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Matt Brown of Gavin — a loading radio industry information
service — summed up the conundrum of the shifting Race Record
boundary with two comments. No. 1: Dude, rap sells. That's the
bottom line. People used to say 12, 15 years ago that it would go
away. Fuck that.”
Comment No. 2: “It's all about rock, dude.”
6. LOCAL NOISE
Benji Kurtz says WPUP is still a young project, and claims that
the/d like to work more local music into their mix eventually. For
now, however, locals can be heard on Sunday nights from 8-11
p.m. Chris Williams hosts the show under the moniker "Smokin'
Joe." A couple of Sundays ago, the show demonstrated its com
mitment to the local scene, playing 40 Acres, Soul Miner's
Daughter, Nathan Sheppard, Kitty Snyder, The Josh Joplin Band,
Sean Mullins. King Daddy Zeb, Memory Dean, even Vic Chesnutt,
the Dnve-By Truckers and Jucifer.
What the critics are lauding nationally is not always what gets
played on the show, but Williams says part of the reason is that
many of the critically acclaimed bands don't send him their music.
A lot of people like the Machas and the Neutral Milk Hotels and
Jucifer and the Kindercore types, they're not very good about
sending us stuff. The Russ Hallauers [of Ghostmeat Records] and
the Dayrooms and the Soul Miner's Daughters, those are the
people who send us records, so those are the guys we play.”
Williams says he's really not interested in being a tastemaker;
he simply wants to play local music. Williams also works part time
at 99X in Atlanta, and it's just not that easy getting ahold of some
of the better material in town. "I went out and bought the Jucifer
CD, just because I wanted to buy it. After a month I tracked down
Macha. They don't have a web site, and neither does their label.
Neutral Milk Hotel — I couldn't even tell you where those guys'
label is.”
Still, at WPUP, the rigid boundaries of the format play a role:
Matt Brown says that "testosterone" is a key word in defining the
active rock format. If there's not enough of said substance, even a
radio standby like R.E.M. can run into trouble making it on the
airwaves — even in theu hometown. Kurtz says the station has
played singles from R.E.M.'s Up, but says he assumes the/re in the
minority around the country — it just didn't deliver the big gui
tars. "Everyone in rock radio is disappointed with [Up]” he says.
The station did add the R.E.M. single "Lotus" recently, makinq
R.E.M. the only Athens band in rotation on the station for the
week of Jan. 4. In the eyes of WPUFs peers, this doesn't matter at
all: the station has been nominated as "Rookie Station of the
Year" for the 1998 Gavin Active Rock Awards.
7. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DJ
Program Director: Hey man. let's rap. We're putting
together this heavy bunch of studs and we're gonna stomp
the competition.
Disc Jockey: Lay it on me. man; if the bread's right then
it's right.... does your station pay any money?
Program Director: We're gonna pay you two-fifty a
week....
Disc Jockey: Okay. The money's right. If I like your plan,
maybe I'll get on your boat. I got to have freedom, man;
freedom to express myself; freedom to have a good time on
the air; freedom to do my thing and say my thing. / want
to entertain, man; if you're gonna lash me up in one of
those tight, clinical operations that stifles the real me. then
that ain't for me.
Program Director: Cool it. man. This is real Top 40 radio
were talking about. You can play radio; you can play the
personality. We want your personality to shine like a baby's
behind.
— P.outt. McGrath & Weiss. The Radio Format Conundrum. 1973
Benji Kurtz takes me down to the DJ booth, but the chair is
empty. The big computer monitor next to the chair is getting
ready to play Def Leppard's "Armaggedon It."
"This thing is just designed to get rid of DJs,” Kurtz says.
"Though that's not a goal of our own.”
We find the DJ on duty, Chris Brame. down the hall. As the
radio blares Def Leppard, Brame is engaged in some office work,
listening to Pere Ubu's "Non Alignment Pact." Brame is 23, a
recent UGA grad, and a fan of the local Elephant 6 contingent. He
says he was blown away when one of the members of Elf Power
delivered his pizza a few weeks ago.
Walking back into the DJ booth, Brame pushes a couple of but
tons that allow the voice of fellow DJ B.J. Kmard to fill up the
room: Kinard is doing a "remote" horn an off campus bookstore.
The music starts up again — something familiar — and Brame
turns the volume down a tittle.
"It just kills me sometimes that Matchbox 20 is all over the
pLee [here], then Elf Power's Brian delivers your pizza,” he says.
"And Elf Power is one of the best live band* I've ever seen.
Something about that just isn't right.”
Richard Faussaf
The 1999 Flagpole
Athens Music
Directory
. This March, Flagpole will again publish
the annual Athens Music Directory, an
exhaustive listing of Athens bands,
musicians and support services.
We send copies of the Directory to Austin,
Texas, to be distributed at the South by
Southwest Music and Media Conference and
make copies available free in Athens through
music-related businesses, including the
Flagpole office.
The Flagpole Athens Music Directory provides a FREE
listing to every band and solo musician playing in
Athens and to recording studios, clubs, graphic artists,
electricians, lighting engineers, $ound technicians,
managers, accountants, attorneys, printers, video
producers and other music-related services-.
To assure that your band or business is
listed in the 1999 Flagpole Athens Music
Directory, fill out the coupon below and
mail it, fax it, email the info or bring it to
the Flagpole office BY JANUARY 22, 1999.
MAIL: Box 1027, Athens, GA 30603
FAX: 548-8981
EMAIL: mail@flagpole.com
STREET ADDRESS: 112 S. Foundry St.,
Athens, GA 30601 (at the corner of E. Broad &
• Foundry, behind Farmers Hardware)
The 1999 Flagpole Athens Music Directory
BAND/BUSINESS NAME
CONTACT PERSON
ADDRESS
CITY / STATE / ZIP
EMAIL / WEBSITE
PHONE/ FAX NUMBER
J Band J Studio J Club J Support Service
Full Bar
Dine In Or Take Out
E)u«t Rooms Available • Lunch Buffet
* Restaurant^*
“The Food Is Our Reputation”
Bar • Banquet Rooms Available • Lunch Bi
Sunday Lunch Buffet 11:30-2:30
Open 7 Days
Lunch —Moo-Frl: HjO0arrv2:30pm
Dinner—Morvfri: 4:30-10:00pm
Fri-Sat: 4:30-11:00pm • Sun: Noon-10:00pm
Major Credit Cards & Checks Accepted
706-549-0274
Green Acres Shopping Center • 1935 Garnet! Stab ltd.
246 E. CLAYTON ST. • 613-2227
,
Monday, Tuesday
tt Wednesday
at the Wine Bar
• Extended Happy Hour
4pm-9pm
• $2 Glasses of Wine
• 2 for 1 Martinis
on Select Vodkas
•Open Sunday 12pm-12am
Lunch & Dinner
Mon-Sat 11 am-10:30pm
Open Sun 12pm-10:30pm
Sunday Night
Sessions
Jazz Every Sunday at 8pm
Come Listen to Your Favorite
Swmg, Jazz an & Bluest
_ SUNDAY, JANUARY 14
Holloway, Wright & Lindberg Trio
(Members of Squat)
SUNDAY. JANUARY 3i
Randy Andersen Quartet
FEATURING:
Dour Panaggio - Prams
Mitch Rothstem - Piano
JANUARY 20, 1999 FLAGPOLE B