Fans of local musician Jon Reid’s popular Sunday night Internet radio show “Race to the Bottom” on ashevillefm.org got some face time with the host as well as some of WNC’s rising stars on the music and comedy scene Sunday night when the program aired live from BoBo Gallery.
The $10 event was a fundraising effort for the online-only radio station and its push to someday get space on the actual radio dial. But it was also a chance for Reid and his friends to share the weekly show with a live audience.
Unofficial “Race to the Bottom” house band Mad Tea Party opened the show the way Reid does each week by playing the titular theme song and was soon followed by Reid commenting on the volatile local political scene and the follies of Herman Caine and Newt Gingrich’s respective potential presidential candidacies.
The pixie-ish Angi West then treated the packed house to a wistful song on her banjo and was followed by a solid set of comedic musings by standup Art Sturdevant and an appropriately rustic and twangy song by guitarist Moses Atwood.
After a 10-minute break, Reid returned to welcome Stephanie Morgan of Stephanie’s Id for a song on the omnichord. There was also a no-holds-barred set of giggles from comedian Tom Scheve, a set that encompassed everything from the merits of being a stay-at-home dad to his particular take on animal husbandry. As the two-hour broadcast was not under the domain of the FCC, Scheve was able to delight the crowd with his explicit descriptions of erotic hog wrestling and alleged marijuana use.
Following a rare solo performance by Seth Kauffman of the band Floating Action, Reid thanked his guests, the crowd in attendance and the online audience for their support of Asheville’s independent and (right now) online only radio show before DJ Par and Michael Libramento rocked an exclusive afterparty all along Lexington Avenue.
To hear what you missed, visit www.ashevillefm.org/race-to-the-bottom to stream an online rebroadcast of the show.
-By White Lightnin’