One of my go-to podcasts is The Memory Palace – it’s audio storytelling at its finest. But somehow this episode from 2017 had slipped through the cracks until it was reposted recently.
Host Nate DiMeo pays tribute to WBRU-FM in Providence, Rhode Island. But if you’re a 97X fan, you’ll definitely relate to the subject matter. Here’s a great snippet from the culmination of the episode:
“The one (station) that in no small part made you who you were then… maybe still are. But this one station, now gone, was mine…”
Nate DiMeo on the episode linked above
Like WBRU, 97X lives on, in our own Memory Palace.
[I highly recommend all the episodes of The Memory Palace. Check ’em out here.]
Keri Crawford was at 97X from 1998-2001, as a DJ and program director. She talks to us about her radio and record label background, the unique energy of 97X, the fun shows she got to organize and promote, the fervor of the listeners… and how her dog had free rein at the office.
Rhett Leibecke (a.k.a. “Reed LeBeak”) spent a single semester as a student co-op for Rictile and Dave on the Breakfast Club… and it’s clear that he’s been scarred for life (and not just from the lawn jarts). He got the gig based on his shady past doing a “SoundScam”… and it was all downhill from there. Rhett and special guest Rictile join up to talk about Rhett’s stellar work cleaning a “sound room,” the Aye Team, BatBoy, 97X bitcoin, Barenaked Ladies and Northern Exposure.
In a rare moment of seriousness, we also talk about Rhett’s courageous battle against a rare form of cancer, and how his positive attitude has helped lift the spirits of others in their cancer battles.
97X was really the premium outlet for a kid in the Midwest to tune in and catch fantastic new tunes… when I got to Miami and that opportunity presented itself, I was there. I was like a kid who was in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, that’s how magical and special it was.
Rhett “Reed LeBeak” Leibecke, former Breakfast Club co-producer
Garin Pirnia grew up in Centerville, Ohio and discovered 97X when she returned to the area after stints in L.A. and Chicago. She’s written about music (as well as film, food, and travel) for dozens of publications including Rolling Stone, Esquire, Vanity Fair and The Atlantic. Her book about bands from the state of Ohio, Rebels and Underdogs, came out a few years ago. We chat with Garin about the many bands who hail from the Buckeye State and explore why Ohio is such a fertile ground for musicians.
You can find out more about Garin’s writing on her website.
The concert chef has whipped up a big batch of gigs this week. Let’s dig in!
Saturday night:
Rose Music Center in Dayton has An Evening with Jackson Browne (Daryl Hannah would not recommend)
Wallows plays the Ovation
Styx, REO Speedwagon and Loverboy play the time machine that is Riverbend Music Center
The Pat Travers Band and Cactus are at Ludlow Garage
Here’s one for the Swedish chef: the Aronoff presents ABBAfab: the premier Abba experience (note, this is not to be confused with ABBA, The Concert, yet another Abba tribute, which is playing Rose Music Center later this month)
“It was the 70s” is an acceptable explanation
On Sunday, Fraze Pavilion in Kettering hosts the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Birthday Party featuring Samantha Fish, the Ally Venable Band and Shemekia Copeland. And maybe the members of ABBA will jump out of the birthday cake!
Björn, Agnetha and Benny with the mad hops. Anni-Frid, not so much.
On Tuesday, The Wood Brothers and Guster play Rose Music Center, with special guest David Wax Museum. (Note: David Wax Museum is not to be confused with the wax figures at the ABBA Museum in Stockholm, Sweden, where adult admission is 250 kronor, and kids 6 and under are free!)
L to R: BAAB.
On Wednesday, Billy Strings plays a sold-out gig at Rose, and Whiskey Myers is at the Greg Brady.
Thursday:
Steely Dan is at Riverbend – Steve Winwood was originally going to open the show, but since it was covid-poned, the new opener is Snarky Puppy.
Air Supply plays Rose
Willy Tea Taylor performs at the Washington Park Roots Revival free show
On Friday, June 17th:
The Wood Brothers, Guster and David Wax Museum play the Marsha Brady
Fitz & the Tantrums and St. Paul & the Broken Bones double-ampersand the Fraze.
Matchbox Twenty and the Wallflowers are at Riverbend
Hiroshima is at the Ludlow Garage
Carriage House Farm in North Bend is hosting Songwriter Sweep: An Evening of Short Sets with The Hiders, Night Owl, Zapruder Point and Peace Police.
Re-running up that hill
Kate Bush is having a moment, courtesy of her 1985 song “Running up that Hill” which features prominently in the new season of Stranger Things. You can read more on Paste and in Vogue. Hat tip to list member Cullen Lewis for the Vogue article… it’s great. Here’s an excerpt:
Cullen does a great Substack newsletter every Friday, covering music, arts and fashion. (Soooo much better than this rag.) Check it out here.
Last week’s releases featured a bumper crop of tasty tunes – in addition to the aforementioned Angel Olsen, you should check out the new releases from Horsegirl, Drive-By Truckers, S.G. Goodman, Andrew Bird, and Supercrush.
Shameless self-promotion
The most recent episode of the non-award-winning “97X Rumblings from the Big Bush” podcast features our interview with Taylor Fox of Inhailer Radio. Check it out here or wherever you get your pods.
More like Podcast Servant…
Song of the Year (IMHO)
Really diggin’ this new song by The Dream Syndicate… not sure why:
Taylor Fox (a.k.a. “TayFo”) is a co-founder and morning host on Inhailer, a streaming/HD radio station that plays indie rock and helps promote local bands and the music scene in Cincinnati. The impetus for the station came from losing other local stations that played cool music, first 97X and WVXU’s Nightwaves, and later WNKU. Taylor tells us about how the station started, how he discovered 97X, and how the 97X message boards helped him connect with kindred spirits.
Inhailer can be streamed from their website or mobile apps (Apple App Store and Google Play), and you can also tune in over the airwaves on 90.9 HD3.
In our podcast interview, we mentioned Taylor goes to a ton of live concerts. Here’s his list for June:
Dave Tellmann spent nearly a decade on the air at 97X (1988-1997)… and sometimes he thinks he’s still on the air there! Dave combed through his “aircheck” cassettes from 1993 and put together some snippets of audio that give you a feel for what listening to the station was like back in the day. Come for the Eavey’s commercial, stay for the Marge Schott news story.
Dave in the luxurious production studio – for much of his time at the station, he was in charge of the produced audio elements – commercials, promos, station IDs, etc.
Not surprising that Farrah loomed large in Dave’s life. After all, he was the “Bosley” of Modern Rock.
Legends of The Fall… because Dave and Bake are Legends, and they played The Fall.
Dave and Rictile present an Elvis tapestry to legendary Reds broadcasters Joe Nuxhall and Marty Brennaman.
Jae Forman (far left) and Dave (far right) with a fan on the Lollapalooza “butt cooler”
Dave also served as Music Director for quite a while – here he is with Program Director Phil Manning
Dave and Elvis and Rictile…
Rictile and Dave also started the Ken Fan Club.
Dave would often have some fun with the DJ who was on the air before or after him during the “handoff.” Here’s the time that I acted like I was Lou Reed…
And here’s the time Jae Forman helped us tee up a contest drawing…
Dave probably should read this before our next podcast… Nah, let’s keep winging it!
Jim Vinch was a Cleveland-raised classic rocker… until he moved to Oxford for college and caught the earliest years of 97X. Jim credits the station and its community of listeners with helping him be open not just to new music, but to new ideas. As he puts it, “I am now an assistant visiting professor at Miami and every time I step onto campus I can’t help think about how the university and the local radio station exploded my small little Midwestern world.” We talk to Jim about those connections, some concerts he saw back in the day, and his day job protecting America’s waterways as an environmental lawyer for the EPA.
Jim connected with us via email – here’s the wonderful note he sent to us:
Just finished listening to Episode 68 and, even though it was the shortest, it was by far the best. Doug and Linda’s thesis that 97X is still alive really resonated with me.
I graduated from Miami in 1984, and so only caught the very earliest years of WOXY. Having grown up on a fairly sheltered environment, college was an explosion of new ideas and experiences for me. Truly life changing in every way. I came to Miami as a rock fan mostly raised on the sounds of WMMS in Cleveland, Springsteen being the center of my musical universe. At Miami, I met friends from Chicago who exposed me to “new” music and I was immediately hooked. 97X, though, “set the hook.” It was about the music, but also much more.
My Miami friends tell me I should move on. “97X was 35 years ago” they say. However, 97X is a part of me. I cannot move on from it any more than I can move on from other important milestones in my life without giving up who I am.
I wish I had something as powerful to say as what as Jen L. shared with you. 97X might not have “saved me” but my life would not have have been as rich and vibrant if I didn’t have that experience—or worse— had I chosen to “move on” as my friends have suggest. In the grand scheme of things, 97X might not warrant a mention on my resume, but it’s as essential to who I am as any job held or degree earned.
I am now an assistant visiting professor at Miami this year and every time I step onto campus I can’t help think about how the university and the local radio station exploded my small little Midwestern world.
Thanks for what you do.
Jim Vinch
Please note that Jim isn’t just a run-of- the-mill visiting professor at Miami University, he’s a distinguished visiting professor:
As far as Dave and Damian are concerned, that puts him in great company:
Former 97X/woxy.com DJ Barb Abney will be back on The Current in Minneapolis St. Paul this evening!
You’d be hard pressed to find a radio host more dedicated and more engaged with listeners than Barb. She was a fast friend to anyone who tuned in, at 97X, at woxy.com, at The Current, and at the other radio stations where she worked after being unceremoniously and undeservedly being let go at The Current back in 2015.
Barb spent nearly 10 years as the midday host on The Current before the rug was pulled out from under her.
We’re thrilled for Barb, and happy for The Current listeners – some of whom have already voiced their approval in the comments section of The Current’s announcement.
Seven years seems like a lifetime, and it’s clear from the comments that these listeners still feel such a strong connection with Barb. There’s no better testament to her dedication. And no better argument for why radio still matters.
The second part of our conversation with Jay Batista, who helped WOXY-FM make the transition to the 97X we all know and love. Jay was the station manager, was involved in programming, did sales, and also knew how to whip an ancient transmitter into shape. In this episode, we hear about Dr. Demento, an “Army of Ticks” (not a Dr. Demento song, but it could be!) and the infamous “Beer or Buns” guerilla promotion for the station.
And he wrote a chapter of The Media Workflow Puzzle, a non-fiction book that provides a comprehensive look at the entire media workflow from start to finish.
Jay is an accomplished acrylic collage artist as well.
