Not if WMIL 106.1 FM's“HomeMade Jams”is any indication.
Host Duncan MacManus has no troublefillinghis weekly, commercial-freehalf-hourSundays at 10p.m.with music fromthe city and the rest ofWisconsin.From that experience, he certainly doesn’t think the station's home base is toometropolitan to breed country talent.
"I think it would have been 20yearsago," MacManus says, before noting that the growth of the format since thelate-’80s rise ofgenre-expanding starssuch as Garth Brooks made a difference. "Certainly biopics such asWalk the Line help,too."
One might additionally make the casethat Milwaukee'sproximity to farmland just beyond the ’burbs helps to inspire country talent aswell.
Some big-city sophistication does,however,find itself amongMacManus’ mix. As for his own tastes in country,MacManussays,"Personally, my favorite isrockabilly and traditional. I like stuff that has alittlebit of an edge to it."
“Jams” accommodatesthatedge amid a wide array of country sounds.Agiven week may findMacManus playinganything from tween Hannah Montana sound-alike Brook Lynn tointernationallytouring bluegrass punks The .357 String Band.Thatkind of variety is as much a reflection of the diversity of area talent as agenerous submission policy.
MacManus will give an act's music aspin "if it's of broadcast quality, whetherIlike it or not." And his commitmentrunsdeeper than merely DJing. "I get out (to shows) quite a bit,” he says. “That'show I find some of those bands."
The success of “Jams”there's talk ofexpanding the show to an hourcoincides with fortuitous trends incountrymusic bothnationally and nearby.The breakout of young star Taylor Swift has givenhopeto performers such asBrook Lynn and13-year-old Charissa Mrowka.
"That's really inspired a lot ofgirls to get into country music,"MacManussays. "They want to be the next Taylor Swift."
Already on his way tocreatinghis own phenomenon is Cedarburg native Josh Thompson, whose blue-collar anthem"Beeron the Table" has recently been inching up Mediabase's country top 20airplay chart.Thompson, who moved to Nashville and landed arecording contract, provides inspiration as well, MacManus says: "I thinkJosh certainly is an examplewhere artists can say,'Look,he made it.'"
Thoughthereare no plansto expand the regularWMILplaylist totheuniversal scope of “Jams,” MacManussaysof his gig,"Idowant it to become a real staple of what we do. I'm always looking to expandawareness of the show."
That awareness extends to taking it tothe stage. MacManus states promisingly,"Ihave had a few discussions with club owners as to a ‘HomeMadeJams’ showcase."
