When you’re looking for a way to forget your mundane Monday blues, you can always sit down to a nice slice of American Pie, dished up weekly by DJs Wayne Goins, Anthony Shelton and friends Karissa Mann and Bethany Brown. The appropriately titled show covers a wide spectrum of music genres, ranging from classic rock, Motown, rock ‘n’ roll, country, alternative, folk and blues.

Some people may refer to the American Pie radio show as a compilation of musical styles fit to satisfy the entertainment palates of even the most diverse crowds of music enthusiasts, but DJ Wayne Goins sees it a little differently.

“It’s like an iPod Shuffle with DJs,” said Goins. “You never know what you’re going to get.”

It’s that same spontaneity that has helped American Pie develop such a devoted fan base, but music isn’t just something these guys play on the radio – it’s something that they live.

“I listened to all types of music my whole life,” said Goins. “My parents were very indiscriminate listeners. I always loved hard rock, rock and roll and folk rock. I would listen to artists that I liked, and then I’d research their influences.”

Some might think of Goins and Shelton as modern-day Blues Brothers, on a mission to liberate music fans from the oppressive chains of radio classification and branding by playing the styles their fans love already and introducing them to new artists along the way.

“We try to stay away from the classifications,” Shelton explained. “The idea of American Pie is that you get a slice of everything. We like to play the stuff that doesn’t get played – that doesn’t get airtime.”

Both DJs have deep roots in music that go as far back as childhood, “I remember riding around with my parents in the backseat of the car, listening to the Eagles and the Commodores. I’d be engrossed. I heard music all the time growing up,” Shelton said. For both Shelton and Goins, this childhood infatuation with music developed into a full-fledged love affair that resulted in the creation of a love child named American Pie.

American Pie airs on the EDGE, ETSU’s Radio Alternative, on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to midnight. Students can listen by tuning in to campus Channels 11 and 13 or by visiting www.edgeradioalternative.com.

Author