Radio Fever!

I'd like to ask everyone to do me a favor.

My college radio station that I volunteered with for over a year is in the running to win an MTV Woodie Award. Don't let the "MTV" in the title mislead you; this is an honor that recognizes the best college radio stations in the country.

This is such a great thing, and I can tell you from experience that these guys deserve it! The station is 100% student-run and its crew strives constantly to play only the best of independent artists and does a great job in keeping a variety in circulation that appeals to the masses of the nearby area. Need proof? Feel free to run some live streaming action via internet. You may even have the opportunity to hear some of the budding journalism students practicing their disk jockey skills (this used to me!!)

I have already voted multiple times and am asking you to do the same.

If you care anything about the sanctity of independent artists and their work, check out WUTK 90.3 The Rock and click HERE to cast your vote. Our station is the very last that is listed in the right hand column. Vote as many times as you'd like! It takes less than two seconds! Go! Do it! Clickity click!

Update.

School-wise, this past week has been ridiculous. Luckily, I have a fairly easy load on the way so I will be able to update more regularly.

I have finally gotten my HTML back under control (phew). I found a great blog that helped me with some of my template. I'm glad I got that figured out, but I am still not completely satisfied with its overall appearance so I will continue doing work on it as the weeks progress.

Here are a few pictures from our latest guests on The J Morning Show. They are MMA fighters (that is Mixed Martial Arts fighters), and they all looked like they could break the average person in half as if they were a toothpick. The interview wasn't quite as indepth as those in the past, but the fighters showed tremendous enthusiasm toward the segment. J asked the guys his infamous "J's FIVE QUESTIONS!" which are some of the most off the wall, asenine questions you will ever hear. Thank goodness these guys were so easy going!

 

 

Please take note of this last photograph. Fighter, Mike Boyd, said that he was only exuding 25% of his strength before J surrendered.

 

"I have no groupies."

Thursday's guests on the morning show were Lewis Cosby III and Lewis Cosby IV, and yes, they are related. As a Knoxville resident if you are not familiar with their name then you are most certainly familiar with their work.

Lewis Cosby III (and for all intents and purposes I will simply refer to him as Cosby Sr., and thus his son as Cosby Jr.) worked in broadcasting for a number of years within the Knoxville community and made himself into quite a staple in the industry. He is now running for Mayor of Knoxville as an Independent.
His son, Cosby Jr., also plays bass for the Knoxville bred alternative metal band, 10 Years.

The show that morning had a fantastic blend of politics and rock. Cosby Sr. spoke of his intentions in office and his reasoning behind the career switch. "I'm not a politician," he said repeatedly. However, he'd like to serve one term as Mayor simply to fix the problems (wasteful expenditures), and that's it.

Cosby Jr. spent the majority of the time updating The X's listeners on 10 Years and their current projects. Good news for 10 Years fans- they start recording their new album on Feb. 22 and expect a summer release, and in May 10 Years will begin their next world tour.
The album title has not been set in stone, but the name "Feeding the Wolves" is a strong contender.
Cosby Jr. also made sure to promote and support his father's endeavors and stated that if his dad won the mayoral race, he would try his hardest to arrange a free benefit concert for the community.

Here are some of my photographs from their interview. I cannot stress to you enough the politeness of these two men; it was refreshing to see such a healthy father-son relationship. I wish them both the best of luck in their pursuits.



Lewis Cosby III and Lewis Cosby IV preparing for the interview


Lewis Cosby IV


Intern Mike Hart and DJ J Lalonde during the Cosby interview


Lewis Cosby III: One of the messages he wanted to send was for everyone to register to vote. It's fast, easy, and it makes a difference.

Halestorm.

Some of you may know already that I am currently interning at a local Knoxville rock radio station. I predominantly help out with the weekly morning show two days a week.
Recently, J LaLonde (host of the morning show) has somewhat put me in charge of photographing all of our guests. While I don't consider myself an expert in photography, I do tremendously enjoy it so I am absolutely flattered at being given the opportunity.

Last week Pennsylvania-based rock band Halestorm paid the studio a visit before their Wednesday night show at The Valarium. We always try to make our guest appearances as interactive as possible so we decided to get our game on with Halestorm and play Rock Band while on air.

The group consists of brother and sister Lizzy and Arejay Hale (Lizzy as lead vocals and Arejay on drums), lead guitarist Joe Hittinger, and bassist Josh Smith.

For those who don't know, Halestorm was formed in 1998 while Lizzy and Arejay were in middle school. They released their self-titled debut album in April of '09. Since then, they have graced the cover of many a magazine and have grown immensely popular within the modern rock community.

Collectively, these guys were some of the most down to Earth people I have ever met, and Lizzy's voice is absolutely stunning. I would recommend downloading "I Get Off" or "It's Not You" for a good example of their music. And if you really want to get a kick out of something, go to iTunes and preview the "Don't Mess with the Time Man" album. It is a very different sound from a very pre-teenesque Lizzy and Arejay.

Here is a small portion of the photos taken during their visit:


Lizzy Hale


Josh Smith






Arejay Hale