"Hoot" 4-ever

As Rich Albertoni reports in the issue of Isthmus hitting the streets today, Madison radio hero Dr. Dave Zero is wrapping up the "Hootenanny," his long-running music show on the community radio station WORT 89.9 FM. Only a few broadcasts remain, and then Madison listeners will have to find a new weekly source of exciting rock 'n' roll, alt-country and everything else in local and national indie music.

Who am I kidding? Zero's irreplaceable, and I am forever in his debt for the many times he welcomed me on to the airwaves to shmooze and croon. For Madison musicians, doing real-live broadcast promotion has been as easy as calling Dave and asking, "Dave, can I be on the radio?" Every single time I asked -- a dozen? two dozen? -- the answer came back: "Sure." Whoever replaces Dave, I hope he or she is as committed to the local scene as our Dave.

But here's a nod to those who pine for podcasting on Back With Interest: a clip of the Junkers performing the classic Tex Ritter tune "High Noon" on Dr. Dave's "Hootenanny." That was back on Oct. 6, 2000. The inimitable Aaron Scholz engineered the session.