Let's Just Call It Art

[Edit note: this post has been updated with the second audio track and some additional information]

From approximately 1985-1989 I hosted (with co-hosts Walt Montgomery, initially, and R. Scott Carpenter for the final few years) a late night oldies show on WUTK-FM. Initially called the "Midnight Moldies" (since it aired at midnight on Friday), when the show expanded to fill the 10-2 timeslot the name became "The Blast From The Past." The show eventually moved to Saturdays from 6-10 to make room for Friday night band gigs. You can get more of the story and hear some promos for the show here: Blast From The Past.

Sometimes in the downtime of a long song Walt and I would get a little bored (Inna Gadda Da Vida is 17+ minutes long...) and a couple of times we "composed" and recorded pieces that I carted up and slipped into the regular rotation at WUTK. These pieces consist of two open microphones and some found-sound turntable manipulation (I recognize Kraftwerk, a stereo demo record, and a sound effects record that I own). At some point a guitar along with a can played like a cowbell appear. On "Alien Love" Walt and I take turns reading from the liner notes of a Julie Brown album. On "I Like It" I'm not certain exactly what were our vocal inspirations, but I do know that the name "Chanda" that Walt chants is the name of a very young girl that called the station all of the time and would try to get guys to meet her at the mall.

I was always amused when I would be driving around campus and one of these recordings would come on the air, particularly if the DJ back announced it.

The band name (Empty Feels) comes from one of us mis-reading a label on the shelves in the production room marked "Empty reels."



Empty Feels - Alien Love

Empty Feels - I Like It