June 2019 Static Live Magazine

By C. August Wenger
Over 53 years of viewing, photographing
and surfing waves in exotic locations all over
the world enables Kem McNair to capture the
majestic beauty of ocean environments. From
his paintbrush flows an endless stream of
ethereal waves, foaming surf, whispering palms
and serene beaches that captivate viewers with
nature’s magical meeting of land and sea.
KEM McNAIR
Ok, so your band got a write up in the local music
magazine, you picked up 20 copies and gave them out
to friends and family, kept a couple for yourself and even
framed the article, it’s hanging on the wall of your band
room. You are pretty stoked and the pride of this moment
is so far unmatched. What could top that? Well, have you
heard your band on the radio?
There is nothing like announcing on social media, texting
everyone in your phone, “Hey my band is going to be
played on the radio sometime between 7 and 7:10 tonight,
tune in”! Now apart from your band being signed and
having 100K fans, the likeliness of this happening would
be slim if it were not for the local radio station that takes
it upon themselves to give back to their community of
listeners by periodically showcasing local original music.
Yes, internet radio, collage radio, and podcasts may play
unsigned or obscure music like yours, but their audience
can be very narrow, and you may not even have a college
radio station in your area.
To have your song played on a major station whose
listenership nightly is in the tens of thousands is a major
accomplishment for a local band and it gives you a feeling
like nothing else. Having your music heard by someone
from outside your market and being legitimized by being
broadcast on a major FM station is marketing at its best.
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One might think that every radio station must have local
original music as part of their programming, but it really
isn’t the case. It’s not that the idea is unappealing to a
station it’s just that the idea may not have been presented
to them. If your local radio station does not have a show
once a week supporting local original music, it’s time they
do and you might just have to be the person that helps
them see the value of such a program.
Do you have a friend with some recording software and a
nice microphone? Put together a 50 minute demo show,
put your favorite local band’s songs in the mix with a little
background and description of the bands and when they
might be playing an upcoming local show. Contact the
program director of your local radio station and offer to
him the idea, if they are receptive, offer them the demo.
The purveyors of rock ‘n roll on the airwaves have been
the perfect ambassador for local original music in a tourist
town like Daytona Beach. The locals come, driving on the
beach or hanging out on their hotel balconies, and they
are often tuned in to the local stations. That being said,
upon investigating, it appears Daytona Beach does not
currently have a radio station that is playing local original
music, as the previous DJ that was doing it just moved
north.
So, taking my own advice I have reached out to our current
rock n’ roll station and have proposed a weekly show
that offers up local music. After all it’s been a tradition of
local radio as far back as I can remember. I’ll be putting
together a demo and it might just be me you’ll hear rock
jocking this summer. Local Florida bands, hit me up @
caugustwenger@gmail.com and if I get the job I’ll be sure
to showcase your music on this all new Original Music
Manifesto radio show. I’ll have more details for you in an
upcoming article as this story and project develops.
Next month I’ll be talking about the role
of band photography and video and the
professional look a modern act has to
have to stand out in the industry. Until
then keep tuning in to local original music
on the airwaves, and once again, thank
you for reading.
Kem began painting surfboards in the mid ‘60s.
Since then, he has airbrushed and hand painted
over 10,000 surfboards and created thousands
of T-shirt designs and illustrations. His mediums
include Watercolor, Oils, Acrylics, Pen and Ink,
Gouache, Digital and Alcohol Inks. An impressive
list of clients includes Daytona International
Speedway, Ron Jon Surf Shop, 20th Century
Fox, Marvel Comics, Budweiser, Corona and
many other well known surf shops, restaurants
and events. In addition, his art is also popular with
private collectors. As a photographer he has been
published in Surfer Magazine, Surfing Magazine,
Eastern Surf Magazine and the Guiness Book of
World Records.
Kem McNair is represented by Bruce
McGaw Graphics in New York. He is also
a former East Coast Surfing Champion
and professional photographer, capturing
the famous Jumping Shark of New Smyrna
Beach that was seen worldwide and on 40
national TV shows; he is also a professional
musician and songwriter and an East Coast
Surfing Hall of Fame Nominee 2019.
Artist Statement:
I enjoy all kinds of creative endeavors. I’m
always looking for the next painting or cool
photo which could be used as a painting.
I love shooting nature and the ocean and
am always catching something weird or
wonderful at the beach or in the water.
I have been a digital artist since 1986
and painting nature media and shooting
photos way before that. I have been using
Photoshop for over 22 years. I was turned
on to it by a college professor and was
totally blown away. It’s a great tool for trying
out different compositions for paintings. I
accept commissions for larger paintings
and do quite a bit of graphics work when it’s
creative and not boring layout type work. I
can be contacted on Facebook and by email
kmcnair1@cfl.rr.com. See you at the beach!
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