Check this out. Several days ago I was wandering the Lower East Side of NYC with Skeleton Pete as we were looking to kill some time before hitting a gig at Piano’s NYC. The band we were going to see was not coming on until late so that left us some time to walk around and grab some food and drink before indulging in the always amazing music scene of the Big Apple. As we walked down East Houston street and turned onto 1st Avenue, Pete said “hey aren’t we near where they broadcast East Village Radio from?” and I had to admit that I did not have a clue what he was talking about.
As we walked across the avenue at around 2nd Street it would seem he was correct and we were near this space and since I did not really know what it was I inquired. It is apparently a 24-7 radio station that streams online and has a number of different deejays who spin different genres of music on their shows. The deejays are all volunteer so I am assuming this is more of ones musical passion than about a daily paycheck. I snapped a couple of photos of the relatively nondescript storefront for good measure to give you a little bit of a visual sense of what kind of space you are dealing with. It did not seem large to my eyes but since we needed to keep moving and with the show currently being “On Air” I did not poke my head in to mention I was a wandering journalist who wanted a few more pics. There is always another time and I can append new images to the end of this posting if need be.
The idea and existence of this appealed to me immediately because this is a powerful means for new music to get heard and for those who might have a skill at delivering it to make a name for themselves. To me, this is being more of a chance to establish oneself as radio deejay than we find you being able to become on mediums like Blog Talk Radio do based on its direct focus to genres and how you are able to deliver the music. I love some of the programming and personality found on BTR but I have to admit that sometimes it is a task and a half finding what I like. There is a Metal program on EVR and its currently run by a pair of brothers and one of these dudes is in the band Natur (which I learned after doing a little digging around). Clearly everyone is doing a number of things with their day to keep busy and this encourages me to keep sharing thoughts, photos and ideas with the larger public.
Skeleton Pete mentioned this seemed like something fun to do if there was ever the opportunity and I think working musicians should be looking into the shows that apply to their genre in order to reach even more people with their sound. The link to East Village Radio is below and I hope that you check them out and give them a little attention. It’s really incredible and true that something awesome is around every corner of New York City.
Official Website: http://www.eastvillageradio.com/