What’s the Frequency, West Ashley?

Walk into the offices of 827 in West Ashley’s Avondale district and you might find yourself suddenly with a cup of excellent pour-over coffee in one hand and a microphone in the other. Because if there’s anything that the enigmatic hosts of Kinetic Wi-Fi’s daytime show Hurricane Zoo love, it’s shaking up the status quo.
Founded in 2011 by Brad Cooper and Boyd Stough, Kinetic Wi-Fi is an independent radio station riding the growing wave of imbalance between terrestrial, satellite and online radio. While terrestrial radio has evolved to a hybrid of pre-recorded clips and 24/7 music, online radio is still trying to find its feet in a sea of listeners with thousands of options. And what makes Kinetic Wi-Fi stand out is what it’s not. It’s not designed for zoning out and singing along to the chorus. It’s meant to engage, discuss, and be heard.
The Hurricane Zoo program is live every weekday from 10 to 12 noon and features radio hosts Bolt Action and Star Girl. Guests drop by with and without warning and jump into the flow of discussion, which doesn’t faze the well-oiled machine that is the Hurricane Zoo duo. In fact, that’s why they named the radio program “Hurricane Zoo.”
Before guests even pop onto the air, Star Girl gives a quick synopsis of their likes, dislikes, peculiarities and cosmic influences according to their birth date and star sign. It’s part of her vibrant on-air personality. She’s quick to pick up on people’s obvious and not-so-obvious characteristics and she knows Astrology better than Nostradamus.
Bolt Action, on the other hand, is chill and laid back with a razor sharp wit and fascinating personal history. Looking at him, you wouldn’t think that the man with the tousled, shoulder-length brown hair and vintage Civil War moustache and goatee was a stockbroker for years, but it was just one of the topics that came up during an on-air discussion. The topic? Whether it’s better to be happy as an artist and die penniless but be famous post-mortem, or to do a little art and keep a full time, soul-sucking job. Bolt, as he pointed out, went with the former, though he’s not so sure if he’ll attain the after-death celebrity status.
Guests during this particular day on-air included John Totaro, who dropped by to talk about his new Sunday night local music radio show “Artist Dealings,” and local Charleston cover band Dan’s Tramp Stamp & The Money Bags.
Totaro, a former radio host known for his work on New York’s Rawk Talk, launched his new show this past Sunday and can be heard every Sunday on Kinetic Wi-Fi from 9 p.m. to midnight interviewing local bands and discussing the Charleston music scene.
“I’m really excited about this new format,” says Totaro about returning to radio hosting online. “It’s a great opportunity to talk about the music scene around Charleston. Sometimes all a band needs is that one break, someone mentioning them and others hearing about them, that makes them.”
Hurricane Zoo and Artist Dealings are just some of the fascinating shows broadcasting on Kinetic Wi-Fi. You can listen live instantly by visiting their website www.kinetichifi.com. Shows as well as times are also listed, along with the call-in number if you’re interested in joining in the discussion.
Thanks to Cooper and Stough, Charleston is gaining an online voice for everything unique about this talented and artistic community. Hopefully the already growing listenership is just a sign of great things to come.