CBGB Radio

CBGB wasn't just a club. Any punk rocker over 40 can rant about the clubs significance, BTU I mean that literally (not figuratively) was more than a music venue. It was also a record label. Then there was the CBGB Festival in 2012. There was a CBGB record store and cafe that they operated next door for years. In the late 1980s that record store was closed and replaced an art gallery/performance space named "CB's 313 Gallery." There was also CBGB Fashions, and I'd rather not get into that crappy airport restaurant thing... but point being there was more to it and one of those things was CBGB radio.

If you check their website now you will find the reference to radio missing. [HERE] But it really happened. This was once the link [HERE] It gives a very polite error message "The page you are requesting has been moved or is no longer available." The old URL www.cbgb.com/radio.htm now results in a similar 404 error.  CBGB Radio launched on the iheartradio platform in 2010. It was shut off quietly sometime before June of 2012. Here's a blurb from their website from 5 years ago.

"CBGB Radio captures the spirit and intensity of the legendary club formerly located at 315 Bowery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The station features music from the influential artists that performed at the venue, including Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, as well as new underground rock artists. Additionally, listeners will hear snippets of artist interviews and commentary from those who knew CBGB best."

Before the launch, in August of 2009, CBGBs used facebook to ask fans to help choose the playlist for CBGB Radio. The Wayback machine backed up one copy of the page back in August of 2009 (above) and it tells us very little. The text reads as follows:

"CBGB is creating an online radio station and we want your help in selecting the play list. We don't care if a song tests well or was a hit, we just want great tracks. Songs can be the obvious or the unexpected, or some combination. Do a great a job and we might even feature your play list. If we do you'll get a free CBGB T shirt."

I actually have a free CBGBs T-shirt. I got mine as a promo from their record label.  but this all wasn't the first time the words "CBGB Radio" were uttered. Back in 1995 there was an hour-long program broadcast on weeknights at 11:00 PM on WKDM-AM.  The show was broadcast remotely form a DJ booth at that aforementioned CBGB pizza boutique at 315 Bowery. The playlist was a mix of classic punk, mid-90s alternative bands and random live recordings form the club. It was a weird fit for the station, even though the rest of the week was brokered time: mixed talk and ethnic programming. It was just another project in the quest to find other music for uplifting gormandizers