1998 Dallas Observer Music Awards Nominees

Not that anyone would mistake "The Adventure Club" as serious professional broadcasting. Still basically a college radio program on a (somewhat) bigger, (somewhat) real station, "The Adventure Club," as presided over by Josh Venable, is exactly what every college radio DJ thinks a real job in radio will be. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays, Venable plays host to shoegazers, noisemakers, locals, and Morrissey. We can't say with any good sense that the show isn't as exciting since co-host Keven McAlester headed West to write for New Times Los Angeles, our sister paper. But the program still feels most right when Venable has someone to talk with, be it a local musician dropping by or an off-mike co-worker.

Just feeling right is what Lone Star Radio is all about. Though the KKZN-FM (93.3) program listed on the ballot is "Texas Music Show," Abby Goldstein's Sunday night "Lone Star Radio" (8-10 p.m.) is the Texas music show of record. Goldstein's program is not always pure, 100 percent Texas-grown, but Goldstein's show melds perfectly with the Zone's something-old-something-new-etc. programming objective. Meaning: You get Stevie Ray Vaughan, Undulating Band, Neil Young, and even more Stevie Ray Vaughan--or, on a good night, you might get a nice chat or studio set from an Abra Moore or a Josh Alan. Most importantly, Goldstein isn't afraid to whip out a CD no one's ever heard before, secure in the notion that if she likes it, others will too.

To a lesser degree, this principle is applied on Dallas' big rock stations as well. Point-men Buddy Wiley of KTXQ-FM (102.1) and Chris Ryan of KEGL-FM (97.1) are genuine backers and friends of local bands. While locals still have to catch the finicky Redbeard's ear to land any sort of serious rotation on Q102, Texas Tapes has long been local rockers' chance to hock their wares for a few minutes every weekday night at 9 p.m. And Ryan's The Local Show (Sundays, 9-10 p.m) consistently goes the extra mile by not only playing popular local acts that safely fit into The Eagle's testosterone-bubbling niche (Doosu, Caulk, Pimpadelic, Ugly Mus-tard), but booking acts that could simply use a little free exposure into the live gig that follows the radio program.

In the end, playing local music, advertising local music, and begging you to come out and see local music is all you can expect from radio. It's by far more than most local bands deserve. If you don't listen to these programs and then go out and support the acts you like, it's not radio that sucks. It's you.

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