New Bomb Turks, The Conservatives & more destroy WRUW-FM\'s Studio-A-Rama 1998

The 1990s was the dawn of the Punk / Alternative mass-market music fest. Lollapalooza and The Warped Tour became institutions across the country. The music they featured always seemed kinda tame to me—not to mention such a drain on both the wallet and the soul.

Download U.S. Rocker reporting from Lollapalooza for free

For me, the perfect underground rock music fest is, was and will always be WRUW-FM 91.1’s Studio-A-Rama in the Mather Courtyard on the “back porch” of WRUW’s studio, on the campus of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio.

WRUW 91.1 FM radio Studio-A-Rama 1998 Mather Courtyard Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Ohio

The Conservatives on the Mather Courtyard stage, behind WRUW’s broadcast HQ. Photo: Karen Novak.

Bop in—have a great time with your friends, enjoy the BYOB and some really left-of-center bands—and then bop back out. No security, no hassle. Studio-A-Rama is the best, I’m telling you.

More summer fun: How to hook up at a Hardcore fest

The never-before-published photo essay below is by Cleveland music scene photographer extraordinaire, Karen Novak. The images are from Studio-A-Rama #279 which took place on July 25, 1998.

The line-up is bona fide classic: New Bomb Turks, Keelhaul, Speaker / Cranker, The Conservatives, Nucleon, Step Sister, Red Giant, Quazi Modo. Fuckin’ WOW, right!?

Skip to the end for a treat—a live recording of New Bomb Turks from Studio-A-Rama

Someone should write a history of Studio-A-Rama, which began sometime way back in 1875 (uh, was that before radio?). Trivia for you: the name derives from the name of the weekly live music broadcast WRUW hosted, which was captured in their “A” studio. Hence “STUDIO-A-Rama.” Get it?

“Studio-A,” as we WRUW programmers called it, evolved over the years into a semi-pro affair with excellent live sound provided by a professional sound company (Rich Masirik’s Vertical Sound for many years), staged outdoors in a small, natural amphitheater setting. Simultaneously broadcast on 91.1, the festival was eight or ten bands on a Saturday afternoon—usually at the end of July—that started after lunch and was over by 10pm. And it was FREE.

During my thirteen years in Cleveland and decade on the air at WRUW as Program Director and programmer, so many great bands played Studio-A, like Glazed Baby, Craw, Boulder, Didjits, Mount Shasta, U.S. Maple—too many to mention or remember right now! Someday perhaps I’ll write about these shows in detail. They all had fun backstories and great cutting-edge music.

READ: I skipped the last Nirvana show to book Craw & Boulder

Apparently, word is in 2022 that Studio-A-Rama has stopped being a fest because of Covid (2019 was the last year). I hope the event makes a comeback soon!

In the meantime read about Studio-A-Rama in U.S. Rocker

According to Ron Kretsch’s intro, WRUW programmer, and man-about-town, “Mystery” Jim Raishart curated the show the 1998 edition. Jim sure did a great job. I hear WRUW’s Ron Cass at the end of the broadcast listing all the bands which is where I got the line-up. Online documentation for this installment of Studio-A seems to be non-existent.

Not anymore.

Karen Novak’s photos were originally captured for a U.S. Rocker feature that never ran. I can’t remember if we were out of time or out of space or out of money. The Rocker was near the end of its lifecycle and running kinda rough after a decade in the rock ‘n roll trenches.

All 101 issues of legendary ’90s underground music magazine U.S. Rocker are now online

Speak of rough in the trenches, there was a war on the bushes in front of the stage and a huge fist fight during New Bomb Turks—and WRUW captured it on Digital Audio Tape (skip to the end of this post).

I wish I could remember more. Do you? Do you have photos, audio or video? Please contact me.

Enjoy the photos and commentary.

Quazi Modo is (L-R) Doug Niemczura, Ed Maroli, Frank Vazzano, Jerry Hentsch and Lou Vogel (not pictured). Photo: Karen Novak.

Quazi Modo were the cool CLE party band. Was weird to see them in the light of the day!

Read all about Quazi Modo

Quazi Modo’s Doug Niemczura & Ed Maroli. Photo: Karen Novak.

I remember these guys sounded pretty damn good. That’s ‘cuz rock ‘n roll always sounds good.

Quazi Modo’s Lou Vogel. Photo: Karen Novak.

Lou. What a cut up. Quazi Modo’s comic relief/wild man on keys.

Craw’s Rockie Brockway mans the Cambodia Recordings table at Studio-A-Rama. Photo: Karen Novak.

Craw was a CWRU band through-and-through. They were formed on campus, practiced one block over from WRUW, got their initial airplay on the station (playing Studio-A on at least one occasion), and eventually became kings of the scene with their own record label. Here’s the band’s guitarist Rockie Brockway manning the booth. You can see label signee Disengage’s Jason Byers behind the table. Rock on.

You want Craw? We got Craw for you

Christina relaxes between Studio-A-Rama sets. Photo: Karen Novak.

Okay, 21st century retcon: time traveler from the future looking at her smartphone or…?

Red Giant launches Studio-A-Rama into deep space. Photo: Karen Novak.

Red Giant was space rock and therefore my favorite Cleveland band for many years.

Expand your mind—download Red Giant interviews, reviews & more FOR FREE

Red Giant is (L-R) Damien Perry, Chris Gorman, Adam Perry on bass, and Alex Perekrest. Photo: Karen Novak.

Of course these guys sounded epic outdoors on a beautiful summer afternoon!

The Conservatives are (L-R) Stefan Diego Ravello, Jack Shit, Jeff-O & Ed Sotelo. Photo: Karen Novak.

We had been recording The Conservatives at our home studio, The Invisible City, all summer. I think the band felt like they were in jail in those isolation booths. Studio-A was their get-out-of-jail party.

Download an interview with The Conservatives conducted at Studio-A

The Conservatives disrupt the Studio-A-Rama proceedings. Photo: Karen Novak.

It’s not easy to bring punk to a big stage…

The Conservatives at Studio-A-Rama. Photo: Karen Novak.

Those cigarette lungs can run out of breath (ask me how I know!).

Photo: Karen Novak.

The sound was massive–I’m gonna make the big call and say this was the best The Conservatives ever sounded.

The Conservatives’ Jack Shit. Photo: Karen Novak.

Jack Shit actually gave a shit. Ironic?

Man down! Jack Shit leads the Conservatives from the stage floor. Photo: Karen Novak.

Man, those suits must have been hot! The Conservatives wrap things up.

Get the complete Conservatives here

Ed Sotelo enjoys BBQ after starting a fire onstage with The Conservatives. Photo: Karen Novak.

Like all good fests, people rolled up with coolers, tents and grills—in this case right out on the college’s lawn!

Vertical Sound’s Mike Reilly did a phenomenal job running sound at Studio-A-Rama. Photo: Karen Novak.

Since many of these bands were local and small club bands, hearing them on a massive pro sound system for the first time… well, let’s just say it was a revelation in almost every case. I don’t want anyone to forget how cool that was. Blew my mind every year!

Keelhaul onstage at WRUW’s 1998 Studio-A-Rama. Photo: Karen Novak.

Keelhaul was starting to take off. They became a huge Cleveland export.

U.S. Rocker covered Keelhaul’s rise

Keelhaul is (L-R) Dana Embrose, Aaron Dallison, Will Scharf, Chris Smith. Photo: Karen Novak.

These guys got the crowd all rowdy…

Fight! Shit gets nuts post-Keelhaul. Or maybe this was during New Bomb Turks? Photo: Karen Novak.

…And New Bomb Turks took the audience over the edge.

Defending the bushes’ honor. What heroes. Photo: Karen Novak.

Were they fighting each other—or the bushes? Or…?

Studio-A-Rama is a brawl! Photo: Karen Novak.

I can’t tell you how much violence at show sucks. Especially at Studio-A-Rama. Just ruined things for years to come.

Ouchies. Photo: Karen Novak.

I guess we were so busy shooting the fight, we missed photographing New Bomb Turks!

Get more Turks here

Alas, we have this EXCELLENT hi-def digital recording from DAT / CD-R thank to Dare Waves Neal (aka Neal Filsinger):

Listen to New Bomb Turks at Studio-A-Rama 1998 in Cleveland, Ohio

From the YouTube description:

As originally broadcast on WRUW FM 91.1

Set list:
00:00 Ron Kretsch intro
00:36 Let’s Dress Up The Naked Truth
02:52 So Long Silver Lining
04:38 Jukebox Lean
07:52 Fingernail Chomp
10:20 Raw Law
13:34 (The Cure For The) Common Cold Shoulder
16:36 Veronica Lake
19:03 Minimum Wages Of Sin
21:09 Born Toulouse Lautrec
23:57 Jaguar Ride (Electric Eels cover)
27:01 Professional Againster
29:45 Long Gone Sister
32:03 At Rope’s End
34:03 Eyes Of Satan (Pagans cover)
36:07 Bolan’s Crash
39:17 Defiled
47:39 T.A.S.
50:36 Last Lost Fight
54:33 Tail Crush
58:43 Ron Cass outro

New Bomb Turks:
Jim Weber, Eric Davidson, Bill Randt, Matt Reber

**I don’t own the rights to this recording. For historical reference only.