St. Louis’s indomitable home for independent, nonprofit radio has been KDHX for longer than plenty of its listeners have been alive. It took to the airwaves September 24, 1987.
Naturally, the station is throwing an all-day party on Saturday—exactly 30 years to the day after the station hit the airwaves. The festival takes over Grand Center Arts District on Saturday with great food, activities, and of course, music.
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“I would say the live music is probably going to be the best part,” KDHX chief engagement officer Allison Wilson says, not all that surprisingly. “We’ve just got a great lineup all the way around.”
Headlining the affair is Kevin Bowers’ Nova, a project that incorporates plenty of musicians about town.
“It’s very KDHX,” says Wilson. “We’re all about collaboration, and promotion and strengthening of the St. Louis music scene. We’re lucky to have such a deep bench of local players.”
Besides the jazz and rock and Brazilian and world that Kevin Bowers’ Nova brings, the slate includes a live on-air broadcast with Old Salt Union. Rev. Sekou & The Holy Ghost, Marquise Knox, Diesel Island, Whoa Thunder, The Vigilettes, and the St. Louis Steady Grinders round out the offerings on the two stages at Grand and Washington.
A sampling of KDHX DJs will also perform live sets: Orlandez of Night Grooves with Orlandez, Chris of The Future is Now, Ital K of Ital Rhythms, and DJ Iceman Furious Stylz of Deep Krate Radio.
Astonishingly, there have been six people along for the station’s entire three decades: DJs Art Dwyer, Ron Edwards, Tom “Papa” Ray, and Pablo Meshugi; and volunteers Chuck Lavazzi and Ed Vigil. All six will be honored at the party.
“That just shows the intense commitment that people who are engaged in KDHX have to the community and the music,” Wilson says. “That’s a lot of hours!”
Perennial Crafts will facilitate making upcycled musical instruments and Euclid Records will be selling on site. You can tie-dye and eyeball old KDHX archives, too. Surely this will work up an appetite, which is great because trucks from Bombay Food Junkies, Farmtruk, Juicemasters Fresh Juice & Smoothie Truck and Clementine’s Naughty & Nice Creamery will be there.
And after the whole affair, the Saint Boogie Brass Band plays Pied Piper, leading everyone on a parade to Midtown to continue the party at Urban Chestnut, where folks can continue imbibing the sponsoring suds.
KDHX is located at 3425 Washington in Grand Center. KDHXFest: 30th Birthday kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 14, and winds up at 6 p.m. For more information, go to the Facebook event page.
