‘The Almost Famous Show’ aims for fame

College students now have a reason to put away their CDs, turn off their MP3 players and tune in to good old-fashioned radio. Z97 FM’s “The Almost Famous Show” with Phillip Joiner is Central Georgia’s hip and humorous late night radio show for anyone interested in hearing the newest independent music and staying updated on the local music scene.

The show airs Sunday nights from 8-10 p.m. on 97.7 FM and features a new band every week, complete with interviews, live performances and witty, adult humor.

“We try to make it fun and funny. It’s wild, silly, off the cuff, and a little edgy. we try to extend the boundary a little bit of late night radio,” said 29-year-old show host Phillip Joiner.

The Almost Famous Show features artists from a wide range of musical genres and experience.

“It’s fun to interview people from all different walks,” said Joiner. “We have the person who just put out their first two-track CD in a little studio with three mics, a guitar and a bass, and then we have full fledged albums from experienced bands that have been together for 8-10 years that are still trying to get that record contract.”

The show only plays independent, unsigned artists but selectively chooses those with exceptional and unique talent.

“The bands that we’ve got are good,” says Joiner, “You give me the top 10 songs on hit radio right now, and I’ll give you 10 songs we play that I think are just as good if not better.”

The Almost Famous Show is co-hosted by Mallory Brown and Julie Weiss, two Athens natives who make it their business to know the ins and outs of the Athens music scene. Every Sunday, 21-one-year old Brown reports with the “Athens music update,” detailing all concerts in the Athens area for the upcoming week. A “Venue of the Week” is also featured, giving listeners information on the hippest locations to hear great music.

The two co-hosts also help provide the show with a steady flow of new music to play.

“We try to bring something new each week,” said 25-year-old Weiss. “Whenever we go see a band we try to ask them for a promotional CD that we can bring with us. Bands are usually really excited about getting airtime, so they willingly give it to us.”

In addition to approaching bands at local concerts, Almost Famous receives a lot of its newest music from artist submissions. Musicians simply need to contact the show via internet or telephone to have their music considered for air-time.

According to Joiner, the basic qualification for submitting music is that “you’ve got to have something on CD; which basically means you have taken the time to be serious about your music enough to where you have some sort of a product that we can help you promote.”

The show is especially hoping to pull more talent from local college musicians. Since it’s beginning in 2002, Almost Famous has featured over 20 bands comprised of GCSU students, including: Play O.K., Absolute, Davistreet, Moonshine Still, Idle Yeti, Daddy Hoovey, Company Car, Thelonius and various independent musicians.

“I’m just waiting for some of these college kids to say ‘hey, here’s my stuff,’” said Joiner. “We give independent musicians who want to be heard a chance to be heard, because it’s really tough to crack radio. You’ve got to be the top .001 percent as far as your luck and talent to get on, so these people need things like this.”

In addition to providing listeners with everything they want to know about the independent music scene, the show will keep you laughing with the quirky and fun dynamic created by the three hosts.

Brown said the show is entertaining “because we are all crazy, ridiculous people. we’ve all got a very similar sense of humor but we bring a lot of different things to the table.”

Weiss, who is new to radio, says she especially enjoys working with Joiner because “he is so colorful, he can make anything interesting and he’s full of laughs.”

Almost Famous began four years ago as the brainchild of Joiner; an experimental detour from Z97′s traditional programming, and has achieved noteworthy recognition within the industry. In 2003, Joiner and then co-host Sarah Browning received an award from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters for “Best Locally Produced Radio Program.” In its infancy, the show only featured local musicians, but has since spread its reach to featuring bands from the entire southeast region and even several national acts.

Upcoming shows will feature Eric Dodd on Sunday, March 26 and Daddy Hoovey on Sunday, April 9. Anyone interested in contacting the “The Almost Famous Show” to submit music or feedback can call Z97 at (478) 453-9770, or access the show’s Web site at www.myspace.com/thealmostfmousshow.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 24 2006. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry