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Left of the Dial
Ok. Now last week I was able to complete two childhood dreams in one week. Crazyness. Well one was driving that big truck. Ok check. and oh BTW I am pretty good at it. Ima be a truck driving man soon enough. The next was talk and play music live on the radio. Here is how that started.
I love music. Again with the music. It’s life. Well I use to listen to Britt Dillard and The Sound of Light which was this christian rock radio program on His Radio. Britt is probably the biggest reason I wanted to do radio way back in the day and I am talking about mid nineties. I used to stay up late on saturday nights listening to his programming and calling in requesting songs and winning stuff. Since then my musical taste has evolved. I dig lots of music now. Well fast forward a couple years. I am sixteen. I listen to the likes of Rock 101 WROQ and 933 The Planet WTPT. I was listening to Brain Blades one afternoon and finally i just called him up and was like hey man. I want your job. How do I do it? Long story short I was put in contact with the promotions director and on my way. Lots of interning and volunteering landed me a gig playing commercials for the John Boy and Billy Show on Saturday mornings at WROQ. I was the only one in the station, sitting where my mentors and fav DJ’s sit. Touching the same computer and buttons and knobs. It was wicked cool.
Then I left for the Navy for eight years.
Ok I come back after traveling the world and listening and learning new radio from across the country. My musical taste evolved yet again. I want my local station. Who has the guts around here to play real music? Who has the guts to say F U to their programming director? WNCW! That’s who?! Well I am sure that their PD is pretty chill. (haven’t met him yet) and i mean they play some wicked cool shit. He’s got to be awesome! ok so i rediscover WNCW 88.7 fm. I remember seeing those bumper stickers all over as a child. Now i am becoming a member. Looking for volunteering opportunities because music is my thing, I notice that they have a Volunteer DJ Host for the weekends. I do a double-take. DJing! as in on the air playing music? I have to inquire. and it is what I thought it was. I then talked to Rob Daves who give me then low down who puts me in contact with Joe. Head up there and meet some folks. Then i get tossed in the music library. I wet myself slightly. Over 50,000 cd’s. All lined up and ready to be played. Where do I start? I thought I ‘knew’ music?! I stare fir about five minutes before i start rounding up albums to ‘pretend dj’ for a little bit.
Make a longer story shorter, I am ready for a one hour radio power rock show. I drive up about midnight and meet Rob. This dude is cool. He digs music and he’s not afraid to get down and dirty with it. I get to work shuffling through albums trying to find a fit for me. I have to play four songs from the heavy rotation. After that it’s all me. I already know what song i want to play first. I shuffle some more albums and grab handfuls of cd’s. get them all ready to go and the two o clock hour is rapidly approaching. I go over last minute questions to Rob and the DJ I am going after.
2am. You are listening to WNCW Spindale 88.7 and WSIF Wilksboro 90.9 broadcasting from Isothermal Comm. College. I am The Night Baker and this is ARC Overnights.
First song is The Replacements-Left of the Dial
Artic Monkeys-From the Ritz to the rubble
tapes n tapes-outro
the twilight singers-she was stolen
shilpa ray and her happy hookers-heaven in stereo
akron/family- fuji I (global dub)
kings of leon-velvet snow
ryan adams-gimmie a sign
blitzen trapper-devils a go-go
mogwai-george square thatcher death party
hello seahorse-won’t say anything
will hoge-ain’t no sunshine
dinosaur jr-i don’t want to go there
joy division-love will tear us apart
one solid hour of nerves and rock and roll. stand by for some more.
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Roll on 18 Wheels
As a child a dream of mine has been to become a trucker. A long haul, cross country, long haired and beard, flannel wearing trucker. I grew up watching my old man criss-cross the country making sure we had food every night on the dinner table. He was home pretty regularly. I was never really out of touch with dad. He did what he did and that is all he knows. He has been driving for thirty five plus years. He is my hero. One day I want to be just like him.
So after an eight year stint in the United States Navy, I have begun the journey. I am in my fourth week of training. I have my commercial drivers permit and last night was the first night of driving. Our instructor drove us around the course, at night mind you, to get a feel for it and once we got back he asked who wants to go first. Remember what the Navy stands for, Never Again Volunteer Yourself, I was eager to go first! I jumped in the seat and strapped myself in. I had sat here before as a child in my old mans truck dreaming about hitting the big open road delivering your next computer or food or furniture. Every thing you own has touched the back of a truck. I see all the lights within the truck, all the gauges lit up and shiny buttons just waiting to be pushed. All the textbooks are out the window. It is me and this peterbilt. Oh and of course my crazy instructor and two fearful students in the back.
Ok. Brake on, push in my truck and trailer brake buttons, clutch in, button down on the gear jammer, find first and slowly let the clutch out. The truck will pull itself. Awesome. That takes all the guess work out. Ok. a little gas. I had not gone but ten feet and I need to shift gears. Quick clutch, drop to neutral. Clutch again and up to second. Well Alright. We are truckin’ now. I make a wide left turn to head to the barrels. The object is to get the first barrel to your landing gear on the trailer, steer hard left until you clear it and then go around the middle barrel without hitting and straighten out on that last barrel. I was close but did not touch. Well alright. Coming up is a stop sign. I was a little hard on those touchy brakes. My fellow students were holding on for dear life. Safely Stop. Cool.
I make the right and finally, an open stretch of road. Well it was an old tarmac of an abandon air strip. Open road I thought. Hammer down! I shifted pretty rough all the way to seventh gear hitting about 35MPH. I then began slowing and gearing down which is an art form to say the least. Bear right and slowly make my way to another barrel. I make a wide left turn around the barrel and started back down the same path I had driven. Back to the long stretch of road and back to seventh gear. Checking my mirrors. There is no one there. that is probably a good thing at this point. I am driving. I feel good. My confidence is high. Ok another barrel. I have to make a sharp left turn around this barrel which my instructor described as the hood of a Mercedes Benz. Make the sharp left with enough room, miss the “Mercedes” and come up on a set of cones. Stop Box. I have to stop the nose of the truck within this two foot wide box. Without looking. Without hanging my head out the window. I miss! Oh well. On to the road cones. Go through and let me say that them cones are extremely hard to see at night. I done good though. Missed everyone. Now the second stop box.
I again miss it. but nonetheless my driving debut was fun. I most defiantly need work as anyone starting something new. I saw my dream in front of me and realized that in a few short weeks, I will be able to drive that big ol’ thing flawlessly and legally on the open road delivering your next kitchen or carpet or wood to build your new home or diapers.
You are welcome (in advance) and one word of advice from a commercial driver; When you see them big ol’ trucks out on the freeway, just give us some room. Yes some of them probably should not have a license but we help deliver America. Some of you probably should not have a license either but leave a little extra room so if I have to stop quick, I do not want to ruin your quick trip to the grocer or picking up your kids after soccer practice or out on a hot date headed to see that new Johnny Depp movie.
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Make Me A Mixtape
I dig music. Who doesn’t?! I take it to more extreme levels then my fellow peers. Atleast my friends. Music is Life. I constantly have it on and looking for new music. Here is a run down on some of my top faves and current loves.
TOP FAVES
1. Will Hoge
2. Minus The Bear
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Ryan Adams.
CURRENT LOVES
1. The Promise Ring
2. The Decemberists
3. Tapes ‘n’ Tapes
4. Phoenix
5. Iron and Wine
Since moving back home, I have not been able to go to any shows. I am ashamed that I missed Jimmy Eat World in Charlotte @ Amos’ Southend this past weekend. I did not do anything that night!! I moved back to South Carolina from the great city of Seattle where I was pampered with shows monthly. Someone is always playing and it is such a diverse collection of characters each and every night. Seattle and KEXP introduced me to more music then I knew what to do with. My favourite spot in the entire city was browsing the vast rows of music at Easy Street Records, buying new records, getting my card stamped and grabbing a to go coffee and hitting the 5 headed north and south and around the city listening to what is new and used and bad and good.
One day I will have a room dedicated to my music. Dave’s Music. A new genre. and people will come from miles around to sit and listen.
I take recommendations.
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It all comes down to nothing.
I could stay up for hours thinking about tomorrow or next week. Maybe next month or next year. I know I will do what I am suppose to do. Life is a journey and getting there is half the fun, right?? I am sure of that. But it is a typical situation I put myself in. Confusion and wonder. Envy and admiration. Year after year and nothing has changed except everything has changed. One year older. One year older. One year older. I do not worry as much as I worry. I think complex only to have my outcome be simple. I live simple yet drive fast around curves. I think about death, but I have no outlet. That is a true story.
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Empty Thoughts
a thousand bucks saying I stay awake for one hour and 37 minutes from my head laying down on my soft pillow till my eyes shut for good.
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Something in the airwaves
I <3 The Cave Singers.
All is good in the world when The Cave Singers are playing.
