Showing posts with label East Village Radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Village Radio. Show all posts

Saturday, June 25, 2016

EVG on EVR

East Village Radio is rebroadcasting the special today that I hosted with East Village-based photographer David Godlis and publisher-curator Marc H. Miller.

Godlis has a new photo book, "History Is Made at Night," which chronicles the heyday of the scene at CBGB between 1976 and 1979. Miller is the guest curator of "Hey! Ho! Let's Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk" going on now through July 31 at the Queens Museum. We talk about the Ramones. And photography. And CBGB.

It's on at noon and 8 p.m. Listen in via dashradio.com/EVR or the Dash Radio app.



Godlis and Miller will also be out at the Queens Museum today for a day billed as Ramones Mania. Among the events: the New York Punk Rock Heavy Metal Flea Market and screenings of "Rock ‘n’ Roll High School" and "End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones." Details here.


Thursday, February 18, 2016

[Updated] EVG on EVR

As previously noted (here and here), I'll be hosting some shows on East Village Radio.

Tomorrow morning (Feb. 19!) from 10-noon ET, I'll be talking with photographer Marcia Resnick and writer Victor Bockris, who collaborated on the recently released book "Punks, Poets, and Provocateurs: NYC Bad Boys, 1977-1982."

The book is also the subject of an exhibition at Howl Happening!, 6 E. First St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery, through March 2.

Later in the program, writer-blogger-teacher Gala Darling will be joining me.

And throughout the program, we'll be playing a few songs via the subjects in Resnick's book (i.e., the New York Dolls, Brian Eno, Richard Hell, James Chance and the Contortions, etc.)

Listen in via dashradio.com/EVR or the Dash Radio app.

Updated 2/19

The show will be rebroadcast tomorrow (Saturday the 20th!) from noon-2 p.m. ET



Photo of Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and William Burroughs by Marcia Resnick.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

[Updated] EVG on EVR

I'm going to be doing a few shows here and there on East Village Radio.

Tomorrow morning (Dec. 11!) from 10-noon, I'll be talking with Robert Shapiro, founder of Social Tees Animal Rescue, and East Village-based illustrator Peter Arkle and writer-editor Amy Goldwasser, creators of the book "All Black Cats Are Not Alike."
And there will be some music too. And a couple bad jokes and awkward pauses. Fun!

Listen in via dashradio.com/EVR or the Dash Radio app.

The show will be rebroadcast at some point during the weekend. And I'll try to get a copy of the program to post here later.

Updated 12/11

You can tune in to the rebroadcast on Saturday (tomorrow!) from 10 a.m. to noon at dashradio.com/EVR or the Dash Radio app.

Thursday, June 4, 2015

East Village Radio is officially back


[Photo from April by James Maher]

After a few months of prep work and testing, East Village is now officially back on the Internet waves… Yesterday, Dash Radio, the online network that now includes East Village Radio among its stations, made its debut.

Aside from new programming, you can hear old favorites such as Chances With Wolves and Andy Rouke's Jetlag. (As Brooklyn Vegan pointed out yesterday, Dash is ad and subscription free.)

The comeback comes just about a year after East Village Radio called it quits in May 2014, as we first reported. At the time, East Village Radio CEO Frank Prisinzano said licensing fees and Internet costs did in the 11-year-old station with a surging listener base.

How will things be different for EVR2? "We have an infrastructure that we didn't have before," Peter Ferraro, the general manager/head of programming at East Village Radio, told us in April. "Last time it was us trying to really bootstrap it … I don't know if we had the team in place. Now we have someone looking after the licensing situation for us."

Yesterday, Ferraro told us that there are a lot of great things in the EVR pipeline, such as ticket giveaways and special studio guests… However, the station continues to fine tune its programming, so don't expect it to be exactly like it was when they signed off in May 2014.

You may access EVR here. (Follow them on Twitter for all programming notes.) And you may still find DJs and guests at EVR's revamped studio at 19 First Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street.



Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23 (53 comments)

East Village Radio says goodbye with Johnny Thunders

Signs of life at East Village Radio, but what does it mean?

1st look at the revamped East Village Radio studio on 1st Avenue

Friday, April 17, 2015

1st look at the revamped East Village Radio studio on 1st Avenue



As you may have heard, East Village Radio is returning.

The station signed off last May 23 after 11 years. Ultimately, East Village Radio's popularity did them in. The Internet station was averaging more than 1 million listeners worldwide a month.

"Every time we get a new listener, it costs us more money with licensing fees and Internet costs," East Village Radio CEO Frank Prisinzano told us last May. "After doing some projections, we see that it is going to be very, very difficult for us to continue to break even."

The comeback was made possible by the recently launched Dash Radio network. (Brooklyn Vegan had the scoop on the return last November.) East Village Radio and a new sister station — Brooklyn Radio, which will operate from a storefront studio in Williamsburg — are now part of the Dash family.

East Village Radio is expected to be up and running in less than two weeks. (Keep an eye on the station's Twitter feed for more relaunching info.)

So why is this time different for the station?

"We have an infrastructure that we didn't have before," Peter Ferraro, the general manager/head of programming at East Village Radio, told us during a telephone interview. "Last time it was us trying to really bootstrap it … I don't know if we had the team in place. Now we have someone looking after the licensing situation for us. We have a good team of radio people, and people who know the music business and the media landscape."

Said Prisinzano, the chef who owns neighborhood restaurants Frank, Lil Frankies, Supper and Sauce: "I'm so happy to give it back to the neighborhood. I'm excited that we figured it out."

In recent weeks, workers have revamped the small studio space at 19 First Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street. Workers upgraded the heat and air conditioning, among other things.

"And we've upgraded the equipment," Ferraro said. "It's a significant investment in the equipment and the platform."

Ferraro invited EVG contributor James Maher inside the storefront studio to check out the new equipment … and new look.











On Wednesday, Ferraro did the first test in the studio with returning DJs Chances with Wolves.



Aside from some returning favorites, Ferraro said that there will be new live and recorded shows and programming as well as some produced specials. He stressed that there won't be as many shows on the schedule as when they signed off last May — at least initially.

"In the beginning, anyone tuning in expecting it to be actually the way it was … it won't," he said. "It will get to what it was — 10-12 hours of live programming, then re-streams and pre-recorded stuff. We really want to ramp it up slowly and do it right."

We asked Prisinzano what he missed the most about East Village Radio.

"The music! We missed East Village Radio just as much as everyone else. We get to be listening again. We can't wait."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23 (53 comments)

East Village Radio says goodbye with Johnny Thunders

Signs of life at East Village Radio, but what does it mean?

Friday, March 6, 2015

Report: East Village Radio aims for a spring return



Back in November, Brooklyn Vegan had the scoop on East Village Radio returning to the Internets. The station is part of the all-new Dash Radio network, which includes the new Brooklyn Radio.

So what's been happening?

General Manager Peter Ferraro told DNAinfo yesterday that EVR will return this spring. Ferraro has been busy, he said: "finalizing the lineup, which will retain its 'eclectic' mix of music and talk programming" with new and old programming.

East Village Radio signed off after 11 years last May 23, as we first reported.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23 (53 comments)

Signs of life at East Village Radio, but what does it mean?

Friday, November 14, 2014

East Village Radio will return



Looks as if there was something to that recent activity around East Village Radio after all.

We spotted a new East Village Radio logo on Facebook and work at the former First Avenue studio a few weeks back.

Now comes word that East Village Radio is returning.

Brooklyn Vegan has the scoop on what's happening:

The comeback happens via the recently-launched Dash Radio network. The 1st Ave studio is getting a redesign with new equipment and technology. Some EVR programming and DJs will return to EVR 2.0, and there will be new shows and produced specials too. More details and the actual relaunch date will be announced shortly, but the plan right now is for EVR to be on the air before we reach 2015.

Dash is also launching a sister station — Brooklyn Radio, which will operate from a storefront studio in Williamsburg.

We'll have more on all this in the weeks ahead.

East Village Radio signed off after 11 years on May 23, as we first reported.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23 (53 comments)

Signs of life at East Village Radio, but what does it mean?

Monday, October 27, 2014

Signs of life at East Village Radio, but what does it mean?



There's been some activity around East Village Radio, which signed off after 11 years on May 23.

First, someone changed the station's Facebook profile picture on Friday… and the EVR website now has this message…



… and on Saturday, we noticed a worker making some sort of repair at the tiny storefront studio at 19 First Ave.



We don't know what, if anything, these three things might mean… we reached out to the EVR folks to see what's what.

As we first reported, EVR CEO Frank Prisinzano said that he could no longer afford the increasing licensing costs for the Internet radio station … and made the difficult decision to shut down operations.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23 (53 comments)

Saturday, May 24, 2014

East Village Radio says goodbye with Johnny Thunders


[Photo last night by @edenbrower]

East Village Radio wrapped up its 11-year run just before midnight last night by playing "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" by Johnny Thunders … an appropriate song from the former New York Doll, Heartbreaker, one-time East Village native and subject of a new documentary



East Village Radio reached out to listeners via Facebook and Twitter for suggestions of the last song … that wrapped up a four-hour sign-off party from the station's tiny First Avenue studio.

EVG reader Double U asked this in the comments of our earlier post:

Anyone recorded the final EVR hour?
Anyone who wants to share this historic recording?

Meanwhile, according to the East Village Facebook page, the station WILL NOT host any audio links to archived programming from the EVR website after this weekend. As they say, "Please follow/like your favorite DJs/show hosts for information on their archived EVR shows."

With various licensing fees, East Village Radio could no longer break even. CEO Frank Prisinzano made the difficult decision to shut down the station earlier this month, as we first reported.



Updated 5-26

Animal NY has an account of the station's last minutes here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23

On the phone with Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls

Friday, May 23, 2014

East Village Radio signs off for good at midnight


[Delphine Blue during her last show Wednesday. Photo by Damian Genuardi]

As we first reported on May 14, East Village Radio is signing off after today's programming.

CEO Frank Prisinzano could no longer afford the increasing licensing costs for the 11-year-old Internet radio station with the tiny storefront studio on First Avenue.

Prisinzano and Peter Ferraro, the general manager/head of programming, addressed the issue in a guest column at Billboard.com on Tuesday.

We had opportunities for investors, but we didn't think we'd be given the autonomy to continue on the path we were on. There was never any discussion of selling out. It was always: "Run it properly or shut it down."

We were giving the world access to one of the most important musical neighborhoods on the planet via our live DJs. When you know that, you don't sell it out. You nurture it.

Now the two are deciding what should be the final song as the clock strikes midnight tonight. The pair took to the station's Facebook and Twitter accounts for suggestions.

Here's The Wall Street Journal with a story about the last song ... and the station's end days:

The suggestions were as eclectic as the Internet radio station’s programming — ranging from "My Way," as performed by Sid Vicious, to LCD Soundsystem's "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down."

"It could be anything from the Ramones to the Dolls to the Clash. I have been thinking about all the usual suspects," Mr. Ferraro said while bouncing around First Avenue in a tight East Village Radio T-shirt with the energy of a Labrador puppy.

Mr. Prisinzano, calmly sipping on a mug of beer, added his two cents: "It could be a one-hour John Bonham drum solo," referring to the Led Zeppelin drummer.

"Hopefully, someone nails it," Mr. Ferraro said. "The fans really get us. They will tell us what we should play."

Tough call on a last song.

I'll put in for Richard Hell and the Voidoids with "Time" …



In any event, the East Village Radio sign-off party streams live tonight starting at 8.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Exclusive: East Village Radio is signing off after 11 years; final day of broadcasting is May 23


[Image via]

East Village Radio, the 11-year-old Internet radio station with a tiny storefront studio on First Avenue, is shutting down operations next week.

"Every time we get a new listener, it costs us more money with licensing fees and Internet costs," East Village Radio CEO Frank Prisinzano said in a phone interview. "After doing some projections, we see that it is going to be very, very difficult for us to continue to break even."

The station ends live programming after Friday, May 23. The stable of eclectic DJs, with shows covering nearly every genre of music, will have the chance to broadcast a farewell show in the days ahead. (In addition, the station is releasing all of the archived shows to each DJ so that he or she can shop around for a new gig or syndication.)

Popularity hasn't been an issue with East Village Radio, who counted more than 1 million listeners worldwide a month (this after starting as a short-lived 10-watt FM radio station in April 2003). However, under the Congressional Digital Music Copyright Act of 1998, Internet broadcasters must pay a digital performance royalty for every listener.

"We pay a higher rate for royalties and licensing than Pandora pays. We live in a world where these behemouth music-streaming services keep going in for more capital," said Peter Ferraro, the general manager/head of programming at East Village Radio. "It's almost like we are being penalized for our growth.

"It's very difficult for an independent medium music company to survive in a world where Apple is paying $3.2 billion for Beats by Dre."

Still, East Village Radio was integral to the success of breaking new acts and giving airplay to musicians you might not have ever heard. The street-level studio was also a popular draw, bringing in celebrated music veterans such as Lou Reed (oops — he was a call-in), Richard Hell and John Lydon, among many others, through the years. You never knew who you might spot inside the studio at 19 First Ave. between East First Street and East Second Street.

[Duran Duran from 2010 via EVG]

While the programming is commercial free, East Village radio has survived by the advertising on its website and, most important, the funding from Prisinzano, the chef who owns neighborhood restaurants Frank, Lil Frankies, Supper and Sauce.

The radio operation was the proverbial labor of love, and a way to do something for the East Village.

"It has always been really pure to me. From the beginning I was thinking I had to give something back to this neighborhood," Prisinzano said. "I was worried about the music scene moving out to Brooklyn. It was important to represent the neighborhood."

So the thought of selling part of the station to secure the necessary funding to continue on with East Village Radio was never an option for Prisinzano and Ferraro.

"I don’t want to give up the integrity of the station. The only way that I really see it continuting is by bringing in another benefactor who would take over part of the station. I really don't want to do that. Pete and I understand the neighborhood. We want to run the station. I don’t want to sell it out," Prisinzano said.

Said Ferraro, "If another media or VC company came in, I don’t know if they would have understood the nuance of being local but global. There was a certain localness that we feel proud to be part of. But the mission has always been to amplify that out to the world, but to have it point back to the neighborhood."


[DJ Hannah Rad photographed last August by James Maher]

Prisinzano said that he isn't done with the East Village.

"I'm looking to come up with something else now. I have a lot of ideas. This particular model failed. We closed it down. I'll build up a little more capital and come up with a different idea," he said. "I'm really sad about the decision, but I think it has inspired people to do similar things all over the planet. We started out as a pirate radio station, and we decided to amplify it and design the local Internet radio model ourselves. The model is untenable. It just doesn't work. It's the system's fault. There isn't any legislation that will ever be written without someone lobbying for it. We can't afford lobbyists."

Prisinzano and Ferraro are still processing what the station's legacy might be.

"I hope that history proves to be kind to us," Ferraro said.

"This was a beautiful, amazing thing. I think something really positive will come out of this," Prisinzano said. "We took it to where we could take it. We are proud of what we did. Now it's time to stop. And that's OK."

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Richard Hell at East Village Radio



Richard Hell stopped by the East Village Radio storefront studio on First Avenue at noon today to talk with Delphine Blue about his new memoir, "I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp." (The show will be archived here later.)

Meanwhile, Richard Hell Week continues. Tomorrow night, he'll do a reading at the Barnes & Noble on Union Square. (Details here.) The book was released yesterday.

Previously.

[Richard Hell photo for EV Grieve by James Maher]

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Chris Frantz hosting 'Downtown Rockers' this afternoon on East Village Radio

From the EV Grieve inbox ...


Listen live to EVR.com today at 4 pm ET as Tom Tom Club's Chris Frantz hosts a very special show, honoring NYC's proverbial downtown music scene. ... A former guest of the EVR studio, Chris will host Downtown Rockers, a special show by the EP's name this afternoon at 4pm ET.

The 2-hour special will be highlighted with Frantz's inimitable knowledge of the neighborhood scene from "back in the day", as well as featuring music from the band's new release and commentary from friends of Frantz, including The Dead Boys' Cheetah Chrome, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Talking Heads and The Modern Lovers' Jerry Harrison and Television's Billy Ficca. Frantz's wife and Tom Tom Club bandmate Tina Weymouth will also be contributing to the special.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

East Village Radio celebrates Johnny Thunders, who would have been 60 today


Via our friends at East Village Radio ... this afternoon at 4, "Jesse Malin will be celebrating the life and legacy of Johnny Thunders. Malin will be playing the music of Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. on July 15, 1952, as well as the artists and sounds that inspired the Queens-born singer and songwriter."

Thunders, an original member of the New York Dolls, died in 1991.

Find more info (and videos) here at East Village Radio.

If you want more Johnny Thunders, then you can check out the annual Johnny Thunders birthday bash tonight at Bowery Electric.

Friday, March 16, 2012

John Lurie on East Village Radio Sunday

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Listen live to EastVillageRadio.com's Morricone Youth this Sunday, March 18, at 2 pm as Devon E. Levins welcomes musician, artist and actor John Lurie on a very special Lounge Lizards' edition of the soundtrack show.

Last time Mr. Lurie graced the EVR studios with his magnanimous presence was this past autumn for a two-part special in which the musician-turned-painter talked about his soundtrack work (check that out here and here). This time, the show will focus on the genre-blurring work of Lurie’s band, The Lounge Lizards. Expect to hear classic cuts and Lurie’s insights into the formation and legacy of one of the most interesting musical acts to emerge at a time when New York City was bursting at the seams with them.

Be sure to revisit the archives and listen to Lurie and Levins wax over hamburgers on how John got his first sax, played harmonica with Canned Heat in his late teens and was admonished by an 11-year old Scarlet Johannson for his soundtrack to "Manny & Lo" sounding too much like "Badlands."

And a little prepwork from 1981...

Friday, February 18, 2011

East Village Radio launching new website today

From the EV Grieve inbox...

In an effort to better present original music, talk, and special programming, East Village Radio will launch a newly designed website on Friday February 18, 2011.

East Village Radio, an innovator and leader in Internet radio, will unveil the redesign of its new website on Friday February, 18, 2011 to promote and provide a streamlined user experience. The website incorporates a sleeker design architecture that optimizes the overall site visit, showcases new programming features and institutes a new media player for both the live stream and on-demand archives.

When the new site launches, users will be required to visit http://www.eastvillageradio.com in order to listen to the live stream. The new media player is accessible via the EVR homepage, as well as all subsequent and secondary pages within the site.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Duran Duran still draws a crowd

Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes stopped by Mark Ronson’s Authentic Sh*t on East Village Radio tonight... and... Wooooo!




Read more about it here.

Friday, September 5, 2008

"It'd be a great thing to see more opportunity for small businesses to grow again"


Gothamist interviews Steve Cohen, station manager at East Village Radio.

(EVR is throwing a music festival tomorrow at the Seaport...hope the stupid weather holds out...)

Included in the Q-and-A:

Given the opportunity, how would you change New York?

In the old days every neighborhood in New York was uniquely different than the next. Lots of different family businesses that lent a lot of character to the city. It'd be a great thing to see more opportunity for small businesses to grow again. Believe it or not, in the mid 70's, I worked as a busboy and was able to afford an apartment in Manhattan! It's always a good idea to try and feed peoples souls, now that'd be a change.