INTERVIEW WITH Rocker Bob : "An actual DJ in a world of playlisters"
Owner of Charlie Mason Radio, Rocker boB is also the superstar host of radio show "Moment Of Ecelction", broadcasted on Charlie Mason radio.
Let's be honest, we all know too little about Rocker boB. All the fans of the shows have been wondering about his story.
I got the chance to interview this music passionate and learn more about his connection with music, his role as radio personality, his opinions and his story.
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Here it is:
How long have you worked for Charlie Mason radio? What the story behind it?
My relationship with Charlie Mason Radio began in late 2018 as one of the affiliates for my show. The station was started in January of 2018 by Heather & Sean Kitchen of Greenville, SC. They had created the station originally to showcase the music scene of the Northwest corner of SC. In addition to the station, they also had a media company. As the media company got busier in January of 2020 they decided it was time to move on from Charlie Mason Radio to focus on the media production side of their business. They had two options, one was to shut the station down, the other was to find someone to carry on the tradition of indie music they had started. When they asked me if I wanted to take over, it was a no-brainer. I took what they started with regional music and took it to a global scale.
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What's the story behind your show, and how did you come up with the name "Moment of Eclection"? I started Moment Of Ecelction in 2016 on a small community station in Indianapolis, IN but back then the show was much different and featured more mainstream music. I would pick a theme and spin songs with words in the band name or title that related to the theme. Any chance I got, I would slip in indie bands with the mainstream ones.
Because I would not stick to one genre of music, (my tastes are very diverse), it was a very eclectic mix. Originally, I wanted to call the show Theme Park because I also used to use this circus music in the background during my voiceover segments. For some reason, the phrase "moment of reflection" always stays in my head and then the title hit me, the name Moment Of Eclection was born.Are you a musician yourself? I am, I have been playing guitar since age 11. I also mess around with bass & keys...and before guitar, I played trumpet. I have been in a few bands, but only one I recorded an actual album with. If you listen enough to www.charliemasonradio.com, you might hear my old band pop up once in a while.
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My real turning point though was when we got Cinemax and I saw the movie Rock N Roll High School and discovered The Ramones...that was when I learned punk rock chooses you.
Have you always wanted to be a "radio personality"? Yes, for the longest time I had always made mix tapes of my favorite songs. The more I made I would start to arrange the songs for flow and mood for the listeners. When I was a teenager I inherited a microphone from my mother and a second tape deck from my dad. At that point, I would make tapes for friends introducing and mixing the songs, they all thought I was nuts when I would give them the tapes.
I was never a studios type and back then you had to have a communications degree to even have a shot at working in radio unless you were in the right place at the right time. Plus, I was more into making music then so musician became my focus.
Thanks to computers and the internet I was finally able to realize my dream of being a DJ and I have never looked back.
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Have you worked with other radios? What brought you to radio? what's your "radio journey"? The other radios I have worked with are an Emerson, a Sony, and a Panasonic.
What brought me to radio is the connection. I remember when I was young I would lay in my bed, in the dark, and listen to the radio late at night (that's when the DJ's were allowed to play some of the tunes the day shift did not play). I would hear cool tracks by Talking Heads, Television, Jim Carroll Band, and then the DJ would talk about the song and I was right there with them sharing the vibe and emotion that came with the song.
That's what really sucks about today's corporate FM automated radio stations. There is no more connection, no one to talk about what just played...no sense of community for the music. Just songs and a station ID every 30 minutes with some commercials.
My radio journey is to bring real radio back, bring back that sense of community for the listeners. Give them a central voice that lets them know someone else loves that song too. Someone that lets them know they are not listening alone.
You are a strong advocate and discoverer of indie artists. What brought you on this path? Wouldn't it be easier to only broadcast mainstream artists? As I mentioned, when I did the mainstream show I would always slip in indie bands. I have always been into finding new music.
Look at some of the greatest DJs ever Alan Freed, the guy that gave Rock N Roll its name. He was working for a station where playing the same old songs every day bored him to tears. He started to hear this new music in the diner where he would get lunch and began to play it on his show instead of what the station wanted. Next thing you know artists were waiting outside his station to give him their records to play and he did it because it was new and different.
Rodney Bingenheimer is another, not many people realize it, but he was the first DJ to ever spin Nirvana, Sonic Youth, Green Day, Oasis. Because it was something new and different.
Then there are radio stations like the infamous WLIR in Long Island, NY. They were the first American station to ever play Joan Jett, Ramones, Talking Heads, Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Depeche Mode again because it was new and different and not the same tired crap.
That is what Corporate FM radio has become. The same 40 bands on a loop all day. Indie bands used to be able to slip their tape or CD to a DJ and get airplay from time to time. Now because mainstream radio is all about money there is no chance for an indie band to ever be heard on mainstream radio unless it's an indie label owned by a mainstream label.
I am dedicated to getting the independent artist heard, to give them the chance mainstream radio won't. I won't spin mainstream bands because let's face it, does anyone really need to hear Pour Some Sugar On Me or Stairway To Heaven one more time? Those songs have had their day, let them die.
I'm sure that thanks to the exposure and attention you give to indie artists you were part/witnessed numerous success stories... Please tell us one! No one has made it super big yet, but I do know a few bands that are getting more appreciation from both listeners and labels.
What advice do you give to all the new musicians who are just getting started out there and dream to hear their music on KIIS-FM one day? First and foremost, have a good quality recording of your song. I hear a lot of good songs that are so poorly produced and recorded. Mercury Machine spent three years recording their album and it shows when you listen to it. Take the time to make sure it's a good recording, play it for your friends, get them to play it for their friends. Listen to all of the feedback you get on it and take it to heart. If someone says "I wish it had more guitar riffs between the verses or fewer riffs between the verses." Go back and listen to it, never think it's perfect on the first take.
Second, ALWAYS fill out the metadata before you give it to a station to play. DJ's are lazy (trust me, I know) it could wind up with the wrong band name, wrong song title, or worse, no info at all. If people are going to hear your song, make sure people will know what they are hearing.
Thanks so much to Rocker boB for his time, passion and for allowing so many indie bands to be heard and discovered!
If you aren't already, follow his latest news and favorite bands on Facebook and Twitter
Listen to the show "Moment Of Ecelction": https://www.mixcloud.com/MomentOfEclectionOfficial/
