Wilco, Ryan, Jake & The Kids...

The last 8-10 days or so have been a blur, burning the candle at both ends. Work hard, play hard, whatever other appropriate cliches apply. This job, being a PD, can be frustrating, rewarding, satisfying and exhausting, simultaneously. But I wouldn't trade it for anything at this point...

Last Friday, (6/22), WBOS hosted a special private show with Boston Hardcore Folk revivalist Jake Brennan at First Act Guitar Studio on Boylston St., site of numerous private 'BOS shows over the past couple of years. The show was the culmination of Jake's "Pop-Ed" series on www.boston.com, in which he wrote a song a day, based on a story in that morning's Boston Globe. The song was recorded, a video shot & edited, and the entire thing posted on Boston.com by 4p same day. Quite a feat, and Jake nailed it for the 2 weeks it ran. WBOS was the radio partner, playing the day's song in George Knight's "After Dark" show. Anyway, the private show was the grand finale for this iteration of the concept.

First Act, which comfortably holds just over 100 people, was packed with WBOS listeners. Jake, a major talent who's suffered some career setbacks in the last few years but by all rights should be a nationally-recognized artist at this point, stepped up and delivered to an audience that only partially knew who he was or his style of music. Think Woody Guthrie meets The Clash, the sensibilities of indie/punk rock fused to traditional folk structures, synthesized into a completely unique solo style. His 30 minute set included songs from the Pop-Ed series, such as "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (a diatribe against the Hollywood summer blockbuster garbage that we get hit with annually) and "She's My Baby," Jake's take on the Anna Nicole Smith saga and perhaps his most Dylanesque song in it's melodic structure. Turning up the distortion on his acoustic, Jake ripped through "My Duct-Tape Prom Queen," a funny, wistfully romantic song based on the true story of a high school prom king & queen who made their outfits out of said all-purpose Home Depot staple. Closing the set with his incendiary "Do You Remember What Joe Strummer Said?" brought the guitar house down and sent an ecstatic crowd home to spread the gospel of Jake. I've been a big supporter of Jake's music for several years, and hope you'll become one too. Discover for yourself at www.myspace.com/jakebrennan.

On Thursday, WBOS joined our sister Greater Media stations in the first annual Camp Harborview Radiothon, which raised money for the camp of the same name. The camp, a nonprofit entity founded by the Connors Family Foundation in conjunction with the City of Boston, will take 600 kids off the streets of Boston for 4 weeks (300 kids per session, 2 4-week sessions). It's a great thing, giving a bunch of good kids who live in some of the city's worst neighborhoods, an opportunity to see the wider world, get three good meals per day, and learn leadership skills, team-building, and play sports. We are all very proud to support the cause, and to help the communities that we are a part of. However, the actual execution of the Radiothon, behind the scenes, was challenging. It's the first time 5 stations have done this, so despite the 5 weeks of preparation that went into it, we were all nonetheless flying a bit blind. Coordinating breaks, adjusting for guests running late, getting out of songs in time, etc.-it made for a stressful day for all involved, although in the end, we raised a lot of money and felt the experience was quite rewarding. Next year will be much smoother, for sure. But all of that stress & frustration melted away Thursday night when Wilco took the stage at the BOA Pavilion...
Wilco, one of those bands that people think they know & like but perhaps aren't as well versed in as they'd want you to believe, is the rare creature that lives up to the critical fawning they've had since their inception in the 90's. They've made great records, gone thru numerous lineup changes, endured record company battles (which they won!), and been the subject of a fascinating documentary, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." But through it all, they've remained a GREAT band, especially live. Their 2005 live CD "Kicking Television" belongs in the pantheon of seminal live albums like Live at Leeds and Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out (Lou Reed's Rock & Roll Animal belongs too). Wilco's most recent CD, "Sky Blue Sky" is my favorite record this year, and as such, I was looking forward to this show for months. And man, did they deliver...
I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but somewhere between "Hate It Here" and "Jesus, etc." I felt my world return to its proper balance. The stress of work, the constant worry about what's next, how to get the ratings up, all of it, just faded away in the midst of another Nels Cline guitar solo excursion. Nels is a jazz guitarist by trade, joined Wilco a few years back, and brought the whole thing to a new height. His playing reminds me greatly of Jerry Garcia, full of melody, no wasted notes, just beautiful sounds enveloping the shed, even into his fuzzed-out bursts with Tweedy. Jeff Tweedy, head Wilco, singer, songwriter, guitarist, was in fine voice all night, from the psychedelia of "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" thru the beautiful country of "California Stars," from their collaboration with Billy Bragg. This is a great American rock band, one with an indelible connection to their fans, and rewarding those fans by channeling their energy back into the show as it's happening. There's no lasers, no backdrops, no fancy staging, just a band at the peak of their abilities playing their collective asses off. It was being there, watching this concert, that reminded me (at a time I sorely needed it) that it's the music that moves me, that matters most, that drives me at all times and why I do what I do for a living. Thank you, Wilco. I owe ya one.
Friday morning, exhausted, overslept a little, but got to work excited anew. Still aglow from the Wilco show, and excited for Ryan Adams' visit to Studio 7. I've met Ryan a few times, several years ago, and I'm sure he doesn't remember. This is a new Ryan Adams, a clean &sober musician who just dropped another fantastic record, Easy Tiger. A true alt-country gem, "alt" being the definer in that this is really a traditional country record, made without the pop sheen of contemporary Nashville. That stuff is just pop with a twang. This is a record that stands comfortably next to its forebears, like Willie Nelson's Troublemaker and prime Waylon Jennings. Anyway, Ryan arrived, a bit late, but clear-eyed, friendly, and in good humor. His interview with Dana Marshall is an instant classic (we'll post the audio on www.wbos.com very soon), a free-association rant/ramble touching on everything from Fergie to The Ghost Whisperer to failures of the mainstream media. It all added up to deep anticipation for his show that night at the Somerville Theatre...and a standing offer to Ryan to come on & do a radio show anytime he wants...he's a natural and I'd put him on the air in a second.
The word on the show was that it would be 90 minutes, starting at 7:30 sharp, and Ryan won't be playing guitar (as he's recovering from a broken wrist suffered skateboarding a few months ago). In typical Ryan fashion (typical meaning "you never know what will happen"), the show started promtly at 8:20, with The Cardinals (his band, which he considers himself a part of rather than it being a backing band) sitting in a half-circle onstage, all sharply dressed in black sportcoats, ties, and crisp white shirts. It was a semi-acoustic affair, with an upright piano, acoustic guitars, electric bass, minimalist drum kit, and a pedal steel guitar...and Ryan on guitar too, for the first time on this tour. Opening with "Cold Roses," we were all struck by how well Ryan sang, how clear and strong his voice is, what a singer he's become. Flipping thru a pair of notebooks on a music stand in front of him, the band pulled out a variety of chestnuts to go along with nearly the entirety of the new record . "Let It Ride," "Carolina Rain," "Magnolia Mountain," "Two," "I Am Learning How To Grow Old," "Tears of Gold," and "Goodnight Rose" were all standouts...during his 2 & a 1/2 hour show. In between, he consistenly engaged the crowd, playing off repeated catcall song requests (the Ryan of old would've reacted far differently, one thinks), creating a warm, ingratiating vibe that was highlighted by a surprise birthday tribute to his pedal steel player, the aptly nicknamed "Slider." After a while, it felt like I was sitting in the intimate confines of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, watching a classic Country band completely in their element. It was a warm, wonderful night of music, a tremendous return to form of one of music's brightest talents, and hopefully a precursor to new heights for a career artist that follows the muse wherever it takes him-and us.
See ya soon.

From the corner office...

Here we go...it's 2007; time to join the bloggerazi. Who am I? What do I do? Excellent questions...
Who am I? (And I don't ask that question in the existential sense; that's a different blog altogether). I am David Ginsburg, the Program Director at WBOS since November 2006. I've been at WBOS for seven years, starting as the Asst. Promotion Coordinator (i.e. "paid intern") in March 2000. I became Promotion Coordinator, then Promotion Director, working under and learning from some very talented people. In January 2004, with no programming experience but a lifelong burning passion for music (and a love for radio as a medium-but that's for another post), I convinced the powers that be that I'd be a good fit for the open position of Music Director. Michele Williams was the PD at that point, and we both worked under the legendary Buzz Knight. Michele left WBOS about 8 months later, and I was suddenly challenged to keep the ship afloat while still figuring out what my job actually entailed. Thankfully, Buzz and I began working closely together, and that gave me an opportunity to learn from one of the best this business has ever seen. I still work very closely with Buzz, and learn from him every day. He's brilliant, and still as passionate about radio as ever.
Last November, following the departure of Dave Douglas as PD (Dave's a good guy too, great guy to work for, and learned quite a bit from him...so thanks again, Dave), I became PD. It took a bit to sink in, that's for sure. But it's a phenomenal challenge and opportunity to lead the WBOS team, and I am surrounded by the strongest team in the station's history. Dana Marshall came aboard as Music Director in January; she is my right-hand woman and has added tremendously to the station. Jenn Carr & Crystal Margolis run our Promotions department; both are as motivated to make WBOS succeed as I am. The airstaff-George Knight, John Laurenti, Dominick Lewis, Dana, all the part-time staff...just a great crew to work with. We are all exceptionally passionate about this station, about the music we play and the special things we do, from EarthFest to Copley to Studio 7 (and big kudo's to Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles for killing it at noon today!) and everything else.
What do I do? In short, I'm ultimately responsible for everything WBOS. It's my job, with input from all of the above in various capacities, to put on the best station possible for our audience. The music we play, the concerts & events we do, the integration of Sales elements (hey, they pay the bills) as a fit...all of it. I'm here not only to bring WBOS up to it's fullest potential, but to win. I'm very competitive.
I'm all about the music...
Yeah, yeah, lots of people say that. Many of those same people mean it. I certainly do. I was a music geek long before I was a radio guy (especially as I haven't been in radio very long...this is the only station I've ever worked for. My whole career has been an anomaly). My dad is a big opera/classical music buff, so my earliest memories are of listening to Beethoven's Fifth with the Red Sox game on tv, volume down (no mute button in those days). After my parents split up, I drifted towards a bit of heavy metal-buying a Kiss record because the cover looked cool, for instance. When I was about 12, my mom was dating an ex-hippie named Carter who had the sickest record collection ever. First-edition vinyl Dylan albums. "Sticky Fingers" with the zipper on the cover. All that stuff. That became my education...I'd come home from school & just start digging through, listening to Dylan, Springsteen, The Dead (still a 'head, btw), Neil Young, The Byrds, The Stones, on & on. Read "Rolling Stone" obsessively (still have stacks of them in the basement of my mom's house), and would read interviews with artists I'd grown passionate about and then go back and listen to the artists who influenced them. At some point along the way, I got into the blues and then heavily into classic R&B, stuff like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Al Green...I remember being in high school, wearing acid washed jeans & Miami Vice style sportcoats (hey, it was the 80's. In Worcester) and listening to Sam Cooke "Live at the Copacabana" on my walkman while the rest of the kids were cranking Motley Crue records. Anyway. The passion's always been there, and still is. I still get geeked about music, new bands, old bands (especially Outlaw Country in the past several years; I've become a huge fan of Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings), just everything. Still call them "albums" and "records," regardless if the lingo is outdated. Don't care. Big fan of the local music scene in Boston, too...we're fortunate to live in a city with so many great bands and artists, doing so many different things. Go out any night of the week in Allston, Cambridge, Somerville, wherever, and you'll find them yourself. That's why the WBOS Boston Music Sunday has been so enjoyable for me, especially in hearing the feedback from the bands themselves. People still get a thrill hearing their stuff on the radio, even in the digital/iPod/MySpace DIY era. Old-fashioned terrestrial radio can still provide the thrills.
Before this reaches the equivalent length of a Tom Wolfe chapter, I'm going to shift gears to the original plan I had for this inaugural blog: namely, listing some records that I'm way into right now & hope you'll dig too. You can find all this stuff online, in record stores, wherever...agree or disagree with my opinions, it's up to you. Just let me know. dginsburg@wbos.com. And yes, I will write you back.
Ok then...some listening picks:
Wilco "Sky Blue Sky:" This may well be the best record I've heard all year (and we listen to a lot of 'em. Nature of the job). Love Wilco, although wasn't so keen on the last one, A Ghost is Born. This one harkens back to their earlier stuff, especially Summerteeth and A.M. Loose, comfortable-in-it-own-skin Americana rock & roll with a leader in Jeff Tweedy who finally seems at peace with himself and his place in the music landscape of his time. The band's secret weapon this time out is guitarist Nels Cline, who's a friggin' monster player. Check out their fantastic live CD Kicking Television for more Nels highlights. And put Kicking Television in the pantheon of great live albums like Ya-Ya's and Live at Leeds. But I digress...go get Sky Blue Sky, listen to it repeatedly in your car, your house, or wherever you can listen to music and let your mind wander. It's that good, and keeps getting better. If you're going to the Wilco show on the 28th at the BOA Pavilion...I'll see you there. I'll be the oddly handsome fella with the dorky grin, unable to sit still.
Fountains of Wayne, "Traffic & Weather:" Sure, it took 'em four years to make, but worth the wait. Great hooks, very witty lyrics, and a cohesive record overall. Some songs will make you laugh, some will bring a tear to your eye, and all will make you think. Very evocative...listen to "'92 Subaru" and try NOT to picture driving thru Vermont during ski season.
Brandi Carlile, "The Story:" No sophomore slump here. She follows up her self-titled debut triumph with an even stronger, more personal record. And she's all of 24 years old. There's a long career in the making here, and well-deserved. I've had the great fortune to get to know Brandi a bit over the past few years, since her first visit to Studio 7 in '05, and she's among the most genuine artists you'll ever meet. Nice, too. But the record...you've heard the title track on 'BOS for some time now. Check out "My Song," and make it your song. She sings from the heart and sings her heart out, every time. And she absolutely kicked ass at her Avalon show last month, from the opening solo-acoustic cover of "The Times They Are A-Changin'" to the final note 2 hours later, and then hung out by her bus signing autographs until she'd satisfied every request. Can't wait to see her at Copley July 12th...and to finally buy her the lobster dinner I owe her afterwards. Long story.
John Butler Trio, "Grand National:" What a player. No, not that kind of player. Guitar player. John Butler is one of the best guitarists in the world right now. Listen to this latest JBT album and see if you find yourself asking "how does he get those sounds?" But it's more than sounds...it's songs, it's emotion. From the funky paean to his wife on "Daniella" to the hippie dream of "Better Than" and the fiercely political "Gov Did Nothin," JBT hits on all cylinders and cements their place near the top of the rock & roll heap. Oh, and they may well have stolen the show at WBOS EarthFest last month.
Dennis Brennan, "Engagement." Finally, a local legend gets his due. Dennis is a criminally overlooked talent; he's a superb songwriter, and his live shows with his ace backing band have become near mythical. This record, a mix of Americana, alt-country, and Stones-y rock & roll, half studio recording and half live recording, is an absolute treat to listen to. "Sugar Falls" is the great Stones riff Keith missed somewhere along the way (maybe while practicing his pirate act?). "Crying on the Avenue" is a great old-school country 3-am drunk outside the bar lovers' lament. "Everybody's Running Away" just rips. Buy this record, listen closely, then go see Dennis play live, and see for yourself. Hell, he's probably playing somewhere in town right now.

I think this is enough for now. I've got a stack of records in the car all ready for me. I'll be back soon...and would love to hear from you on any of the above or anything else you may care to ask or proffer. Email is dginsburg@wbos.com. Be well.