Eye on the Arts: Dave Konstantino
By Chris White
Lance Writer
January 16, 2008
 It is only a few days into the new semester and you have already decided that you certainly do not want to get an early start on your assignments. You met your academic expectations last time, so why break the trend? Unfortunately, it is Wednesday evening and you are in search of a method of procrastination.
After tuning your radio to CJAM 91.5 FM, you hear a song that sounds like an early demo by The Clash. It is followed by what appears to be a live Ramones bootleg, and then a new song by a Canadian garage rock band that you have never heard before. This could only mean one thing: you’re listening to Revolution Rock.
Every Wednesday night from 9 until 10:30 p.m., host Dave Konstantino plays garage rock, punk, post-punk, new wave, and all other relevant sub-genres. His 90 minutes of weekly on-air time is filled with songs that you would have a hard time hearing anywhere else, as well as special spotlights. Previous shows have focused entirely on bands like the Sex Pistols, while others have been entirely genre-specific.
Dave got his start at CJAM during his first year of university when he created a simple proposal for the show. To hear him describe his philosophy, Konstantino says, “my show takes listeners through original punk music from the seventies until today. I try to play bands that originated the style or were influenced by it.”
CJAM thought the station could benefit from having a program like Revolution Rock, and following some training, he was given a late night time slot. About a year-and-a-half later, he was moved to his current position on the programming schedule.
When asked if anything has changed since its early beginnings, Konstantino states, “when I first started out, I didn’t really know what I was doing, I played the same bands every week, but now I play different ones. My show is much better than it used to be because it has more variety now.”
The majority of music featured on the show comes from his personal collection, and many titles are out-of-print or imported from other countries. Reading numerous books and loving the music helps account for much of the knowledge he shares with listeners.
This knowledge is especially evident on the show-specific blog he works on during his free time. Every week he updates it with play lists, posts videos and other relevant material, and writes highly detailed histories for some of the bands that are featured on his program. The blog serves as a great tool to educate even the most knowledgeable listeners.
By the time the show comes to an end, any notion of procrastination has been erased from your memory. In fact, you are so inspired that you have decided to stop in at CJAM, fill out a volunteer application, and become just like Dave and the hundreds of other volunteers at the station. Maybe you will even be inspired enough to get a head start on your school assignments as well. Or maybe not.
For more information about Konstantino and Revolution Rock, visit his blog at http://revrock.blogspot.com/.
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