The Return of Radio

Saturday night, the 23rd of July, 2011 was a big night for me and the city of Memphis.  Radio Memphis got it's official launch party.  We were all at Neil's.  Funny how this all came about.  What started as a benefit for the Tommy Ruble Brass Note Fund, turned into a packed house, three music acts, a "comedian" and yours truly. 

The great Leon Griffin went on stage and had a nice little talk to the crowd about Memphis music and what it means to be a part of something that is going to be so huge.  Setting the stage, if you will, he introduced me and I went on to talk about the ills of corporate driven America.  Not to tout the material, but it was decent monologue.  Now, I won't go into what all was said since it was one of those things where you would have been better off there to hear it in person.  That, and me trying to put into writing the spirit of the speech would ultimately be lost.  I can tell you this, I do know that it was video taped.  I haven't seen it but I am quite sure it will surface at some point. 

Anyway, Radio Memphis sort of hijacked the event.  The end result was that the Tommy Ruble Fund got a nice bit of cash, Neil's was packed and from what I was told, everyone was entertained.  Tori Tollison and J. W. Williams had a great set.  The Fast Mothers blew the roof off the joint and The Mondophonics was awesome.  Great Memphis music from today. 

As a result, the crowd got to meet the staff of Radio Memphis.  We met some really great people and I heard nothing but good things and support from all that was there.  A fantastic night.  When we brought on stage all those who were responsible in part for the creation and existence of Radio Memphis, there was a great applause.  I ended my bit with the following:

"We built Radio Memphis for the Memphis Musician.  We built Radio Memphis for the Memphis music lover.  We built Radio Memphis for you.  Please support the station and enjoy it for what it is... yours."

Not a bad start.

Stay tuned...

Radio Memphis

What a strange trip it has been, eh?  Since February 25th to today (July 1) I have felt a bit like Tarzan swinging from vine to vine working on various things with various people and like Victor Frankenstein, gave life to an idea that who knows what impact will have on the villagers.

Radio Memphis came from a simple thought.  The radio business isn't run by radio people anymore.  The big corporations (lawyers and bankers) have destroyed what we all came to love.  It is ruled by consultants, those people who have never stood in a radio station much less tell a pro what the audience wants.  Scary stuff.  And it only gets worse.  But those tales we'll save for later. 

So what is this thing, you ask?  The internet is where everything is headed.  You and I use it so much for everything from shopping, watching TV shows, movies, looking at boobies and listening to radio stations all over the globe. 

My initial approach to this was to make sure it didn't sound like a couple of kids working out of mom's basement in the middle of the night playing punk records.  It had to be big and it has to sound big.  (Bad Dog would love that last line... inside joke, sorry.)  We're still playing some punk records and many other things.  But it wasn't all at my hands.  There were quite a few people who made this happen and I want to make sure everyone gets listed here.

First of all I would have to thank my former employers for a few things.  The experience I got and the kick in the ass out the door that ultimately freed me up to do just this.  There were a lot of casualties along the way and a lot of good people lost their jobs as a result.  They are still getting thrown under the bus for no damn reason.  Just recently, the gentleman who hired me and fired me saw the end of a 30 year career here.  What a shame.  But, I digress.  Those people helped make Radio Memphis whether they like to know it or not.  So, thanks.

Now, onto to those who were much more active in their participation.  Josephine.  My wife who has stood by me through thick and thin.  She carried the belief of this project since it was conceived and kept me from going totally insane.  Charlie Hodum.  Legal counsel to the stars.  Brian McMurry.  He's the genius behind the skull you see at the top of this post.  Leon Griffin.  The coolest man in Memphis.  He's the voice behind the station.  When you hear a guy telling you what the station is, it's him.  The best set of pipes in town.  Dave Thorn.  Vexar Dave to you and me.  Daniel Brown.  Web design at Company Zero.  Benjamin Deming.  App designer.  Shon Gale at Emanon Group, Eugene, Oregon.  All the kids at Direttore in Italy.  Claesson Edwards Audio in California.  Emily Bishop and Barb Elder at The Lamplighter for the great article.  Charles Stanford.  CPA to the stars.  Dianna Fryer.  Promotions and all around fire putter-outer.  David James.  Construction and protector of the generator.  Neely James.  Wife of David and fan number 1.  John "Bubba" Bonds.  Music gatherer and liaison to Memphis musicians.  Tim Mullins.  Justin Jaggers.  Rick Cail.  Paul "Pablo the pool boy" Daniels.  All of the Memphis musicians who made the library possible.  This is built for you.  To all those who remained faithful to the cause and remained a fan of mine throughout all that has happened.  This is built for you.

There are others that should be mentioned here, however if I did, it would cost them their jobs.  You know who you are and I love you for your support and love.

 I'm sure we'll be making some mistakes from time to time.  Please pardon as we go through some growth pains.  We're working on stuff all the time with this thing.  As a matter of fact the iPhone app is out now and Ben is working on the app for the droid phones.  Yes, there is a BlackBerry app in the works, too. 

As for me, I'll officially join the crew August 1 at noon.  It would be sooner, but there is this little unfinished business with my former employers.  In the meantime, July 23 at 3PM the first live showe on the station will happen.  It will be Vexar Dave (God help us all).  He'll be on 'till 7 and then we'll all meet at Neil's on Madison at McLean for our kick off party with The Fast Mothers.  It'll be a blast.  Come meet all of us.  Doors open at 9PM.

So, here it is.  http://www.radio-memphis.com  Enjoy it.  We built this for all those who want radio back they way it's supposed to be. 

Stay tuned... please.