New metal show comes to Regina

The folks at the Wolf radio station have some great news for metal fans — a new show dedicated to heavy metal is underway. It's called Grind House and airs on Fridays at 11 p.m. According to a post on the radio station's website and playlist from the first couple of shows, the program is highlighting local bands and the opinions of local fans, and encourages submissions.

I won't comment on the writing prowess of DJ Evan Baran — he's the dude to called himself The Pig before he left for a station in Calgary, but dropped it after he returned to his old job — but I offer my kudos to the station for stepping forward with a new original show. And kudos to Baran if it's his initiative.

I'm not sure about the name Grind House, however — there's at least one band who's already using the name, the most high profile of which is the hardcore band The Grindhouse from Vancouver. A quick Google search reveals two others.

Hey Evan — how about a fan contest to help come up with a new name? I'll even contribute to a prize package for the winner.

It's also not clear as to how the show will be programmed over time — there's lots of nuances to the heavy metal genre, so we'll see whether Baran spins as much Twisted Sister as he does Lamb of God. So far, it looks like a nice mix of contemporary hardcore and classic metal. And he's already played some Into Eternity. A no-brainer, but a fine choice nonetheless. My suggestion would to ease off on the ACDC and Airbourne, which get enough airtime elsewhere during the week.

I got really frustrated with The Wolf a year or so ago — one of the DJs on a Friday night went out of his way to talk about a punk show that was happening at the University of Regina that featured a couple of lesser-known bands from Western Canada. He spent some time encouraging listeners to support local music and argued that it was important to attend shows and buy CDs from local bands.

I was pleased to hear that, especially since The Wolf plays too much of the same thing, and most of it not-at-all-local.

However, my optimism quickly soured when the DJ ended his pro-local chat with "Coming up next, Collective Soul!" I assumed the DJ was talking from the heart, but then was forced to drop the proverbial needle on whatever his bosses ordered.

The irony was funny, and sad. I don't understand the inner-workings of a radio station — I just assume they all run like WKRP — so I can't complain about something I don't understand.

Anyway, back to Grind House — I will listen to a couple of shows and give a more thorough review in later posts. I wonder what happened to House of Hair, the 90-minute syndicated show host by Dee Snider. I gather they dropped it, but I really liked it. If it weren't the middle of the night, I'd make a call to find out.

However, I have an affinity for radio shows — in my teen years, I'd often lie awake at night listening to the Metal File on CHOM-FM that I was able to connect to from my house in Ottawa using the TV cable. I was also a fan of Power Chords, the Friday night metal show hosted by Jim Hurcomb of Ottawa radio station CHEZ 106.

And on a final note......

I'm sad that it will take a couple of weeks for me to be able to hear the show — I'm off for a big trip overseas for a couple of weeks (I'm going to Dubai!), so I won't get back until the middle of October. So, for the seven of you who regularly check this blog are off the hook. No need to check for updates until Oct. 20, which is when I expect to get the gears running again.

Stay real.

A