BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) is no longer just a funny sounding acronym; it is an ongoing reality, and as such it is now our responsibility to be taking steps to make downtown Fayetteville competitive with the downtown areas of bigger cities, like Raleigh and Charlotte. We need more than a few extra roads and parks, we need business – and the only thing getting in the way of our wildest dreams coming true is our own cynicism, sentimentality and greed. Mostly the greed.

Unfortunately, some of the things that helped downtown get to the place it is now are also a large factor in preventing its growth. Downtown property owners seem to (even in today’s economy) be insisting that potential business owners pay increasingly extravagant prices, not allowing downtown to actually grow to a point in which these prices make sense –and while the downtown historic society have helped maintain our old fashioned charm, their regulations are often so strict as to make moving one’s business downtown seem like a bad idea.

Certain regulations are helpful and ensure that business owners don’t leave broken windows covered with cardboard, or trash in the middle of the sidewalk, but for the most part our regulations and ordinances serve to discourage businesses from wanting to open downtown.

If the city absolutely must have an intrusive and entirely unfair regulation, why not regulate something that is actually hurting downtown far more than any tacky neon sign ever could? : Rental prices. Lower prices mean more businesses, more businesses mean more
jobs, more jobs mean more customers and more customers eventually – can translate to higher rent prices. Downtown property owners have put the cart before the horse and by doing so have slowed our downtown’s development to a crawl and shot themselves in the foot.

It seems like many property owners are hoping that if they have high prices, then they’ll have businesses which will charge their customers high prices and that will mean that the customers will consist of person’s with higher incomes, therefore keeping out the dreaded lower class. This plan sounds fool proof until you take into account that those with higher incomes make up such a small portion of our city’s population that they can’t possibly sustain our downtown with enough
business to allow it to grow beyond one happenin’ street.

Our city’s greatest buying power belongs to young people, particularly men. They are our economic backbone and they are being ignored by the part of our town which is supposed to represent our town the best (it is after all the basis for most of our cheesy postcards). Antique shops are nice – for Southern Pines – but this is Fayetteville, our downtown should have a GameStop, a comic book store or any number of businesses that are actually used by the persons who make up the majority of our city’s population.

Here is the deal downtown property owners: If you cut your rental costs by at least 50 percent this year and e-mail the FEED to make the announcement (Chesney@FayettevilleFEED.com), we will promote your properties in the next issue of The Fayetteville FEED magazine. Consider it an investment in unclogging our city’s pipes.

During the photo shoot for the August 2010 edition of The Fayetteville FEED, we managed to talk Fayetteville rockers Evans City Saints into putting on an impromptu performance. Photographer (and now director) Raul Rubiera Jr. then cut this video together a few days later. Enjoy.

~ Love,

The FEED

My mate Jimmy recently introduced me to a young man named Jack Ward. A
native of England, he has just graduated from The Fayetteville Academy and
is off to UNC Wilmington this month to begin college on a soccer
scholarship. That is exactly what Jimmy and I did back in the late 1980s. We came
over to America on soccer scholarships along with our friend Justin. We were three young Irish teenagers sporting funny accents and foreskins on a wild American adventure.  Anyway, I pulled out an old scrapbook from our time in college, mainly to illustrate the value of these years to young Jack.

The scrapbook is filled with notes, cards, an application to be a porn
star, a condom wrapper (don’t ask) and various other items from the
shenanigans of our college years. There are also many different newspaper
articles. It’s one of those newspaper articles that I would like to tell you
about. The headline reads “Jimmy Maher: The Medical Miracle” and, it’s a
classic tale of man’s inhumanity to man.

There were eight seniors from the soccer team graduating in May of
1992, Jimmy, Justin, myself and five others. The newspaper decided to do a
story on us all. Jimmy was the last to be interviewed. The reporter called
our house several times but, he was either in the library or asleep in an
algebra book. He’s one of the smartest men I know but, 2X = 8, X = ? was always like
taking an Ambien pill for him. Anyway, he was taking 22 credit hours during that
final semester so he could graduate with us.  Consequently, he was far too
busy for interviews and other tomfoolery. When the exasperated reporter
called early one Sunday morning with a Monday deadline looming, I decided to
help everybody out by pretending to be Jimmy on the phone.

After I answered all the generic questions about growing up in Ireland,
the reporter asked me what my (or “Jimmy’s”) most defining moment as a soccer star was. Keep in mind, that year Jimmy was a captain of the team. He was also voted All-American, quite an honor for the young math prodigy. It was time to let the secret out.

“I have never spoken of this to anyone at school before but, I was born
with my left leg three inches shorter than my right leg,” I explained. “Despite the obvious
obstacles, I won a soccer scholarship to the States. However, shortly after
that my left hip gave out from years of wear and tear. I thought my dream
was over until I was taken to Chapel Hill where doctors were able to replace
the hip and add two inches onto my left leg.

A special soccer shoe was constructed where I could add three insoles for even balance on my feet. The day the doctors told me that I could play again is a day I will never
forget.”

I could hear the amazement in the reporter’s voice. Fortunately, she could not hear the amazement in mine that she actually believed me.

I kept it quiet for days before breaking down and telling Justin.
Several days later, the story was printed and it immediately sent shockwaves
throughout the college. I was in bed when Justin came banging on my door. He
had just been kicked out of class for laughing so hard while reading the
story. Within a couple of hours Jane Cherry, the international student advisor,
petitioned the President of the college to present Jimmy with a special courage
award at graduation. Several students, including some of our team mates were
seen checking his soccer shoes out in the locker room. Dr. Bill Jordan, our
sponsor and American Dad, received calls at his office thanking him from
various people who assumed he had paid for the surgery.  All the while,
Jimmy still hadn’t seen the story but later recalled people looking at him
strangely and waving and shaking their fists in the air.

He arrived late to algebra class. The President had come to the class
earlier looking for Jimmy and was addressing the class when the medical
miracle came walking in. He tried to sneak up the side of the auditorium
but, the President saw him and started a slow handclap that soon had the
whole class on their feet and joining in. Jimmy still had no idea what was
going on and assumed he was being mocked for his superior math and timekeeping skills.

Alas, the fun had to end. Someone handed him a newspaper.  He emphatically
denied the story, removing his shoes to prove it. He then set off for
home to kick my ass. For some strange reason, he knew I was behind it.

The next day, the newspaper printed an apology and a retraction. I must say,
some people can’t take a joke. Big Jim was fine when I convinced him he
could get a lot of mileage out of it. However, the reporter, Terra Cashwell was
more than a little pissed in the several messages she left on our answering
machine. Jane Cherry never spoke to me again. Right up till the present day!

The most amazing thing of all was that almost everyone believed it. Dr.
Jordan was probably the only one who didn’t at least consider that it might
be true. I guess I missed my calling. I should be selling used cars or maybe a porn star.

Evans City Saints. From left guitarist John Bradford, vocalist Jacob Smotherman, drummer Nick "Fuz" Tamez and the group's newest memeber bass player Ernesto Rivas. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

Local alternative rock group Evans City Saints have quickly become one of the most accomplished and recognizable acts in Fayetteville. In under a year, they have opened for national recording artists such as Cracker and Evans Blue, played Fayetteville’s largest annual event, the Dogwood Festival and were nominated for a Carolina Music Award in the category of “Best Rock Band/Group.” Unfortunately, success seldom comes without heartbreak.

It’s early Saturday morning and I am ringing the doorbell of an old, painted blue house in Tennessee, about 30 miles north of Nashville. Evans City Saints bassist James Brandon Roden spent the majority of his life in this house, but Brandon is not here today. He is lying in a casket three miles west at Austin & Bell funeral home.

His wife, parents, friends and band mates, however, are sitting behind a long patio table in the backyard, exchanging their favorite Brandon stories. They pause intermittently between reflections to quietly acknowledge the fact that they will never see this person again.

Countless other Brandon stories were traded yesterday, when droves of faces from various points in the 28-year old’s past gathered for his memorial service.

An epic band deserves and epic sky. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

“So many people were here, teachers, high school band mates, old babysitters, one guy even drove all the way from Florida on a motorcycle,” said Brandon’s wife, Patricia Roden.

Patricia and Brandon’s relationship was especially tragic- they had only been married for 11 days before he died.

“The big turnout didn’t surprise me, as someone who loves Brandon I know how easy he was to love, he never made an enemy.” After Patricia says this, the conversation stops and the table goes silent.

Brandon’s mother, Tammy, attempts to distract everyone from the overwhelming gravity of the situation by reminiscing about Brandon’s childhood, particularly his early love of music.

“He had some type of musical instrument in his hand ever since he was about 10-months old, he even used to beat on his pillows and pretend they were drums,” she recalled. “Brandon’s first guitar was a Christmas gift from our family’s next door neighbors, they used to buy him more Christmas gifts than we would!”

Is our photographer really tall or is this band very short? Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

Tammy explains that Brandon developed his talents playing gospel standards with his church group and that his brother, Matt, is also a skilled musician. Later, she leads me into a small office room and plays me a video of Matt performing an original song he had written as a tribute to his sibling, entitled “You Will Not Be Forgotten”

“We’ll remember you by the love and the laughter you gave,” he sung.

But what was cathartic for Matt is devastating for Tammy and halfway through the song she begins to cry and excuses herself from the room.

After the video ends, I wander into the family’s kitchen where drummer, Nick Tamez, is sharing pictures taken during the group’s June 29 performance in support of Cracker with Brandon’s father, Bob. Bob stares blankly at each photograph for several minutes. He did not lose a son with unrealized potential; he lost a son whose potential was only beginning to be realized.

According to his parents, Brandon was overjoyed to be involved with a band that was actually taking off.

“He hadn’t looked that happy since he was a teenager,” said Tammy.

Brandon certainly did seem excited when I interviewed him and the other members of Evans City Saints two weeks earlier.

“I feel like everything is really coming together,” he said.

Our second meeting was postponed after Brandon was hospitalized on July 10. He had been complaining of intense headaches for three days before he told Patricia that he was experiencing dizziness. The newlyweds rushed to the hospital where doctors immediately began to administer tests. A cat scan revealed a large tumor in his brain.

Doctors’ informed Patricia that they would have to perform surgery but, on Sunday morning at 6 a.m., Brandon slipped into cardiac arrest. He clung to life support for six days until it was determined that there was nothing left that could be done and Brandon was gone.

In honor of Brandon Roden. 1981-2010. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

Tonight, back in Fayetteville, its Brandon’s birthday and the three remaining members of Evans City Saints are organizing a benefit concert to help Patricia handle her late husband’s medical expenses. They are going over ideas and arrangements for the show at the Rock Shop Music Hall, where Brandon worked part-time as a bouncer.

After several long weeks of grieving, the band is determined to make this event a celebration.

“He wouldn’t want us to be out here playing a bunch of sappy songs,” said lead singer, Jacob Smotherman.

The group insists that they do not intend to exploit this loss.

“We’re going to play one show to help Patricia with the medical bills and that’s it. I refuse to use this situation as a crutch,” said Tamez.

“Brandon was a solid musician and just an all-around solid guy. We’re all very torn up about this,” added lead guitarist, John Bradford.

Confident that Brandon would want Evans City Saints to carry on, the band have decided to search for a new bass player, though they admit it will be a difficult transition.

“It’s still painful just to walk into practice, let alone even talk about hiring a new bassist, we felt complete with Brandon,” Smotherman said.

“Whoever we recruit, we are going to hold them to the standard that he left,” added Tamez.

Patricia approves of the group’s decision. “I think it’s awesome, I want them to continue … Brandon would want them to continue,” she said.

Even after the band finds a replacement, they recognize that things will never quite be the same. “It’s hard to fill a void that someone fit so perfectly,” confessed Tamez.

Evans City Saints plan to release their self -titled debut E.P. later this month. The Benefit Concert for Brandon Roden will take place on August 21 at The Rock Shop Music Hall. The evening will feature performances by The Fifth, The Influence, The Several Devils Band and Evans City Saints, with more artists to be announced. At press time it was announced that bass player Ernesto Rivas would be officially joining the band. For up to date details on the event and the upcoming E.P., go to MySpace.com/evanscitysaints.

Disclaimer: While we welcome use of the FEED’s cover on your MyFace-type accounts (three cheers for free marketing), it is important that we keep track of any and all photos taken from our site, so please write to Raul@RaulRubiera.com to ask permission before using any photos.

Contributions by James Johnson and Jaymie Baxley

“Revitalized” is a word tossed around a lot when business owners and politicians begin waxing on about Fayetteville’s beloved yet largely unpopulated downtown area and while the word is apt, the job isn’t quite done yet. We at The FEED hopped in our Delorean (it’s a rental) and traveled to a possible future, where downtown’s hobos have been replaced with hobo-bots, bluray players can be found in antique shops and cars still don’t fly, to get an idea of just what kind of businesses would provide downtown enough pull to compete with the big box retail centers just up the hill.

1.) A Record Store

Sure, it may not sound like much, but trust us, there’s a drought in Fayetteville when it comes to independently owned music stores and downtown is good farmin’ land. Though CDs have pretty much been antiquated by the series of tubes we lovingly refer to as the Internet, vinyl is on its way back in a big way … No seriously.

Vinyl sales have been up across the country, with some stores even reporting that their vinyl has been selling out.  In 2008 vinyl sales went up a staggering 89%, while CD sales continue to go down. Even modern artists, such Destroyer, Elvis Costello and Arctic Monkeys are taking advantage of the sudden surge in interest by releasing albums exclusively on vinyl.

Plus, let’s face it: a record shop would make a great companion store to downtown mainstays, the Cameo Art House Theater and the Rude Awakening Coffee Shop. It’d be like the holy trinity of pretentious shopping experiences.

2.) The Fayetteville Museum of Art

On May 31 Fayetteville’s only dedicated museum of art closed its doors due in large part to economic woes, and considering their location, it’s no wonder. The city may have forgotten about their promise to the Fayetteville Museum of Art, but we haven’t. Some hidden street just off of Bragg Boulevard was no place to hide an art museum that could yield Fayetteville thousands of potential visitors a year.

Honestly, a well-placed art museum could make all the difference downtown. Art is something people actually travel to see. It adds culture, it challenges, it … well, in terms our city government may best understand: It attracts money. The leafy, greeny, spendy kind o’money …

3.) Music Venue

Traditionally, areas surrounding universities have music venues that cater to the refined (read: elitist) tastes of young people. We conducted strenuous research (we asked three entire people!) and we were alarmed to discover that Fayetteville students and soldiers, just like people in every town in America, love music. Therefore, logic dictates that a local music venue in the center of Fayetteville’s artistic hub would make a killing downtown. Someone needs to pull a Kevin Costner and build this thing.

4.) An Electronics Store

While a store full of shiny gadgets and doohickeys could potentially clash with the folk art dealerships and wine shops that currently propagate our downtown, we’re confident that patrons would respond positively to a dedicated electronics store.

The fact o’ the matter is, Fayetteville’s main export is young dudes and there are few things young dudes love more than gadgets, flat-screen televisions and video-games. Plus, this would complement downtown’s Apple store N2 quite nicely, while bringing Fayetteville up to date with the rest of society.

5.)  Youth Oriented Clothing Stores

Sure, there are already a handful of clothing boutiques scattered along Hay St. but these shops have zoot suits in their display windows and for some reason that’s just not very enticing to those locals who don’t aspire to open up a 1970s brothel. A clothing store disconnected from the mall that sells the type of clothes that our college students and young soldiers wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen wearing in public (a la Pac Sun or Urban Outfitters) would thrive downtown.

6.)  Skate Park / Ice-Rink / Baseball Diamond

It seems like every few months the city tosses money toward Parks and Rec’, and we are rewarded with another patch of green land, with yet another overpriced fountain. Truly, we in Fayetteville have proven our mastery of the science of spewing water uselessly into the air. But what if we spent some of that money building something downtown that people will actually use – like a skate park, an outdoor ice skating rink, or a baseball diamond, which would really go well with that whole “All-American City” vibe we’ve been trying to push … Anything but another traffic circle.

7.) By-the-Slice-Pizza Joints

If you haven’t noticed by now, our city is populated by, what can best be described as, “young dudes.” Take a guess what the number one fuel of young dudes everywhere is.

Downtown needs more than a single by the slice pizza joint – it needs ‘em in multiples. When doing the Saturday night bar hop from Huske Hardware to Lidos, our young soldiers shouldn’t be able to walk five feet without a delicious slice o’ the greasy stuff being thrust into their faces. It should also serve to sober them up between bars so that they can keep the party going all night long.

Speaking of all night long …

8.) Late Night Hours

Considering our population, Fayetteville’s businesses have the most self-defeating business hours known to man. Okay – so you have a billion young guys and college students with paychecks in hand and a total lack of fiscal self-restraint and you think these kids are all going to bed at 11 p.m.?  

If a business stays open past 6 p.m. downtown it is a miracle, but as a whole Fayetteville’s businesses tend to close long before most of Fayetteville’s residents are likely to go to bed. Meanwhile, corporate owned businesses like the Waffle House, Taco Bell, McDonalds and Walmart are taking countless Fayetteville dollars out of our town each weekend once the clock strikes 11.

It isn’t easy to maintain late night hours when you’re the only one doing it, but if downtown’s businesses could get together (perhaps through some kind of wacky “alliance” or something) and decide to all stay open past 11 p.m. on the weekends then we could satisfy a whole crop of unsatisfied customers and keep some of that Waffle House money flowing through our own households.

The truth is, Fayetteville is a young town and if our downtown hopes to compete for that young person’s dollar, then Fayetteville will have to start acting its age.   

Singer Jeremy Strothers is 90 percent rock 'n' roll, 10 percent hair. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

Story by James Johnson with photos by Raul Rubiera Jr.

Rock star, [rok stahr]
- Noun
1. An energy drink that is only purchased when the retailer has run out of Red Bull or Monster.

2. A person who is celebrated or distinguished for their talents in the profession of popular music. Attributes usually include good looks, charisma, above average songwriting, singing or instrumental talents, frequent participation in parties or debauched behavior, enthusiasm for recreational drug use and of course, obsessive fascination with members of the opposite sex.

3. Jeremy Strothers.

For many in Fayetteville, few artists fit the rock star mold quite as well as Magnolia Beach Texas born singer/songwriter Jeremy Strothers. He is, in many respects, the quintessential frontman and on August 20 at Itz Entertainment City on Legend Avenue, he intends to prove it when he reunites with the men who formed the original lineup of the band that started it all, DL Token.
DL Token was born in the fall of 2000 when Strothers, who had been recently stationed at Fort Bragg, was nearing the end of his military career. The band consisted of Strothers on vocals, Guy Unger on lead guitar, Brian Shaw on bass, Stephen Lauderbach on drums and Charles Starcher on rhythm guitar.
“Jeremy is – well, he’s a performer. He is just a good frontman,” said Unger who is now playing with the band Silverstate . “He connects with the audience, he is involved. I work with him any chance I get.”

Fun fact: that dog is kind of a dick. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

DL Token caught on quickly among area music lovers and began booking gigs every night of the week. In today’s music, a full band being able to sustain a schedule that packed is nearly unheard of. To this day, Strothers performs seven nights a week, only taking Monday’s off. Near the end, the band had even managed to attract the attention of executives at Sony Records who had sent a representative to one of their performances.
Unfortunately, the strain of a nightly work schedule, family responsibilities and good ol’ fashioned exhaustion all conspired to put an end to the band’s original lineup, when in 2005 it was announced that DL Token, as Fayetteville knew it, was over.
“Over four years, guys got married, children were born, values changed … the pace that the group was having to operate at to sustain notoriety was just not possible for everyone,” said Strothers. “Everyone still loved it and cared for each other. We just all started to grow in different directions as far as what we wanted as artists and as people.”
Undeterred, Strothers continued to perform under the name DL Token, though with an inconsistent lineup of revolving musicians.
Strothers is a walking, talking human contradiction. Among those who know him, he is famous for his relaxed attitude, love of partying and passion for life on the beach. This reputation is in stark contrast with the type of man whose self-discipline and high work ethic has helped him become one of the only musicians in the area who sustains himself entirely through his music career. For that, he credits his time spent in the military.     
“It really just enhanced everything about my character, you know?” said Strothers. “I remember when I approached music as a career I started working with people with no background like that and there were people who didn’t have any knowledge of punctuality.”

Wind machine for the win. Photos by Raul Rubiera Jr. http://www.RaulRubiera.com

One downside of Strothers constant performance schedule is the lack of free time he’s had for recording. Nonetheless, despite having to wait for the stars to align in order to get time in the studio he has somehow managed to compile enough music, both from unreleased recordings done with DL Token’s original lineup and more recent work, to prepare an album which will likely consist of more than 30 songs. The album, titled American Songwriter, will be made up of two CDs. One will contain all of Strothers’ acoustic work and the other will contain that which was recorded with a full band. As if that wasn’t ambitious enough, Strothers hopes to coincide the release of his L.P. with a documentary that will give fans a peak at life on the road.
“The album is kind of autobiographical,” explained Strothers. “I write about things that have happened in my life. Most of the songs are inspired by something that has really happened, and so I put the songs on the album in a sort of chronological order. This is my story, but in a way, it is everybody’s story, you know?”
For Strothers, telling a relatable story is the whole point of his music. Music, he says, is and always has been, about uniting people.
“In Fayetteville there are a lot of people who come to our shows and are missing loved ones. These people need what we’re able to put into an evening. They need an escape,” said Strothers. “They need that which connects us all. Music can do that. It connects us.”
Good looks, a great voice and charisma can open a lot of doors, but for Strothers, the most important qualifier for a true quintessential frontman is simply the ability to connect.
“Performing has nothing to do with the sound or the trends or whatever. It is the energy, the soul of it,” said Strothers. “These stories we tell on stage, they are the kinds of stories that unite us all.”

 

 

How I Got Over, the latest album from Philadelphia hip-hop stalwarts, The Roots, is an introspective record that radiates with smokey cool.

How I Got Over consists of chilly, spacious songs that recall the harrowing jazz/soul of Gil Scott-Heron. In these early tracks, rapper Black Thought meditates on weighty subjects like isolation (“Walk Alone”), urban discourse (“Radio Daze”) and wavering faith (“Dear God 2.0”).
Six songs in, the album shifts toward a brighter, more uplifting direction, a turn initiated by the
exhilarating, Curtis Mayfield-channeling title track. Throughout the second half of the album, rapper Black Thought and guests sound more hopeful and determined to overcome their economic obstacles, to “get over.”

How I Got Over is The Roots’ ninth album overall and their first release since the group became the official house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Luckily, the rigors of a daily job haven’t stifled the band creatively and many of How I Got Over’s songs rank among the group’s most adventurous, such as the glitchy closer “Web 20/20” or the trippy and beautiful “Right On,” which features vocal contributions from freak folk darling Johanna Newsom.

Much has been made of this record’s collaborations between indie-rock mainstays like Newsom, the Dirty Projectors and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, but How I Got Over is by no means a shallow bid for coffee shop appeal. The surprisingly soulful nuances in these guest voices are exposed under the direction of producer/drummer Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, so in context, they don’t sound so out of place.

Cohesion has always been something that has separated the Roots from their contemporaries; since the beginning they have taken extra care to craft albums that flow seamlessly as a whole and How I Got Over is no exception. In fact, this may be the band’s most consistent offering since 1999’s classic Things Fall Apart.

4/5

The Vampire Weekend - One of the biggest names in modern rock, and one of many bands that you'll likely never hear about on Fayetteville radio.

What do Vampire Weekend, The National and LCD Soundsystem have in common? This year each of these bands released critically acclaimed albums that debuted in the Billboard Top 10 chart. Oh, and you will never, ever hear them on Fayetteville radio.

It’s no secret that the state of FM radio has been pretty bleak. Most local stations stopped paying attention to new music shortly after 1999 (it’s tempting to imagine local DJ’s as balding Matchbox 20 fans who still drink Brisk iced tea and scour eBay for rare Tamagotchis). Many opponents of local radio I’ve spoken with have taken Rock 103 to task, feeling the station grossly misrepresents modern rock ‘n’ roll, being as it rarely ever plays modern rock ‘n’ roll (as of this writing, the last three artists played on Rock 103 were Metallica, Pink Floyd and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers … ).

Of course, LCD Soundsystem’s disco infused indie-rock doesn’t provide the ideal soundtrack for hanging sheetrock or repairing washing machines. A blue collar community needs a radio station that plays music that appeals to blue collar folks and Rock 103 satisfies this niche.

Criticizing the station for ignoring credible new artists is like writing an angry letter to the CEO of Hardees for not introducing fruit parfaits and vegan cupcakes to the restaurant’s menu. It’s a conflict of formats.

Can you imagine a DJ at Rock 103 sneaking the latest single from Of Montreal into rotation with the likes of Nickelback, Tonic or 3 Doors Down? Not a very appetizing combination.

The Black Keys - Another example of modern artists who don't get heard in Fayetteville.

In order to accommodate trendy modern music, Rock 103 would have to completely change their format and swap one demographic out for another, which would be counter-productive.

Fans of cutting edge music in other cities traditionally get their fix from the local college radio station, but we don’t have one of those - strange considering Fayetteville has three colleges. Oh wait, I forgot about the FSU station, WFSS … which plays almost exclusively smooth jazz. Fun fact: College students adore Kenny G. They can’t get enough of him.

The WFSS station would have a much easier time switching formats than Rock 103, as they only stand to lose seven listeners. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a campus radio station that the denizens of said campus (*gasp*) actually listen to? Allowing students from our three local universities to program the content ensures that our generation’s tastes are being accurately represented.

I recognize that the majority of folks (me included) dissatisfied with the state of contemporary radio have already moved onto the greener pastures of satellite and iPod, but FM still has one clear advantage over those devices: local personalities. People who are in step with what’s going on in the community and who frequent local music venues in search of upstart talent.

For the most part our local personalities (shout out to Al the Van Man and Jeff Davis) are awesome people, whose hands are tied by the giant corporations they work for.

Still, the only time I hear Fayetteville radio personalities talk about the community is when there’s a car accident slowing the flow of traffic on MLK and the only time I bump into them at rock shows is when their respective station is presenting the concert. If local radio personalities don’t want to be replaced by mp3 players, they need to be more visible at music venues (even when off the clock) and passionate about local and modern music.

One last piece of advice: Local radio stations please stop trying to win listeners over with beer cozies. I have never been encouraged to consume something based on the endorsement of a glorified sponge.

]]> http://www.fayettevillefeed.com/2010/07/13/less-bile-on-the-dial-modernizing-fayetteville-radio/feed/ http://www.fayettevillefeed.com/2010/07/09/the-fayetteville-feed-podcast-ep-28/ http://www.fayettevillefeed.com/2010/07/09/the-fayetteville-feed-podcast-ep-28/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:04:22 +0000 Jaymie Baxley corespondent http://www.fayettevillefeed.com/?p=1976 This week's podcast is brought to you by the letters D, W and R. ]]> By Staff Reports

This week’s podcast (the player below) is brought to you by the letters D, W and R - which by pure happenstance are the initials for this week’s guest, Dark Water Rising.

The coincidences don’t stop there however, as D.W.R. just so happen to have a performance coming up at the Rock Shop Music Hall this Saturday to promote their coincidentally just released self-titled album (all attending their performances get free copies of the L.P.). Spooky.

This week’s podcast was recorded at 127 Maxwell Street, at Digital Wave Audio Studio, with engineer Andy Pow. It should be mentioned that we made Andy’s job all the harder this week, ’cause for whatever reason everyone involved in our podcast (even our special guest co-host Matt Jones) spoke just slightly above a whisper.

Be certain to download this week’s podcast on  iTunes while supplies last (can’t beat free dollars and free cents), and of course for more info on Digital Wave Recording Studio and Dark Water Rising, click their names.

North Carolina artist and frequent Fayetteville performer Erik Smallwood (yes, that’s his actual name, and yes, we’re sure he’s heard the jokes) has  finally released his first official high concept music video “You, Love.” The four minute promotional film was created by friend o’ the FEED Tony Murnahan, who is currently being featured in this month’s edition of The Fayetteville FEED magazine.

This video was shot at Fayetteville’s own Rock Shop Music Hall and the Rude Awakening Coffee Shop (keep an eye out for various cameos by local musicians) … From what we could gather, there is some kind of plot going on here which can be summed up with: “Women are triflin’.”