Bringing ‘Em Back Alive
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Airplay, heard every Saturday between 4 and 7 PM, started in 1981 as a showcase for local bands. Most college stations have similar programs, but when St. Clair and Johnson, with engineers Paul Dryer and Kevan Harris, took over the show in February 1996, a six-figure grant from NU alum Arthur McCoy’s foundation had recently provided the means to convert the station’s grungy, smoky basement digs into a clean, bright studio with a separate facility for broadcasting and recording live music. St. Clair and Johnson worked that angle to start recruiting national acts that were on tour. “Bands used to play into one crummy mike in the middle of a room,” says St. Clair. “There’s other local shows on [Northeastern’s] WZRD and [U. of C.’s] WHPK, and it seemed silly to pass up all these great bands that come through.”
Christmas Cards
Banned, on the Run
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): Christian Johnson and Eric St. Clair photo by Dan Machnik; misc photos.
