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- By Russ Corey,
- Nov 13, 2007
What began as a special event to help launch WLAY’s all-Shoals music format into FM radio is becoming a weekly live music program.
WLAY and Urban Radio Group are joining with Muscle Shoals Sound Studios to provide a venue for local bands and artists to perform and talk about their music, studio owner Noel Webster said.
Beginning Wednesday, WLAY FM 92.3 will present “The Sessions at Muscle Shoals Sound,” an hour-long program featuring local artists such as Lauderdale, Malcolm Singleton, Jordan Denton, Byron Green, Firewood, Dillon Hodges, Sons of Roswell and Jason Isbell.
If nothing else, Webster said, it will give a whole new crop of musicians the opportunity to experience the studio that produced many of the hits that helped the area become known as the “Hit Recording Capitol of the World.”
“It’s great for the museum and for the community,” Webster said. Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is also a working studio and museum. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. “It will help let people know this little gem is still open.”
The format will be simple. Solo artists or bands will come to the studio and perform several acoustic versions of their songs and share their thoughts with 105.5 FM disc jockey T.C. Kinkaide.
The only prerequisite is that the artist writes and performs original material of any genre.
“Basically, it’s a venue for local talent,” Webster said.
Brian Rickman, regional director of programming for URBan Radio Broadcasting, said artists are already booked through February.
“It’s wonderful,” Webster said. “We’re starting with Lauderdale this Wednesday.”
The group’s bassist, Corey Hannah, is looking forward to performing acoustic versions of the band’s songs.
“It will be different and fun to strip it all down to the bare essentials,” Hannah said.
He said the Shoals music format will expose people to the music of new local groups, especially people who might not have attended shows at local clubs.
“I’ve had people tell me already they’ve heard Lauderdale on the air and really like the stuff,” Hannah said. “It’s a great opportunity for the local bands to get the word out.”
Rickman said the shows will be recorded at the studio and archived, possibly for release later as podcasts.
“In the meantime, we’re putting highlights on our MySpace page,” Rickman said.
He said he hopes the discussions become a roundtable for artists to talk about how to improve the local music scene.
Rickman said feedback on the Shoals music format has been “phenomenal” since the move to FM.
“This has never been done before,” Rickman said. “This is brand new, which is why the radio trades and people in the industry are raising their eyebrows. I think it’s a format that can work.”
While the live shows will concentrate primarily on local artists, Webster said they will branch out to include artists from the Huntsville and Decatur areas.
“As time progresses, I think this will take on a life of its own,” Webster said.
Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@timesdaily.com.
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