'Live Wire' to kick off new season featuring northwest Ohio music
11/15/2012BOWLING GREEN -- The second season of The Live Wire TV show kicks off at 9 p.m. today with a free, all-ages performance by several regional acts. The concert at Clazel Theater, 127 N. Main St. in downtown Bowling Green, will feature Matt Donahue's MAD 45 music project, The Fight Within, The Late Great Lucian Townes, and the Flaming Hot Marbles, and will be taped to air at a later time on WBGU-TV.
Doors open at 8 p.m. with performances beginning at 9.
The Live Wire television series was developed by the students at WBGU-FM 88.1 along with Bowling Green State University Instructor of Telecommunications and faculty adviser to the college station Stephen Merrill as a way to showcase the rich musical culture in northwest Ohio.
"The Live Wire radio and TV show came around as an idea in December, 2011," Merrill wrote in an email interview. "We have a number of students interested in producing live music and we thought it would be cool to put together a show for TV and radio. We partnered with the Clazel Theater on several other shows, including a Reel Big Fish concert in 2011, and from that we saw great potential to present more live music in a nice hall like the Clazel, which has good sight lines and good enough lighting to shoot HD video. We've seen the success of programs like Austin City Limits on PBS and thought that we should provide a great showcase in the Midwest."
Live Wire is a volunteer production of the student radio station and is recorded live at the Clazel. Live Wire Season One took place during three nights in the spring semester, and is in the final stages of post production. It is scheduled to air in the near future on WBGU-TV. Season Two begins taping tonight, and continues with additional tapings on February 14 and March 21. Each evening features four different bands and will be featured in their own 30-minute special.
"I see Live Wire as an opportunity to inject additional excitement and live music performances into the nightlife in northwest Ohio," Merrill added. "I remember in the mid '90s and around 2001 there were a lot more bands playing actively in the area clubs. If we can put together a winning formula to bring people out to good shows and by showcasing it in mass media we can attract larger acts and grow the scene.
Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.