Airwaves

by Brian Golslow

The tenth anniversary of Club Salonica, WCUW's weekly Greek music and news program, will be celebrated with a May 18 performance by Greek folk singer Sophia Bilides and the V.E.V.A. Hellenic Dance Ensemble at Worcester's Elm Park. The 2 p.m. show is the first act of the 1997 WCUW Concert Series. "We're going to hold 10 concerts in various parks throughout the city," says station manager Joe Cutroni. "Bring a picnic basket and enjoy the park and free concert." For WCUW (91.3 FM), the series, which will reflect the station's diversified programming, is a way to thank listeners who've kept it running throughout its ongoing difficulties. "We're trying to give something back to the community," Cutroni says. In case of rain, the concert will be held across the street at the St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, 102 Russell Street, Worcester.

Club Salonica, hosted by Konstantinos Lykopoulos, Konstantinos Petas, and Athanasios Tsiarbas, airs Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. "We play all types of Greek music from the very first recordings, made in the early 1900s, to the very modern, going from rock and roll to jazz to popular folk music," explains Lykopoulos, who started the program with his cousin in October, 1987. "And we like to give a slightly bent and different perspective of the news."

Bilides returns to the city after a long absence. "She performed at the Grecian Festival eight years ago. The reason we're bringing her here is that most times, only the northern and central portions of Greece are represented [at Greek community events]. She represents the Asian Minor [Anatolia] portion. We figured it's a good time to re-introduce her music to Worcester."

The Worcester-based V.E.V.A. has performed from New York to California and features members from 13 to 25 years of age who are trained in popular folk music and dancing from all regions of Greece. "They have an extensive schedule this summer to perform at Greek festivals throughout New England," Lykopoulos says.

WCUW's ETHNIC PROGRAMMING reflects the city's multi-cultural diversity. Not only can you hear a wide variety of music, but news as well, usually presented from the perspective of the host's home region. Weekdays from 5 to 6 a.m. and noon to 4 p.m., it broadcasts programming for the Spanish-speaking community, featuring the hot vibrant Salsa beat of Conexion Latina. Saturdays from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., Santos and MoMo burn the airwaves with La Clave, three hours of Latin jazz.

Weekends, you can travel the planet without leaving your house. The Albanian Hour airs Saturday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., followed by the Irish sounds of Four Green Fields (9:30 to 11 a.m.), and the Sounds of Scotia (11 a.m. to noon). Saturday afternoons, Marcel Raymond celebrates his rich Franco-American heritage on L'Heure Francaise from noon to 2 p.m. and the Vietnamese Hour airs from 4 to 5 p.m. More Irish cheer can be heard Sundays from 9 to 11 a.m. on the Celtic Connection. Saptsawar features the music of India from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by two hours of Jewish favorites on Shirim.

IF YOU CAUGHT LAST WEEK'S Sunday Night Concert Series on WCUW, you heard a rare performance by Mick Ferrin and the Deviants. If you didn't, don't miss upcoming midnight shows featuring Cul De Sac (May 12), the Alchemists and Flying Saucer Attack (May 19), and the first American performance by the Bevis Frond (best known for writing Mary Lou Lord's underground hit, "Lights Are Changing"). All were recorded at Rhode Island's Terrastock Festival.