Is anybody out there? (The existential thoughts of a community radio programmer)

Hey folks,

Long time, no type, right?

Well, just like you and you and also you, life happens and although the shows keep coming (on two stations, by the way... CIUT895FM Toronto and CFRU933FM in GWElf) I haven't thought to reach out. Sorry. I do think about  you every time I get behind the screen and microphone.

Anyway, as time goes on, the crew here on Ruby Slippers (and Through the Looking Glass) wonder if you are out there and still listening. The good thing about being on this side of the mike is that you don't worry if you are having a bad hair day or if there is ice cream all over your t-shirt. There is a certain freedom in being "a voice" as long as what you say is authentic and let me tell you, what you hear is who we are. Still passionate about providing a place for new (and older) music to be heard as well as the occasional concert announcement. No self promotion, none of that "Look at me! LOOK AT ME!" stuff. Frankly, we could pass in the street and you would never make the connection. The point of the shows is to never take the focus from the talented artists who trust us with their creations and anonymity seems to work.

On the not so good side of things, though, I never know if you are there. Now, this is not intended to be a guilt trip, far from it. Radio was once a regular part of  home life. Today there is a lot of noise out there and choices to be made. Not a bad thing, really, I mean we as a society are so fortunate to be able to listen, watch and interact with the world in any fashion we choose. I will admit to meandering down loads of rabbit holes (animal videos are my Achilles Heel LOL) so I do speak from experience! 

Still, if you have a second once in a while and you like what you hear, the artists and programmers would really love to hear from you. A "like", a "thumbs up" or perhaps a comment about what you liked or didn't. I do share comments with bands/musicians because, after all, without the arts where would we be as a society? 

Anyhow, that's my thought for today. Although our relationship is currently one sided it doesn't have to be.  That goes for the musicians you listen to as well. Like their social media posts, repost their news and concert information. Send them encouraging words when you truly feel a connection to the music. It will made a big difference and remind us all that in reaching out in whatever way, we are all in this together and the world can be made a little kinder.

Thanks for listening.

Fall membership time on The Sound of Your City CIUT

 

It has been a hot minute since I wrote in this space. 

So much has happened since then and here we are again asking our listeners for a donation to keep the station moving into the future.

On a show level, both CIUT and CFRU have continued to embrace the mosaic of music that makes up Ruby Slippers and Looking Glass. Two cities, two different vibes, two shows to prepare every week. Despite the steady time commitment, I can honestly say I still enjoy doing what I do and am grateful each and every day that I am able to share amazing sounds with listeners from everywhere.

However, anyone who follows the socials connected particularly to CIUT knows that this past summer I said farewell to my copilot Cally the Wonderdog and to be honest the stars are not shining as brightly for me these nights. 

About the same time I reentered the community radio fellowship 13 years ago I welcomed a young golden who as far as I knew had come from a puppy mill situation. She was beautiful, wild and charged at life with an unrivaled joy. She helped me through loss,  lockdown, illness, anxiety and panic attacks. She suffered through the hours it took to figure out how to record and edit the shows from home, and was resting under the dining room as each track was reviewed and arranged into a playlist. Our walks helped to clear my head when I got stuck on a set or a technical problem I had not encountered before. Her face was on buttons, tote bags, stickers, thank you notes to listeners and she received as many holidays wishes as I did every Christmas. 

This is the first membership drive I have done without Cally. I never really appreciated how much she was part of this radio thing. I think of her every time I sit down at the laptop to begin recording another episode of both shows and hope she approves what I have chosen.

Anyway, the show must go on. Bills need to be paid, salaries met and as they say, radio never sleeps.

If you are able to donate this time, please do so. There is a place on the CIUT website and every donation counts. Community comes from unexpected places and in a world gone mad, kindness and love are more important than ever.

Wishing you a gentle time ahead.

Carol B (Alice)

July musings in Radioland (***warning, it's a bit of a ramble) (not my image, by the way but isn't it great?)

 

Greetings, fellow babies!

                                 (Gad, I miss Johnny Fever and the whole crew at WKRP)

Wanna start by thanking everyone for supporting the station and this show.  Through your listenership and financial donations we are able to keep the ball rolling for independent alternative radio in an overcrowded dial.  Man, over 35 years on the air!  Think about that!

For me and the Ruby Slippers crew (Melanie and Cally the wonderdog), each week's show is an adventure into the unknown. Ever heard the term "Happy Mail"? Well, that describes what comes to the inbox each and every day from artists, record labels and music fans. The real challenge is trying to jam as much great music into an hour as humanly possible. Sometimes wonderful tracks are lost in the shuffle and if that was ever the case with your suggestion or music, please don't hesitate to poke me as a reminder. In the fractured words of Bones on Star Trek "I'm just a human bean, Jim".

Anyway...

I thought I might share this with you. RS is rather an organic thing and  the epitome of open format programming. Punk one set, hard rock another followed by 80's synth, a smattering of country and folk, take-a-breath instrumentals, prog and psychedelic: basically a musical journey through all the colours of life topped up with the latest selection and  interviews by our very own German music correspondent. For those listening, the goal is to achieve a sampler of amazing music with the hope that something will resonate and perhaps make you curious to seek out more.

Not gonna lie, the one hour show has been wonderful but for years seemed like it was bursting at the seams and needed more space to explore and showcase this content and more. Unfortunately, that was never going to happen on CIUT.

Then... COVID.

Everybody had to learn to do shows from home and fast. With that, however, came the opportunity to reach out to other community radio stations and find that space to play more music on a weekly basis without physically entering a studio.

Hence, "Through The Looking Glass" on CFRU 93.3 FM (www.cfru.ca) came into being and I am amazed to say, has now logged show number 208.

Same crew (Melanie, Cally and me), but a different feel for a Sunday night at 9 pm. There are often  artists featured on RS but more ballads and over all gentler programming for the time slot. Of course, rock cannot be stopped and Melanie's pick is always included on both shows. In doing this hour, though, I can feel this smaller community is just as supportive of their station as Toronto is for CIUT, but somehow...its different. You see, I started out there way back when, and for me, its like going home. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I will continue to barrel through the madness that is Ruby Slippers every week as long as it has a place on the schedule. I mean, really? That's a no brainer.

I have always believed that radio has the means to pull people together in a way nothing else can or I wouldn't still be doing this 13 years (or maybe it's 14?) later.

So the takeaway from this, I suppose, is to invite you to tune in to community alternative stations either on the radio dial or online. Go beyond your local tribe and comfort zone. Hear what other cities and towns are passionate about. Ever wondered what Fredericton is listening to? Calgary has a vibrant community radio culture. Did you know that Radio Caroline  (from pirate radio fame) is still broadcasting? No listening adventure is complete without WFMU in East Orange, New Jersey.  And of course know that you are always welcome to travel Through the Looking Glass and follow the music wherever it may take us on CFRU in Guelph Ontario. 

Well, that's it for now.

Hope you are all having a great summer.

See you soon.

Thanks for listening.

PS excellent image but I can't take credit for it.

 

 

Membership time again! Start Your Engines, fellow babies!

Greetings, one and all.

Once again here at the station we find ourselves staring down the barrel of a membership drive. 

I know that sounds ominous but for those of us who program it is always a time of excitement mixed with terror. It's not that some of you don't let us know you are there when you check out the playlists or download the podcasts of the shows (on the website, in case you didn't know, under the show pages) or even send messages on social media and via email. It's just that at the heart of it, we at CIUT  want to make a connection and share our joy and enthusiasm with as many people as we can as we put together every show. As odd as it sounds, donations are a vital way to demonstrate that you are listening and care about this programming while also helping to pay the bills!

As a music show host and producer  I listen to a lot of stuff every day of the week.  I am not a musician (despite years of piano and bass lessons and a cellar full of instruments). Hence, every submission, every discovery online and in records stores is a thrill. To think that someone out there created something unique and meaningful and had the guts to share it! Amazing and awe inspiring!

Therefore, I want to showcase as much as I can as well as I can!

Now as a one hour show in a single broadcast slot on Friday night (no repeats on the schedule), I worry that sometimes musicians' hard work is missed. Again, consider that there are podcasts of the shows on the website if you are as passionate about new music as I and other show hosts are (I'm looking at you, Alex).  Community radio is about making connections and feedback is a two way street. If one side is sharing and no one is listening or acknowledging that what they hear is of value, how will that work? 

I know this sounds like a ramble, maybe even a scrambled ramble (it has been a long week already and it's only Monday). In a time when many of us have to stop and consider how each dollar will be spent it is not easy sometimes to find money for non essential things like entertainment or charity. I always find it hard during these campaigns to ask for donations, not going to lie. But long before I started doing this, I was like you, a supporter of community radio and although I was not on air, I helped keep this alternative independent station on the air with what I was able to donate. Actually, I still do, even as a programmer. 

Without equipment or a transmitter or a designated internet feed or a website or people to train the army of volunteers who pass through these doors, or the handful of full time folks who make sure stuff goes out to the world as smoothly as possible, there simply would be no framework for the content. That takes financial donations and we all want to do our part by rallying the troops that listen to our shows.

I guess that's why I worry during these fundraisers. Is Ruby Slippers' commitment to new and alternative music important to you as a listener and as an artist?

If you are able at this time, please go to www.ciut.fm and donate. And let them know that the crew from Ruby Slippers sent you.

Your support is appreciated and never taken for granted.

On behalf of myself, Melanie and Callydog (still rocking it at 14) thanks for listening.

It's that most wonderful time of the year!!!! (Halloween of course)

 

🎶🎶  (C'mon, I know you sang the title, didn't you?)

Well, gentle readers, as many of you know, this is my favorite time, hands down. 

Loads of leaves, damp, misty days, sweaters, rot (well, may not that, although who doesn't love the smell of a forest floor?) and the opportunity to do the annual SPOOKTACULAR show on air.  There are so many wonderful tracks to choose from it is an impossible task to set a playlist for a single hour show without wishing for a lot more time to revel in the glory that is Halloween. 

Having said that, there are some favorites that never get old. Yacht's "Afterlife", any version of "Monster Mash" (although the Dollyrots come to mind, also the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band), "Time Warp", "I Put A Spell on You" (Screamin Jay Hawkins, but also the Kills)... (sigh, you get the picture.)

However, there are always new depths to explore and I will try my best to introduce some of those to each and every one of you. 

So my friends, if you have any suggestions to add to the cauldron that is this gruesome fabulous endeavor, please send them along. 

After all, you can never have too much magic this time of year.

Til later, 

carolB and Callydog (the Queen of Halloween)

PS the membership thing is just over the horizon

Here's to Spring? Summer? Sunshine!

Hi folks!

It's another sun drenched morning and despite the fact that we had not seen rain in what seems like forever, it is a glorious change to the months and months of overcast skies. Mind you, I swear I have seen plants pull their roots out of the ground and very slowly make their way to the birdbath. Then again, it might have been the lack of sleep talking. (What kind of mushrooms were in that salad ?)

Anyway, we have again come to the end of the membership drive and for those who were able to donate this time around, muchas gracias.  The lights will stay on for another six months, the core staff will continue to buzz about sprinkling magic here and there to make new initiatives take flight, and the volunteers will continue to seek out interesting music and spoken word content for your listening pleasure. Not sure how Cally feels about that. She would prefer I played metal 24/7 and spent more time outside rather than previewing music but then again, she only has one vote in this house. Nothing more cookies won't smooth over, I suspect.

Did you know that the new volunteer staff guy has set up a student space for listening to albums? Like, vinyl albums! It's at the UTSU Student Commons and if I was still going to school I would no doubt be living there in between classes. Check it out here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs35Ks_KcbX/

And coming up in the next few weeks, yours truly will be adding a recommendation or two from Bandcamp for your consideration on the blogspot (https://rubyslippersradio.blogspot.com or https://carolbonciut.blogspot.com) which you can decipher with a secret decoder ring. Had to come up with something for those who donated to this show! However, the week after it goes up, I will also post the selection again without the encryption for everyone to enjoy so if a donation wasn't to be for you this time around, never fear! 

At this juncture, just thought I would put in a word for another station which is near and dear to my heart. It is CFRU933 in Guelph (www.cfru.ca) and Ruby Slippers' sister show, Through The Looking Glass, which

airs at 9 pm on Sundays. Different day, different time, different feel entirely. If you are feeling like more mellow fare, may I invite you to join me there. This was my first station and a place of adventures some of which are best left in the past...LOL. 

Well, that's all for today. Nothing earth shattering or even thought provoking really. Just wanted you all to know that the music never stops and as long as there is breathe in this bod, there will continue to be a place that you can stop by and experience new music with like minded people.

Stay safe and rock out!

carolB and Cally the wonderdog

 

 

 

The month of love and broken hearts

Greeting, music fiends.

Normally I would be working on a V-Day playlist but honestly? 

What with grey skies forever, people in distress here and abroad, I just couldn't find the right frame of mind to do so.  

I guess we will all have to somehow find it within ourselves to create the soundtrack of our lives for this month of love and heartbreak. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer of the power of music to elevate us above all the stuff that is going on. It's just that sometimes we all have to arrive at that place in a personal way and not peering through someone else's rose tinted glasses.

So my challenge to you, my friends, is to put together your own playlist of songs that remind you of  people you care about whether they are here or no longer within reach. If you feel like sharing it with me or anyone else is really up to you. 

Just know as you listen to me, I am also listening to you. 

Stay safe and wherever you can, spread kindness.

Back soon.