19 Years in The Cheap Seats

For people who love music, this was a GLORIOUS weekend full of ceremonies to acknowledge so many people who have dedicated their lives to music! The Academy of Country Music Awards held their 50th event Sunday night (to a Guinness World Record number of attendees). Saturday night many people watched the 30th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions ceremonies. And for a few hundred of us, there were the 4th Annual New England Music Awards at Showcase Live in Foxboro, MA.

Although I certainly would never turn down the chance to celebrate the accomplishments of people like Luke Bryan and Joan Jett, the opportunity to cheer on the local crowd is definitely more my “thing”.

That Girl and Adam Ezra

It occurred to me, as I was sitting at a table drinking wine from a plastic cup and snacking on French fries in a basket in the dark listening to a promoter critique the very first performer to pieces, that I have been part of the local music community for 19 years. NINE-TEEN YEARS! That’s like 95 years in band years! I have had the chance to watch generations of bands come together, record, perform and (sadly for many) break up and disappear. On the other hand, I have also had the pleasure of watching some individuals thrive and SHINE in an environment that is both inhospitable and cruel to people who want to share their creativity and talents.

Am I a musician? I tried. Can I sing? Let’s leave that question alone. Am I a band groupie? No: I am an example of the MTV Generation. I wanted to be Martha Quinn. I wanted to talk about new bands with Matt Pinfield. I wanted to introduce music to the world! I am a local music radio dj! (Insert quiet polite fanfare and crickets here… just kidding).

I host a little feature radio program called “The Cheap Seats”, which was born on WKPE / Rock 104.7 in the mid 90’s right here on Cape Cod. Ironic that Monday through Saturday, I am now ‘That Girl In the Morning’ on Cape COUNTRY 104 / WKPE and “The Cheap Seats” now broadcast on Ocean 104.7 on Sunday nights, isn’t it?

Aaron Lewis of Staind and That Girl

“The Cheap Seats” started when a program director handed me 5 cds from his office shelf and asked how long it would take for me to put a local music show together. I had just moved back to the Cape. I had no connections and a clean slate. ‘Give me 5 weeks,’ I said. ‘I don’t want it to sound like a ‘local music show’. I want to feature bands from across New England. I want to do the show LIVE. And I want bands in the studio, but not to perform’. (I had heard too many unfortunate in-studio or ‘at club’ performances, and refused to let a band sound badly on the air). I wanted bands and musicians to play their studio recordings, bring along cd’s from other New England area performers to play -and read the weather! The bands would be my ‘co-hosts’ every week. And it had to be 2 hours. Terms were reached, programming clocks were designed, music libraries were built, and here we are.

I will be honest, it’s been a bumpy road. Radio stations are sold. New programming takes over. Programming “doesn’t fit”… Did you know for several years I actually ‘rented’ airtime from a radio station in order to keep “The Cheap Seats” on the air? (Thank goodness for CCB-Media -I don’t have to do that anymore!)

2015 New England Music Awards – Tim Rice Photo

Nineteen years later, I am sitting in a crowd at a table marked “RESERVED” watching up and coming bands from across New England perform and receive awards. I have the honor of presenting 2 awards including “Album of the Year”, which goes to a Boston based performer named Will Dailey, whom I have known for several years. His new cd ‘National Throat’ is getting international attention and he is touring like crazy –and he is a past co-host of The Cheap Seats. (You should look him up and buy his cd). He is someone I can throw my arms around and ask about his family. (Ok – I am a hugger, but you know that about me). I cannot describe how exciting it is for me to watch (and listen) to musicians grow and develop!

Over the years I have been lucky to get to know so many great people. I have been asked more than once if anyone “famous” has ever been on The Cheap Seats. The short answer is “yes”. The long answer goes like this: The Cheap Seats aren’t about being famous. The Cheap Seats are about sharing great music, celebrating the art of music and all aspects of music education. The Cheap Seats are about hearing what is new. The Cheap Seats are about LOCAL music.

Meghan Trainor
Amy Davies Photo

The highest complements I have ever hear about The Cheap Seats have come from musicians who share the story of the first time they ever heard their song played on the radio. A singer was spending a weekend on Martha’s Vineyard and heard her song “Countin’ Pennies” played in a shop… A local fitness expert got a call from a friend telling him to tune in to the show…A Cape singer spent 2 hours on the radio for the very first time with me and now has outgrown nearly every venue on our little sand spit! A Boston street performer, this weekend opening the New England Music Awards, proudly told me that the very first time one of his songs played on the radio, it was on The Cheap Seats… And a 14 year old Nauset High School student (who has now seen her music world explode) spent an evening doing her homework in the family car in the driveway with her mother and brother listening for her song to be played on the radio for the very first time…

I would never expect The Cheap Seats to make anyone famous. I just like to share great music. If you haven’t already tuned in to The Cheap Seats, you are missing out. Tell you what- next week I’ll save you a seat.

The Cheap Seats air from 8 to 10pm Sunday nights on Ocean 104.7.