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Dark's Corner
we are not alone: part deux
Lance Stinson and Rob Buck were in jail, and they felt safe. It wasn't actually a jail that they were in--rather some cramped little office with bars on the windows. It was Bike Week and M4 Radio was doing a remote "broadcast" at Tennessee's Saloon in Sanford, Florida. A rather bleak area of Sanford, you might say. The bar was crawling with leather clad bikers and middle-aged babes with low-cut blouses and skin like rawhide and as cyclists blasted right into the front door with engines roaring, the two radio jocks, known as Stammerin' Banzai and McGyver respectively, hunkered down over the equipment in that tiny room and worked. The music that cranked out of the speakers was rowdy enough because once the itinerant duo got a good look at the crowd, they figured that the usual eclectic mix of international independent music wouldn't fly. Despite a frantic leaning towards harder edged tunes, a few missteps resulted in drunken bikers yelling obscenities about killing the DJ if the quality of music didn't improve. The bars made them feel safe, but they were a little too wide. Perhaps a beer bottle could still make its way through there, if it was aimed properly. Hell, maybe a gun? Did Hell's Angels use guns? No, they preferred to knife or stomp their victims to death. The pair dove into their limited traveling CD collection and began cuing more carefully.
M4 Radio is run on a next-to-nothing budget funded by co-owner and program director Stormy and Stinson, whose trademark stutter earned him his moniker. They, along with resourceful engineer (hence the "McGyver" tag) Buck, had spent plenty of low-rent hours at a small AM station in Sanford, dealing with aging broadcast equipment from the 40's and an apathetic station management. 1400 WTRR eventually went all-Spanish and left the crew without a broadcast home. A supposed deal with Genesis Media Group to buy them out and supply a much-needed influx of cash fell through. But slowly and surely, equipment was charged on fried-out credit cards with efforts towards becoming a 24-hour internet radio station. Stacks of digital recorders, CD players and a central mixing board with more ins and outs than Parliament House on a Saturday night began to pile-up in McGyver's spacious bedroom studio. Each 4-hour show is recorded onto digital minidisc in a traditional programming block. A backup copy is saved on standard VHS tape in case of equipment foul-up, which happens from time to time.
"Aw fuck," swears McGyver as he stops recording and clicks the stopwatch . He reaches behind the equalizer and I sit back from the microphone. Banzai does the same, then begins doing a little dance. It's been nine or ten weeks as of this writing, that's when I was asked to join the in- studio crew based on an appearance on the show when it was still at WTRR . AUDRA JOST and I went there to play live and spin some of our music. Our banter that day painted a path directly to the bed on which I sit as McGyver wiggles wires around. "The left channel just went out, I'm gonna have to get inside this thing." This guy is an invaluable asset to the show. His uncanny musician's ear (he's a skilled drummer) results in professional "broadcasts" that feature entertaining audio collages and a seamless flow of music. He's also the guy that reins in the madness and keeps us on a professional time schedule. Banzai is a manic presence, exuberant and puppy-like with a gleeful appreciation for sexual innuendo . Though the first show was sloppy and meandering (a twelve-pack of Icehouse will do that), the current shows are slick as goose-shit and feature an ever-growing collection of unsigned music from around the world.
The search for a station continues, but the internet is a growing radio market. Through the magic of RealAudio, web surfers can listen to local broadcasts from just about every major city in the world! Some are recorded programs, like M4 Radio, while others are actually broadcast live through a process called "streaming". And you thought choosing between thirty or so stations on the car radio was too many choices and not enough of what you want. A simple glance at the Real Audio Event Guide shows that literally hundreds and thousands of internet radio stations are at your fingertips. Another close glance will reveal very few supporters of independent music and practically none that follow a basic radio format. For ease of transport and production sake, the M4 Radio show is recorded in five one-hour blocks. Using pre-recorded inserts on minidisc, McGyver controls the sound effects and music cues that bracket ad slots and the spaces between song blocks. He spins the discs that Stormy has playlisted, they come from bands that send in their material and also music that we get from bands in the clubs or at events. Very often, hot-off-the-press CDR's are getting "airplay" on M4radio.com long before the larger stations even get wind of a local album release. After four hours of music is recorded and saved onto digital minidiscs, we do a one-hour block of entertainment news. The mood is casual and light, there's not a lot of drama, though Banzai has become the show's whipping boy. With McGyver providing plenty of affability and myself as the living cartoon, Banzai is somewhat the Village Idiot and a good amount of ribbing has to do with his "heterosexual latin male sex God" facade. PD Stormy hasn't been on-air for some time and a fifth M4 voice, Ron Betts, is overseas at press time . The show is recorded weekly on Sunday's and plans to double programming are in the works. It's a full days work, gathering the CD's , making up playlists, researching band info and actually producing the show in sound bites and live bits when the equipment isn't glitching. Now, Mterviews will present one-hour up close and personal talks with bands, listening to their music and getting into their heads about not only tunes, but the times as well. M4radio.com Presents is a new concert showcase that has already featured MIRRORED IMAGE, SEASONS OF THE WOLF, BRANIAC'S DAUGHTER and SHOES FOR PAUL. After a talk with DAVID SEGAL of Alien Surf Productions ("Bootleg: Orlando"), plans for M4 Video are in the beginning stages as well.
"There, that oughta hold it until tomorrow," says McGyver, as he slides the component back into place and gives the front panel a flick of his finger. "Alright, let's see if she floats." He cues up an intro and raises a couple of faders on his Mackie board. Both LED bars light up on the machine and he picks up the stopwatch and clears the display. "Yess! Okay, let's do it, we're pushing midnight." Indeed, a late start due to vehicular problems and there were real jobs waiting in the morning and the problems that come with them. With renewed energy, we pull the microphones closer and prepare to do the last hour with spirit. I've got a strange history of getting involved with the focus of my columns at times, but that speaks to the inter-connected symbiosis that exists within Orlando and other parts of the state. Not the same bloodwater frenzy that accompanies the corporate moshing of the bigger showbiz towns. Remember, there's lots of freshwater here and considerably more dolphins than sharks. Unfortunately, even at 24 hours a day--there wouldn't be enough airtime for local bands from all over, all styles of music. What there needs to be are specialized formats for local music, just like the corporates. That way, everybody cooperates, no-one gets squeezed out, everybody wins. It sounds so simple, but it really could work like that. Till then, M4radio.com is a first step towards giving independents a true voice in the towering face of corporate music. r ui.ru.u
A native of Los Angeles, Bing Futch moved to central Florida in 1993 and immediately began performing. Since then, he's been actively involved in the local scene both as an artist and as a member of the media. Currently, he can be seen and heard playing Appalachian mountain dulcimer around the state with the band Mohave. Send flames and fondles to www.darkstudios.com or bing@ink19.com and you can also subscribe to The Dark's Corner Mailing List which is the official mailing list for this column. Send press kits, music and legal drugs to: J.O.B. Entertainment Inc. P.O. Box 560727 Orlando, Florida 32856
