In 2005, before the Avett Brothers became enormous and were selling out the Fabulous Fox, 88.1 KDHX presented them at the Focal Point in Maplewood for around 30 people. I kept thinking of this last night as Pokey LaFarge announced "We're gonna take you back to St. Louis now" -- his opening statement on Late Night with David Letterman as he launched into "Central Time" in the band's first network debut appearance. With a sly grin, I'm sure residents all over the STL area got old-timey goosebumps to see these local boys made good. Did you see how giddy they made fellow Midwesterner David Letterman? "Are you guys on tour? Can I go?" he cracked.
Just this year, Pokey and his band were entertaining sold-out crowds at the Casa Loma Ballroom. Before that, giant crowds at the Botanical Gardens and The Sheldon, sold out shows at smaller clubs before that. It wasn't that long ago that, before rubbing elbows with Jack White at the legendary Ryman Auditorium, Pokey and the boys were playing tiny shows and being discovered around South St. Louis, just like the Avett Brothers and every other independent act trying to get heard today.
The point I'm making is, you gotta start somewhere. I'm proud to be working at 88.1 KDHX, where we help provide a starting place -- an incubator and trusted curator -- for many of those bands who go on to have thousands of fans. A place where volunteer DJs, music fans, photographers and writers all come together because of their love of music, and their desire to tell the world "Hey! You GOTTA hear this!" I mean, really: would you rather hear a band a trusted friend suggests, or a band that someone has paid a whole lot of money to make sure you hear?
This process is thrilling to see up close.
The first time I met Kishi Bashi, he was a violinist for indie-rock heroes Of Montreal during their session at KDHX. He opened for them that night, playing an insane solo set for a modest amount of folks, and by the time he returned, now solo, to play Off Broadway with his brand of mind-bending, looping, electro-chamber pop to a packed house, it was clear from his performance that this guy is going to be selling out bigger venues like The Pageant someday, just like Pokey and the Avett Brothers.
It's even cooler when artists like Kishi Bashi and Pokey LaFarge -- and the hundreds of artists who come through our studios each year -- remember the little guys at KDHX community radio and send some love back our way.
We're currently raising money through Kickstarter to build The Stage at KDHX: a brand-new, intimate, 125-seat venue in Grand Center...caddy corner from The Fabulous Fox Theatre. We hope to reach our goal in these remaining 8 days through local and national support, and we hope those who love and support independent music and musicians from their humble beginnings will support what we're trying to build in St. Louis: a megaphone for the little guys. The talented ones. The bands you just gotta hear, but have never heard of.
It's a little poetic, isn't it? When completed, it will be a short walk from the independent music-focused KDHX venue to the Fox Theatre. But, for a band with similar aspirations as Pokey, that walk could take years. We're hoping many an unknown band's journey will begin at The Stage at KDHX. So, years from now, when you see your new favorite band on Letterman, or at The Fox, you'll be able to say "KDHX played them first...I saw them at The Stage in front of 50 people."
Here is just a small list of musicians and labels who have supported the KDHX Kickstarter thus far: Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Pokey LaFarge, Kishi Bashi, Murder By Death, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound, Bloodshot Records, Polyvinyl Records, Yep Roc Records, Thirty Tigers, Partisan, Heartless Bastards, The Syndicate, Undertow, Co-sign Collective, Mike Doughty (Soul Coughing), Emily Wells, David Wax Museum, Ha Ha Tonka...the list goes on and on. I am sure I missed some in the flurry of social activity.
With the clock ticking, we hope you'll help our Kickstarter reach its goal, so we can continue to be a beacon of artistic independence in St. Louis.
And, if you can't chip in a few bucks right now, I hope you'll share this article or the Kickstarter link: it's that kind of word of mouth and support that has sustained us for 25 years and, in turn, directly supports all the awesome independent music out there waiting for their shot at the spotlight.