Why Local Music Radio Is Hurting

[PugUgly]

Back in the glory days of BCN, local music reigned supreme. Local bands filled clubs and had fans and people cared. But corporate bean counters destroyed the scene completely, leaving us to seek gems out on our own.

I found an mp3 that should be in regular rotation on AAF, BCN and KISS108. Here it is--you tell me if I'm off base here:

http://www.bostonphoenix.com/Bost_mp3/artist.asp?id=720

This is brilliant, incisive stuff with a fresh voice atop--why on earth isn't it getting the right exposure?

help me out here--the local scene is dying, tracks like this could bring it back to life.

 

[blabhead]

> Back in the glory days of BCN, local music reigned supreme.
> Local bands filled clubs and had fans and people cared. But
> corporate bean counters destroyed the scene completely,
> leaving us to seek gems out on our own.
>
> I found an mp3 that should be in regular rotation on AAF,
> BCN and KISS108. Here it is--you tell me if I'm off base
> here:
>
> http://www.bostonphoenix.com/Bost_mp3/artist.asp?id=720
>
> This is brilliant, incisive stuff with a fresh voice
> atop--why on earth isn't it getting the right exposure?
>
> help me out here--the local scene is dying, tracks like this
> could bring it back to life.
>
I thought ths issue was dealt with a couple of days ago,maybe not. The 3,784 WBZ posts must have me totally confused.

 

[mistercrabs2]

Let's assume you mean it is "hurting" in the sense that it is not receiving the airlplay it used to in the late 80's/early 90's.

understand this simple factor - the Programmers and airstaffs of AAF, BCN, AND FNX during those days - the three biggest supporters of Boston rock music - were people who understood the Boston music scene a lot better than those who are in the same seats today. those folks - I am one of them - were from this region, spent a lot of time crawling Axis, the Rat, the Channel, et al, to seek out the gems you mention. They had programming to support it, they had major concert series to include these bands in, and they were influential in the national rock community to be able to get these bands exposure in areas they would never have had otherwise.

Today's Boston commercial radio scene is none of the above.

Dont compare today's local talent to yesterday's, that's really not the issue. One wasnt better than the other. Its the folks who are in the chairs to make the decisions to help these bands that are different. And the reality is that their viewpoints about how to program their stations are born from corporate offices far removed from the local rock scene.

You cant save Boston rock with a few good tracks on the radio. It is a well-woven community, and that community survives for many more reasons beyond whether or not songs get played at 2pm on a tuesday versues 11pm on Sunday.

The local music scene never dies or hurts - it just changes. Right now, its not the flavor of the month. But it will be again - EVERYTHING in music is cyclical.


> > Back in the glory days of BCN, local music reigned
> supreme.
> > Local bands filled clubs and had fans and people cared.
> But
> > corporate bean counters destroyed the scene completely,
> > leaving us to seek gems out on our own.
> >
> > I found an mp3 that should be in regular rotation on AAF,
> > BCN and KISS108. Here it is--you tell me if I'm off base
> > here:
> >
> > http://www.bostonphoenix.com/Bost_mp3/artist.asp?id=720
> >
> > This is brilliant, incisive stuff with a fresh voice
> > atop--why on earth isn't it getting the right exposure?
> >
> > help me out here--the local scene is dying, tracks like
> this
> > could bring it back to life.
> >
> I thought ths issue was dealt with a couple of days
> ago,maybe not. The 3,784 WBZ posts must have me totally
> confused.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
It is a good life, and not a good living, to which the wise aspire.</P>

 

[johnster]

> Local bands filled clubs and had fans and people cared. But
> corporate bean counters destroyed the scene completely,
> leaving us to seek gems out on our own.

I was embroiled with that same local music scene so many of you where but It died on it's own... It wasn't radio that started or fueled it. Local radio jumped on board and rode along too. Sure the drinking age changes didn't help along with other factors but it started with the music and died wit it. We just had a lot of real good bands and a lot of folks surfing the buzz. The same thing has happened in other cities at other times. If this broke out again and regained that level of popularity Radio would jump in again.

I know this is bad example but in a way it's kind of happening again. Not probably in the circle of music that you or me probably care about nor are they climbing their way up from the streets to the clubs but right now there is a local band called the Click5 that is starting to get major airplay. Now I realize this is some created teeny bopper pop band which I guess would be akin to today's boy bands but more like a Beatle cleaned up Blink182. And yes I realize the kids in it aren't local but from all over the country. But i think they are being marketed right from here and have started their climb here. I may be wrong and I'm sure if I am I will be corrected but I know they played the Kiss Concert and did a Hatch Shell concert a few months ago for them. I think they got their first airplay from Kiss and now appear to be in heavy rotation with there song "Just The Girl". I have since heard it on XM at restaurants and from there website( http://www.theclick5.com ) it looks like they have a video on MTV.

So I realize this is a kind of lame example but what I'm saying is the old Boston music scene died its own death and the emoty clubs after that. Radio had to move on. If it's going to come back it will and Radio will pile on when it does as long as if fits their formats or appeals to thier listeners.

 

[neanderpol]

> understand this simple factor - the Programmers and
> airstaffs of AAF, BCN, AND FNX during those days - the three
> biggest supporters of Boston rock music - were people who
> understood the Boston music scene a lot better than those
> who are in the same seats today. those folks - I am one of
> them - were from this region, spent a lot of time crawling
> Axis, the Rat, the Channel, et al, to seek out the gems you
> mention. They had programming to support it, they had major
> concert series to include these bands in, and they were
> influential in the national rock community to be able to get
> these bands exposure in areas they would never have had
> otherwise.
>
> Today's Boston commercial radio scene is none of the above.

Not 100% accurate. I can only speak for my station, but our entire airstaff is local, and we go to every show we can.

You did hit on one interesting factor though. "Back in the day", we had:

The Channel
Club III
Bunrattys
The Rat
Jumbos
Axis
Edible Rex
Grovers
Derringers
McGillicuddys
Sir Morgans
Narcissus
Johnathan Swifts
Necco Place
Green St. Station
Molly's
TT The Bears
The Rockpile

How many of those clubs are still around?....Exactly.

The scene is nowhere near what it was on any level. Talent, venues, or radio.

One thing though...if there's a band that's worth playing on the radio, they're getting played. It may be buried on Sunday nights...but when you consider the available audience, and the fact that they're conditioned to listen on those nights to hear local music, that's better than most cities in America. When I was in a band, I was stoked to get airplay once on Brandeis's radio station. The point being...any exposure on any station is still better than passing a tape/CD to your 6 buddies and expecting them to fill what few clubs still even book live music.

> Dont compare today's local talent to yesterday's, that's
> really not the issue. One wasnt better than the other. Its
> the folks who are in the chairs to make the decisions to
> help these bands that are different. And the reality is that
> their viewpoints about how to program their stations are
> born from corporate offices far removed from the local rock
> scene.

Partially true, and thank satellite radio for a shift in that philosophy. The good part is that, in order for terrestrial radio to thrive, it will have to be as local as it can. Because that's the only true advantage we have. So, don't be surprised to see a shift in that direction soon.


Now it's up to the bands to give us something worthy of showcasing.

 

[epsilon]

> You did hit on one interesting factor though. "Back in the
> day", we had:
>
> The Channel
> Club III
> Bunrattys
> The Rat
> Jumbos
> Axis
> Edible Rex
> Grovers
> Derringers
> McGillicuddys
> Sir Morgans
> Narcissus
> Johnathan Swifts
> Necco Place
> Green St. Station
> Molly's
> TT The Bears
> The Rockpile
>

You forgot Cantone's, The Inn Square Men's Bar, Paul's Mall, The BF/VF, The Underground, and, most importantly, the dozens of loft parties around the city that got a lot of bands started. (The Human Sexual Response loft parties were legendary and automatically became An Event.)

 

[neanderpol]

> > You did hit on one interesting factor though. "Back in the
>
> > day", we had:
> >
> > The Channel
> > Club III
> > Bunrattys
> > The Rat
> > Jumbos
> > Axis
> > Edible Rex
> > Grovers
> > Derringers
> > McGillicuddys
> > Sir Morgans
> > Narcissus
> > Johnathan Swifts
> > Necco Place
> > Green St. Station
> > Molly's
> > TT The Bears
> > The Rockpile
> >
>
> You forgot Cantone's, The Inn Square Men's Bar, Paul's Mall,
> The BF/VF, The Underground, and, most importantly, the
> dozens of loft parties around the city that got a lot of
> bands started. (The Human Sexual Response loft parties were
> legendary and automatically became An Event.)
>

Yeah..and I'm sure we both forgot a few too. That just illustrates the point well. Of the clubs remaining, how many are even booking live music like they did years ago? The whole scene is weaker than it was. It's tough for any band to garner enough attention to justify radio airplay when there's no place to play, for people to come and support them, and create that "mass buzz".

It's the "Catch-22" personified.

 

[wattagecottage]

Could it be that of the bands that perform today, they take too many breaks between sets, leave people listening to cds, not the band that they paid a cover charge to see?

 

[MrAl]

ah, loft shows... basement shows and shows in alternative spaces are alive and well... they're pretty much all I go to. The club scene isn't that great although some clubs have picked up the slack... O'Brien's in Allston and Great Scott... still, DIY (do-it-yourself) shows for me.

college radio still has some good local music programming... but the heyday has past. I'll agree with you about that.

 

[Smoke]

Those songs sound dated.

> I found an mp3 that should be in regular rotation on AAF,
> BCN and KISS108. Here it is--you tell me if I'm off base
> here:
>
> http://www.bostonphoenix.com/Bost_mp3/artist.asp?id=720
>
> This is brilliant, incisive stuff with a fresh voice
> atop--why on earth isn't it getting the right exposure?
>
> help me out here--the local scene is dying, tracks like this
> could bring it back to life.

You're out of your mind. Those two songs sound dated.

Joe Viglione - Nothing like a Hit.mp3
Alright, it's kinda catchy. The female singer in the back is a little too "Gimme Shelter" for today's rock stations.

Joe Viglione - Want You Sexually.mp3
Overproduced garbaged, generic riffs, it screams bland. Uck. Yeah having a Black woman singing in the background wasn't done by the Stones or anyone else ever before.

Both songs have the chorus repeated too many times. I know that makes it more radio friendly, but it does not make them good songs.

There's better stuff out there from the local scene, and 50 year old men don't exactly sell well to 19-34 fans unless they were popular when they were young. Let the man stick to writing and message board trolling.

 

[adam12]

Re: Those songs sound dated.

> There's better stuff out there from the local scene, and 50
> year old men don't exactly sell well to 19-34 fans unless
> they were popular when they were young. Let the man stick
> to writing and message board trolling.
>

well, smokey, i must say that's a bit ageist. but i agree...there's better stuff out there.

 

[Smoke]

Re: Those songs sound dated.

> > There's better stuff out there from the local scene, and 50
> > year old men don't exactly sell well to 19-34 fans unless
> > they were popular when they were young. Let the man stick
> > to writing and message board trolling.
> >
> well, smokey, i must say that's a bit ageist. but i
> agree...there's better stuff out there.

Am I ageist for noticing or is society ageist for the behavior that I've noted?

 

[adam12]

Re: Those songs sound dated.

> > > There's better stuff out there from the local scene, and
> 50
> > > year old men don't exactly sell well to 19-34 fans
> unless
> > > they were popular when they were young. Let the man
> stick
> > > to writing and message board trolling.
> > >
> > well, smokey, i must say that's a bit ageist. but i
> > agree...there's better stuff out there.
>
> Am I ageist for noticing or is society ageist for the
> behavior that I've noted?
>

blah blah chicken, blah blah egg...

 

[Smoke]

So what local bands are worthy of airplay?

> blah blah chicken, blah blah egg...

Hoo hoo, I invented cliches. So what local bands are worthy of airplay?

 

[adam12]

Re: So what local bands are worthy of airplay?

> > blah blah chicken, blah blah egg...
>
> Hoo hoo, I invented cliches. So what local bands are worthy
> of airplay?
>

i've played the new song from darkbuster once or twice on my show...i think it's airplay-worthy. and none of the guys in the band are over 50, so by your logic it should appeal to my target demographic quite nicely.

 

[neanderpol]

Re: So what local bands are worthy of airplay?

> > blah blah chicken, blah blah egg...
>
> Hoo hoo, I invented cliches. So what local bands are worthy
> of airplay?
>

I think Dresden Dolls are very good. Same with Dogfight. I also like Seemless, who are pretty local. Obviously, Dropkick Murphys are great. There's a band called Breathe out there who I think have real potential.

Carm's got a really great handle on things.

 

[Bostonradiofan]

Re: So what local bands are worthy of airplay?

> > > blah blah chicken, blah blah egg...
> >
> > Hoo hoo, I invented cliches. So what local bands are
> worthy
> > of airplay?
> >
>
> i've played the new song from darkbuster once or twice on my
> show...i think it's airplay-worthy. and none of the guys in
> the band are over 50, so by your logic it should appeal to
> my target demographic quite nicely.
>

Darkbuster!! F' Yeah. Liked hearing Robby Roadsteamer on WBCN and WAAF this last week. Also really like listening to the Rudds, Waltham, Dresden Dolls, Read Yellow, the Dents, and Beyond the Embrace.

 

[Bostonradiofan]

> > Local bands filled clubs and had fans and people cared.
> But
> > corporate bean counters destroyed the scene completely,
> > leaving us to seek gems out on our own.
>
> I was embroiled with that same local music scene so many of
> you where but It died on it's own... It wasn't radio that
> started or fueled it. Local radio jumped on board and rode
> along too. Sure the drinking age changes didn't help along
> with other factors but it started with the music and died
> wit it. We just had a lot of real good bands and a lot of
> folks surfing the buzz. The same thing has happened in other
> cities at other times. If this broke out again and regained
> that level of popularity Radio would jump in again.
>
> I know this is bad example but in a way it's kind of
> happening again. Not probably in the circle of music that
> you or me probably care about nor are they climbing their
> way up from the streets to the clubs but right now there is
> a local band called the Click5 that is starting to get major
> airplay. Now I realize this is some created teeny bopper pop
> band which I guess would be akin to today's boy bands but
> more like a Beatle cleaned up Blink182. And yes I realize
> the kids in it aren't local but from all over the country.
> But i think they are being marketed right from here and have
> started their climb here. I may be wrong and I'm sure if I
> am I will be corrected but I know they played the Kiss
> Concert and did a Hatch Shell concert a few months ago for
> them. I think they got their first airplay from Kiss and now
> appear to be in heavy rotation with there song "Just The
> Girl". I have since heard it on XM at restaurants and from
> there website( http://www.theclick5.com ) it looks like they
> have a video on MTV.
>
> So I realize this is a kind of lame example but what I'm
> saying is the old Boston music scene died its own death and
> the emoty clubs after that. Radio had to move on. If it's
> going to come back it will and Radio will pile on when it
> does as long as if fits their formats or appeals to thier
> listeners.
>

It is indeed happening again. Yes, there is much crap out there but many good bands who have stuck it out and are now getting airplay and exposure from more outlets. There are again many good acts out there. More than I can name. Having a great act stand out can take some time without money but I think in the end the underground audience has decent taste and those acts that stick around and can keep it exciting without interest dying out are now being rewarded. This is what keeps me tuned in to comercial rock radio. To see which stations are picking up the right new unsigned or indie or even signed bands.....

"Look it's Dear Leader on FNX." Dresden Dolls with past regular rotation on FNX and WBCN. Dogfight on WAAF. The FNX nightly local spotlight. All three local shows especially Carm's and Shred's shows. I love those local shows. Wish they were on at different times. I'm normally a listener of BSR but sometimes tune into Local Emmissions if I have to hear the live guest. Glad to see that WAAF is now streaming online, I hate missing BSR when travelling for work.

 

[Bostonradiofan]

> > > You did hit on one interesting factor though. "Back in
> the
> >
> > > day", we had:
> > >
> > > The Channel
> > > Club III
> > > Bunrattys
> > > The Rat
> > > Jumbos
> > > Axis
> > > Edible Rex
> > > Grovers
> > > Derringers
> > > McGillicuddys
> > > Sir Morgans
> > > Narcissus
> > > Johnathan Swifts
> > > Necco Place
> > > Green St. Station
> > > Molly's
> > > TT The Bears
> > > The Rockpile
> > >
> >
> > You forgot Cantone's, The Inn Square Men's Bar, Paul's
> Mall,
> > The BF/VF, The Underground, and, most importantly, the
> > dozens of loft parties around the city that got a lot of
> > bands started. (The Human Sexual Response loft parties
> were
> > legendary and automatically became An Event.)
> >
>
> Yeah..and I'm sure we both forgot a few too. That just
> illustrates the point well. Of the clubs remaining, how many
> are even booking live music like they did years ago? The
> whole scene is weaker than it was. It's tough for any band
> to garner enough attention to justify radio airplay when
> there's no place to play, for people to come and support
> them, and create that "mass buzz".
>
> It's the "Catch-22" personified.
>

Just as many clubs today if not more today. Yes many are new and not the same places you once went to. But that is not really the problem. Boston/Cambridge music clubs like the Lizard Lounge, TT's, Middle East, Paradise, Goodtimes, Abbey Lounge, Kirkland, Cantab Lounge, Western Front, Sky Bar, Midway, PA's, O'Briens, Great Scott, Harpers Ferry, Charlies Kitchen, the Irish place in brookline that I can't seem to remember the name of right now, all seem to do well. Open the Weekly Dig and Boston Phoenix each week and you will find many more clubs than I can list, out there doing live music each week.

Somebody mentioned the people in power at these stations are not as plugged in locally as in the past and do not hold the same power or desire to expose the local music scene. I think that is dead on accurate. But I still think those same people can understand that this market, Boston is not any city, USA. College, indie labels, and underground music are a deep part of our local culture. And local bands are experiencing an uptick of big buzz right now. Shows at some of the better clubs mostly in Cambridge, do consistently very well. Things are happening, the music and community are strong. Some radio programers have to notice it sooner or later.

Over the last few years, the lack of hope in regular radio airplay combined with newly opened areas of exposure has made the underground/indy scene very strong. And having many clubs to play helps. Also having radio station sponsored local events supporting local bands even without the airplay. like Locobazooka, the WBCN Rumble, FNX New Music Series, Hempfest on Boston Common.

Fifteen years ago a Boston band had shows and radio airplay. Now they have shows, internet, college radio, my space, local tv, national and regional press/magazines, Boston Music Awards, movie soundtracks, television show soundtracks, local radio shows, video game soundtracks, festival bookings and more. Things have opened up. Many recent unsigned Boston bands have gotten airplay and press through being selected for airplay on tv shows and video games. Unsigned band, Three Day Threshold, had music on Parris Hilton "Simple Life" TV show and MTV's "Road Rules" show. They were then selected for the Soundtrack for "the Simple Life" which sold a lot of cd's nationally. The Charms another unsigned act was featured on Goodfellas actor and E Street band member, Little Stephen's radio show and concert in NYC. They got on an MTV news piece about the concert from playing it. Indie 103 playing Darkbuster and other locals in LA. Just some small examples. There are many recent stories like this. If you have good music, local drive time radio might not listen but TV and Video Games might.

More stories, a great act I like but disbanded, Fooled By April had a documentary movie released about their trip/show at South by South west festival. I saw the movie in the theatres. Bands that have had to think outside the box of rock radio are more creative than rock radio! Making your own movies like Roadsteamers documentary/videos on his website have been watched by thousands of locals this year. So many he kept going over his usage rates and had to sometimes go to other sites to host them. Waltham gets on a Disney movie that is playing on HBO right now. The band plays live and is interviewed in this documentary about average Americans following their crazy dreams. Dresden Dolls ere everyhwere. They are the huge story of the year. And I say they go bigger. Every step of the way, I have watched them get bigger and better. No stopping them now. They did it the underground indie way and then got the airplay that put them over the top.

Boston is hot right now.