I’d like to introduce you all to DJ and mom extraordinaire, Angie C. She’s a veteran on-air personality and is currently working at an Internet station called HoundsTooth Radio. Are you looking for an alternative to AM/FM radio or satellite? Well, read on and then sign on to HoundsToothRadio.com for some good tunage!
What’s it like being a DJ? And what’s your DJ history?
I started DJ’ing in college, although I guess technically you would refer to me as an on-air radio personality as I am rarely, if ever, found out in the clubs cutting and scratching. I originally went down to the college newspaper to sign up for an internship since I wanted to be a journalist. The girl behind the desk would not look up or notice I was in the office. About 10 minutes went by and she never even addressed that I was there. So I left and went across the hall and signed up at the radio station instead. Two weeks later I had my own show, and a month later I was the assistant program director. So I guess you would call that a “life changing moment”.
What has happened to radio?
I love being on the radio! The chance to share incredible music with others is one of the greatest joys of my life. Being able to tell a couple hundred thousand people every morning what I thought about last night’s episode of whatever TV show I’m currently obsessed with is another HUGE turn on!
I haven’t worked for a terrestrial station for over a year now. Most of those jobs have dried up as the landscape for traditional radio has changed. The major companies that own the majority of stations are hemorrhaging money and have flipped a ton of formats away from independent and alternative music. A lot of great radio personalities have been let go. It’s a very sad scene at the moment. I think radio will reinvent itself and rise from the ashes again for sure. Online stations like ours (HoundsTooth Radio) offer a commercial free alternative that’s FREE. Yup. Doesn’t cost a dime. And if you have a smart phone, you can stream us on it and plug that phone into your car stereo. So the “I can’t get online radio in my car” problem is solved. By the way, Internet availability in cars is not that far down the road.
Tell us about Houndstooth Radio. Where can it be heard? What is your time slot?
My dear friend and colleague Kurt St. Thomas started HoundsToothRadio.com out of his garage in January of 2009. It was right after we both were laid off, along with many others, during the demise of the legendary Indie 103.1 FM in LA. At first it was just something to keep our creative juices flowing. But it also had that “we can run a radio station better OURSELVES” thing happening as well. A year later the station is doing great! We are streaming thousands of hours a day and ave a steadily growing fan base of people from around the globe. You can hear me all over that station. From the production bits, to my daily arts & entertainment reports called ‘The C Spot w/Angie C’. Plus I have my regular show from 1 to 3pm PST Monday through Friday.
Is music important in your household? Do your kids play DJ?
My daughter loves music and plays DJ constantly. Right now she’s rocking some serious Gwen Stefani, Bow Wow Wow, and the soundtracks to the TV show GLEE.
Are you a blogger?
I am indeed a blogger. I have 2 right now, actually:
http://thecspot-angiec.blogspot.com/
You can hear all the latest C spots on the tumblr page.
What would you do without Twitter and Facebook? How would that affect your DJ persona?
If I didn’t have Twitter and Facebook, the idea of Angie the personality would kind of cease to exist. These new forms of social media have allowed me to stay somewhat relevant in the music community. I can market and promote the station as well as myself all from my laptop. I’d be lost without them.
What is your favorite 80’s movie? What is you current favorite song and/or group?
My favorite 80’s movie? That’s a toughie. Well, since we just replayed my John Hughes Tribute on Houndstooth I’d have to say 16 Candles is probably number one.
My favorite band of all time is another tricky question, but I usually answer Nirvana, because they were so influential on who I am today as a person (that’s a story for another day).
Right now Palmdale’s new EP ‘Get Wasted’ is in heavy rotation for me. Every song is a slam dunk. And I’m not just saying that because they’re friends of mine. Seriously, go buy it on iTunes. It’s the best 5 bucks you’ll spend all year. I promise.
Follow Angie C on Twitter.
