Musicians have plenty of stages to strut their stuff in the Tri-Cities, but there’s one room nestled in the hills of Tennessee that features great live performances you can listen in your car or without ever leaving your crib.
Don’t misunderstand me. I love the stage from either side. Performing music with friends is a charmed life, but there’s nothing that compares to the thrill of performing live on the radio and that happens every Saturday on Studio One with Dave Carter.
One of my early jobs was working as a disc jockey for WQUT in the early ’80s. That’s where I met Dave as we worked alongside each other in an era of “Album Rock” radio. That was a time before computers chose the play list and the personalities had a warm, Bohemian quality. It was a time for names like Bergeron, Worm, Candy and who can forget The Tennessee Midnight Rambler?
It was there I discovered the passion Dave Carter has for this region and the original music from our soundscape in East Tennessee. At the time he hosted a weekly program called “The Bluegrass Hour.” His enthusiastic show featured 60 minutes of bluegrass and he put a lot of effort into promoting musicians for many years from the studio in Gray. Imagine a rock radio station with bluegrass each week? Love or hate it, it was proud, eclectic and the show broadcast the best old-time string music heard around these parts.
Dave moved on to talk show popularity at WTFM and now works for The Loafer, but his love for radio and regional music is deeper than ever with a program called Studio One that is still strong after more than a decade on listener-supported WETS.
WETS-FM is located near the ETSU campus in Johnson City. As you turn into the station you might think it was just another ranch house if it wasn’t for the white satellite dishes that stand guard in the front of the facility pointed toward Buffalo Mountain.
It wasn’t long ago that I had another chance to perform on Studio One with Reagan Boggs and Doug Habenna. With our trucks loaded with instruments and weary from a late-night rehearsal, Dave welcomed us at the back door (smoking area) ready to produce another show.
The mood is much more laid-back than you might imagine, too. Dave is attentive and articulate and his wit is enjoyable in any setting. His cap and T-shirt are accompanied by coffee and a newspaper and he seems eager to create something original on the air.
The first thing you recognize is the low murmur of the radio monitor throughout the building. Other than that, you feel as any sound past an arm’s length is absorbed by the baffles and sound-proofing that have been constructed over the years in this control room. There are cables and microphone stands around the room and glass windows separate the control room from the studio.
Mike Strickland is the audio engineer for Studio One and he makes no haste before the program to make sure everyone is comfortable … microphones in place, a good signal to the board and everyone can hear each other adequately.
As the clock ticks and the second-hand moves toward the top of the hour, Dave introduces Reagan and her music with genuine interest and fascination.
I’m almost certain Dave Carter does not play an instrument, but his wisdom and involvement in the local scene earns him status as a musicologist. His ear is on the street and over the years he’s produced shows from Blue Highway, Metropolitan Blues All Stars, The Austin Lounge Lizards, Doyle Lawson and Doc Watson to name a few.
Live performance radio is different from the stage because the speakers are so close to your ears. Performing in a set of headphones is intimidating because every nuance is clearly out front for you and the audience, but as Dave leads into another interview, his relaxed style and sincere interest is a catalyst for great performances every weekend.
Along with probing questions about the songs, the music and the local scene, these live shows make great recordings too. Mike Strickland is a genius at producing a live recording and many songs on this show appear on the WETS play list.
Tune in this Saturday at 1 p.m. for one hour of music and interviews on Studio One. It’s a wonderful work that Dave Carter and the staff bring to our community and it’s so unconventional that other radio stations should take note.
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David Cate is new media director for the GoTriCities Network.