SEMINAL MOMENTS OF 2005 AT INDIE 103
(the moments that prove why Indie 103.1 (http://www.indie1031.com) is the best radio station in the land)
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SPECIAL COMMENDATION: For having the balls to call itself (even briefly, and we thank Triumph the Insult Comic Dog for that) the Cock of Rock. We, the girls of Whispered Pearls, give Indie a special kiss, and say that indeed, Indie, your... ROCK is the best in town.
10. Doc Holliday leaves
![Sad :-(](./images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
9. Dicky Barrett and his heart in the AM. I have grown to like and appreciate Dicky Barrett, most of all for how he's always there helping people--through the Katrina tragedy, by featuring guests like the director and hero of "Favela Rising," over and over and over again throughout the year. It cannot be understated enough how much of a difference having a heart makes. Now, if only he'd quit interrupting Liz...
8. Mr. Shovel starts playing music on the 'Box. Other than the music he normally spins so well, he's actually started jamming with Jonesy. Be it juice harp, guitar or that nose thing, Shovel's musical contributions are a fabulous addition to his already awesome producing.
7. Indie world premieres The Strokes' Juicebox. Indie should be getting more and more of the good music to play first, but it truly did with this hot single. (To say nothing of that song from an Internet stream in Denmark that TK played first...) Since then, it has broken hot bands like Giant Drag, She Wants Revenge, The Like and The Lashes. Keep it up, Indie!
6. Jonesy's Jukebox Blog. After some false starts at creating community in Yahoo, then MySpace, it looks like Indie's finally gotten it right with a blog that actually, well, sorta, works. And if you really need the structure of a forum, there's still always Jack's Shack. (http://indie1031.musirc.com/) Props also to Webmaster Wyatt for creating this working and visually amazing webpage.
5. Indie's stream improves. In addition to the Windows Media Player thing, they also started offering Indie as an mp3 stream through iTunes, which sounds much much better. Now if they could just get the radio digital, so it would reach deep into the Valley, everyone would be happy.
4. Indie starts podcasting. Sure, not all the shows are there, and the most awesome thing, the music, isn't there at all...but you can still get Jonesy's Jukebox (well, seven episodes, anyway, plus a Joe Sib bonus), Camp Freddy (some episodes), Barely Legal (all episodes) and the Suicide Girls (all episodes, minus music) at iTunes. (KCRW and KBZT it's not, but at least it's a start.)
3. Indie appreciates its audience. From the oodles of free stuff given thoughout the year (concerts, movies, XBoxes, you name it), Indie also made some amazing free concerts happen. Whether it's in a museum, or poolside with Nouvelle Vague, Indie knows how to thank its listeners. You'll never hear Indie berating its listeners like that DJ from that other station did recently. So, it's true what that audio clip says: INDIE, WE LOVE YOU!
2. The shade tent at Sunstroke Junction. Just another example of Indie going that extra mile. Fans could have been dying in the extreme heat that characterized Sunset Junction's street fair. The sun was beating down, it was brutal. In a brilliant gesture that not only got folks to stay and watch some of the Indie-featured bands, but also built community, music director Mark Sovel created a tent at the Indie station where Indie fans could stand, get water, put ice on their face and necks, and generally survive a horrible situation, while chatting up other Indie fans. BRAVO, INDIE.
1. The impromptu radiothon for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. At auction close, they had raised over $20,000. Since then, donations have continued to flow in. The last figure I heard was over $60,000 raised. Whatever the final tallies, it was an extremely noble and valued effort. The highlight of the radiothon itself was the segment during TK's show which featured New Orleans music, and Johnny Knoxville pumping in $1000 per New Orleans song played. Much credit for pulling this all together goes to: Joe Sib, Mark Sovel, Michael Steele, Dicky Barrett, Chuck P. and everyone at Indie for having such a great heart.
Can't wait to see what's up your sleeves next year!
![Smile :-)](./images/smilies/icon_smile.gif)