Mike Warren/D N
BMADCA3TMB UVE from Avery Hall studios, Rhett McClure disc jockeys
a facial program oa KRNO-FM (96.3), which is one of the new featured
shows oa the college station.
KKNU pledge: Just
listen, you’ll like it
By JimZavodny
Staff writer
Since campus radio station
KRNU-FM (90.3) switched formats
from Top 40 to modern rock in the
summer of 1989, three “alternative”
stations have come and gone.
The downfall of “alternative” pro
gramming in Nebraska began when
Omaha’s KXKT-FM (103.7) “The
KAT” folded after it failed to find a
significant audience. That switch to
country was followed by a change in
formats at KKNB-FM (104.1), which
used to be “The Planet” The biggest of
the three was KGDE-FM (101.9)
“The EDGE,” which became classic
rode station “The Fox” this spring.
With the death of “The EDGE,”
KRNU and Lincoln station “The
Point” remain as Lincoln’s only outlets
for modem rock. KRNU’s general
manager, Rick Alloway, who is best
known as he friendly voice ofNRoll,
said even though no solid numbers
were available, it was a good bet dud
KRNU got some of its local listeners
back when “The EDGE” went under.
“One of the challenges of alterna
tive music is whether or not you can
make a go of it commercially,”
Alloway said.
“The closest we come to is ‘The
Point,’ I think, and they’re defining
themselves as a new music alternative,
too. I think that we have a larger playlist
than they do, and we’re able to take the
chance to break some new acts that they
really can’t as a commercial station.”
And because so many of the com
mercial stations started calling them
selves “alternative,” KRNU recently
changed its tag line after 10 years of
“Lincoln^ New Music Alternative” to
“Just Listen.. .You’ll Like It.”
“Our music directors and I decided
that the word ‘alternative’ was getting
overused as die buzz word of the ’90s,”
Alloway said. “The emphasis in that
phrase was always on new music
because that’s how we were defining
alternative, not as a particular sound,
but more in terms of it being new or
music that didn’t necessarily have an
established audience.”
Working to find an audience has
been a challenge for KRNU, especially
since the station runs on 100 watts,
compared to some that run on 100,000.
KRNU also doesn’t worry shout
offending advertisers: They don’t have
any. This allows DJs to be adventurous
with the music they play.
Rhett McClure, a senior broad
casting major and one of four music
directors at the station, said he picks
music that is artistically worthy of
radio play during his stints on the air.
“We like to play bands you normal
ly wouldn’t hear on commercial radio,”
McClure said. “If you don’t like what
you hear at any particular moment,
wait five minutes and we usually play
somefeiiigcompletely different”
The only exception to McClure’s
statement comes every night when the
student-produced specialty shows
begin. These two-hour shows consist
of either a particular musical genre or a
talk show, call-in format
Two new specialty shows that
appear on Thursday nights, “Rhett’s
Techno Show” and “Wordless,”
shouldn’t have problems establishing
an audience, Alloway said. “Rhett’s
Techno Show” is McClure’s electronic
adventure from ^l 1 p.m., during
which you can expect to hear groups
like the Chemical Brothers, Moby and
Atari Teenage Riot
“The whole rave/dance culture, in
a weird kind of way, is like a new sub
lease see KRNU on 17
Ladles Night ft
6- Close I
Our $1.90 drink menu I
is only $1.00 for all I
j^^ladies^-^ I
Festival closes summer with blues
By Sarah Baker
Senior staff writer
The end of summer blues don’t have
to be a bad thing. -
And this weekend, they
could even be downright fim.
The Big Bottom Blues
Festival takes place this Saturday
in Tekamah and promises to
make the transition of seasons
into one rockin’ party.
The second annual festival
will offer generous servings of
continuous music, along with
food, art and activities for the kids.
Brenda Cornelius, one of die
event organizers, said she is hop
ing for an even bigger crowd
turnout this year.
“We have seen a tot of inter
est this year,” Cornelius said.
“We’re hoping for 1,500 to
2,000.”
The first festival drew about
800 people, she said.
This year’s diverse musical
lineup includes the Ameritjan
Indian blues-rock group
Indigenous; the 10-piece big
band outfit The Fabtones; Blues
Caravan, a self-described ‘Texas
Blues” act; and a local outfit,
Junior T and the Bones.
x^iuvo voiavtui 10 uuuaiig uo
second appearance at die festival
after winning last year’s Blues Band
contest
Cornelius said although the music is
v -
the main focus of the festival, it’s not the
only one.
Other attractions include a new arts
and crafts fair, food and a beer garden.
Jim Pipher, bassist and vocalist for
Courtesy Photo
LONG TIME LINCOLN blues artists The Fabtones i
|oin Indigenous and Blues Caravan to celebrate
the Big Bottom Blues, the second annual end of
the summer bash in Tekemah.
The Fabtones, said the festival brings
back a lot of memories for him.
“When I was in high school, there
were dances all the time with live
bands,” Pipher said. “They were good
bands who made a living playing night
after night There was all this music and
all these kids who dreamt of being rock
_ ‘n’roll stars.” «,
Although he has played in
festivals before, a blues f^tival is
iefinitely a rarity in small-town
Nebraska, Pipher said.
He hopes an event like this
will bring people of all ages
ogether.
“The people who are my age
ue going to remember the songs
we play from when they were
growing up,” he said. “Some are
going to want to hear the hard
;dged blues, and some are going
to be there to support the local
scene.”
Cornelius agreed, saying the
festival aimed its acts at an all
ages crowd.
“The acts are all over the
map,” she said. “There is a wide
age range of people that enjoy
this kind of music, so we thought
we’d give it a shot”
Gates open at 4 p.m. on
Saturday, and the music starts
iround 5 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6
for students, $3 for seniors and
Mdren under 12 are admitted
L_
11W.
For more information on the
festival, call Jennifer Gill at (402) 374
1586.
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