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Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Dallas music grabs more air time on KEGL - 97.1
The Eagle's Angela Chase combs through North Texas rock each week to suit the taste of hard core listeners and support young bands on the verge.
North Texas radio continues to turn ears to local bands for at least a portion of the programming schedule. Each Monday night at 11, The Eagle's Loud and Local show has Angela Chase offering up an hour of the best in North Texas rock. I took the chance to pick Angela's brain over music discovery and the art of homegrown appreciation.
Eric Younkin Photography
Angela Chase
How long have you lived in the Dallas area?
I grew up in Weatherford, listening to The Eagle. I moved to Dallas five years ago to get into radio after doing radio promotions while I was studying at UNT.
What first drew you into the local scene?
(Program Director) Chris Ryan had the original local show – it was his doing to bring it back on air and he offered it to me. Personally, my older brother was in some local bands in the '80s/'90s. So I've always been around rock music.
What bands do you make a point to see on a regular basis?
I try to get out to shows as much as I can, especially on Friday nights. I try to see the Better Death and Moving Atlas (though it's hard because they play a lot on Saturdays while I'm on the air).
How do you feel the re-opening of Trees is lending to the rebirth of the Deep Ellum scene?
I was offered the local show the same time Trees came back, so I don't know what the challenges were before they were around this time. As far as rock music goes, Trees is one of the best places to turn to when I'm looking for bands to play. They consistently play really good music.
Eric Younkin Photography
Angela Chase has her eyes and ears on the North Texas rock scene.
Who is your current local obsession?
They switch, honestly. I'll be totally in love with one band for a few weeks, then I'll find a new one and it will become my little love child. I don't like to choose favorites -- I would hate for a band to think that they have to change anything they do based on my taste. I have a radio show, I'm not signing record deals. I don't want them to feel discouraged if their sound isn't quite right for our demographic, because it can still fit in somewhere.
What do you listen to when you're off the clock?
It varies. I've always listened 10-15 years behind, so now I'm really into grunge again. It's interesting to listen to them knowing where their lives ended up. I notice in the local scene there are different sounds. For example, one of the youngest bands I have sounds so modern and clean and polished. It's interesting to see how the age of the musicians affects their particular sound.
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Pop icon Peter Max exhibits paintings at the Crescent Hotel this summer
"humbleness"??????
Um, Mr. Means (reporter), your fourth-grade English teacher is going to smack yo
Paul Riddell, anonymous:
No sarcasm and no cynicism: I hope this show works and I hope it's around for a long time. For as long as I can remember, radio stations in the area made vague promises of supporting local music, but the only time we ever got any was if the acts were already in saturation airplay. (coughEdie BrickellcoughDeep Blue Somethingcough) Sometimes we got a bit of fun, like when Redbeard at Q102 actually tried to claim at one show that the station was a big supporter of Deep Ellum music and was nearly bottled off the stage. The rest of the time, though, we have reason to stick with our iPods.
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RobertB, anonymous:
I wish her luck, but she's at the mercy of the Clear Channel corporate bosses... the same geniuses who shot down The Eagle and replaced it with La Preciosa before bringing back the reborn Eagle. If Spanish Oldies had made money, The Eagle would still be swimmin' wit' the Elephants at the ZEW.
The only way a station will truly support local music is if the station is locally owned -- but Clear Channel and its ilk have destroyed all the big-signal indie stations. You can't pick up Dallas' KHYI 95.3 or Fort Worth's KFWR 95.9 (alt.country) without a tin can on the antenna, and KNON's content is all over the place, so there's no way for it to be a consistent player.
That's why I celebrated the arrival of KXT 91.7, the new music-oriented public radio station, by joining the station. They'll provide a professionally-operated station with a strong signal. The competition will be good -- without KXT, I doubt The Eagle would have bothered to give Ms. Chase the opportunity to present local rockers, even in the middle of the night.
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hawkinsjb, anonymous:
Regardless of the Clear Channel monopoly that's put a strangle hold on radio outlets in the D/FW area over the past decade-plus, as a rock fan, I am all for endeavors like this. I hope Ms. Chase takes this and runs with it as far as it will go. If there's one thing that's been lacking in the D/FW area music scene for a while it's the rock or hard rock community. Seems like it died with One Ton Records back in 01'. Not to say that there aren't great local rock bands that have played and are still playing since that time, there's just no "community" feel. I think Ms. Chase can only help. Good luck.
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Paul Riddell, anonymous:
And here's where we find out exactly how badly KEGL management wants to repair its ratings. I have to admit that I much prefer to hear music in the morning over moron syndicated talk DJs, but I have one question to ask about KEGL programming. Is it federal law that dictates that every other song on the playlist has to be Nineties whiner rock, or does ClearChannel's business plan include covering Scott Weiland's and Scott Stapp's heroin bills? (Catching this morning's Cindy Scull show, I was certain I'd fallen down a time warp to February 1995 and was catching Z-Rock just before it shut down.)
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scarycherry, anonymous:
I love "Loud and Local", and Anglea is extremely nice.
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okme2, anonymous:
Looking at the DFW rock landscape, 102 The Edge plays Altn, Jack FM playing whatever (most songs are a “easy listening” with a rock flavor) and “Lonestar” playing the same thing it played as “KZIPS” which is the same-ole tiresome “Classic Rock” (I think they just a huge Reel-to-Reel tape machine that is 7 days long playing over-n-over-over-n…You get the idea).
Did I miss any?
So that leaves The Eagle to fill both a new and older Hard rock slot. Now I’m NOT a fan of Clear (“eeeVIL”) Channel but it’s interesting tracking the songs they play. It seems like a 3-set song list will, for the most part, include a song from 2000-2010 a song from the 90’s and then something from the 70’s-80’s.
I’ve been in Dallas since 1894 (I loved Z-ROCK which was based here in Dallas and is now an internet station call HARDRADIO) and have seen over the past few years or so DFW losing it’s Hard Rock “edge” (not that it was huge “back in the day”) with hard rock clubs closing, a seemly lack of a large number of hard rock shows coming to town and only really one hard rock radio station.
The internet is always a great FREE alternate choice, I have found a number of great hard rock channels, although that does not help you in the car.
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What do you think?