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We Have Signal’ makes a triumphant return to television

Posted on Nov 24, 2008 in Features

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Director Matt Whitson, a music technician graduate from UAB, and his brother James Whitson take Kaleidoscope on a behind-the-scenes look at the first recording of the indie music program in months.

“We took some time off to get more funding for a Web site, but now we’re booked through the end of the year.

Otherwise, there is no exposure for new music or indie music that is so big here. It is not on commercial radio and it is certainly not on MTV,” Matt Whitson said.

Variety is a key phrase for the show, dubbed “Birmingham’s Austin City Limits,” even if all of the performers fall into the category of rock’n’roll.

“We are both freakish music consumers so when we first started this project we compiled a list of bands that play at Cave 9, but we decided that Bottletree was edgier and was a better fit for APT audiences,” Matt Whitson said.

“We have Signal: Live from Birmingham,” records weekly at the Bottletree Cafe, which is known for its broad spectrum of musicians.

“There is a lot of indie, psychedelic and ‘out-there’ folkish stuff we have recorded. We would like to do a hip-hop act, and they had one the week before we started shooting but we couldn’t scramble a crew quick enough to film it,” Matt Whitson said.

Another reason why the Whitson brothers choose the cafe is that it represents a cultural shift in Birmingham society.
“Bottletree is the new-school Alabama. It is steeped in Southern tradition, but it is thoroughly modern. The music played there is good, and Bottletree is great and underrepresented,” James Whitson said.

From their first recording of the Fiery Furnaces in February, to their most recent recording of Teen Getaway, the brothers have had a fun time creating the show.

“I started out thinking I would play bass and shoot bands, and then I got a job at APT as a video editor and it just made sense for a guy with a musical background to start something like this,” Matt Whitson said.

“People were in the right place to make this great, and I’m doing something with music which is something I love, so I keep doing it,” James Whitson added.

All of their hard work is starting to pay off. According to James Whitson, people outside of Alabama know where the cafe is located and bands are skipping Atlanta to have the chance to take the stage at Bottletree.

“We want to bring this music to a new audience, and the bands we show are generally interesting enough to hold viewer’s attention without skipping through the channel. This is something for younger people to fill the void between kids shows and the programs for older adults,” Matt Whitson said.

James Whitson has high hopes for the show’s future.

“If it blows up and becomes an institution unto itself, and bands come here just so we can film them, that would be great,” he said.

Email: kscopephoto@yahoo.com