Sound Advice from Sir Gene

WRIR’s Sir Gene of The British Breakfast gets a nod in Style Weekly. As well he should…Gene is an invaluable resource and dedicated champion. If you’re not familiar with The British Breakfast I urge you to check it out. Gene knows his stuff, and then some…

Keeping your ears open at Memory Lane.

Before music store veteran Gene Pembleton can share his thoughts on record collecting, he must “turn down Jimi.” The soundtrack is typically doo-wop and Perry Como over at Memory Lane Records where Pemberton is manager, but this morning Hendrix is the platter du jour.

Sound Advice | Music | Style Weekly.

Photo by Scott Elmquist/Style Weekly

I Play Rock ‘n’ Roll Music on the Radio

It’s all over but the shouting…

Thanks to EVERYONE who showed some love and support this Fund Drive. You all are amazing and you make us amazing.  

We couldn’t do this without you. If you couldn’t donate this time around, you can donate any time to WRIR. Thanks again for supporting truly independent radio.

WRIR lp 97.3 FM Spring Fund Drive 2011

Every week I get to go to WRIR, and for a few hours I get this…art…this arsenal of wonderful sonics from incredible artists to swim around in: local music, new music, old music, under-appreciated music, music from across the pond, Sweden, Greece, Spain, Germany, Norway, hearing from folks from Bangkok to St. Louis…By the time it’s ready to flip the switch, I’m downright giddy. To be perfectly honest, every week it’s an exercise to see if I can keep from wetting my knickers {in the interest of being transparent, there are occasional accidents when Phil D. comes in}. A friend told me a year ago that whenever my hackles get up, or the curmudgeon takes over, they were going to remind me of something.

“You get to play rock ‘n’ roll music on the radio.”

Damn right I do. And I love it. Love every second, in spite of my diaper. But it’s not just radio, it’s WRIR. Since I started donating, then volunteering, then being allowed to man your airwaves for a few hours, I’ve met some of the richest, most interesting, and dedicated freak-flag wavers I have ever run across. All right here in our backyard. Style Weekly, no stranger to our backyard, knows this. Paste Magazine knows this. And every volunteer and friend at WRIR that I run into knows this.

When I blew into our fair city years ago, I was moving stuff here, then over there, then back over here to see how it would look. Then I turned on the radio and I…did I tell you about my knickers?

Sweet Swag

The WRIR ’10 Fall Fund Drive is in full swing this week … give-aways, CDS, live bands everyday … and much, much more. Head on over to WRIR and show some love and support … there are various levels of pledging available so don’t be shy: any and all support is put to good use and appreciated by a staff of peerless volunteers who pump out the quality for what Paste Magazine called one of “the best little radio stations in the U.S.”

Already got your shirt and/or record bag? {What? Go get one …} They let me do it, so let me see you in it … and keep that tote filled; that’s the kid of baggage we all need more of. No matter what your mother says.

State of the Music Industry Lecture

A State of the Music Industry Lecture : Presented by Tracy Wilson

“The topic at hand? A little western music history, a little musicology, and a lot of reality checks about the music industry today/where we are headed.

Tracy Wilson is a 20+ year veteran of the Independent Music Industry having worked on all sides of the business since 1988: record stores, C/Z Records sales/buyer, playing in bands, touring, releasing records as an artist, booking shows, published music journalist, sales and marketing indie music rep for 14 years, small label owner, WRIR radio DJ, and who knows what else.

Not a lot of bells and whistles to this lecture but if you love music and want to know more about the history and where things are headed, you don’t want to miss this. There will be a chance to ask questions at the end.”

September 8 · 5:00pm – 8:00 pm, Gallery5, Richmond, VA

Trust me, Tracy knows her stuff. And I don’t say that just to keep her quiet about some of the questionable records she’s seen me buy … She’s in the thick of it and living it … you can check out full event details on the ubiquitous Facebook: A State of the Music Industry or at Gallery5.