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10 Questions with ... Brian Burns
May 20, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. We've been out and about in the community a lot lately. Both at big music festivals like Hopscotch, where we sponsored a free day party that featured Wild Child, Israel Nash, Phil Cook, and a few others, and at club shows. Last week we presented Strand of Oaks and Tyler Ramsey in Durham. We'll be presenting a lot more shows at venues like the legendary Cat's Cradle in Carrboro very soon
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1. How did you become interested in radio?
I've been an avid radio supporter since before I knew it. Music has always been very special to me and my earliest memories are of driving around with my parents listening to the oldies station and singing along to the Beach Boys and Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs. In middle school my best friend and I would stay up until 2 am listening to 99X in Atlanta ... calling in requests and hoping they'd get played. Also, when I was growing up, my grandparents lived outside of Nashville and I learned what a big deal the Grand Ole Opry is and was. That's an institution that I've always been fascinated by. I've also been a longtime fan of stations like WFMU that are listener supported and offer an incredible variety of programming. I started listening to WUNC and WXYC when I was in college and have been hooked since.
2. How did the music side of WUNC come about?
WUNC Music launched about two and a half years ago with the goal of engaging and promoting our thriving local music scene. It had been a long-time desire for WUNC to launch a music station that appeals to the same audience as WUNC, which is an NPR news affiliate. I had just finished earning my Master's degree in Library Science at UNC and saw the job listing for 'music librarian.' I knew it would be the perfect job for me, so I applied and luckily for me it worked out.
3. How would you describe the music on the station?
We're a Triple A station that tends to put the spotlight on artists from our area, both the smaller up-and-coming artists and big names like Sylvan Esso, Mandolin Orange, and Superchunk. We play all kinds of music - indie rock, Americana, soul, hip hop, folk.
4. What new acts are you most excited about?
My favorite albums of the year so far are probably the ones from Yola, Dee Clark, and Durand Jones & The Indications. Also excited to hear more new music soon from Jake Xerxes Fussell, Tank & The Bangas, Aldous Harding, Lizzo ...
5. How do you stay in tune with your audience?
We've been out and about in the community a lot lately. Both at big music festivals like Hopscotch, where we sponsored a free day party that featured Wild Child, Israel Nash, Phil Cook, and a few others, and at club shows. Last week we presented Strand of Oaks and Tyler Ramsey in Durham. We'll be presenting a lot more shows at venues like the legendary Cat's Cradle in Carrboro very soon.
6. Tell us about the Chapel Hill market.
It's a fantastic place to live that has been in desperate need of a Triple A station for a long time now. We've got major universities like UNC, NC Central, Duke, NC State, plus several other colleges. Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill are all really close and have their own unique vibe. There's a lot going on here.
7. You recently teamed up with VuHaus. Tell us about that.
Yeah! That's a brand-new adventure for us. We're still in the very early stages but we look forward to creating video content of local artists and national artists that are passing through town. Our main goal is to give people an idea of all that's going on here when they visit our city page on the VuHaus site.
8. What video facilities can you avail at the University of North Carolina?
Currently we've got a small studio set up for bands to play in. Like I said, it's still early, but we've had singer/songwriters, a garage rock band and an organ trio in there. I was worried it wouldn't be big enough but we're making it work! We're also keeping other spaces in mind that might be good to film in in the future.
9. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I'm hoping in five years the station will still be growing both in listeners and staff. I'd love for us to have more personalities, a wider variety of programming, and doing even more out in the community.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ...
-- coffee!
Bonus Questions
Last non-industry job:
I worked in record stores for about 11 years. CD Alley in Chapel Hill for about 10 and then spent some time at Carolina Soul in Durham. I also did a brief internship at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville.
First record ever purchased:
The Monkees Pool It
First concert:
I seriously don't remember, and I struggle with this all the time. It was either R.E.M. on the Monster tour or Lollapalooza '95.
Favorite band of all-time:
That changes every decade or so but right now I'll go with Grateful Dead ... sigh.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?
I'm a record collector and DJ around town a lot. I have regular gigs where I spin country and soul/R&B 45s. I also love going on hikes and travelling with my wife.
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