page 6
daily nebraskan
thursday, january 15, 1981
sfffe Dad
KFMQ's 'Homegrown Album' sales doing well
By Bob Crisler
After eight months in preparation, KFMQ's Home
grown Album finally hit local record racks in mid-December.
According to Bruce Wheeler, the station's program di
rector, "We're doing pretty well. The first couple of days
that the record was on sale, we were just knockin' 'em
out. We sold 700 of the 2,000 we had pressed in the first
few days."
Demand has slackened for the 1 1-song I. p. since then,
but Wheeler looks to the return of the university stud
ents to "move the rest of them (a few hundred) out."
The record is a high-quality pressing from the people
who brought you Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album, Wake
field Manufacturing. The station sells the records at cost,
or $4 each, exclusively through the two Pickles record
stores in town.
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OtSMQ 'THbmcgowi gtbimi
Cover courtesy of KFMQ
Cover art by Jeff Jahn
The idea for the album first came to Wheeler as he
was leafing through a broadcasting trade magazine.
"It just kind of seemed like a neat thing to do, so we
decided to give it ashot." Wheeler said. "We wanted to
create some talk about the radio station, and at the same
do something positive for local musicians.
"You don't necessarily want to play every promo rec
ord that comes through the door some are good and
some are terrible, and we felt that this was a way to sup
port the talent in the area and to do it in a creative
way," he said.
Planning for the album began in April, when KFMQ
contacted Wakefield and Spectrum Sound, where the
songs were recorded.
Selection process
Wheeler describes the song-selection process as "not
real scientific."
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"I had 160 tapes, and probably twice as many titles,
and so I listened to all of the tapes and narrowed it
down to about 40."
Next he gathered the KFMQ staff, people from out
side the broadcasting industry, and a Warner Brothers
representative from Kansas City in his living room for
the final judging.
"Then we'd just go around the room and say 'Well,
did you like it?' and just try to get a consensus. It was
pretty obvious the first time you heard some of them
that they'd make it," said Wheeler.
The station has been playing three or four songs
from the album each day to give listeners a chance to
hear their "buddies" on the radio, Wheeler said.
"I like everything on it, but I think there are some
things on it that really hold their own against some of
the other stuff that we play," he said.
"All of these bands have their followin; so you get
people lobbying for certain songs. They've all gotten
response, but there hasn't been so much that you could
say This is a more popuL record than that one.'
To strengthen the possibility, however remote, that
one of these groups might be solicited by a record com
pany, KFMQ has mailed copies to 40 label representa
tives and trade publications, among them the influential
Radio and Records and Billboaid.
We just said 'take a listen and see what you think,'
so who knows-we'd like to see something happen,
but we don't know how realistic that is.
"I think we surprised some people with the caliber of
talent that is on the record. Some of these guys are just
killers," Wheeler said.
Might be repeated
Will there be another homegrown Album?
I really think that if we can sell all of the records this
time that we'll do it again." said Wheeler. "I don't know
if we could do it every year, because of the size of the
community, but maybe every other year we could do
it.
"We feel like it's a success already though, because
we've gotten some publicity out of it and generated
some talk and just created a pretty positive promotion."
To Wheeler, one of the most satisfying things was the
volume of entries received.
"The fact that we got 1 60 tapes was really gratifying,
especially when you consider that for someone to sit
down and send their song in to some unknown, unseen
person who's going to critically analyze their piece,
which may be a very personal thing, it takes quite a bit
of courage," he said.
If any of the groups ever become popular, it won't be
a by-product of any further KFMQ support.
"As far as us, we're out of the record business after
the last Homegrown is sold. If a group wants to put out
one of these songs as a single, that's fine. The songs be
long to the artists, not us they'll have to take it from
here," Wheeler said.
KFMQ is now currently involved in getting its new
Sunday oldies program. Rock Archives, off to a good
start. Also the station has another promotion planned
with the upcoming Kansas City concert by Bruce Spring
steen. Until then. Wheeler is content to sit back and re
flect on his latest public relations coup.
"We haven't heard any kind of negative reactions,"
he said. "People say 'Hey, I like lhal one," or 'That's a
really neat idea,' and that leaves me felling pretty satisfied."
H
omegrown displays local talent
By Casey McCabc
It's easy to get a little carried away with the compli
ments when you are talking about local folks who do well.
In the case of our local musical talent, perhaps a pat on
the back has been long overdue.
For their Homegrown Album project. Lincoln station
KFMQ has put together what may be a surprising I. p. for
some. (liven good direction and mixing in the studio, the
band you just enjoyed dancing to in the smoke-filled local
bar can sound amazingly professional when captured on
vinyl.
reuievj
The "homegrown'1 concept is not a new one, but
KFMQ's effort is a first for Lincoln, a town generally
recognized as necessary to get out of it you want your
music to get any an play. For promotional purposes, the
radio station understandably chose to limit audition tapes
to those who could lit KFMQ's format. Unfortunately,
that alone removed some very fine local talent from con
sideration. Refreshingly diverse
Hut even under the limitations of an album-oriented
rock format, the music on the Homegrown Album is re
freshingly diverse: jumps New Wave f rom Heebe Rinnan
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and "The f urniture." synthesized punk from "The
(iroup." danceable funk from "Keystone," well-driven
rock from "The Specs," craft) mstrumentals from "J. J.
Buxson" and Doug Dickeson, azzy vocals from "Main
Street," easy-paced melodic pieces from Sean Benjamin
and the "Star City Players." some Southern-flavored rock
from "Footloose." and a bit of uncomplicated fun from
"Black Rose."
Some of the groups aie doubtlessls patterning their
music alter a more famous counterpart. But alter listening
to a radio all day, what self-respecting musician couldn't
say to himself ; "I could whip up something that good if
given the chance'.'"
Once given the chance, the 1 1 chosen tor the Home
grown Album responded admirably. I imagine the runners
up. as well as some local musicians who never supplied an
audition tape, have a wealth of original material lurking in
basements all over Lincoln. Thus this album certainly is
not the last word in local rock and pseudo-rock compos
ers, but it is a good place to start encouraging some appre
ciation. There really isn't a single hlatently weak song on the
album, a phenomenon that tends to happen when sou
have entirely different bands each giving it their best shot.
Some, however, do require a bit moie attention.
Sean Benjamin is belter known m this community as
the guitarist for "I he Heait Mumiurs." He stretches Out
of the blues boundaries for a pleasant ballad about apathy
called "It Ain't Right." Those familiar with his torrid
blues capabilities mas be surpiiscd by Benjamin's subdued
guitar woik and the excellence ot his lead vocals.
"She's There" by Black Rose seems initially to be the
most plased Homegrown song on the radio. This catchy
little ditty is marked bs strong vocals and a simplistic.
Il6()s-style background oigan. Black Rose knows a good
musical hook sv hen thes see it.
Youngest band
The Specs probably are the youngest band on the
album, and thes provide good, terse rock n'loll with a
sense of immediacy on "Look Out Cirl (You Need a
Directum)." which is peihaps the album's best. Main
Street's "Hazards ot the Business" is another strong
offering and contains a nice aura of professionalism.
Its excellent vocal work hovers somewhere between
Leon Russel and "Ihe (iuess Who." and the over-all
arrangement is of high quality.
In general, there is some tine instrumental and vocal
work throughout the album. Lor instance Footloose's
guitar interplay on "Misguided Player" stands out and
the vocals of Bev Jester and Joyce Nelson as well as
some outstanding guitar leads from Woody Nelson make
the Star City Players' "On To You" a highlight.
The Homegrown Album is a nice package from the
cover art work by Jeff Jahn. to the creative efforts of the
local musicians, and to the quality of production work by
Spectrum and Rainbow Studios. It may be a bit too eclec
tic to stand on its own as an album, but it should appeal
to anyone with an open mind. and. well yes. a little bit of
local pride.