Often seen as the monkey-in-the-middle in the music scene, Toledo is sometimes ignored by bigger acts as they bypass our city in favor of venues in Detroit and Cleveland.
But two local music enthusiasts are on a mission to change that norm. Chris “Peapod” Daher of 100.7 The Zone and Broc Curry of Innovation Concerts have been teaming up to cultivate the music scene in Toledo.
Daher hosts On The Radar, The Zone’s radio program that features local, regional and national artists. Every Sunday from 6-7pm, Daher and Curry go on-air, introducing Toledo to a variety of artists and promoting upcoming concerts in the area.
“The biggest thing I want is, especially for the new year, is to get people involved in this music scene,” said Daher.
While Daher fangirls over local bands and Curry, who has been putting on concerts since he was 14 years old, enjoys the bigger acts, their love of music is undeniable. “Working at a record store, I was a kid, it was just awesome to be surrounded by it, and see these cool bands come to town,” said Curry.
Getting their start
Since summer of 2014, On The Radar has become widely popular among music fans. But the current goal for the radio program is to expand its audience and start a music culture in Toledo. With Curry’s passionate work to stage a wide range of artists and Daher’s help in promoting concerts and bands, the efforts are stronger than ever.
“A lot more people are coming to shows. A lot more people are getting to know these artists, whether its artists coming to town or these local artists, a lot more people know about them,” Daher said.
And who knows how these local artists may fare in the music industry. Hitting local pockets of music scenes across this country is a badge of honor for renowned bands such as The White Stripes and Insane Clown Posse. Another prime example is Moon Hooch, a New York City band comprised of two saxophonists and a drummer. They successfully kicked off and closed their national tour in Toledo, and were featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert in the same timeframe.
“These men and women who do this music, who entertain you, are doing it because they want to share that passion with you,” said Daher, who stresses that every music genre makes their way to Toledo; from rock n’ roll, to punk rock and alternative to metal and hip-hop.
And your tickets to these shows benefit more than venues like Headliners and Frankie’s Inner City. Curry says Toledo takes advantage of concert-goers who dine out at our local restaurants and stay at our hotels, boosting our local economy.
“A lot of the time, at least half of the crowd is from another state,” said Curry, who also distributes packets that highlight the must-dos in Toledo for incoming bands. “A lot of people we see back, you see a lot of people come from Cleveland and Columbus and Chicago, we’ll see them multiple times throughout the year, which is a good sign, they’re obviously enjoying their experience here,” Curry said.
For more information regarding On The Radar, check out toledoszone.com. Learn more and follow upcoming concerts put on by Innovation Concerts here.
