By Anthony Merchant
GM, 107.9 WFRA
Hello readers of The Villager! My name is Anthony Merchant and you may know me as the general manager of community radio station 107.9 WRFA in Jamestown, NY. For as much radio I do, writing a column is a new one for me and I can confidently say this is my first time doing so. Welcome to the first edition! My friends at The Villager were kind enough to give myself and the radio station as a whole some space at the end of every month to fill you in on the best of WRFA and what we have been up to. For a low power station, we stay quite busy!
All the audio we talk about during WRFA’s Best of the Month will be available for your listening pleasure all over the internet be it our website, SoundCloud page or many of the other places you can find our content after it has aired on our airwaves. A majority of what you hear on our station can later be heard online. We make it easy to find!
WRFA and The Villager are very similar in our missions to bring you happenings in your community and keep you informed with all things local with a focus on businesses, people and the arts. Here are a few guests that were featured this month on WRFA produced programs Community Matters, Power Chord Hour and Arts on Fire. Find all of these interviews (and much more) online:
Community Matters – Chautauqua County Humane Society
Brian Papalia and Amanda Sublett of Chautauqua County Humane Society (Community Matters – Thursdays at 5 pm/Replay Sundays at Noon) – Community Matters host Julia Ciesla-Hanley spoke with Brain Papalia and Amanda Sublett of the Chautauqua County Humane Society about a successful March for CCHS with their “St. Pawtricks” promotion as well as a few of their long-stay animals who are still waiting to find their furever homes (possibly a good interview to listen to if you’ve been thinking of a new furry friend). While we are still a little ways away from October, the three also spoke on the return of the CCHS Pet Expo which will make its return for a second year in Jamestown. Listen to this interview on wrfalp.com or soundcloud.com/wrfaradio
Power Chord Hour – the band Punchline
Chris Fafalios of the band Punchline (Power Chord Hour – Fridays at 8 pm/Replay Tuesdays at Midnight) – Punchline may not be a household name but these guys really should be. The Pittsburgh based band first started out in the early 00’s playing pop-punk and emo and touring both the country and the world with just about any band that played the Warped Tour between 1999 to 2010. Punchline were on the record label Fueled by Ramen with the likes of Fall Out Boy and Paramore (both bands OPENED for Punchline on multiple tours back in the day) and left their own mark on the music scene twenty years ago with the 2006 album “37 Everywhere”. This month on the Power Chord Hour we had bassist Chris Fafalios as a guest to talk about the making of that album as well as the bands latest release “Somewhere to Land”. Punchline doesn’t tour like they once did, but living so close to Pittsburgh has its perks if you’re a fan because they still play regionally a decent amount. Listen to this interview on the Power Chord Hour Podcast anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Arts on Fire – Jade Giambrone
Local Musician Jade Giambrone (Arts on Fire – Fridays at 5 pm/Replay Sundays at 1 pm) – Jade Giambrone is not only an amazing local musician playing all over Chautauqua and Cattaraugus, she is also currently a college intern here at WRFA! We had Jade take a break from her duties hosting the Local Rush Hour to chat with me on my show Arts on Fire. Jade was one of the performers for the April edition of the Lake Shore Center for the Arts Songwriters Circle Series and she gave listeners a taste of what to expect at her live shows with an in-studio performance. You get both an interview and a mini concert with this one! Listen to this interview on wrfalp.com or soundcloud.com/wrfaradio
Thanks for reading and we hope you’ll listen. See you right here next month to help you enjoy your the end of your Memorial Day week!