Category Archives: music

11K strong and growing effort to Save Live 100.5

Save Live 100.5Since our last post about the return of the radio carousel to Birmingham, AL for Live 100.5 FM, more than 11,000 more people have joined the group on Facebook set up to attempt to save the radio station from a pending format change (though as of this post less than 1,200 have signed an online petition asking for Citadel Broadcasting to change its mind). It’s been helped along by pleas on Twitter courtesy of artists like Sara BareillesIngrid Michaelson, and Pete Yorn .

The URL for the new station, an FM-simulcast of WAPI-AM, has already been secured (incidentally one day after parent company Citadel Broadcasting presented its reorganization plan to creditors due to its bankruptcy filing back in December). It also already established its own presence on Facebook via a regular personal profile.

Fans of the station’s current format will want to know that a concert has been organized for this Wednesday, February 17 beginning at 8 p.m. at WorkPlay on Birmingham’s Southside. The music venue has shared its thoughts about the situation on its website as of this afternoon. The lineup for the show includes Will Hoge, Matthew MayfieldThe Enemy Lovers and DJ CO CO with proceeds benefiting the Jimmie Hale Mission and the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

There also appears to be a group organizing to be at the start line and then along the Mercedes Marathon route tomorrow (Sunday) morning holding up signs to inform more people about the situation at the radio station.

The word on the street is that Live 100.5 FM will cease original programming in its current format when tomorrow’s broadcast of Reg’s Coffee House is finished at 2 p.m. CT.

The Radio Carousel returns, unfortunately, for Live 100.5

UPDATE, 2.14.2010: A newer post includes more information, including background and plans for a concert later this week.

Live 100.5‘s days may be numbered. Former station program director Dave Rossi hinted at what many local alternative music fans are talking about today yesterday via his Facebook status:

“The corporate sharks are circling and the end is near for yet another great radio station….or so I hear.”

A new Facebook group, Save Live 100.5, seems to have confirmed it with their creation earlier today. It currently has 850 members as of the initial posting of this piece.

Citadel Broadcasting, the station’s owner and the nation’s third largest owner of radio stations, filed for bankruptcy protection in late December. There is no official word as of yet, though advertisers with the station have stated on the Facebook group page that they’ve already been informed of the format change.

The station’s lineup includes Reg’s Coffee House, hosted by Scott Register. The station launched in August 2008 and then Terminal contributor Whitney Sides Mitchell had some fun covering its launch for us.

A range of emotions for City Stages

We’re still finding more conversations and blog posts to add to our list involving the demise of Birmingham’s 21-year old music festival, City Stages:

Dennis Pillion followed up his initial post on his blog about what the festival meant to him with what can best be described as an investigative piece about how the festival ended up where it did.

Secret History Productions shared this post on MySpace that seemed to bring out opinions as well both for and against the idea of music festivals in general.

Mary Jean Baker LaMay was a long time volunteer for the festival (and continues to be a friend to this website) who decided to share her thoughts about what the festival meant to her via yesterday’s editorial pages of The Birmingham News.

For some more nostalgia, why not check out BhamWiki’s gallery of City Stages posters (and submit photos of the others to them if you can).

City Stages is no more…

newcslogoIf you haven’t already heard, the Birmingham Cultural and Heritage Foundation announced earlier today that City Stages is no more. The Birmingham News reported the story first earlier this afternoon. Wade on Birmingham and bham.fm have also posted about the news and already have comment threads of their own. Wade’s includes a link to Dennis Pillion’s post about his last visit to the three-day music festival.

Tonight’s episode of WBHM’s Tapestry program (one of the last weekly editions) plans to include a look at “the death of City Stages” while bham.fm’s Twitter feed gives us a look at how this announcement may have ripple effects throughout the community. There’s also all of the other thoughts being shared on Twitter.

Additional updates after the jump: Continue reading

Birmingham Heritage Festival to return in August

Birmingham Heritage Festival logo - courtesy of websiteThis morning the Birmingham Heritage Festival announced that it will return, with the music portion of the festival taking place August 14-16 in downtown Birmingham’s Linn Park. The festival will also include community empowerment seminars running from August 11-13 at Boutwell Auditorium.

Urbanham.com posted the official press release which contains the names of the first acts to be confirmed for this year’s festival as well as a link to its new website. Announced acts include Keyshia Cole, Angie Stone, Chaka Khan, Flo Rida, and Atlantic Starr. The website also lists Musiq Soulchild as scheduled to perform though they were not included on the press release.

There had been an announcement made via the Internet in late January.

Come on over to MCQ and let us know what you think about this summer of music so far.

Festival logo courtesy of official website.

UPDATE: City Stages 21 makes NY Times list

UPDATE: 5.12 – …and now, the festival’s unveiled their new calendar. More on Timetable.

The first act hasn’t even taken the stage for this summer’s edition of City Stages and it’s already being talked about in The New York Times. Birmingham’s annual summer music festival was the only one from the state of Alabama inclueded in paper’s list of pop music festivals taking place this summer (called appropriately enough, Summer Stages). The list appeared in Sunday’s paper and is the second time in two months that The Magic City makes an appearance on the pages of the paper.

It also helps out that since the list is alphabetical, it’s the first one…

UPDATE: City Stages 2009 | Acts announced, website unveiled

This morning we’ve started seeing the first acts for City Stages 2009 be announced and dissected (courtesy of The Birmingham News and Wade on Birmingham respectively). So, what else can we add?

cs2009screenWell, for starters the festival ‘s new website is scheduled for launched today – this morning actually. Whether that happens or not, it’s our understanding that It has been built using WordPress, the same CMS program used to operate The Terminal. The site will feature the festival’s new logo and allow you to share your favorite City Stages memory. We also know that we’re planning our own special City Stages section again this year, though it is still not ready for its own unveiling as of yet.

So for the time being, we want to know what you think – as Birmingham’s world class music festival is the basis of today’s Magic City Question.

Image: Screenshot of new City Stages website.