KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening, Los Angeles

Yahoo! LAUNCH - Concert Review: KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening, Los Angeles: "By Lyndsey Parker

In an era far removed from the days of tastemaking, trendsetting disc jockeys like Alan Freed, when radio DJs are nothing more than babbling puppets and official station playlists are limited to about 10 overplayed hit songs, Los Angeles's KCRW 89.9FM, the biggest public radio station in the U.S., is a true godsend for diehard music fans. Playing a dizzyingly diverse mix of everything from trip-hop to hot jazz and introducing artists like Coldplay and David Gray to national audiences (via streaming Internet broadcasts) months or even years before bigger stations and MTV jumped on board, KCRW is one of the few stations left in America that seems driven by artistic rather than commercial concerns. Hence, the need for a fundraiser, of course. So, on November 9, KCRW took over L.A.'s posh art deco Wiltern Theatre with 'A Sounds Eclectic Evening,' its first benefit concert. And local music lovers (including a few celebrities, like Meg Ryan, Tracey Ullman, Fiona Apple, Keri Russell, and Minnie Driver) showed up in droves to support this worthy cause--after all, God forbid KCRW go off the air and they be forced to start listening to Howard Stern in the morning again."