Get Your Band on the Radio
by Brandon Hire, Guitarist for Day 9 - 11-29-1999
A radio station out of Huntington, WV (WAMX 106.3 fm) now has a show they play every other Sunday called "Loud & Local." It gives local and regional acts the opportunity to get their music heard. For anyone who is unfamiliar with this station (as it fades out upon entering Athens) here's a quick run-down of what to expect.
First, this station is known for flat out rock and roll. Artists like Metallica, STP, Machine Head, Korn, and Orgy are all in the main rotation here. And as their commercial states, "If your neighbor isn't listening, your radio's not loud enough!" They even Hosted "X-fest 99" this year which featured acts such as Sponge, Caroline's Spine, plus 5 local acts on a second stage (dubbed the "Loud & Local Second Stage" which was headlined by Machine Head.)
Second, there are a lot of good venues for bands to play in the Huntington area where both local, regional, and national talent can play, all of which WAMX sponsor, and if you happen to land a gig, they'll push it on the air for free. Acts such as Mutha-8-Track (Portsmouth) and Chisel (Huntington) have both performed at "The Zone" on 3rd avenue (now known as "Vinnies") followed about two months later by Drain STH. Sully from Godsmack was even in the Crowd of that show. Other acts, such as Ekustic-huka, Boba-flex, D.D.T., and Static-X have played at "The Stoned Monkey," and right before they hit it big, Creed played at "Girationz." E'nuff said, Huntington has an excellent music scene.
The best thing about WAMX in my opinion is, of course, Loud & Local. My band (Day 9) was first played on the show about 6 weeks ago and were featured alongside excellent acts such as "Terraform," "Supafuzz," and "The Heptanes." Since then Day 9 has become the most requested act ever on Loud & Local as of this Sunday's show.
At the moment, "Loud & Local" is only on every other Sunday, and the next show is Nov. 28th at 8:00 p.m. "Erik" (the D.J. hosting the show, also the guy you need to send your demo's to) has said that he'd like to do the show more often, but he can't until he gets more material. People, this is your chance to get your band heard, so if you have a high quality CD, Mini-disc, Reel, or cassette of your stuff, please send it to the address at the bottom.
The Only bad thing about WAMX in my opinion is the fact that the station fades out right outside of Athens (unless you have an Excellent Radio. I've picked it up on Court St. once during a rainstorm, but not since.) However, they have a web site that offers a streaming real audio feed. All you need is to be connected to the net, download a Realplayer G2, (if you don't have it, you can download it at the station's site.) and go to www.x1063.com. There on the first page, scroll to the bottom and click on "links." You will find 4 links there. Click on the link on the bottom and you're on your way. The really good thing about this is that anyone in the world with an internet connection can now listen to "Loud & Local," or whatever else is on the station at the time. I wouldn't suggest doing any surfing while listening, though, cause there will be some net congestion and the signal will break up. If you leave it sit, you should feel like you're listening to a regular radio with absolutely no problems.
If you'd like more information on Loud and local, visit www.x1063.com and go to the "about us" link where you'll find the address for the station, as well as their phone # and a toll free request hotline that you can call during office hours (9 to 5). Or, if you'd like, Email them through the same link. The man in charge of the show is Erik, but feel free to mail any of them. And don't be afraid to look around the site also. It's a pretty good site.
WAMX 134 4h avenue
Huntington, WV 25701
1-304-525-7788
1-888-933-WAMX
