Dear Family,

You may have noticed that the KCAC Photo Albums link in the right sidebar has disappeared.  I apologize, but I had to cancel my subscription to my web hosting provider, so I no longer have a website on which to host the photos.  If someone in the Family would care to take over that hosting role I will be glad to send you the pictures, and you can upload them to a website and post a link to them on the blog.

Also, I suspended my Facebook account in January.  It had become much too time-consuming.  I am still alive and kicking though, and always with you in Spirit.

Thank you for your Love.  Keep on shining!

Daniel

Greetings!

When Google discontinued Picasa Web Albums and moved everything to Google Photos, the link to KCAC Lives! Photo Album Links and Information in the sidebar was still pointing to the non-existent Picasa site.  I've updated the link so it now directs to Google Photos.  I still have to get in touch with Marty and get the new corrected link to his albums from him, and then I'll fix that one too.  My apologies for not taking care of this sooner.

The Earth turns, the seasons pass, and time marches on.  Many people are interested in the times we lived through, and the forces that shaped our journey through the sixties and seventies, and it's no wonder... they were a special moment in history, a cultural turning point, when the atrocity of the Vietnam war ran headlong into a renewed hope that we might learn to communicate and solve our problems without going to war — a hope nurtured by a growing awareness of the depths and potential of human consciousness.  It was this hope that drove us to pursue that which expands consciousness, each in our own way.  Some of us turned to careers in the arts and the media, knowing that when crafting a message, art is the universal language, and in order to reach the masses, it takes media.  Many of these people are still alive and well today, still pursuing the vision.

If you lived through those magical times, or if you're just interested in the color and texture of that little vignette in history's long march, you might find some of the entries in this blog entertaining.  We have not skimped on the nostalgia, so indulge yourself to your heart's content.  The blog hasn't seen much action lately — Facebook has provided a more feature-rich platform, but even the KCAC Lives! page there is pretty quiet.  But I know you're out there, all you quiet heroes of the revolution, still working for peace and understanding.  I salute you, Brothers and Sisters in the Light.  May your lives be long and full of deep joy.

Daniel

Coming up this afternoon January 30th at 5pm (Arizona time) & Sunday January 31st at 3pm (Arizona time), Radio Free Phoenix will be presenting "A tribute to Nina Joy", Arizona's first lady of FM Radio!

Nina came from Vermont and got her start in Arizona radio on KWFM in Tucson – a year later she was hired by Bill Compton and joined the staff of the underground KDKB. Her name was Nina Joy, Arizona’s celebrated first lady on FM radio. As one of the early female rock radio air talents, her distinctive style quickly garnered her a faithful following and earned her the status of “radio legend”.
Nina passed away in late November and we here at Radio Free Phoenix wish to honor her this weekend with a musical tribute to her life along with reflections from many of those that worked with Nina.

Nina will be fondly remembered by many of those that knew and worked with her including Janie Snyder (of KWFM), Scott Nicholson (KDKB’s evening DJ) Ted Stratton (KDKB news guy), Mark Mykanen (KDKB news director), Steve Zind (KCAC, KDKB & KWFM), Barry Everitt (KDKB morning host era 1976), Johnny D, Bob Boze Bell, Lee Powell, Hans Olson, Marty Manning, Jack Alves and many others. Join RFP for this moving tribute to the memory of Nina Joy as hosted by Andy Olson.

It’s a celebration of the life of Nina Joy this Saturday, January 30th at 5pm & an encore presentation Sunday, January 31st at 3pm Arizona Time on Radio Free Phoenix.

Listen to this great tribute on demand here:

https://www.radiofreephoenix.com/whatsup/nina-joy-tribute-on-radio-free-phoenix/

Nina Joy...

Hello,

Sadly, Tommy Vascocu just sent me an email to let me know that Nina Joy passed away on November 23rd.  My condolences to all her family and friends.  May she rest peacefully in the joy of knowing she was part of a beautiful and loving family, and will always be in our hearts.

Daniel

Reunion!

Hello! A reunion is being planned for this fall at Alwun House in Phoenix. For more information contact Daniel (vagabondvet at gmail dot com).

William Edward Compton of Tyler, Texas

Read about Bill Compton's High School Years and his early days in radio from his buddy Walt Chatham as published on  the Radio Free Phoenix "What's Up Page"


High School Era William Edward Compton

Riopelle at the Celebrity

One of the few things we can still count on, as this tumultuous year draws to a close: Jerry Riopelle's New Years Eve show at the Celebrity Theatre: http://celebritytheatre.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=1338

Star Larvae: Let's Be Reasonable#links

Star Larvae: Let's Be Reasonable#links

Hello... I'm baaaack... and i couldnt  pass through without saying Hi! I need a break... Been carrying the flag for Rebirth and setting up a rebirthtribe.com web site... Fixing a link, like to KCAC Lives! and going cross eyed doin it,  Maybe it true youll go  blind if you do it to much!!! LOL I'm still investigating that... but its hard to type at the same time.
 Gotta go...
Love ya all...
Keep the faith
Bruce Frank
PS your all invited...  Come look me over at    rebirthtribe.com   a work in progress LOL

Native American internet radio

Hey, it's good to see some activity on the blog again! Remember, this can be a forum for discussion as well as memories and stories. It doesn't have to be about KCAC and its personalities - it can carry that tradition forward, too.

In that spirit, here's an unusual suggestion: among the many fine radio stations that can be accessed through "live streaming" on the internet, try those affiliated with Native American communities. They are truly off the radar for all but a tiny fraction of the listening public, yet they can offer some really remarkable programming. Here are my favorites:

KTNN,"Voice of the Navajo Nation" based in Window Rock, Arizona, at http://www.ktnnonline.com/# (copy and paste into your browser). I swear, within a period of one hour I heard Lady Gaga, George Jones, the Rolling Stones, Native American drum songs, local country and rock bands, and talk segments that switch back and forth, often within the same sentence, from the Navajo language to English. Talk about variety! Like other Indian radio stations, it's geared toward local (usually rural) audiences, and maybe there's a bit too much conventional modern country music for my taste, but it does have a little bit of that freewheeling KCAC style where you're never quite sure what's going to happen next. There are real live DJ's, no corporate play lists, and the station is genuinely connected to the community that it serves. Sound quality on this stream is excellent.

KOHN, serving the Tohono O'odham Nation in Sells, Arizona, http://kohnfm.tonation-nsn.gov/. Highly eclectric, with programming blocks dedicated to everything under the sun: country, reggae, metal, oldies, 80's rock, roots/rockabilly, gospel, and news/talk in both O'odham and English. Best of all (because you won't hear it anywhere else)is waila, a unique and highly localized form of dance music that blends the amplified sounds of accordion, saxophone, bajo sexto, bass, and drums/percussion. Much of it resembles polka and norteno music, but cumbias are also popular and there are links to country, rock, blues, brass bands, and even polyrhythmic jazz explorations. Here's a YouTube link to a good cumbia-derived example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxPJuLpdgHM. (Note: KOHN uses a very narrow bandwidth so sound quality suffers accordingly, but then KCAC was never excatly hi-fi either.)

Come on, all you aging KCAC fans - try something genuinely new and different! Corporate radio sucks, so these Native American stations present alternatives that I'll bet you never even knew existed. They're acquired tastes, to be sure, but give them a chance!

America

Don't know why Art Garfunkel never did any songwriting. He was always so lyrical just in his normal conversation. Stumbled across this old documentary from 1969 (with German subtitles, no less!), and felt compelled to share his comments on America, in celebration of the holiday we observe today:

"People from so many different countries came here and made this conglomeration. And we're like shy children, we have to look around and say, 'There's a Chinese kid in my class, there's a black boy.' Our group is so varied. And here we are together, and we have to warm up slowly, and look at each other, under our brows, sort of embarrassed.
And I think we all see the value of getting together. Here we are, we have this country. We can do great things. We have a spotlight on us. We have the power to do great things. And I think we all feel it's tremendously valuable for us to fuse. But it's very difficult.
All human beings have this wish to take their inner self and fuse it with the rest of humanity. And insofar as they're unable to do that, they're constantly reminded of this obstacle.
They defend it, they find reasons to keep their isolation as a necessary ingredient of their beliefs or whatever. But it's not true to what they feel."

Here's to independence, but also to fusion.

KCAC Lives on Facebook

SInce we all seem to be on Facebook these days, we've created a community page for this group now, here.
All of the blog posts can also be seen there by clicking on the "Blog" tab.
Also, pardon the redesign to this blog. Supposed to make things easier to do, but it does look a little different.

Compton's Christmas Message from 1970

A week late with this, but better late than never! Courtesy of Tom Wright: KCAC's Bill Compton on the air, 12/23/70.
Part 1

Part 2

Better to hear Compton's inimitable voice on this, but here's the list of songs mixed into the collage (alas, missing from the airchecks):
The Incredible String Band - A Very Cellular Song
Turley Richards - I Heard The Voice Of Jesus
The Edwin Hawkins Singers - Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord/Oh Happy Day
Leon Russell - The Prince of Peace
Original Cast - Main Theme from Jesus Christ, Superstar
Phil Ochs - The Crucifixion
The Incredible String Band - The Greatest Friend I Have In Life
James Taylor - Lo And Behold
John Stewart - I Do Believe I'd Have Been A Friend Of Jesus In His Time
Johnny Rivers - Jesus Is A Soul Man
Johnny Cash - Jesus Was A Carpenter
Simon & Garfunkel - 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night
Melanie - Merry Christmas
Handel's Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus

Wallace Lives!

I'm so sorry to hear about Bob Gately's loss. What a character, what a life!

Anybody who has been around Phoenix long enough to remember KCAC will certainly remember Wallace & Ladmo as well. Ladmo has moved on to that great comedy gig in the sky, but Wallace is still very much with us. He will be making a rare public appearance (possibly his last) at a special tribute at the Tempe History Museum, southwest corner of Rural and Southern, next Saturday, August 7th, at 7 PM. Come on out and let's show our love for this man who has given us so many laughs, see clips of vintage episodes, and maybe even win a Ladmo bag! I'm attempting to add a link to the flyer for this event, but if it doesn't work just cut-and-paste this into your browser:
http://www.tempe.gov/museum/PDF%20files/EventFlyers/Wallace.pdf

Tom

Thank you, Marconi!

Besides showcasing the best album-oriented rock of the day, the early KDKB was also big on comedy, from the Firesign Theater and Cheech & Chong to Phoenix's own Love Workshop.
At some point in the week, the station also offered the National Lampoon Radio Hour, a launching pad for many who would later go on to write for or perform on Saturday Night Live, SCTV and other key comedy shows. For some reason, these programs have been hard to find on the Internet, but I recently came across a blog called Egg City Radio offering about 40 of the shows for downloading.
Here's my favorite: "The California Show," featuring the likes of John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Brian Doyle Murray, Joe Flaherty, Doug Kenney, Harold Ramis and more. From October 19, 1974. Enjoy!

Dance to the music!

’Nuff said.

You say it's your birthday?

"For about 30 seconds it seemed like Ringo Starr's 70th birthday concert at Radio City Music Hall earlier tonight was over," writes Rolling Stone reviewer Andy Greene. "Then, just as the house lights threatened to rise, a roadie brought out Paul McCartney's signature Hofner bass and the sell-out crowd went into absolute hysterics. When McCartney himself ran onstage and burst into (of course) the White Album's "Birthday," the screams reached a decibel level rarely heard since the Beatles stopped touring nearly 45 years ago."
Fortunately a fan with a cell phone camera captured the moment. Here 'tis:

Bob Gately RIP

I'm very sad to know that Bob died on June 9th after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer in January. I last talked with Bob early in the fall, he was a rare, genuine person who contributed a lot to our music culture in the 70's. I remember the Joplin concert he produced, among a host of other cool things.

He was at our KCAC Lives/Rebirth reunion at Alwun House in 2005 and was so psyched about it. He helped me contact a bunch of people for the event, both he and Ron Wortham were terrific cheerleaders (o: I have a collection of emails from Bob over the last five or six years...I will treasure them.

'God is Alive, Magic is Afoot' and there's a special place for space cowboys in the afterlife, whatever it may be! Peace, Bob. We'll miss you.
Mariah

The Winner

There's just something so cool about this Flickr post of Rick Unger, taken only last summer, declaring him the "Los Angeles Lebowski Fest champ." Epitomizing "The Dude" in L.A. must be recognized as no mean feat, given the competition that must surely exist in that town. I can hear Sam Elliot's opening narration on that movie:
"And even if he's a lazy man — and the Dude was certainly that. Quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide."
Imagine the guys who must show up in the L.A. contests for that loopy international fan fest, doing their best to embody Jeff Bridge's most beloved laid-back slacker.
"But sometimes there's a man. Sometimes there's a man who, well, he's the man for his time 'n place. He fits right in there."
I don't know about you, but I take comfort in knowin' Rick Unger lived up to the end as the embodiment of that laid-back ideal. I understand this was actually his third time winning it.
His prize for winning the 2009 L.A. Lebowski Fest? "An oriental rug," the caption reads. "Naturally."
Say friend, ya got any more a that good sarsaparilla?

Blackbird Singing

Listening to the entire Paul McCartney concert at Glendale's arena, recorded just a little over a month ago, on March 28, 2010.
If you didn't get to go (who could afford the tickets?), and don't mind stepping over to the Internet's dark side to download the torrent from a peer-to-peer site (**cough**, demonoid.com, thepiratebay.org, **cough**), it's worth the time and effort.
The entire audio of the concert is being distributed online now (a video culled from YouTube clips is also floating around, I'm told), and dang, if the old guy didn't deliver nearly three hours of incredible performances. The middle section, where he gives props to his Bach jams with George as the inspiration for "Blackbird," delivers his Lennon tribute, "Here Today," as atonement for his famous "it's a drag" comment (how many of us can now relate to saying a lame thing after a friend's death?), and then effortlessly dives into the 2000's with his iTunes hit, "Dance Tonight," is brilliant in its cohesion. A few songs later, he plays "Something" on the ukelele gifted him by Harrison — and the audience beautifully sings along.
I regretted missing the concert because, who knows if McCartney will do another one? He is choosing songs, recasting arrangements and adding personal dialog between songs in a way that could be purposely sealing his legacy.
On the other hand, he just sounds so good (his voice only falters once, on "My Love" — who can fault him for choking on his greatest Linda love song, after his disastrous last marriage?) that it's easy to imagine him going on another decade or two.
Eclectic song list, too (click on the above pic to read it). Why is he doing "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" in 2010? But man, I forgot how cool that piano riff is. Go Paul.