KFJC lobby (Photo: J. Waits)
I’ve been a DJ and volunteer at Foothill College radio station KFJC-FM for nearly 15 years now and one of my favorite times of year at the station is the Month of Mayhem.
During the month of May, DJs prepare in-depth specials that delve into a variety of mostly music-related topics. There are always specials devoted to individual artists and there are often specials focused on record labels, instruments, music genres, producers, and lyrical themes. In recent years there have also been numerous 24 hour specials, in which one topic or artist is explored for 24 hours straight. As I write this, KFJC is 12 hours in to a 26-hour James Brown special (“Doing it to Death”).
This year there are more than 54 scheduled specials so far, as well as some live performances and events. Here’s a run-down of a selection of specials that I’m looking forward to:
May 6 from 10pm-2am: “Australian Punkers ’73-’85”
May 8 from 10pm-2am: “8 on 8” (4 hours of music on 8-track)
May 9 from 1pm to 7pm: “Ascension Day” (John Coltrane’s Ascension and modern versions of that piece. Here’s a nice write-up about the special).
May 9 from 10pm to 2am: “Scientology Remix Project” (live collage mix)
May 14 from 10am to 2pm: “Mississippi Mud Jam” (focus on Mississippi Records label)
May 16 from 10pm to 2am: “Ladies First” (delving into the work of female rap artists)
May 18 from 1pm to 5pm: “KFJC’s 6th Battle of the Surf Bands” (16 surf bands perform at the Surf Spot in Pacifica. The show will be broadcast live over KFJC)
May 20 from 2pm to 6pm: “The 78 Survey” (78rpm records)
May 20 from 7pm to 10pm: “Tales of the 8-Second Orchestra: The Mellotron Special, Park 10”
May 29 from 10am to 2pm: “M is for Mystery” (classic dramatized radio mysteries)
See the complete Mayhem schedule on the KFJC website.
