Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

If you've listened to WCHC (88.1 FM) any time in the past four years, you've undoubtedly come across Billy Tully, who's been a programmer at the Holy Cross station since his freshman year. While many of the station's DJs present specialized programs, the host of the Wednesday 5 to 7 p.m. shift is happy to present an array of music.

"I never really wanted to do a specialty show, other than a Neil Young show, but someone else was doing one -- and there's not enough material for a weekly Beastie Boys show."

He's a huge fan of De La Soul (who are slated to play Clark on April 9), but he was really disappointed by their latest release, Stakes Are High. "It was a bomb artistically. They forayed into a R&B-like style that was kind of a failure. I like the one before it better, Buhloone Mindstate."

He's been groovin' on all four parts of "What Does Your Soul Look Like?" from DJ Shadow's Preemptive Strike and, more than half a year after its release, is still enthralled by Bjork's Homogenic. "The beats and trip-hop sounds are fantastic. She has a great voice and wide range of styles." Tully's favorite tracks are "Hunter" and "All Neon Like."

"I love playing groups like Rancid and the Beasties; both are slated to release new albums in June," as is Liz Phair, another Tully favorite. "I still play the Ramones every other show, mostly tracks from 1992's Loco Live." He's also been playing a group featuring one of his neighbors back home, Narcosis, who're based in New York City.

Tully hails from New Jersey, about a 35-minute drive west of Manhattan, where he spent one summer as an intern at TVT Records. "It's fairly hectic in there. I did grunt work, making calls. I thought it would be a lot more glamorous, but the only person I ever saw was Biz Markie. On the phone in the sales department, we would try to sell our product to the distributors. When I was done, I saw music as more of a business."

After graduation, Tully hopes to find work at a consulting firm and save up for graduate school. "My ultimate goal is to be an entertainment lawyer, but that's a long time from now."

For now, it's time to look back on the music he was introduced to through WCHC. "I went to see Belly at Clark, and the Flying Nuns opened for them. They've got a new six-song CD out. I probably wouldn't have heard of Built to Spill or Folk Implosion [two of his favorite bands] if I hadn't heard them here."

Although we always wish local radio could be better, we're actually quite spoiled compared to the rest of the world. "There's only a couple of independent stations back home. It's going to be a little disappointing. WCHC is far better than what I have to listen to at home."

ONE CORRECTION to the WCHC schedule we ran last week. Damian Schaible's Christian music show, For Him, airs Saturdays from 9 to 10 a.m. Along with the Newsboys, DC Talk, Three Crosses, and Jars of Clay, Schaible plays a lot of Andrew Peterson's The Walk. "He's a guy from Georgia who I heard at a concert in New Hampshire three weeks ago. He's an old-school folkie with great songs. He just got up with his wife and played and sang really great lyrics."

BOSTON'S CHOKE PUPPY perform live in the WCHC studios during Gary Brooks's Local Show on April 1 between 10 p.m. and midnight.

WCUW (91.3 FM) STARTED ITS spring fundraiser last Sunday. It's slated to run through April 4. Call in your pledge at 753-2284.