By Brenton Crozier
The term acoustic music covers an enormous spectrum that houses myriad genres, performers and transformations. Modern day acoustic artists often hearken back to classic American folk, country and blues performers. From the novelty aspect of MTV’s Unplugged and the more studious and often artful Austin City Limits to the alt country (alternative country) craze that has made bands like Wilco a staple in Volkswagen commercials, acoustic music may not be experiencing a reemergence per se, because it never went away, but rather a more contemporary declaration.
String Theory is a new program hosted by John Maycumber on WJCT’s HD station. John was hosting a show on an AM station that was on its last legs, so he contacted WJCT’s General Manager Tom Patton with his idea of promoting the technology by offering a new show that could only be listened to in HD format. He was further inspired by the uniqueness and popularity of Electro Lounge, a WJCT program that features nu jazz, reggae and dub. John told me that he was “Hoping to do something like that, but with acoustic music.”
Although I enjoy quite a bit of acoustic music, I usually listen to it only when the mood hits me. I have been predisposed to giving acoustic music as a whole a stagnant label and my initial reaction to the idea of absorbing an hour long program of all acoustic music was a vision of boredom. I received a recording of both the inaugural and second broadcast of String Theory and it has not left my car’s factory stereo system since. John injects the occasional monologue that is surprisingly engaging and interesting between blocks of five to ten songs. The show covers the wide span of American acoustic offerings from popular artists like Alison Krauss to the more obscure alternative or indie country performers like the Mountain Goats.
One of John’s hopes with the show was to show that acoustic music “comes in many flavors.” He succeeded. And more importantly from the standpoint of building a strong listening base, the show is incredibly congruous despite the diversity of genres. The cornerstone of the show is modern folk, but John also features acoustic rock, acoustic soul, alternative country, Americana and even some Zydeco. Music fans of many stripes will find String Theory appealing on a number of levels. It is refreshing because the music is the star, and it is obvious that John has a passion for the substance that makes up the show.
This program transcends the atypical vision of a coffeehouse open mic night in both quality and variety. Going beyond the songwriter and their trusty guitar, it features the artists that have furthered the art and production of acoustic music. It is by no means a dismissal of the performers and songwriters of yesteryear, but instead presents what has been built out of what they started.
John put it more eloquently saying, “Today’s acoustic music is rooted deeply in the rich soil of America’s traditional folk styles, including such pure genres as blues and bluegrass, but also country and R&B. It is the raw materials from which pretty much all styles of American music that have ever existed were constructed from, as well as all those styles yet to come.”
With his more minimalist approach, John allows you to explore for yourself and let the music do most of the talking. DJs take notice—people want to hear the music!
NPR in itself is a media alternative and generally offers first-rate programming that is almost always well-written, cleverly presented and built around news, social events, cultural interests and thought-provoking stories. Like anything else, it has the occasional tendency to become derivative of itself and come across a little on the stale side. String Theory is a perfect NPR addition, it provides a breath of fresh air for the station much like Electro Lounge does. It also packs the potential to appeal to a more expansive listening base. Be sure to tune in to the high-quality sound of WJCT’s HD format on Saturday night and listen to String Theory. Finally, a music program wholly about just that—the music.
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