"Oh yeah, that's what it's all about alright, but saying it and doing it are two different things!"
If you landed here by accident then you probably need to go get a cup of coffee, because the "About Us" page is a bit of a story.
Our reputation at Americana Media Production is we aren't afraid to go the distance for our clients. We have fought to level the playing field for the independent artist and continue to work everyday to keep this the format real.
Our commitment and passion for this music is unmatched by any of our competition.
I started on radio in 1996 on a station in NJ called WDVR. When I started I had a show called "The Sunday Night Revival" and got permission to create a two hour show called "HepCats and Neon Armadillos" playing something called "Americana Music", which grew to a 3 hour show. I was chairman of the Programming Department and during my stay we at the station we added just about 108 hours a week of Traditional Country, Bluegrass and Americana music. The annual budget also grew from $20K to almost $200K. After 9/11 the company I worked for disappeared, literately so I decided that after having over 75 artists stop by to stay in my home over the previous 6 years, all of which were broke, I decided to help.
While there I had the pleasure of bringing on to the staff, some important names in Americana music. "Big Kev" Ploghoft, R W Shamy (Twangcast) , Rich Evans (Bluegrass DJ) "Torchie Blaine" , Russ Hunsberger, 'Mr.Ed" Kilker and discovering some incredibly talented artists including Moot Davis.
Partner in "The Alternate Root TV "- A web based video TV channel, featuring Roots Americana Music videos and interviews, currently developing a weekly show for 64 Cable Access channels nationally.
We have had 20 Top 10 CDs and 7 Top 5.
First Self-Released CD in Top 10 -- With a modest budget, Big John Mills' "Honky Tonks and Neon Lights" was the first self-released CD to appear in the Top 10. It was also Most Added for six weeks.
First Indie Artist CD in Top 5-- Tom Gillam started on Haydens Ferry and we got him signed to 95 North Records when he reached # 11 in 5 weeks He stayed in the top 10 for 10 weeks. The only Indie artist to have enough spins to make the AMA Top 20 Was nominated for "Emerging Artist of the Year 2005"
Client List: One Riot One Ranger, Kerri Powers,Kimmie Rhodes, Chuck Pyle, Billy Don Burns, Kenny Butterill, Clay DuBose, Big John Mills, Big Al Downing, Randy Weeks,Scott Gibson,Dave Isaacs,Tim Krekle, I Mihana,Kaz Murphy, Penny Jo Pullus, Rock House Ramblers, The Piners, Ben Winship, The Coming Grass, Dan Israel, Kevin Deal, Audrey Auld, Bill Chambers, The Mickeys, The McKay Brothers, Chip Taylor, Jay Ryan, American Ambulance, Russell Ray, Wayne Hancock, Karl Shiflett, Moot Davis, Anthony Michael James, Tom Roznowski Cactus Hunters, Kate James and Lost Country, Randy Thompson, Billy Lee Riley, Moot Davis, Woodys, Dale Keys, Troy McManus, Wade Jacoby, Randy Thompson, Matt Angus, Andy Tanas, The Lees, Rosie Flores, Stan Swiniarski, The Swindles, The Carburetors Bob Cheevers, Todd Fritsch, James Lann, Keith Sykes, The Believers, The Melroys, Todd Thibaud, Sidewinders, Clay DuBose, Frank Brown, Jeff Talmadge, Lori Willcuts, Doc Marshals, Tom Gillam, The Woodys, John Coinmen, Alistair Moock, Kim Carnes, Buck Jones, Claude Diamond, Lisa Best. Trailer Park Troubadours, Antsy McClain, Milroys, Jen Cass, Hunger Mountain Boys, Michael ONeill, Fred Eaglesmith, Darcy Lynne Ward, Brad Colerick, Lisa Hayes, Doug & Telisha Williams, Doug Spartz, Jonathan Edwards, Danny Santos, Dave Insley, Patricia Vonne, Iris Dement, Jeff Walburn, Bill Toms, Steve Goodman, Butch Hancock, Yarn, Roger Salloom, Kendel Carson, Carrie Rodriguez, John Platania, Tim Scott, The Mystix, Sara Cox, Tres Womack, Bill Kelly, Megan Munroe, Digney Fignus, Mitch Webb, Christopher Denny, A.J. Downing, Natasha James, Girls Guns and Glory,Victor Camozzi, Brian Ashley Jones, Lynne Hanson,Glenna Bell, Chris Loid, T G Sheppard, Jon Jackson, Winifred Adams, Bryan Clark, Dan May, Israel Nash Gripka, Honey Don't, Grant Peeples, Dan Reed, T Edwin Doss, The Boxmasters, Full Moon Revue, Desoto Rust. Jim Keaveny, Bruce Coburn, Danny Barnes, The Mississippi Sheiks Tribute, Cam Penner, Darryl Lee Rush, Harpeth Rising, Rob Lytle, Pure Grain,YARN, Brian Molnar, Chief Greenbud, Stan Martin, Lisa Biales, Jo Wymer, Omar and The Howlers, Buford Pope, Billy Don Burns, James Hand, Chris Daniels and the Kings.
View full sizePhoto Courtesy of Fred BoenigPhoto Courtesy of Fred Boenig. Fred Boenig shares a photo of his son, Airman First Class Austin Harper Gates Benson, being transported home at Dover Airforce Base.
Fred Boenig, also known by his radio name DJ Chance Austin, experienced every parent's worst nightmare in May 2010.
Military cars pulled up to his house and informed him that his 19-year-old son, Airman 1st Class Austin Harper Gates Benson, 19, of Hellertown, had died in Torkham, Khyber, Afghanistan.
Benson was a 2008 graduate of Saucon Valley High School where he was voted "Most Likely to Change the World" by peers, according to his father.
Boenig would soon find out that his son wasn't killed in combat, but from a self-inflicted gunshot.
"That's when the carnival ride starts," Boenig says of the emotions and chain of events that started after hearing the news.
The next morning, he didn't know where to land or how to go on, so he did the only thing he knew to do. He went on the air and did his morning radio show as usual.
"The Last Chance Medicine Show" still went on as it does every Monday through Wednesday and Saturday morning from 6 to 10 o'clock on WLVR, the Community Public Radio station at Lehigh University in Bethlehem. The show is a mixture of Americana rock and whatever else Boenig feels in the mood to play, sometimes including selections by Matthew Sweet and even Marilyn Monroe.
Boenig freely voices his knowledge and opinions on social and political topics that can range from light-hearted to serious.
View full sizePhoto Courtesy of Fred Boenig Fred Boenig or DJ Chance Austin, dedicates a portion of his radio program "The Last Chance Medicine Show" to reading the names of war casualties.
One morning, not long after his son had passed, while researching news to be read on his show, he came across the daily casualty report from the Department of Defense. He decided to read the names on the air.
He says his supervisor agreed to let him do it as long as he did so in a professional way.
The roll call begins at 7 a.m. sharp each day DJ Chance Austin is on the air, with a cadence. He reads the names over a music bed of "Amazing Grace." After the names are read, he plays taps.
He says the names were difficult to read at first, and sometimes he couldn't make it through without crying. He says it has gotten easier, but there are times he does get tripped up, especially when he comes across a soldier whose cause of death is noted as noncombat related.
Boenig is also involved with programs that address post traumatic stress disorder in soldiers once they return from combat.
He is helping to promote a concert with musician JD Malone and the Experts at Veterans Sanctuary in Allentown, a facility offering specialized care to soldiers. The show is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) and is open to the public. The performance is free, but donations are encouraged.
Boenig, currently living in Emmaus, continues to advocate for soldiers and veterans while staying informed of war events. He reaches out to other parents and people in the military that have to deal with casualties and deaths of people in the armed services.
While Boenig doesn't know whether or not reading the names every day is helping with his personal healing process, he wants to help other families and possibly prevent one more person from suffering. He feels very strongly about the young people that are being killed and injured at such a young age.