Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

Sometimes the state of the airwaves forces a band to be extra creative about finding its audience. On Friday night, April 17, Joe Rockhead, the Worcester Phoenix's 1997 Best Music Poll winner for Best Local Act, takes to the Worldwide Web for a live performance from New York City's Spiral Lounge. They're scheduled to go on at 11 p.m. at http://www.onlinetv.com/, following sets by Serene and the Accidents.

"We've been down there once before," explains guitarist and vocalist Tom Hurley. "It's way down in the Village on Avenue A and East Houston Street. The last time we were there, we had the opportunity to play because we were friends with Bill Carey of the Accidents [and former bass player with Joe Rockhead]. This time we were invited back by the owner."

The club began broadcasting shows on the Web last August, mixing art openings, poetry readings, and acoustic performances with its usual roster of indie and alternative rock acts. If you miss the show, you can catch it any time. "From what I understand, once you've been broadcast live, they've got you recorded," said Hurley. "People can visit the site at any time day or night and review the performance."

The OnlineTV folks are smart marketers; they sell videos of their broadcasts, as well as CDs, cassettes, and records by groups that appear on their site. The site's OnlineTV Video Juke Box page gives you access to downloadable performances by Atomsmasher, Omnilingus, the Push Kings, Japanese pop rockers Flying Penguins, Fun Lovin' Criminals, the Female Bureau of Investigation, and recent Boston émigrés Little John.

Earlier this month, Joe Rockhead made major inroads into the Boston market by playing at Mama Kin's. "We couldn't believe the people who came to see us on a Wednesday night," exclaims Hurley. "It wasn't just our Worcester base. It was a real shot in the arm. We hope to move into the weekend rotation there." The group also appeared on Carmelita's Bay State Rock show on WAAF, performing acoustic renditions of "Ghosts" and "Last Drop," along with two recent compositions the band hope to include on their second CD. If you can't hop a ride on the 'Net, they'll be at the Tammany Club on April 24.

IF YOU WANT A PREVIEW of Les Sampou's third CD, tune in to WCUW (91.3 FM) on Tuesday, April 21, at 7:30 a.m. She'll be performing live and talking with host Rich Fox about her ongoing recording sessions for the disc (due in the stores this fall) and her April 25 show at the Vanilla Bean Cafe. Fox's upcoming guests include Andrew McKnight (April 28), who'll be visiting from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to promote his CD Traveler (Falling Mountain Music), Susan Piper (May 5), and Valerie and Walter Crockett (May 12).

MANY OF THE CITY'S RADIO PROGRAMMERS turned out to see the Squirrel Nut Zippers at the Palladium last weekend. The diverse crowd, which ranged from seven to 70, served only to point out the large untapped potential for the area's non-commercial broadcasters. "It was kicker," said Troy Tyree, who hosts New Traditions every Friday from 6 to 9 a.m. on WCUW. "I was incredibly surprised by the crowd, especially those who were very young and receptive and getting into the sound of it. You wonder how many people had heard a banjo live before." WICN's Gene Petit was also in attendance, along with current WCUW dj Dave Lyon and former 'CUWers Mitch and Sarah Bennett Ahern. Wonder how many of those in the crowd will expand their musical horizons and check out the Preservation Hall Jazz Band when it appears at a WICN sponsored show at Mechanics Hall on Saturday night?