art of quilting myself, I all but went Quilt Crazy for a month there. (To order a copy of this and other CV back issues, click this spot.)

For Virginia Living, I took an enjoyable trip to Tennessee to interview the legendary Jesse McReynolds at his spread outside of Nashville. He couldn't have been more gracious. The veteran bluegrass mandolinist, formerly of Jim & Jesse, is now the longest-running member of the vaunted Grand Ol' Opry. The online version of this cover feature, titled "A New Song," has been augmented with vintage video clips of Jesse in action. (Photo by Michael Gomez)

I wrote about the reactions of randomly-selected Richmond residents to the Affordable Care Act — a.k.a. Obamacare — for Richmond magazine's health section in March. Get it here. 

The Norfolk Tides are one of America's most successful minor league baseball franchises, and my Coastal Virginia Magazine article on the history of the ball club, "Roll Tides," was one of my more pleasurable 2015 assignments. Some legendary MLB players and managers have logged time with this team, once known as the Tidewater Tides, including Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Bruce Bochy, Mookie Wilson and others. 

This year, I got to profile a regional trailblazer that I've admired since childhood. Disc jockey and Top-40 pioneer Dick Lamb has been the go-to morning show guy in Hampton Roads for decades. But he's also the former host of the legendary local "American Bandstand" show, "Disco 10," an announcer who called the William and Mary basketball games for years, and the promoter who brought acts like the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones and Sly and the Family Stone to Tidewater. I remember waking up as a school kid to "The Dick Lamb Show" that ran in the early '70's. The retrospective ran in Coastal Virginia Magazine's July 2015 edition — obtain a copy here — but is, alas, not online. Here is an awesome photo of the man and other WGH Radio personalities with the Beach Boys in 1965. He's in the middle, shaking hands with Carl Wilson. The great Glen Campbell, a replacement for missing BB leader Brian Wilson, is second from right. While it is not available online, I'm told that this article is a doctors' office chart-topper. (Photo courtesy Dick Lamb)

My interview with the stellar multi-instrumentalist Ricky Skaggs, who is still out there "saving" country music, was published in the June issue of Richmond magazine. Skaggs talked about the changing recording industry, balancing his religious faith with life on the road, and his friendship with local boy Bruce Hornsby. You can read that here. (Photo by Erik Anderson)

In the past few years, Virginia, and especially Richmond, has seen a rise in both outside film production and indigenous movie making. "Changing Reels" charted this activity, interviewing moviemakers, producers, festival overseers and Virginia Film Office personnel. The question: "Is Richmond a Film Town?" The hefty Richmond magazine piece was complemented by articles on local movie extras and crew members by Harry Kollatz Jr.

Sometimes you nail it, sometimes you don't. I don't think too much of my article on the up-and-coming party rock band, Major and the Monbacks, which I  penned for Coastal Virginia Magazine. But I was glad I did it, if only to be introduced to a fun and creative group of young musicians who have been tagged as "retro" for their engaging old-school blend of pop, soul and beach music. I received some positive feedback for the story so maybe it isn't as bad as I thought. Let me know what you think. (Photo by Karla Espino.)

Richmond was the host city for the Electric Football Championships and Convention this past year, along with a special related art show, and  I profiled the obsessive followers of the electro-magnetic board game for Richmond magazine, charting how this once-frustrating electric toy has been turned into the centerpiece of a thriving subculture peopled by a new generation of 'ballers. Feel the hum here. (Photo by John Pollard)

Going in, I knew as much about hot rods as I did about quilts, so my feature on Virginia's first documented custom-built automobile, titled "Car Talk," was a bit of a learning experience. The vaunted roadster, built by a man named Slick Patterson and finished in 1951, was recently rediscovered and restored to its full Caribbean Coral-painted glory by folklorist Roddy Moore and a hand-selected team of gear-jamming experts. I also penned a sidebar about various vintage auto clubs and organizations. This is another Virginia Living special, lifted from dentist waiting rooms across the commonwealth.


"Seven Minutes of Funk" by the Whole Darn Family has become one of the most sampled tracks in modern music, appropriated by more than three dozen rap, soul and hip-hop acts over the years, including Jay Z, EPMD, Public Enemy, the Wu-Tang Clan, Jodeci and Grandmaster Flash. But the seven-piece funk band's story had never been told until I wrote an in-depth feature story for Richmond Magazine, called "It's Their Thing." As detailed (and long) as this piece was, I felt that a lot of great stuff ended up on the cutting-room floor after editing. I'd like to revisit the subject at a later date and flesh it out some more. (Here's a cool web extra by Maureen McNabb).

Sometimes a story can actually make a difference. Not long after I wrote my Virginia Living Magazine historical piece on Bacon's Castle in Surry, Virginia — the oldest surviving brick home and pleasure garden in America — I learned from the folks at Preservation Virginia (the BC caretakers) that it had inspired a deep-pocketed donor to help fund a new, much-needed roof for the old girl. I was glad to hear it because this was probably the most difficult story I've written in a while. It's hard to find an original angle on a subject that has been around for 350 years, and seen so much history. I really had to grind this one out, but I think it turned out just fine. And I look forward to seeing that new roof. Read "Surry's Stalwart" by clicking here. (Photo courtesy Preservation Virginia)


The most controversial feature that I wrote in 2015, "Ripple Effect," took a long, hard look at the state of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts since that venerable institution's much-celebrated expansion five years ago. For the in-depth piece, I talked to numerous museum insiders, past and present, and chased down an internal employee survey that reflected problems that the museum was having in retaining longtime staff members. This project was a huge headache, frankly, because several higher-ups refused to talk with me — including the president of the VMFA board of trustees, who cancelled a scheduled interview at the last minute  — and the state-funded museum blocked my attempts through the Freedom of Information Act to see internal documents. While it wasn't as thorough as I would have liked, I received more positive feedback for this than almost any other writing this year — especially from VMFA employees, who appreciated that I went the extra mile to tell a balanced, nuanced story that included their perspectives. (Photo by Barry Fitzgerald)

The Richmond-area group Edge of Daybreak, made up of inmates housed in the Powhatan Correctional Facility, recorded a soul album at the prison called Eyes of Love in 1979. This obscure LP was rediscovered and reissued by Chicago's Numero Group label in 2015 and my Richmond magazine  piece, "I Shall Be Released," told all about the unusual recording and its unlikely (but deserved) rediscovery.

Also for Richmond magazine, I profiled a musical unit that I used to sneak into local clubs to see as a young and impressionable youth. The Dads were Virginia's great lost pop band. A popular East Coast live attraction in the early '80s, the group featured the late Bryan Harvey, who would later go on to form House of Freaks. The quartet recorded one, lamentable, LP for CBS before breaking up in 1985, but a fine new CD of lost recordings (Redemption) was released on the Planetary label this past year. Sadly, Dads drummer Mike Tubb passed away mere weeks after talking to me for the article, which was titled "A Second Album, Three Decades Later."


Here's another one that never made it online -- my Virginia Living Magazine feature on the ancient art of Bowhunting. As with my stories on quilts and hot rods, I started off not knowing one whit about archery or hunting wild game with a bow, and ended up fairly fascinated with not only the difficult mechanics of the sport, but also the respectful code of conduct that the hunters shared. These are hardly Ted Nugent-like yahoos just out to kill stuff. In the end, I was proud of the result, which was titled "Me and My Arrow." The article ran in the magazine's October issue, and you can go here to order a back issue.


Some good things come in small packages. While I specialize in long-form, 2,000-4,000 word-plus features, one of my favorite assignments this year was a short article I wrote for Richmond magazine about a new exhibit at Richmond's Valentine museum. It features the work of the late street photographer Edith Shelton, an amateur shutterbug with a style not unlike the recently discovered Vivian Maier. Shelton roamed Richmond for decades taking pictures of buildings and streetscapes. Good thing she did, too, because much of what she captured is now gone. You can read "Obscured Observer" by clicking right here. (Photo courtesy of the Valentine Museum.)

The Dream Syndicate were part of the West Coast "Paisley Underground" sound of the 1980s, a raucous guitar band that toured with R.E.M. and U2 back in the day, leaving a small but potent recorded legacy. The band, under the guidance of bandleader Steve Wynn, recently reformed, and are currently recording a reunion album at Montrose Studio in Richmond. I interviewed Wynn about the band's connections to Richmond, and their rebirth, in a piece for Richmond magazine called "Medicine Show."

The legendary (and feisty) Judy Collins took some time out to talk with me for a Richmond magazine piece in December. The celebrated singer and political activist spoke of leaving the world of classical music for folk singing, recording her classic album, Who Knows Where the Time Goes, how she chooses material, and the ups and downs of mingling political protest with pop music. Read the Q&A here. (Photo by Shervin Lainez)

Throughout the year, I also wrote a slew of live music and album previews, Q&A's and reviews for Richmond magazine. These are called "blurbs" around my house. You can read those here and more. Yeah, I do blurbs. A lot of blurbs. I'm not too proud to blurb.

So, yeah, 2015 was a pretty busy year, just like last year. Read about "2014: The Year in Don" here.

I generate most of my story ideas but many of these pieces were assigned and greatly aided by the excellent editors that I work with, including my lovely and talented wife, Tina Eshleman, at Richmond magazine, Melissa Morgan Stewart and Angela Blue at Coastal Virginia Magazine, and Erin Parkhurst and Taylor Pilkington at Virginia Living. I'm sometimes asked if there's a secret to writing professionally, and I only have one helpful piece of advice to share — stretch yourself. Don't just concentrate on what you know, or what you "like." Write about everything and make it your own.  This is not only good for your own personal growth, it's good for your clip file.

As for what I'm working on in 2016, stay tuned.

On the Radio: Open Source RVA and Radio Wowsville

I don't often plug them on this blog but my two radio shows, Open Source RVA and Radio Wowsville, are still going strong. And there have been some exciting changes of late.

Radio Wowsville, the music show that I program with Colin "Brother Breakdown" Powell, can be heard every Sunday night at 11PM on WTJU 91.1 FM in Charlottesville. The freeform, "anything goes" music program will celebrate its 20th anniversary this summer (what a long, strange trip it's been). And now you can hear the Wow (along with other great WTJU music shows, as well as content from Virginia Commonwealth University's radio station) in the Ashland / Richmond area on WHAN 102.9 FM. Of course, you can tune in on the net from anywhere by clicking right here, and you can listen to past broadcasts of Radio Wowsville by going right here and clicking on the Sunday menu. You really should.

Open Source RVA, the weekly news-talk program that I co-host with journalist Chris Dovi, can now be heard at a new time on WRIR 97.3 FM in Richmond: Friday afternoons at 2PM. You early risers can also catch a rebroadcast of the program on Sunday mornings at 7AM, and it is available online by going to this spot. You can hear previously-aired Open Source RVA programs by clicking here. Open Source RVA is WRIR's omnibus news hour, where we talk to area newsmakers, politicians, non-profit leaders, community activists, artists, advocates and other members of the community.

Yes, I have been told that I have a very good face for radio. 

WTJU Rock Marathon 4/13/14: The Classic Crock Show

Can you help me occupy my brain...? 

The only rockin' way to conclude the awesome 2014 WTJU Rock 'n' Roll Marathon fundraiser is to flick those rockin' bics and roll with your hosts Don Arlo, "Cozy" Powell and -- if he doesn't have to MC the Chili Cauldron Crawl at Buddmuckers on the Mall -- our own U-Zoo Morning Crew wildman, Turd Dog.

Yes, it's the return of "The Classic Crock Show." And it's turning up to 11 on Sunday, April 13th at 11PM on WTJU 91.1.

For two hours, this rockin' crew will present our own special take on FM Radio "Classic Rock." That means you'll hear stompin' album tracks and deep cuts from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Blue Oyster Cult, AC-DC, Rush, The Steve Miller Band, the Who, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, KISS, Styx and many more classic crockin' legends!

So get on the WTJU Rockin' Blues Cruise and ride shotgun on this special air guitar-inducing onslaught of riffs and shreds. And remember: Your donation to WTJU during our annual Rock Marathon will help to ensure that we only have to play this stuff if we want to. The WTJU Rock 'n' Roll Marathon concludes with "The Classic Crock Show" on April 13th at 11PM,

Now, would anyone care for just a little more cowbell?

To give a generous pledge to WTJU (The Sound Choice in Central Virginia), during our pledge drive or anytime, call 434-924-3959, or give securely online right here.

Listen to the WTJU Rock Marathon in progress at http://wtju.net/stream

Listen to some of the incredible past WTJU Rock Marathon shows (for up to two weeks) by going here: http://wtju.net/vault

WTJU Rock Marathon 4/13/14: O Brother

"Mother always liked you best!"

Tune into WTJU 91.1 FM for an exploration of brothers (and sisters) in rock 'n' roll. This WTJU Rock 'n' Roll Marathon fundraising program will showcase bands with siblings. And that means you'll hear classics by the Kinks, the Beach Boys (pictured), Creedence Clearwater Revival, Sparks, the Everly Brothers, the Bee Gees, Oasis, The Replacements, the Breeders, the Proclaimers, and many more.

Get with the brotherly love. Join Don Harrison and the Radio Wowsville crew for "O Brother Where Art Thou" on April 13 at 7PM.

And don't forget to give generously to WTJU during the all-volunteer station's fundraising extravaganza, which is happening right now. Call 434-924-3959 or donate securely online by clicking right here.

To hear a live stream of the marathon in progress, go to http://wtju.net/stream.

To listen to past shows featured on this year's WTJU Rock marathon (for up to two weeks), go to http://wtju.net/vault.

2013 Rock Marathon: Classic Crock Show on April 14

The 2013 WTJU Rock marathon is in full swing. Hear it at http://wtju.net/stream. 

Every so often, the marathon is taken over by the ghosts of other FM formats. This year, on "The Classic Crock Show," you can get the Led out and join Don Arlo, "Cozy" Powell and WTJU's Overnight Drive-Time Madman, Turd Dog, as they play the "deep cuts" from all of your Classic Crockin' favorites, which may or may not include Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Rush, Styx, Kiss, Queen, Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Steve Miller Band... hey, we may even go hog wild and play a Sugarloaf double-shot! 

"Rockin' since the Nixon Administration!"TM is our motto!

Why do we do this? Well, we want to make enough money at WTJU to not EVER have to play any of these bands, unless we want to. That's our pledge to you. 

Join the fist-pumpin' fun, rockin' listener! Support WTJU and give to The Classic Crock Show at 11PM on Sunday, April 14 (following the Virginia Funk and Soul Spectacular). You can donate by calling 434-924-3959, where the Crimson Dominator is waiting to take your pledge. (Or you can give online at http://wtju.net)

And have we mentioned that the marathon is happening right now! Flick your Bics and tune it to 91.1 FM or http://wtju.net/stream. We're turning the transmitter up to 11!

2013 Rock Marathon: Funky Virginia on April 14

The annual WTJU Rock marathon is in full swing. If you don't know about this great freeform station's annual orgasm of rock, click here and listen loud. The real purpose of all of this great specialty programming, live bands and remotes is to raise money for WTJU 91.1 FM in Charlottesville. But the rockers make the fundraising fun.

I'll be participating in two shows this year, in my usual closeout slot. And I couldn't be more excited. Before I tell you about the first one, a series of questions:

Do you know about Swamp Dogg? How about Mr. Wiggles or Little Tommy? Does the mention of the 35th Street Gang make you move like a chicken?

Worry not. Just listen to Funky Virginia: The Virginia Funk and Soul Spectacular on Sunday, April 14 at 9PM. The show is going to bring you up in step with the Old Dominion’s great, often obscure, indigenous funk and soul artists – showcasing classic cuts by Lenis Guess, the Randolph Brothers, Prince George, Ida Sands, Flip Flop Stevens (pictured) and many more ear-bending hometowners from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. 

It’s the radio show that will make you ask: “What? This is from Virginia??!!” 

So don’t touch that dial, Mr. Hackenbush. Join Brother Breakdown and I -- along with special guests, like the Scorpio Brother himself, Troy Hurt, one of the guys behind the excellent Funky Virginia blog -- as we put some pep in your step and some glide in your stride. 

All to raise money for WTJU Rock's annual fundraiser at 91.1 FM, which is happening right now! Call 434-924-3959 to pledge or listen and donate online at http://wtju.net/. 

Radio Wowsville Tonight: Listening Pleasures Await!

The Radio Wowsville research team (see left) is currently "busting it" in preparation for tonight's big broadcast tonight at 11PM on http://wtju.net/stream

Join Uncle Beatdown as he provides two hours of rancorous swamp funk, claustrophobic ghost country, semi-sweet power pop morsels, and a side-set of music from selected dream worlds. Oh, and Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers come to you live from Miami Beach even though they're in England.

Confused? Don't be. It's Radio Wowsville and our Wurlitzer-winning team is here to help make sense of it. That's because your listening pleasure is our business. 

(And if you miss the big broadcast tonight, you can always travel through time and listen to a stream of the show. Just go to http://wtju.net/vault and click on "Radio Wowsville." And don't stop clicking -- there are many other fine WTJU shows there doing vital sonic research.) 

The Radio Wowsville Post-Oscar Breakdown

Join us on Sunday night as Radio Wowsville thanks the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in song (and also our agent). 

Starting at 11PM, I'll will take over the director's chair at WTJU (a.k.a. the Sound Choice in Central Virginia) and set the silver screen to music with two hours of tunes about Hollywood and for Hollywood and against Hollywood. Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Wreckless Eric, The Kinks, Can, Kate Bush, the White Stripes, Mike Nesmith -- it seems everyone wants to get into pictures. 

We're ready for our close up, Mr. DeMille. Sunday night after the Oscars on 91.1 FM and http://wtju.net. And if you miss this F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S episode, you can back up and try it again at http://wtju.net/vault

WTJU Folk Marathon: The Mamas and the Papas

A very special FUN Raising edition of Radio Wowsville is upon us.

First off, note the time. Tonight, we start tonight's big Wowsville broadcast at 10PM, one hour earlier than usual, and that's because we are participating in WTJU's Folk Marathon, which has been a real treat to listen to this week -- everything from exclusive live broadcasts to special shows on everything from gospel to newgrass. 

For those of you unfamiliar with the magical ways of WTJU, the community-minded radio station doesn't (to paraphrase the Kinks) fundraise like everybody else. No, when each of the four musical departments (that's Folk, Jazz, Classical and Rock) take a week each year to do their thing, and strut their stuff, and feel their oats, the volunteers come up with special programming to entice the engaged music fan.  This has been the folk department's week to shine and the marathon fun is occurring RIGHT NOW. Go to http://wtju.net/stream and check it out. And don't forget to donate some scratch (it's all about raising money to keep the lights on and the equipment working) at 434-924-3959. Or you can give online by clicking right here. 

Even though Radio Wowsville is a proud member of WTJU's Rock department, we have been asked to close down the Folk Marathon the past few years, and tonight's 10PM broadcast will take a two-hour look at the folk (and Virginia) roots of The Mamas and the Papas. No, the "California Dreamin'" didn't start in L.A. -- it has its roots in Alexandria, Virginia, where Mama Cass Elliot and Papa John Phillips (and Scott "San Francisco" MacKenzie) attended high school. We'll play you rare tracks and interesting asides from such pre-M&P folk and folk-rock groups as the Journeymen, the Big Three (pictured), the Mugwumps and the Halifax Three, and sample folk and country-flavored solo recordings from Denny Doherty, Papa John and Mama Cass. (And let me send a special shout out to the band's archivist, Richard Campbell, for hipping me to all of this stuff).

And then, at midnight, we'll have a special (highly-condensed) hour of Radio Wowsville. To cleanse the frequency palette. 

Too much fun (and folk). Join me tonight at 10PM on WTJU. That's 91.1 FM and online at http://wtju.net. And don't forget the funds, folkies! That's 434-924-3959.

Radio Wowsville tonight: So Many Questions!

Riddle me this:

Can blue men sing the whites? Does the Devil really have the best music? Who were International Harvester and why aren't they in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame?

These and many more (no doubt) burning questions will be addressed on tonight's very special edition of Radio Wowsville. 

Starting at 11PM on 91.1 FM and http://wtju.net, I will take over the DJ chair and twiddle the knobs for a two-hour sonic spectacular that will defy your sleep habits (and your powers of riddle solving). Avant-garde folk, San Fran freakout, offbeat doo-wop and hair-raising (and soul-cleansing) gospel - we'll take you on a specially-programmed triptych through the genres tonight, leaving precious clues along the way. Do you dare miss it?

OK, OK, if you do miss it, you can back up and try it again at http://wtju.net/vault. All will be explained.  

Radio Wowsville: Do the 'Self Destruct'

Was this what the Mayans were warning us about?

Let tonight's Radio Wowsville serve as your soundtrack to falling into the 2013 abyss, or make it the tuneage designated to accompany desperate attempts to hold on to the year (and tax rate) that was.

Let Don Harrison -- a.k.a. Uncle Beatdown -- prepare your apocalyptic new years party mixtape with a heady playlist of redneck funk, third-world psych, SoCal harmony-pop, propulsive power-punk and atmospheric soul (among many other things).

It's the radio program that says: If we're going over that fiscal cliff, let's do it together. And let's make a cool dance craze out of it to boot! Have you heard of the "Self Destruct"? Can you dance the "Tea Bagger Bop"? Have you tried to do "the Lemming"? Find out the steps and navigate the beat tonight at 11PM on WTJU 91.1 FM and/or http://wtju.net. It's Radio Wowsville, a music program so potent that it can make you believe in miracles. Or at least in prophecies come true.

Radio Wowsville Needs YOUR Ears!

The Radio Wowsville crew is busy readying another thrill-packed two-hour set of cutting-edge sonic wizardry on WTJU 91.1 FM and http://wtju.net.

Tonight at 11PM, the Wowsville program will send out specially-selected musical signals through the air and via the vast series of tubes that will magically transform into audio pleasure points for your brain.

It's fascinating stuff. Won't you join us in this exciting experiment? All we need is your ears. Best of all: this exciting leap-forward in audio transference is absolutely free. (And if you missed it the first time, back up and try it again. You can listen to this episode of Radio Wowsville later by logging on at http://wtju.net/vault. Isn't that amazing?)

Radio Wowsville: Old Wave

To quote the chameleonic Neil Young: "Every wave is new until it breaks."

It was the end of the 1970s, times were changing and so was popular music. The influence of punk rock and new wave could no longer be ignored by the commercial music industry, and many entrenched rock 'n' roll and pop artists felt the need (perhaps even the necessity) to modernize themselves and get with the times.

It wasn't unlike what had happened when Elvis Presley came along in the 1950s and the Beatles one decade later -- it was a different world and the established order either had to try and adapt to the emerging trends or get knocked over and drowned out (Mr. Robert Palmer, pictured, certainly understood this).

Many of these dinosaurs and major label artists adapted quite well to what was happening -- Lindsey Buckingham, Hall & Oates, Paul McCartney, even Alice Cooper -- while many seemed to be half-hearted or even totally misguided in their efforts, exploiting and dabbling rather than innovating. What we are left with today, listening back, is some of the most interesting popular music of the period, and also some of the most hilarious and indefensible (we're looking at you, Shaun Cassidy). Some of these recordings are dated artifacts that the artists themselves have since disavowed, while others successfully rejuvenated and updated the sounds and visions of their makers. 

On tonight's "very special" edition of Radio Wowsville, we will explore the music of these adapting dinosaurs -- and give you not only the good and the bad but also the incredibly ugly. It's Wowsville. It's what we do.

Check us out at 11PM on WTJU 91.1 FM or log on at http://wtju.net. You can also hear a stream of the show after-the-fact at http://wtju.net/vault. 

Don't be afraid - enjoy the old wave.

Radio Wowsville and the Dancing of Politics!

Tonight, Radio Wowsville takes a tuneful look at the 2012 political season, with odes to baby-kissing, chad-hanging, road-building, coattail-riding, rhetoric-spreading and that all important base-rousing.

It's the show that dares to ask: Wasn't "Binders Full of Women" the title of an old Judas Priest album?

It's the radio program not afraid to demand a recount of that 7-11 slurpee cup-off! 

It's the two hours of sound that will actually french kiss a baby to get your support!

(Speaking of which, this special "dancing of politics" edition of Wowsville will also see the return of Don Uncle Beatdown Harrison after a forced, months-long Siberian exile to "spend more time with his family." Don't worry - this radical moderate will be accompanied by his high-priced political handlers.)

America, don't miss out on this history-making (hysteria-making) installment of "the Sunday night thing that happens"? Radio Wowsville's pre-election victory party begins at 11PM on 91.1 FM and WTJU.net -- undecided voters can also hear it later at WTJU.net/vault.  

Radio Wowsville presents the WTJU Quiet Storm!

Procure the wine coolers, dim the lights, and curl up with your special lady or certain sir. It's time to turn the covers down and turn the radio up.

Yes, on tonight's episode of Radio Wowsville, there's going to be a WTJU Quiet Storm.

You know the kind of sonic cloudburst we mean: two hours of the best slow groovin', pelvic movin', smooch-behoovin' soul/funk classics, designed for intimacy and mixed for romance. Radio Wowsville's love doctors (damn right we're certified) will play sultry and steamy jams by the likes of Marvin Gaye, the Chi-Lites, the Delfonics, the Dells, Barry White, the Dramatics, the Floaters, Minnie Riperton, Isaac Hayes and, of course, Smokey Robinson.

Tell your special lady or certain sir that tonight is the night. Tune into WTJU 91.1 FM at 11 p.m -- or just click right here -- as we help to put you in an extended mix.

A stream of the WTJU Quiet Storm can also be heard after the show is over. Simply go to the station's bodacious tape vault and click "Radio Wowsville." 

Because sometimes you just want a good thing to last. And last. And last. Like the WTJU Quiet Storm.

ROCK 'n' ROLL RIOT on Sunday's Radio Wowsville!

It's time once again to grease up your sideburns and for Suzy Q to pour into her Pink Pedal Pushers.

No, Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps won't be playing a weekend sock hop at the Louisa Soda Shoppe -- next best thing. This Sunday night at 11PM on WTJU, Radio Wowsville will unleash its 9th (or 10th) semi-annual Rock 'n' Roll Riot!

[In case you should need to inform a square, the Riot features two explosive hours of greasy, stomping, desperate, twangy, unusual, and very often sick rock and rockabilly from the '50's and early '60's. This is your granddaddy's "indie-rock" and there's nothing quaint about it.]

Find out how, on the eighth day, the Lord made brothel creepers!

Quiver with anticipation as an army of Elvis wannabes, fueled on bennies and Dr. Pepper, take over your country barn dance with switchblades and snare drum paradiddles!

Hear EVEN MORE salty stories of two-timing teen queens with “conjugatin'” names like Bertha Lou, Peggy Sue and Screamin’ Mimi Jeanie! 

MAN, IT'LL BE A CRAZY DATE! Tune into Radio Wowsville's semi-annual Rock 'n' Roll Riot, Sunday, Aug. 26 at 11PM on WTJU (or listen after the fact at the WTJU tape vault) and find out what you are really rebelling against?

Radio Wowsville is Gearing Up!

Tanned, rested and ready, the Radio Wowsville team -- seen here with plucky sidekick Corky -- is currently hard at work sorting out plugs and wires, all in anticipation of tonight’s very special "double team" broadcast on WTJU 91.FM. 

It is said that Uncle Beatdown (left) and Brother Breakdown (right) will endeavor to produce a radio hour worthy enough to be called a “whap a dang.” Ambitious stuff, truly. 

Tune in at 11PM right here…. or listen to a stream of this Radio Wowsville episode, after the fact, at WTJU’s spiffy tape vault.

Isn't technology wonderful?