College radio has always been known for playing “undiscovered” bands. For students, that novelty was cool. When you didn’t know what the song was or where it came from, listening was always an adventure. If you were lucky, you might even hear a local band you heard at the bar last weekend. But admittedly, when was the last time that happened?
As a way of supporting 570′s untapped talent, Cougar Radio, Misericordia University’s Internet radio station, is sponsoring an opportunity for unsigned local bands to be included on a compilation CD.
The project is called “Cougar Indie-Pendence,” and submissions must be made by Dec. 1 and must be mailed directly to the station.
Winners will be notified on Dec. 9, and the final compilation will be sold for $10 throughout the area. Proceeds will be donated to local charities.
“Depending on the response, we’re going to release a single or double CD compilation,” said Professor Dan Kimborough, faculty advisor to the radio station.
“I think radio has lost sight of its original goal of promoting local artists,” he continued. “There’s a lot of music here in NEPA that goes unheard, and we wanted local bands to know that they have an outlet.”
Even the bands that don’t make the final cut will still be able to benefit for simply trying out, which is true of a contest of any kind.
Mr. Kimborough plans to incorporate all full-length entries into the radio’s playing rotation.
He even hopes to begin interviewing local bands in the studio.
The Cougar Radio station has been out of commission for a while, due to campus construction and interests in television and visual media projects. Kimborough credits new music director, Peter Falvey, and station manager, Julia Truax, with helping to turn things around. Falvey and Truax helped reorganize priorities by establishing the station’s subscription to CMJ (College Music Journal) in order to stay ahead of the artist discovery stage.
“Cougar Indie-Pendence” seemed like the likely next step in the station’s revitalization.
“We felt like this was a good way to reintroduce ourselves and let people know we’re still around,” said Mr. Kimborough. “It’s good for the station, and good for the artists.”
Visit www.cougarradio.net for submission guidelines.
Recent Comments