Friday February 19 Playlist + Update + Joel Tyner

Thanks to Peter Clark for filling in today. So cool to drive down Route 9 the first 35 minutes of the show to hear those great tunes! If you missed any of what he played, here's the playlist:
http://wvkr.radioactivity.fm/

As Pete's show went on, a couple thoughts occurred to me. No doubt the Orphan Master selected some great 45s, he definitely did. And his professional radio announcer delivery--makes me green with envy. He's simply one of the best at what he does. Love that guy.

But as I approach my 6th anniversary with WVKR later this month, I can honestly say I'm still jazzed and excited about the music that I play. 6 years later, I'm still finding tunes to play that I've never played before--in an Oldies format, no less.

And it's more than liking a bunch of cool songs and throwing them together, it's about putting them in a context historically, and pacing them in terms of variety i.e. fast, slow, hit, non-hit, soul, rock, ballad, etc. I take time each and every week to plan this stuff out in advance because I am so passionate about the music and the era that it represents. And I want it sound good to you, the listeners, as well. The goal is to mix the tunes with the clips with the trivia so that it paints an audio picture and helps you remember where YOU were at the time or what it MAY have sounded like if you weren't.

I don't always succeed; sometimes what I think will sound good on air ultimately does not. Also, I get feedback like Too Much Soul/Rockers/Ballads and yet an equal number of Too LITTLE Soul/Rockers/Ballads comments come in. So I learned long ago, ya can't please every-one, so ya got ta please yourself.

You'll notice the format changes almost weekly--some weeks it's 4 songs then talk, others 8, sometimes talk over the songs, some times not, etc. I've tinkered with the formula so often trying to get it just right. Because it matters. The music is that important. To me at least. If I could talk over a song as well as Peter Clark, it would be a done deal!

But I'm rarely satisfied.

I am proud of what I done on WVKR thus far. I've been fortunate to have had the job flexibility that allowed me to take Friday afternoons off to come in and hopefully entertain you for 2 hours. But when I got the word a few months ago that my Saturday shift was to be no more, it was a wake up call. I had to do something else.

A door was closing. What now?

I've been thinking a long time about putting together a coffee table book about 45s. A chronological listing of every single to make the charts (plus more): "45 RPM: 1964-1970 From " Want To Hold Your Hand" to "The Long And Winding Road" ". But how to finance such an undertaking?

An Email from someone affilated with WVKR--someone I like and respect--who was displeased about something I'd written on this Blog earlier this Fall coincided with the tepid response I got during our pledge drive which coincided with a meeting I attended in my village of Cold Spring where a group of us were contemplating starting our own online newspaper. I mentioned I was a DJ at WVKR and someone halfheartedly said, "Hey, Sam, you should start your own radio station." I scoffed at the time, until I looked into it. And you know what? I saw that it was not impossible.

Getting FCC licenses, a transmitter, engineer, frequency etc to start a low power station like the one coming in the Catskills--overwhelming, but an internet radio station? Doable!

Also, serendipitous was an article in the New York Times about Montana Radio Cafe. There ARE no such things as coincidences, kids. That article, my doubts about my worth at WVKR, my new job situation, they all conspired to make me go for my dream.

Thus Cold Spring Radio is born.

And I am absolutely petrified about this new endeavor.

There is every likelilhood that it will fall flat on its face, that there is no way something like this could ever take off. Some guy sitting in a storefront window on a tourist-craving Main Street doing a live radio show, hoping to attract passersby? Hoping to get people to listen on a regular basis to music they can't often hear on other radio stations? Hoping that the station's visibility will be good for the town that I live so that yet another "For Rent" sign doesn't have to go up? Hoping that local advertisers and listeners will financially sponsor this to help keep it running????

The odds are against. Strongly.

But this was that window opening while that door was closing. Now or never. Crunch time. Open the storefront, earn some extra income, put together the book in the meantime. Whew! A dream, and now it's happening.

I'll continue to host "The Lost And Found Oldies Show" Fridays at 3 for as long as I can, but it's only a matter of weeks before I'll have to give up my time slot and believe me when I tell you how much I'm gonna miss it. Hopefully, they'll let me sub-it's a great place, really, with a lot of great people who really care, with SO much potential to be better than it is--SO MUCH--, and just the thought of not seeing Primitive George for at least a few minutes every week is not easy to face. I'm serious. For all the ribbing I do of him on air, he is tops at what he does. And he'll hate me for saying this, but he's a heckuva nice guy!

And YOU, the people who take the time to call or Email. If it wasn't for you I would be just another guy playing records in his basement. Alone. When you Email, especially, (cuz you can't know how hard it is to really pay attention on the phone and not subject listeners to dead air), it really, really keeps me going when I've wanted to save on gas money and not show up or take a freelance assignment and call for a sub. So THANK ! YOU!

As for Joel Tyner....I HATE when he shuts down the turntable right in the middle of Patti Smith's "People Have The Power"! HATE IT! It shows such a disrespect for the music and anyone listening who might actually like the song. aaargh!

Finally, I hope you'll join me Friday February 26 for February 1970 AM Radio Hits And Misses. I don't "randomly pick a year out of a hat"; it's 40 years ago this week, has been now at least once a month since 2006. Hello?

I may not have the velvety tones of the incredible Peter Clark, but hopefully you sense my passion for the music I play. I am not embarassed in the least for putting it on. Thanks for listening.

Sammy
http://www.coldspringradio.com/

February 12, 1964 Playlist

Ok , ya gots yer DJs who throw on a buncha "oldies" and call it a "show" and then you have something like today's program. I am not sorry to see Scott Shannon's Truuue Olllldies channel bite the dust on 95.7 up here to be replaced by Christian radio, but unfortunately that syndicated mess will probably rear its ugly head somewhere soon.

Today's "Lost And Found Oldies Show" brought you more than just music--audio clips from TV, movies, radio commercials of Feb. 12, 1964 all to commemorate the Beatles playing Carnegie Hall 45 years ago today following their first appearance on Ed Sullivan 3 days later.

http://wvkr.radioactivity.fm/playlist.html?djoid=1633&date=02-12-2010

Then I got to sub for Jonny Eatabone in the Bachelor Pad at Colony Three with my buddy and all around great DJ and guy Peter Clark. The playlist omitted "Think Pink" from "Funny Face" sung by Kay Thompson. Hope you stuck around for that. LOTSA phone calls for that show. Very much appreciated.

Pete will sub for me Friday, February 19.
To find out what I've been up to these past few months, visit www.coldspringradio.com .

Would love to get your feedback! lostoldies@yahoo.com

THANKS for listening; your support means a lot!
Sammy

Friday February 5th Guest Host Is....

PETER CLARK, host of WVKR's "Orphanage Of Rock And Roll"!

Problem is, he'll be so fabulous that you won't want me back!

Make sure to tune in to Peter's version of "The Lost And Found Oldies Show" Friday, Februrary 5th from 3 to 5 pm immediately following "The Primitive Show" on 91.3 www.wvkr.org !

Thanks for listening,
Sammy
lostoldies@yahoo.com