Image: Casey Everett poses in the studio during his weekly airing of “Casey’s Cowtown Jamboree”.
Casey Everett first made his appearance on the airwaves in the fall of 2021, when the club still broadcasted from an office in the Journalism Building. Alongside his co-host, Ladini Wallace, the duo put together a wide range of themed setlists on a weekly basis. Their show was called ‘LEITMOTIF’; both a reference to the musical concept and an acronym that Casey simply cannot recall (Let’s Enter Into The Music is as far as he could get). Together, they displayed a charming chemistry developed through years of steadfast friendship throughout high school. This, and the whimsy-packed playlists, made for a very entertaining hour of sounds well into the spring of 2022.
When Ladini’s time with AROUSE came to an end, Casey found himself wanting to continue broadcasting. Unfortunately for Casey, however, that was easier said than done. He failed to make the cut for the fall 2022 schedule, and after university staff discovered empty beer bottles in AROUSE’s studio the club was forced off the air for most of 2023. Only in the spring of 2024, with AROUSE’s broadcasting renewed in Casa Cacao, could Casey return to the radio with ‘Casey’s Cowtown Jamboree’.
The lore beneath Casey’s Cowtown Jamboree runs deep, stemming all the way back to the moniker of an innocuous playlist Casey made to expose one of his friends to outlaw country music. The name, Casey says, references both Columbus’ history of being a cowtown and the old style of jamboree radio broadcasts. Plus, it just sounds catchy.
He’d initially wanted to lean heavily into the jamboree aesthetic, going so far as to invent a fake “snake-oil” sponsor like those that funded many old shows. After a few shows, however, Casey decided instead to let himself be inspired by his many years of poring through the archives of vintage 70s radio shows. One show influenced Cowtown Jamboree above all others: American Top 40 with legendary broadcaster – and fellow Casey – Casey Kasem.
Casey Kasem, pictured center, at the 41st Emmy awards in 1989. Photo credit Alan Light, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Jamboree models itself on Top 40’s greatest-hits format and its accompaniment in the freewheeling antics of Kasem. Much like the famed host, Casey plays the showman on-air. He enjoys researching the music he plays and sharing fun facts about tracks before and after they play. Casey wants to do more than just entertain. In his view, the way we perceive 70s music today rarely holds up to the reality of the decade.
“Many people, when you ask them what artist they think of when they think of the 70s, they’ll say something like… David Bowie or Fleetwood Mac,” Casey says. “Bowie’s amazing, but he also only had – what – two number one hits in the U.S.? Same with Fleetwood Mac. There are so many more artists that can represent the 70s. That’s what I like to show. The music that was popular at that time.”
Casey doing on-the-fly research during his broadcast.
Casey’s shows consist of many U.S. chart toppers from the 70s, ranging from well-known classics to one-hit wonders and novelty songs. He guarantees that listeners of the Jamboree will walk away with new musical knowledge and some underappreciated songs in tow. During the show that I sat down with him for – the theme of which being “Casey’s Grab Bag”, a smattering of songs that piqued his interest as he perused old Billboard charts – he explained that he often looks for threads connecting the artists behind his tracks when curating his playlists. In the small world of songwriters, Casey says, you can often stumble across an unexpected but surprising link.
In this episode of his show, he played the debut single “Give Me Just a Little More Time” by Chairmen of the Board, a band fronted by the R&B vocalist General Johnson. The next three songs that follow in his setlist, Casey noted, also featured the General’s lyrics.
He spun the track “Patches” by Clarence Carter, a popular cover of the Chairmen of the Board song by the same name, before following it up with “Somebody’s Been Sleeping”, a 1970 hit for the soul band 100 Proof (Aged In Soul). Finally, he played “Stick-Up” by R&B group Honey Cone, which once again gives Johnson songwriting credit. In the span of twenty minutes, I’d heard four top-ten songs in the U.S. charts written by Johnson all released between 1970 and 1971.
Few DJs would go to the effort of teasing out such an obscure link from nigh-forgotten hits — but Casey goes the extra mile.
An example of some notes Casey prepared for his show.
The Jamboree finds itself in its carefully curated themes. Last week, Casey dedicated the Jamboree to the late, great, Kris Kristofferson. Casey gracefully toured his vast discography, all the while providing anecdotes that left the listener with a newfound appreciation for the legendary songwriter.
He recalled to me one of his most successful shows – peaking at 40 listeners – which took place on the day of the total solar eclipse: April 8th, 2024. By some stroke of cosmic luck, Casey’s time slot coincided with the moment of totality in the state of Ohio. He celebrated the occasion with an eclipse-themed setlist, featuring just about any song that referenced something astronomical.
When asked about how he advertises his show – if at all – Casey stated he merely lets his friends and family know when he is going on air. For Casey, the Jamboree provides a valuable way to connect with those he cares about. But, as his time as an Ohio State student approaches its end, he finds himself wanting to establish his audience and get his show out to more ears. The Jamboree has grown from a fun side task into a real passion project – and one Casey hopes he can hang onto as time goes on.
You can find Casey’s setlists for Casey’s Cowtown Jamboree by clicking HERE, or under his profile name “willcaseye”. Casey’s Cowtown Jamboree broadcasts on AROUSE Radio every Monday from 6 PM to 7 PM. Be sure to give it a listen sometime this semester!
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