Classic rock energizes deejay duo
Print
Email
Save
Twitter
Social Media
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
HAMMOND — It’s a Tuesday morning and in a small studio in the KSLU radio station offices on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana University, deejays Chad Pierce and Joe Burns share their love of classic rock with the world.
The two were taping their “Rock School” show, which aired from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. July 17 and from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. July 20 on 90.9 FM.
But, with all the intensity and energy in the studio that Tuesday morning, people may have thought that it was a live show.
Off the air, Burns counts down to himself, “3, 2, …”
And then, it’s “Good afternoon! It’s Rock School free.”
He goes on to poke a little fun at his own title for the day’s show — “Hurray for the Harmonica.” “Even my wife’s eyes rolled,” Burns tells listeners.
Then he plays a bit on the harmonica he’s brought in — he’s learning to play from the Internet, he said — and the show is off, delving, during this particular hour, into the harmonica and rock music.
The show, with a different subject each week, is a blend of entertaining information and great music, moved along with easy give-and-take banter between Pierce, who works in underwriting and development at the college public radio station, and Burns, an associate professor of communications at SLU.
For the show that aired last Thursday and Sunday, Burns’ song selections featured harmonica music by such recording artists as Bob Dylan, John Popper, Little Walter, Junior Wells, Delbert McClinton and others.
Pierce, who goes by “Chad P” on the air, worked the electronics in the studio as the taping proceeded. He does the post-production work, as well, he said.
Between songs, listeners received a mini-course on the harmonica — every harmonica plays in one of 12 musical keys; harmonica players in the United States had to fight to get the harmonica recognized by their musicians’ union as an instrument and not a toy; and the first country music release that sold a million copies was a harmonica ballad, “The Wreck of the Old ’97.”
Burns, who’s played in several bands, and Pierce, who plays percussion for the worship team band at his church, clearly are in their element doing the Rock Show.
“We love it. We have a good time,” Pierce said of the show.
Rock Show went on the air in the spring of 2007. This year, the show became syndicated.
The first station to pick up the show has been WESU, 88.1 in Middleton, Conn., the men said.
The Rock Show, said Burns, has also won several awards in its first year, including an Award of Distinction from the international Communicator Awards, which recognizes creative excellence for communications professionals.
The first seed of an idea for doing Rock Show was planted in 2002, when Pierce was a student worker at the SLU radio station and had Burns, one of his professors, come on the air during the public radio station’s pledge drive, to do an hour on classic rock.
Burns said he suggested getting on the air, himself.
Doing radio “is an addiction,” Burns, who deejayed professionally for 12 years, before beginning his university teach career, joked.
The duo’s fundraising efforts were successful, and in 2006, when Pierce joined the station’s professional staff, he asked Burns back during pledge week.
Again, the show was successful.
“We’ve got something there,” Pierce said he thought.
The station’s general manager Todd Delaney gave the okay to Pierce’s suggestion that Rock Show become a regular program.
At about 9:30 a.m. on July 15, it was time to wrap up that week’s Rock Show taping.
“Class is dismissed!” Burns said, signing off
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
