Picture: Josh Meadows
Show: It’s a Jangle Out There, Thursdays 5-7pm
I opened the Castlemaine Mail one day in January 2013 and read a story about Martin Myles, the newly-appointed station manager of what was then called WMA FM. Myles was putting out the call for fresh new shows for Castlemaine’s community radio station. I put my hand up. I was offered the 5–7pm slot on Thursdays. I started, broadcasting from the studios at the old Castlemaine Gaol, on 23 January 2013 and have held down the same timeslot ever since. (I keep expecting someone to tell me my time is up!)
As a teenager growing up in the Dandenong Ranges I used to do a community radio show with my brother. I also spent a lot of time – perhaps more time than I spent in classes – at RMIT’s student radio station when I was studying journalism. I’ve lived in Castlemaine since 2009. My band The Steinbecks once released a single, ‘I, radio’, in praise of the joys and magic of radio.
I call my show It’s a Jangle Out There. I play new and old, local and global, jangly guitar pop. When I say jangly, I’m talking about the chiming sound of electric guitar notes. Think the start of ‘Ticket to ride’ by The Beatles. Or Johnny Marr’s parts in The Smiths’ ‘This charming man’. But the great thing is, it’s not just bands from the ’60s and the ’80s. There are tons of ace groups creating glorious spangly gems today. Bands like Redpencer, Apollo Ghosts, Heart Shaped, Milk Teddy, Freelove Fenner, Quivers and many more. Discovering spine-tingling new jangly songs – three-minute pop packages full of yearning and mystery – and sharing them with a small but enthusiastic audience, is what motivates me to keep turning up every Thursday arvo. The show had its 500th episode in March this year.
I’ve learned not to lose myself too much in the music while I’m presenting the show… because it’s too easy to forget what’s coming next! And I’ve learned that we live in a town full of so much talent and so many fascinating stories. And MainFM really does bring people together. The Main Game is one of my favourite annual events. I say that not because I was the captain of the winning team in the inaugural Main Game (which I was…), but because it’s so good to see people from across the community pulling on footy boots and having a fun, active, inclusive day out on Camp Reserve in the middle of winter.
Ah, I love so much about this station. I love the way Allie Hanly gives her guests space to explain how they became conscious of the climate/nature crisis and how their lives have changed as a result. I love the way Steve Norwood conveys his knowledge about Australian First Nations music so humbly and respectfully. I love Alex and Alex’s playful dynamic. I love the way Hayley West explores death and dying in such a frank yet gentle way. I love the way Adz and Macca take sport so seriously, but don’t take themselves seriously at all. I love Joel Pearson’s passion for electronic music and his growing skills as an interviewer. I love Paul J Laverty’s gorgeous accent. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I feel like community radio is a glue that sticks the community together. This was especially evident during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. To me community radio means hearing real people talking about their passions and their pet hates. It means getting a different take on current affairs or sport or history than you’ll get elsewhere on the radio. It means hearing songs you won’t hear on commercial radio or the ABC and finding out about gigs, events, exhibitions and performances happening in our town.
I was presenting my show when floods hit Castlemaine last year. We’d had a huge amount of rain and the creeks were rising throughout the day on Thursday 13 October. Although my show is not about local news and events, I was made aware of the power and importance of radio, because listeners started texting in info about rising water levels, roads that were impassable and areas to avoid. I was able to share these alerts with MainFM’s listeners. (I realise ABC Central Vic is the official emergency broadcaster and has much greater resources and expertise to accurately and speedily inform the community during crises, but it was satisfying to see how MainFM could play a part too!)
Twitter has been really important for me to build up a modest but dedicated following for my (very particular!) little radio show. I have a website, www.jangleoutthere.wordpress.com, where I upload the playlist for every show and embed the Mixcloud file so people can listen back. Once I’ve uploaded the show, I tweet about it, making sure I @ every band I’ve played that has a Twitter handle. It has surprised me how many of those bands, which often have quite large followings, will retweet my tweet. Some of the followers of those bands listen to the Mixcloud recording of my show. Some even become regular listeners, tuning in from places like California, Madrid and Wales! (I don’t know anything about Instagram or Facebook, but I imagine the same sort of thing could work on those platforms.)
Love your work, Josh! And thanks for the kind words!