Wherefore Artie Thou?

[Radio] What has become of cat-lovin' X96 afternoon DJ Artie Fufkin? It's as if he dropped off the face of the earth; listening to the hits of '90s bands who've similarly evaporated just ain't the same without that soothing voice honed by years of a Mountain-Dew-and-fiberglass-insulation diet. Pick your favorite Artie theory:

• He's shuffled off to Idaho, as speculated in Friday's Deseret News.
• He's undergoing experimental surgery to finally become a kitty.
• He's joined the touring company of Flintstones: The Musical.
• He finally snapped after the 5,934th spin of Bush's "Glycerin" and left to assassinate Gavin Rossdale.

Have a better one? Let's hear it ... (Bill Frost)

Symphonic Shinedown

[Live Music] Their Wednesday concerts across the street from the City Weekly office at the Gallivan Center have been doing just fine with no assist from us or anyone else, but The Blaze 97.5's show tonight is headlined by Florida rockers Shinedown with a little help from ... the Utah Symphony? The Blaze's Big Rog explains:

"This should be a one-of-a-kind performance from Shinedown ... We were able to scrape together a 10-piece string orchestra, featuring members of the Utah Symphony, to play some songs with them. They’ve never done this live before and I’ve never really seen anything like it except on award shows. If we can pull it off, it should be pretty special."

The Blaze 97.5's big turnouts for these shows is somewhat special, too, considering that the station had its longtime frequency 94.9 (what's there now ain't The Blaze, not matter what they imply) yanked from under it and had to scramble to a new number recently--judging by last week's crowd, the switch didn't make a dent.

A little Shinedown, doing a fine cover of Skynyrd's "Simple Man":



(Bill Frost)

Rock & Roll All Knight!

[Dumb Press Releases] The cause is good, but you'd think a company that owns a classic rock station would know a band name or two:

"Salt Lake City, UT, June 5th – Utah’s Classic 103.5 The Arrow, a Bonneville Salt Lake Radio Group Station proudly presents the 57th Annual MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association) Ride for a Cure on Saturday, June 7th. Registration is available at all of the Intermountain Harley Davidson locations. The MDA Ride for a Cure kicks off at 2 pm at the Salt Lake Harley Davidson location where participants will ride to Wendover, NV for an evening concert featuring Knight Ranger ..."

That's right: Knight Ranger. Is it the '8os band that gave us "Sister Christian," or a new project from David Hasselhoff? Frightening, or awesome?! (Bill Frost)

Local Bands On The Radio!

Our local talent is getting mad props on the airwaves. Check out The Devil Whale on KUER's RadioWest. I joined host Doug Fabrizio and Velour's Corey Fox to talk about the band and the burgeoning Provo music scene. The show re-broadcasts at 7 p.m. tonight and streams online, all the time.

Salt Lake City's Cavedoll was also featured today on NPR.org. Very cool.

Tune in to KRCL for Drive Time with Bad Brad Wheeler at 5 p.m. One of my personal favorites Purr Bats will perform live in studio. I wrote about them just a little while ago and neglected to mention that the lovely and talented Amber Jarvis played drums in the group for quite some time before James Acton stepped up. She and Suzy (ie?) provided back-up vocals on the new album. Ferocious! (Jamie Gadette)

Don't Call It a Comeback, Again

[Radio] A week from today, Tom Barberi returns to Utah's radio waves on KALL 700 AM. It's not exactly the same KALL that fired him years ago in a boneheaded move from talk to sports; different owners, but same sports. Back then, it was Clear Channel; now, it's Simmons, the same local company that recently launched an FM talk station with Barberi on mid-mornings, then killed it after barely a year (it was replaced by the Christian-ish Oasis music station, which also died quickly because Utahns don't like their Jesus and their rock together).

Confused? Here's more: Barberi will be on for a mere two hours weekdays, 5-7 a.m. Once again, that's 5-7 A.M. Not exactly prime morning drive-time, but at least it's something, right? And he'll be working in the same building with daughter Gina again. Aww ... (Bill Frost)

Hip-Hop: From SLC to TV

[Radio & TV] Another reality show? Oh yeah. Now, even Salt Lake City hip-hop station U92 has its own behind-the-scenes series--well, sort of.

A pilot that "follows the drama of the only hip-hop station in one of the most conservative states in the country. Viewers will finally see what happens when the microphones are turned off and how a radio station in Utah is breaking new music before major cities such as Los Angeles and New York City" has been produced; The Station is now being pitched to networks. If the writers' strike continues, could happen--and, even though the premise seems a bit thin to support a weekly series, the characters seen here could carry it. Easily.

The Station pilot:


So, why does the logo look like a middle-finger salute? (Bill Frost)

Fair & Balanced Radio

[Smut/Meth News] A KSL radio news broadcaster, announcing that Blue Boutique will open any day now, referred to its windows as featuring "Santa's helpers dressed rather provactively," as an example of the kind of lewd smut the Boutique's neighbors will have to endure, turn away from etc. Whatever the merits of the arguments on either side of the pro and con fence, let's inject a little reality into our coverage. Rather provocative? What the hell does that mean? Is this a sly dig at plunging cleavage, long legs, or thrusting bosoms on the mannequins? If we're talking T&A, then let's do it. Where's the glorious Lenny Bruce when you need him?

I also caught the radio ad campaign designed to get folks off meth this morning on KSL Newsradio. "My mom's on meth" some sweet young girl intones, then her mother talks about the hell of her life and we cut back and forth between addict and abandoned child. Mother disappears for a year, mother returns presumably after rehab, court dates, urine analyses, then we finish with a twee piano twinkle. For anyone who has sat through a few days of, for example, Judge Andrew Valdez's juvenile court, the agonisingly harsh reality of meth addiction and what it does to families is almost too painful to bear. This ad campaign with its Christmasy-like sickliness will have as much effect on getting meth-head moms to straighten out as "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" will impact on traffic accident deaths. (Stephen Dark)

Oh Ira!

[Review] There was a time when Ira Glass believed that he single-handedly developed a successful type of storytelling for radio, one that continues to drive his popular NPR show This American Life. Glass felt very proud of himself until, during a trip back home, he realized his method mirrored that of his gregarious rabbi. Much to his horror, a friend pointed out that not only the rabbi's sermon but pretty much every sermon ever written followed the same "action, action, action, deep thought" narrative arc that Glass infused into public radio's "driveway moments." Boy was his face red!

Glass shared this anecdote yesterday during a special KUER-sponsored afternoon appearance at Kingsbury Hall where, in addition to revealing self-deprecating facts about his professional and personal life ("marriage is like a courtroom"), he gave the enraptured audience an inside look into radio magic. Armed with three hefty gizmos responsible for sound bytes, music (including the soundtrack to Errol Morris' Fast, Cheap and Out of Control) and, I think, his own microphone transmission, he broke down previously aired stories to detail the art of storytelling. Hint: Subtlety and heart are key. Glass also lamented the decline of broadcast journalism. "Everyone is so serious!" he said, adding that fellow NPR personality Sarah Vowell once remarked, "Every time you watch 60 Minutes you learn about one thing that will kill you."

I was too tongue-tied and caffeinated to introduce myself to Glass during the pre-show backstage meet-and-greet, but if I could tell him now how much I enjoyed his informative, entertaining performance I would do it in a confident, though not at all too serious, fashion.

Now, please download each and every This American Life podcast and/or plan to purchase the Showtime-produced television version of the radio show at Borders in January (not sure why they got the hook up) and other retailers next spring.

For those who are already fans, what's your favorite episode and why? (Jamie Gadette)

Beck the Halls

[Xmas] Time to face it: I'm not going to win tickets to the Glenn Beck Christmas show on Saturday night at the E Center, no matter how many times I entered via 570 KNRS. But at least now I'll have the unending joy of e-mail spam from "Family Values Talk Radio."

Good City Weekly liberals may or may not be aware of Glenn Beck, whose radio talk show airs weekdays 4-7 p.m. (and 9-10 a.m.) on KNRS, running right into his TV show on CNN Headline News at 7 p.m. He also has a new book (called An Inconvenient Book) and now a Christmas tour. He's a busy guy, as detailed in an exhaustive (and exhausting) story in Sunday's Deseret Morning News. Why the D-News? Beck's also a converted Mormon who only a few years ago gave up booze and drugs and became a conservative talk-radio guy.

Despite all this, Beck runs an entertaining, unpredictable radio show--unlike, say, Utah's "most-trusted newsman." Because, unlike most of the assclowns drafted into talk radio during the post-Rush Limbaugh boom of the '90s (consider yourself lucky if you never heard The Oliver North Show), Beck was a radio guy long before he cleaned up and turned to talk, and it shows. If NPR could come up with something even half as freewheeling and fun, they'd finally be onto something.

Don't know what his live Christmas show is like, but I doubt it's a typically maudlin yuletide snoozefest. Feel free to send me a review, you lucky-bastard winners. (Bill Frost)

Glamorous Broadcasting Job Awaits You

[Radio] I made my usual Monday morning talkin' TV appearance on X96's Radio From Hell today, and Kerry Jackson and Gina Barberi (Bill Allred was MIA) announced they're casting about for a two-week replacement for Gina in January, as she'll be out on baby duty. They suggested I apply, but I pointed out that the 5:30-10 a.m. slot clashes violently with my late-night lifestyle; the earliest I wake up all week is Monday for my RFH gig at 8, and I'm not always awake for that.

But you, the Average Joe/Jane, can make a demo and apply. The perks: Radio From Hell will be broadcasting live from the 2008 Sundance Film Festival during that time period, so you'd have full access; real behind-the-mic radio experience on a fairly popular morning show; and maybe even minimum-wage pay (maybe). Details should be forthcoming on the RFH web page, and we know of at least one guy who could use some radio work ... (Bill Frost)

Castner, Out!

[Radio] This just in: Michael Castner, host of KSL Newsradio's Nightside Project since its inception over a year ago, is no longer with the evening team--which now boasts about as many original members as Night Ranger at the Peppermill in Wendover. From MichaelCastner.com:

"I will no longer be hosting the Nightside Project as of today. More news coming. Thanks for your support. Feel free to drop me an e-mail! I could not be prouder of the team I worked with and the show that I helped create. We had a great time and these guys--Paul, Ethan, Paul, Chase and Alex (not ever in the same order! lol)--have become like brothers. And of course Matt and Chelsea were part of our family. Nothing will ever change that."

Conspicuously absent from the note is is his original Nightside wingman Jon Dunn, who left KSL earlier this year--where's the love? (Bill Frost)