The local bands show - the early years
When James Velvet and I started the show wayback in 1988 the idea that it would still be on the air on WPLR every Sunday at 10 o’clock to this very day was never considered. Back then seems like everyone I knew was in a band and wanting to get their music heard by a wider audience. I wasn’t in a band. I was a radio guy. Seemed like a match made in heaven when the program director of the area’s monster rock’n roll radio station, after what I must assume was a night of heavy partying ,wondered if we’d be interested in doing a show that focused on local original bands . We said hell yes ,we’d be interested. We figured we’d do the show til we ran out of bands interested in getting their music out by way of a 50,000 watt rock powerhouse that ruled the airwaves in Connecticut.
See, a music scene is like a four legged stool. You have your bands and you have your audience and you have your venues and you have your media. When any one of those legs comes up short you have yourself a wobbly stool. We like to think that the local bands show helps the stool wobble less.
Anyway, we still haven’t run out of new music submissions every week and although venues come and go and James is no longer with us, the local bands show remains a fixture on WPLR. And now it’s available Mondays at noonish on-line and archived at cygnusradio.com .
As I mentioned James Velvet passed away. A giant of inestimable proportion as an artist, inspirer and encourager of countless local musicians. In his seat these days is another fellow with similar talents, Frank Critelli. And recently long time radio hand Dennis Lamar has joined the crew.
Every Wednesday we get together to put another episode of the show together. We don’t play everything that’s been submitted, the process is quite subjective. But we do listen to everything. We also like to highlight folks who are playing out in the coming days.
Big thanks go out to the finest craft beer slingers in all the land at New England Brewing Company’s two locations in Woodbridge and Branford (and in your better package stores and supermarkets) and to the good folks at WPLR for their continued support. That’s the story so far, but it ain’t hardly over yet.
YOUR HOSTS
Rick Allison
I’m Rick Allison I’ve been producing well modulated hot air products for radio and TV since the early 70s. I never thought the local bands show would become one of the projects in my life that I’m most proud of. But it is. In the earliest days local original music was regularly integrated in the regular playlists of rock'n'roll radio. As time went on playlists tightened, gatekeepers became more likely to limit and eventually eliminate local bands. I’m very proud that our host stations WPLR and Cygnusradio have found the time and the will to water the seeds of original local music. Ask anyone whose music we’ve featured over more than 3 decades, they’ll tell you there’s a magical feeling they get when they first hear their tune on the air .
Frank Critelli
For more than 30 years, Frank has played in streets and subways, clubs and coffeehouses, barrooms and classrooms, colleges, festivals, theaters, and in his kitchen. Those who have seen him live know that’s when he’s in his element.
Frank writes songs and often performs live. Many times solo, and sometimes accompanied by one or more musical co-conspirators.
Currently he is one-third of original music trio The Bargain. But whether you see him solo or with a band, you’ll come away entertained, energized, and possibly enlightened.
With Rick Allison, Frank co-hosts The Local Bands Show on WPLR 99.1 FM in New Haven and streaming on CygnusRadio.com. In addition, he contributes to the scene with performances and interviews, and by organizing events such as the Olde Church Acoustic Series.
Dennis Lamar
Dennis began his radio career in high school, then continued it in college before landing his first paid job as a news broadcaster at WPLR in New Haven. As News Director at WLAD (Danbury), he received numerous Connecticut AP awards and two national UPI honors for best newscast and spot news. After taking an early retirement to become a stay-at-home dad, he jumped back in to the game to program music shows on Cygnus Radio, and recently became a co-host of The Local Bands Show.
