Andy Gregory, the man behind the reports
WEXT Radio DJ releases Quarterly Local 518 Music & More Reports
TROY - WEXT Radio personality Andy Gregory loves music. From his middle and high school days performing in local bands to watching his friends’ bands perform at music clubs, music not only became a passion, but also a career, in the form of a radio DJ and a blog contributor.
WEXT Radio DJ Andy Gregory speaking at the podium inside Proctor’s in Schenectady, NY during the 2024 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards (The Eddie’s), Sunday, April 21, 2024. Gregory was also the 2024 Eddies winner for Radio DJ of the Year. Photo by Amy L. Modesti of ALM Fine Art & Photography/Around Town With Amy Modesti
In 2010, Gregory served as a contributor to the CRUMBS.net (Capital Region Ultimate Musicians and Bands Site). The local music blog, hosted by Mike Guzzo on the Albany Times Union website, included Gregory’s writings, ranging from show announcements, concert reviews, and local music releases.
With Guzzo’s encouragement, Gregory posted his first local music report, “The Summer Songs Have Ended” to CRUMBS.net in Sept. 2010. Year after year, the music reports expanded and became multi-part blog posts. In 2017, while still posting the reports to CRUMBS.net, Gregory suggested to Guzzo about partnering with WEXT Radio and The Local 518 show to share the quarterly reports to a wider audience. The quarterly report is now shared as a free PDF file and is posted on WEXT Radio’s website.
Gregory’s DJ Beginnings
Gregory says he “sort of fell into the radio business” in 2011 when he completed his first My Exit show for WEXT Radio. For several years, Gregory and Guzzo co-hosted an original specialty program, CRUMBS Cafe on WEXT Radio, and in 2014, radio personalities Chris Wienk and Dave Michaels convinced Gregory to become the host of the Local 518 Show.
Gregory’s first Local 518 show aired around Labor Day 2014, and since then, the show has been on WEXT on-air and online for a decade, currently Thursday nights at 9 p.m.
From the first Local 518 show, Gregory includes an Attic Classic segment. This segment allows Gregory to “delve into the past and include bands and artists that are part of the area’s music scene history,” he said.
“Discovering new bands, whether on a recording or live, is always exciting,” Gregory said. “Music discovery, whether it be a new band or one from this area’s storied musical past, I like to share that love via the show, especially through the Attic Classic segment.”
From left-right: WEXT Radio personalities Chris Wienk, Andy Gregory, and Joyce Jackey Stah accepting their award at the 2024 Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards (The Eddie’s) in Schenectady, NY, Sunday, April 21, 2024. WEXT Radio won an Eddie for Radio Station of the Year. Photo by Amy L. Modesti of ALM Fine Art & Photography/ Around Town With Amy Modesti
The reports’ importance
Gregory wants to make people aware that there’s an amazing amount of original material being produced in the Capital Region, and the local music stands up right next to other popular national and international musicians and artists, regardless of the genre.
The quarterly reports demonstrate that the Capital Region area has a large, vibrant, original music scene, besides cover bands and tribute acts, Gregory said.
The reports, according to Gregory, are meant to reach out to a wider audience who are interested in the Capital Region music scene. Several media outlets in the Capital Region area use the quarterly reports as a reference source for playlists, listen to recordings either before or after listening to a band at a show, and to see what other bands might be of interest to them.
The quarterly reports are also used as a reference material for category nominations for the Capital Region Thomas Edison Music Awards (The Eddies) since 2019.
Although it is nearly impossible to catch everything, the reports, Gregory said, have the most comprehensive list of songs, albums, and music videos released by area musicians everywhere. The reports, as a result, expands the reach of the musicians and artists’ material and gives the musicians and artists greater exposure.
WEXT Radio has released three 2024 Local 518 Music & More Reports. Quarter 3 Local 518 Music & More Report was released Thursday, Oct. 17. Graphic courtesy of Andy Gregory of WEXT Radio.
This year’s reports
The 2024 Quarter 1 Local 518 Music & More Report, released April 18, covers the time period of January 1 to March 31, 2024. The Quarter 2 Local 518 Music & More Report was slightly delayed but released Sept. 5. The second report covers the time period of April 1 to June 30, 2024.
Gregory released the Quarter 3 Local 518 Music & More Report on the WEXT Radio website, www.wextradio.org Thursday, Oct. 17. The report will cover the time period of July 1 to Sept. 30.
All the reports are a free PDF, which include the musicians and artists’ clickable links. Music listeners will be able to support the bands and artists by listening to their music, purchase music, merchandise, and enjoy other features as well.
The Quarter 1 report can be viewed here: Local 518 Music (and More) Report - 2024 Quarter 1 | WEXT Radio
The Quarter 2 report can be viewed here: Local 518 Music (and More) Report - 2024 Quarter 2 | WEXT Radio
The Quarter 3 report can be viewed here: Local 518 Music (and More) Report - 2024 Quarter 3 | WEXT Radio
The Quarter 3 report was released Thursday, Oct. 17. To view the new report, go to WEXT Radio’s website. Graphic provided by Andy Gregory of WEXT Radio.
For your information
Andy Gregory can be followed on X (formerly known as Twitter): @AndyGregory518, Facebook: @andy.gregory518, and on Instagram and Threads: @APGregory65. The Local 518 can be followed on X (formerly known as Twitter): @Local518Music, Facebook: @Local518, and Instagram and Threads: @local518music. WEXT Radio can be followed on Facebook: @WEXTRadio and Instagram: @wextradio. For more information, go to www.wextradio.org.