September 20, 2012

Sept 20th, 2012 : Cause & Effect : WRIR Fund Drive

WRIR real talk. Our community, commercial free radio station that is run 100% by volunteers depends on listener donations to keep us going. It is simple as that. If you love, support, or respect what we do, donate.

We may be the DJs but this is really your station.

We have been bringing Richmond music and talk for more than 5 years now and I think for many of our listeners it is hard to remember what Richmond was like before we had an outstanding indie radio station. 

Don't take such a magnificent gift to our city for granted. This one of a kind, quality DIY programming doesn't exist in most cities in the United States and yet we have it around the clock, 365 days a year.

This is my last fund drive before I retire to a more behind the scenes roll at the station so please, make me proud. Help us make this the best fund drive Cause & Effect show to date and in return you will keep one of the best low power FM stations in the country going. 

Tune in from 7PM to 9PM tonight to hear JJ and I beg for your help and play some ridiculous music. If all goes well we might even do some real time donor choice, mini Cause & Effects live. 

Last but certainly not least, a HUGE thank you to those who have donated already not less mentioned us as one of your favorite WRIR shows. We heart you too. 

xoxo,
Mac Review Cast


September 15, 2012

John Peel's Record Box & The Rick Froberg Podcasts Are Up!

Greetings on a lovely Saturday afternoon. I have uploaded two of my most recent Cause & Effects for your downloading pleasure; John Peel's Record Box and Rick Froberg (Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Obits).

Also since we ran a little short of time on Rick's show I have created a second download that features all the music we didn't get to. This set includes more music related to Obits.

Enjoy!

PS: As it turns out, the Rickfork show also happens to be phenomenal to exercise to. It just might be the best work out mix of all time. Trust me, I am not much of a runner / gym person but if these songs don't drive you to push ahead, I don't know what will.

September 13, 2012

September 13th, 2012 : Cause & Effect : Rick Froberg

It is really a misconception to title this Cause & Effect as such because you can't really do a radio based on Rick Froberg without including his longtime creative partner in crime John Reis and all of their many off shoot bands too. Between these two guitar legends, the history of music is forever changed. Their joint bands were Pitchfork (and no, nothing to do with that damn music website), Drive like Jehu, and Hot Snakes.

In the early '90s there was a thing called emo (not the acoustic, whiny 3rd generation drivel also called emo) that in its first generation phase was based off of nearly exclusively Washington, DC's Rites of Spring but the musicians who were inspired by them helped to carve the way for whole new sub genres (post 1990). The writing style of Froberg and Reis (not wholly unlike the opposite coast band Fugazi) were offering new twists on energy / angst driven guitar Rock sometimes called post hardcore. Then the youngsters and regional bands influenced by these musicians went on to further build on this music by creating a whole host of even deeper, wildly popular sub genres like math metal and screamo.

These genres continue to develop and morph today into new things but at their core is energy. Anger. Emotion. Guitars. Occasional to non-stop screaming. Youthful lashing out. I think that last one is a key - youth. I believe the music of all of the bands listed above are still popular if not have even larger cult followings today because that anger, energy, and emotion is a part of roller coaster of growing up. It doesn't matter what decade the music comes from, that cloud of dust kicked up by Rick and John in guitar form is the audio version of pent of frustrations felt in our younger years. Then, for those of us who grew up worshiping these bands, their bands hold a permanent sentimental value to us. They didn't just give our youth a voice in the moment, they now represent a meaningful page from our past. For those deeply inspired by their music, they like me, joined bands and tried to create songs that would hopefully be as meaningful to others as theirs was to us. And so the cycle goes.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IMPORTANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who don't know. This will be the last month I will be doing my radio show. I have a total of three Cause & Effects left before I retire and I wanted to pick my last shows wisely (one is the fund drive show). I picked Rick Froberg because he has played in bands that have been a huge soundtrack to the past twenty years of my life not to mention many of my friends and past / present band members. I want to share with listeners a very important person to my musical DNA and someone I consider to have played a very important role in advancing DIY punk and hardcore.

Don't know who any of these bands and people I mentioned are? Then even more of a reason to tune in from 7PM to 9PM to learn all about a handful of key players in the American punk and hardcore timeline.  Tune into WRIR which is 97.3 on the FM dial for Richmond,VA locals or stream us live here.

PS: JJ will continue doing the show and I will occasionally step in for guest spots. This isn't the end of Cause & Effect, I promise! More importantly, if you are a local who might want to help JJ carry on the C&E tradition, please drop me a line at lightningsgirlblog@gmail.com or drop us a line on our Facebook page.

September 9, 2012

No Richmond DJ Set

Here is a list of songs I played at Balliceaux last night : post punk, new wave, angular indie rock, power pop, blah blah blah. (And a guilty pleasure or two). I only play vinyl and mostly singles.

No Richmond is a monthly post punk (and the family tree of genres) dance party that takes place in Richmond, VA. There is rotating cast of DJs that step in each time and the first half of the night usually highlights lesser known music. The second half of the night usually contains the more obvious crowd pleasing hits. I have learned the hard way that people after a few drinks seem to really like ONLY hearing songs they know and can sing along to.  


Can't Keep Away - Sector 27   
Riding the Times - Thirst      
Never Say Never  - Romeo Void    
Strobe Light - The B-52's
Calculator - The Rogers Sisters
Ain't you - Kleenex  

Pogo Pogo - Plastic Bertrand  
Fashion- David Bowie    
Kick In The Eye - Bauhaus   
Shack Up - A Certain Ratio
House Of Jealous Lovers - The Rapture
Shoot You Down - APB     

Jukebox - The Flirts
Its Not Me Talking - A Flock of Seagulls
Do You Dream In Colour - Bill Nelson  

I Travel - Simple Minds  
Going Left Right - Department S   
Computer Games - Mi-Sex  
(Get A) Grip (On Yourself) - The Stranglers 
Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash
Shake Appeal - Iggy And The Stooges    

Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio    
Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs    
Hanging On The Telephone - The Nerves  

Here are few of the songs to check out for an at home or in your work cubical private dance party.