I Love Memphis

WEVL, photo by Sean Davis

There’s one radio station in Memphis where, depending on the time of day, you can hear Celtic music, indie rock, songs made in Memphis, metal, and something called hillbilly jazz.

WEVL (89.9 FM) is that station.

The tiny station to the extreme left of the FM dial is the city’s only volunteer radio station. There is a paid staff of three, but the majority of the work it takes to keep the station on the air is done by a cadre of volunteer DJs, programmers and fund-raisers. WEVL’s eclectic music mix comes from the DJs, who program their own shows. Anyone can volunteer to host a show (now’s a good time – the station has several time slots to fill).

I highly recommend Memphis Beat, hosted by Andrew (better known around town as DJ Buck Wilders). The show plays only Memphis music from the past and present from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. on Tuesdays. I’m also a big fan of Doug G.’s show, High Fidelity, which features modern indie rock favorites. Many of WEVL’s DJs post their playlists, so it’s easy to find out about that song you heard and loved, but couldn’t name.

WEVL is listener-supported, which means that it runs on donations from listeners during pledge drives and fund raising events. If you get the chance to go to a WEVL fund raiser show, I highly recommend it. They usually book some of the best bands in the city, and all of the money goes to keeping Memphis’s most unique station on the air.
Find WEVL on your dial at 89.9, or listen online.