Psychedelic Jukebox, Baby!

Today’s post marks the first step into what I hope this blog will become – less the prattling of a middle-aged self-professed weirdo who spouts his mind and more an online meeting place devoted to garage rock, embracing both the longtime devotee and the curious newcomer. I can’t think of a better way to get this started than a feature story about a station and a man who’s already been doing exactly that for six years – and has been edumacating others and myself ever since.

Kevin Anthony is the force behind the online radio station Psychedelic Jukebox (http://www.psychedelicjukebox.com), a cyber-feast of ‘60s music, especially garage rock and especially especially obscure, hard to find stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day for decades.

“I try to mess with people’s heads as much as I can,” Anthony admitted. “I like to make them get up and have to look at the media player to see who’s playing.”

Listening to the station, you will hear all the requisite Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead and other staples of ‘60s rock. What’s even more worthwhile, though, are the multitudes of gems that Anthony has uncovered from bands well familiar to fans of first-wave garage -- such as the Chocolate Watchband, The Seeds and the Blues Magoos.

Most interesting of all are scores of bands so obscure they may be unknown to their own families. These bands hail from a variety of regions. You will be hard-pressed to find the Swamp Rats, or the Vejtables, or Nobody’s Children anywhere else, radio or otherwise. And you may not want to, but the point is Psychedelic Jukebox has them. Frequently, what these bands lacked in skills and notoriety was more than made up with emotion and teen angst, and thanks to Anthony, you get to decide whether they belong on the void or not.

Kevin Anthony

What also sets the station apart from most of its 40,000 or so internet radio brethren is a very professional presentation. In this humble blogger’s view, internet radio has not gotten its due props as a gateway to all kinds of great music that would otherwise be buried in unmarked graves. That said, often it sounds like little more than somebody’s ipod playlist.

Not so for Psychedelic Jukebox. Inspired by his memories of listening to radio growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Anthony has done a masterful job re-creating what rock radio was like in his own formative years. Besides its astounding variety of music, there are loads of little extras, such as advertisements and even radio spots for concerts that will send garage rock fans looking for genie bottles.

“When I was growing up, I was never without a radio,” recalled Anthony, a native New Yorker now making his home in the Raleigh, North Carolina area. “I had radios everywhere and I also had four AM stations to listen to. I really enjoyed the particular way I heard my favorite songs, my favorite DJs and all the sweepers. That always stayed with me, and being a perfectionist, that’s how I wanted my station to be.”

“Not many people stare at the speakers when they listen, like I do, but even passive listening requires some level of professionalism. I do try to make it sound like terrestrial radio.”

The real draw, though, remains the music, mostly from bands who were barely a threat to appear on local radio, let alone any national charts. Tuesdays are the must-listen days, when Anthony plays exclusively American garage rock bands. Freakbeat, garage’s occasionally more refined British cousin, rule on Fridays. Anthony also features generous helpings of psychedelia, surf, and on Sundays, folk and acoustic rock

In addition to a considerable collection of his own, Anthony has interacted with countless other garage rock devotees to amass some truly amazing playlists.

“You can use whatever term you want to use to describe me,” explained Anthony with a laugh, “anal retentive, obsessive compulsive whatever, but I scour the internet for music. A lot of what I play comes from my personal collection, but there are a lot of people who have gone way beyond where I have, finding and digitizing these gems. A lot of this is stuff you won’t find in any record store. The station is the only place to find some of it.”

While the ‘60s dominate Psychedelic Jukebox, Anthony hasn’t slammed the door on newer, younger acts. A smattering of new bands have also found a place on the playlists.

“I try not to alienate my ‘60s audience,” said Anthony, “but I also like to feature artists who are influenced by that ‘60s vibe. I don’t even look for new music, but I get emails from 18 year-olds who are musicians themselves. They are often influenced by the Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd or other groups from that era. They ask me to listen to their music, and some of it is just unbelievable.”

Despite its polished sound, Psychedelic Jukebox is still mostly a hobby, from which Anthony says he makes no money. So what is it that motivates Anthony to spend so much time offering this music?

“There are so many internet stations. You can go anywhere and hear anything at any time,” admits Anthony. “But the best part is when I interact with the people who remember this music. Sometimes they get very emotional. The music is a powerful trigger to the days when they listened to this music. That’s the big reward for me.”

While Anthony has one foot firmly stuck in the ‘60s, his other one is totally today. You can check him out on social media at twitter (Kevin Anthony @PsychJukebox)  and on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/PsychedelicJukeboxcom/132854042257.