05.23.12 » Vol. VII, Iss. 20

This week, U.N.C.L.E. Special Agent 0013, Dead Air Dave, checks out what's happening in his old Radio stomping grounds of California's San Joaquin Valley...

New Rock 104.1 has recently recruited the services of Fresno Bee Music Writer, Mike Oz, to host their new music show, Ozmosis. So, I felt compelled to corner him in a neighborhood taco shop in downtown and get the scoop. Plus, the food is really good there!

0013: Mike, how long have you been with KFRR/New Rock 104.1?

Oz: My show, Ozmosis, started at the end of January, so I'm very much a noob. It's something that had been in the talking stages for a couple of years, though. I had built a pretty good relationship with New Rock PD Jason Squires and had been a guest on the station a few times. We talked about doing something that was centered around Indie Rock sprinkled with local bands and touring acts who were coming through the Fresno area. That's pretty much what Ozmosis is all about. I have to thank Jason for taking a chance on me and giving my vision an opportunity.

0013: What blanket statement would you like to tell all the promo people who have been scratching at your door?!

Oz: Three things, I guess: (1) Don't get upset if I don't respond to you right away. I get a lot of email through my full-time gig at the newspaper, so I'm constantly playing email catch-up; (2) I'm always going to give love to our local scene. Sometimes that cuts into how many records I can play that the promo people are begging me to play—but that's just how it goes; (3) I want the show to be different than what's normally on the radio, and I want the show to be NEW. So, I'm going to be seeking out stuff and, of course, I welcome those cool submissions.

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0013: Before getting involved with the station, how have you had your finger on the pulse of music?

Oz: I've always been into music and always tried to be a tastemaker. I remember making crappy mixtapes for other kids in high school. In college, I did a Hip Hop show for a few years and was the music director for Hip Hop at our station, KSJS at San Jose State (I still love Hip Hop, BTW). Radio was never really my passion, though. I just liked to share good music with people and open up their ears. My main thing was journalism. Upon graduation, I got a job at "The Fresno Bee" newspaper covering music. Almost 10 years into that gig, it's evolved to include entertainment in general, writing a weekly pop culture column, blogging, etc. You can follow me on Twitter too: @mikeoz. As part of all that, I try to turn people on to new artists and make mixes. We've even co-hosted a couple of concerts. So Ozmosis seemed like a natural extension.

0013: I know you're quite entrenched in the local community, music scene and otherwise. What are you trying to stir up in the Fresno area?

Oz: I just want people in Fresno be a bit more adventurous. There's this misconception among locals that there's nothing to do around Fresno and it sucks here. But that's false. I dig Fresno. There's a lot of good here. And, I try to get people to explore and experience some of the great stuff in our community that might get overlooked. Same thing with music. I want to give people something different, expose them to what's out there that's interesting and perhaps off the beaten path. We also have hosted tweetups and shows, one of which was Foster the People in Visalia right before they blew up. Overall, if Ozmosis can help make Fresno people just a little bit cooler, I'm happy.

0013: Tell us about a few of your favorite local bands?

Oz: Four Fresno-area bands that all y'all out there in radio land should be checking out are: (1) Strange Vine: A Black Keys-ish rock duo; (2) Rademacher: The vets of our Indie scene; they split time between L.A. and Fresno; (3) Sahab: Indie/Electro singer who has both Hip Hop and worldly influences; and, (4) Poor Man's Poison: Bluegrass/Folk with a modern twist.

This week in the U.N.C.L.E. Photo Album, we're throwing in a shot of Mike Oz hosting the annual birthday party for their blog, fresnobeehive.com, at Fulton 55 in Fresno.

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Discover some new music with the FREE DOWNLOADS on the COMMUNIQUE page of this fine issue! And stay low, as this message self-destructs in three...two...one...!

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