Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

Pioneer lesbian folk singer Alix Dobkin gets lots of airplay on Face the Music, the weekly womyn's music program alternatively hosted by Sage and Sylvia every Thursday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on WCUW (91.3 FM). Dobkin's Love & Politics: A 30 Year Saga is a two-CD set that doubles as a historical document of the period. Tracks being aired on WCUW include "Lesbian Power Authority," "Living with Contradictions," and "Lesbian Codes."

A browse through recent playlists shows Sylvia's been playing Joan Jett's "Spinster," Anique Lamerduc's "Lesbiana," Melissa Etheridge's "You Can Sleep While I Drive," and Kim Char-Meredith's "Slender Line of Lavender," while Sage has been rocking the house with Sarah McLachlan's "Possession," Luscious Jackson's "Energy Sucker," Jess Klein's "Pain Made Me Strong," 2 Nice Girls' "I've Spent My Last $10.00," and Space and Time's "Yer Girlfriend."

If you're a regular listener (and even if you're not) of Face the Music but don't know where to purchase the music by gay and lesbian recording artists, hop a ride on the Internet and visit www.gayweb.com, which along with providing you a place to order favorite recordings includes its own listening stations like "Sunday Tea," "Over and Out," featuring gay dance classics, "Club Verotem," which celebrates the music and performers of a suppressed culture, "Gay Classics," and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

LOCAL MUSIC has been noticeably absent from the airwaves this summer, but the omnipresent Erick Godin took care of that in one single swoop when he premiered the special CD prepared for those who attended SK8:98 (Mezzowreck) on a recent Dave and Dave Show (a/k/a Radio Free Wormtown), which airs every Thursday from 9:30 to 11 p.m. on WCUW. If you missed the concert spectacular, you should do whatever it takes to track down the disc, which includes H20, Murphy's Law (whose performance, Dave Goldberg calls, the best he caught), dayinthelife, 7 Hill Psychos, Sticker, and Huck (who didn't play the show but contributed "Catchy Phrase" nevertheless). At the very least its band directory can come in handy if you can't find their latest release at the local music store or didn't have the cash to buy it at the show.

Another band who didn't play SK8:98 but have been getting major airplay on the Dave and Dave Show all summer is, surprise, surprise, Hanson. "Their new CD of old music, 3 Car Garage (Mercury), makes Tulsa the new capital of rock and roll." As the area campuses fill up and parents help out on one last shopping spree, Goldberg sees one longtime college-radio favorite seeing a noticeable jump in sales. "Natalie Merchant's goal is have Ophelia (Elektra) purchased by every college freshman taking an `Intro to Literature' course." Just like the classics, however, it just may be too painful to experience in a single setting.

The Asian pop rock invasion may have hit a snag, but there's still plenty of happy music making its way to the airwaves. "Vietnam's Three Cats make Shonen Knife look like the Spice Girls." Equally as enjoyable is the new one from returning Alterna-Queen Liz Phair. "She's way chic on whitechocolatespaceegg (Matador)." Other picks from Goldberg include David Holmes's Gritty Shaker (Go!Beat) and Refuse To be Drained, "a great CD from Lynn, Massachusetts, but the band's name should be changed from Gasket to Casket." Sounds like more of that death metal!