KLSU alumni.net

Under the MIA topics, there is talk of those who are not yet on board. It occurs to me that those who are here haven't really said too much about what they do, where they are living (unless you check each profile and sometimes not even then), and generally where life has taken them post-KLSU.

After Baton Rouge, I lived in Atlanta/New York/Atlanta again/near Dallas before landing here in Nashville. I worked in live music venues, indie labels, major labels before taking a break from the music industry - I was burned out. Now I work in artist management (Ron Sexsmith, John Wesley Harding, Sarah Slean) and it's fun again.

Nashville is pretty good, very similar to Baton Rouge in a way. And it's not ALL country music!

So... what has everyone else been doing for the last ___ years?

Cathy Hendrix
Nashville TN

I was just instant messaging Alan Rowel, and he and I were discussing how much we wish people would post on this lovely site and say what they are doing...

Then I read your post Cathy and realized that I need to take my own advice!



So...

It's Meredith Chinn (which some might know me as Liz Chinn's's little sister), I live in Los Angeles with my fiance' Scott, and weimereiner (dog), Siena.

I've been out in LA since 1989, mostly working as an A&R executive at Warner Bros., where I signed acts to record deals and helped them through the record making process.

I had a little label called fingerpaint records andam proud to say that we put out the first release by the Radar Bros., as well as released a highly sought after 10' by Beck, as well as albums by Holiday Flyer, Idaho and further.


In 2000 I left Warner Bros. and began my producing career, which at least back then, I was planning on that being my ticket back into the A&R world.

With the combo of the music business changing drastically over the yeras, the A&R job changing more into a used car salesman kind of job, I've found myself having to do a variety of free lance jobs to make ends meet.

Which has gotten me off my original pathway, but I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that things are finally starting to come full circle for me...maybe within the year at least.

I now dj on a regular basis (3 times a week), compose music for commercials, directors reels and films... I am a creative music a major video game company, and work part time for a A&R company, as well as have some gigs of my own on the side.

I've worked in radio over the years too (KCRW, spike radio, dublab), and would give my left arm to work at a new station called "indie 103"....

With the composing I get the chance to not only bring the 'ol flute out, piano skills, and actually use my music degree. Plus I get to work with bands and artists and produce tracks and co-write songs etc., in a much more proactive way than the A&R pathway (which involved a lot fo waiting...).

I think of KLSU all the time, I'm still a huge record geek.

I actually had to build a room for my records and I dare say I do have a few "stolen from KLSU" marked records.

lately as a dj I find myself playing a set not to far away from what "we" used to play back in 1986; Morrisey, March Violets, Malcom McClaren's "Madame Butterfly", Don Quixotte by Magazine 60, The Damned, Neil Young, Television.

I actually consulted one of my old KLSU playlists' the other day to get ideas!

Anyway, great memories from such a great station with really cool people and superb music.

Lets see over the eyars I've seen a lot of KLSU alum's come and go from Los Angeles...Cecile Schmidt used to live here, Jeff Suhy apparently lives one canyon over from me (haven't seen him in years though), Charles Fracnois Gainnaie the third (never could spell your name Charles) lives here, Dave Lewis lives here, Demon One used to live here and now lives in SF and works for Apple, Claire Crespo I see at yoga from time to time (although, maybe she's just a BR person and not a KLSU alum., not sure)..

Adele Borie, Tiffany Hawkins Davis, Elizabeth Chinn McDade, Clarke Marrty and Jim Haley have all come to visit over the years, and back in the day I used to go up to SF to see Alan and Miles when they lived there.

but gosh...enough about me, what about you?

Meredith:)

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where is Jim?

I forgot to mention that "electric earl" lives here in LA as well!

(earl reinhalter)

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where is Jim?

I've been in Austin since '87 doing video production.
I just left Time Warner where I'd been for 17 years to start a production company with another Time Warner-ex.

I used to go to Jazzfest every year, but now it's more like every other year, and I rarely go to B.R.
Now we have the Austin City Limits festival here in the fall, but this year they doubled the ticket price (and the lineup hasn't been announced yet)

I, too, have a room in my house just for my music collection.

We lost a few good music venues here in Austin due to so-called progress. Gone are Liberty Lunch, Steamboat and Electric Lounge.
Antone's had to be taken over last year by the people who run the Austin Music Hall or they'd be gone, too. And high rents are forcing musicians out of town.

So will someone please help Meredith find Jim?
Please !

Tiffany here! After getting out of law school, I moved to N.O. and lived there until 1998. I did about a semester on the air at Tulane, but it was the new music show and I found I didn't like much of the new music . . . . My boss introduced me to a great guy in 1998, and I married him 3 months (!!!) later. Walter lived in Natchez, MS, so now I do, too. I still practice law in New Orleans, but I do most of my work at home in MS. We live in the country, and I spend alot of time training and showing horses. The music scene here is nonexistent. I know all the words to every country song on the radio. . . . If I didn't have XM Radio in my car, I don't think I could make it. FRED is the greatest station!!!!!! It's like someone found all of our old drop sheets. If you haven't heard it, you won't believe it.
OK -- someone else's turn.

I am back in B.R. (wishing I was back on the west toast) and work for the Dept. Of Unatural Resources. Lived in San Francisco from 1989 to 1992, then on to Grimsville (some call it Gains) from 1992-1998 whilst my wife Hallie got her Phd in Forest Ecology. I worked roadside licking pavement, and trained as a male prostitiute though I could never quite get all the Kama Sutra lessons in the order they were intended.

After moving back to B.R. in late 1998 (the reason for that momentary lapse of reason was that my father had terminal cancer and subsequently died in 2001). Damn that was a shitty year, I lost Rodney (dad), George Harrison, and Sissie my beloved cat and spiritual advisor. I am still here not queer, and not at present going anywhere. I still support various liberal and progressive causes because I am one of a chain of many small islands in an ocean of religio-wackos in the deep south.

my name is greg ellis and i'm in houston

i'm working as the sales and marketing director of an independent label called Blue Corn Music--check us out at http://www.bluecornmusic.com

i was not on the air that much--did some fill in work in 1976 and had a regular show in the fall of 1980-saturday afternoons 2-6-i was followed by jay robillard

most of you guys may be more familiar with me from the time i worked at leisure landing which was 1977 to Jan. 1981

that's where i know miles and norman from--i also lived in austin for 8 years in the 80's and saw norman, jay, bill thompson and andy on a pretty regular basis--got to know dave and drew during that time as well

i went to high school with jim haley--i've not seen him at any of the reunions i attended but would love to visit with him again

if any of you guys are in houston or know someone here--please get in touch

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roar like a tiger!

Hello it's me Jeana....Okay, I still listen to Todd, and so much else, especially Bob Mould. I'm still stuck in the 80's, 90's and don't wanna leave. I have a 9 year old daughter named Alex and she is the apple of my eye. I got my BFA at LSU back in 2001. I've been a freelance independent contractor for various art gigs(murals, faux finishes, etc.) to make ends meet. I was a photography instructor at a local Charter School for a year. I'm sort of an "artist on wheels". I teach private lessons and am looking for more art teacher positions. I live with Alex, my fiance Don(who went to my high school, but we just met 1 1/2 years ago) , Don's daughter Aubrie part time, Booger(my 14 year old cat), Emma(cat), Uno(kitten), and Heart(my dog friend). I will have a website soon and I will post it when its up. I miss my friends at KLSU and I even miss some things about the Bayou. I have done some major evolving over the years. Yoga is a new passion. Love to all!

jeana

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Jeana (used to be Lewis) Esser

Hmm, I floundered about at LSU for a few years, then, once I started taking art classes, got a grip. Transferred out to SF in 88 to SF State where I hung out with my old KLSU friends and new roommates.

When I moved to Berkeley in 90, I became very short on cash and unable to afford my education any more, so, in 91 moved back to BR with the sole intention of finishing my degree and then getting the hell out.

Thirteen years later . . . I do have a degree from LSU. I met my husband in 92 and we married in 93. He teaches at the School of Music. We have two small children, Rosa, 6 and Alexander, 3. I now work for LSU Press as Electronic Promotions Coordinator. My art is Pinhole Photography which I've been doing for about seven years. I had a show last Spring and here's my web site: http://www.geocities.com/leslie_green

Cheers, Leslie

Hey, Cathy -

When you were in Atlanta, did you work at the 688 Club? I went there in August 1986 with Sue Rinker and Renee Matthews, and they introduced me to someone who used to work at KLSU... and I think it was you. Doesn't seem like that was, um.. - 18 years ago!

Also, you were asking about Jane Cassisa? You're right, she and her husband were living in New Orleans some time ago. Jenni introduced me to Jane, who was an announcer at WWNO-FM in the early-mid 1990's (and a most excellent one at that!). I think I even met her husband Paul once, too. Jane took his name, evidently - no more "Wemberly". They were both before my time at KLSU (I was there 1986-89). I can't remember where they moved to (Houston?) but if Jenni reads this thread, she can tell us...

-barry

Hi Barry - That was me... I worked at the late great 688 Club for over three years. What a fantastic job that was. I don't remember Sue being there while the club was open but I do remember her hanging out in my office once the club closed (and the record label was still going). Do you remember what band you saw there? On any given night, it was bound to be something good!

I think Jane and Paul Cassisa moved to Oxford Mississippi at some point but I couldn't begin to guess if they stayed there or not.

Cathy Hendrix
Nashville Tennessee

It was the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Wow, they were incredible that night. Opening for them was a local band called "The Cocktail Girlz". They were really good too, but I don't think they ever played anywhere close to N.O. or B.R.

When we talked to you, it was right as the opening band started, and it was pretty brief. Later that night I asked them who you were, so that's how I remembered you.

-barry

Wow - this is fantastic! Scott, you rock for starting this board! Those KLSU years seem like such a long-lost magical time in my life. I've missed you guys a lot. Some of you practically raised me! I just want to take this opportunity to say thanks to you - especially Miles, Alan, Scott, Jay and Tom for having been such a huge influence on me musically, technically, and in life in general. I owe you a lot!

So where am I now? Well, on the family front, I'm still married to Barry and we have one son, Logan, who is 12 1/2. He's our little genetic jackpot ... really smart, funny, artistically gifted, has great natural music talent, and is the best looking little thing on two legs! (Okay, so maybe I'm a little biased on the last one, but the rest is documented, so it's not just me being a proud mama.) We're living the suburban dream in Metairie. (BLAH)

Education-wise, I finally got a degree in Communications (TV and Film emphasis) from UNO. While my grades at LSU were crap (funny thing - all my course work in KLSU and Chimes St. didn't show up on my transcript), I pretty much had straight A's at UNO. If only some of you would've told me that all I had to do was go to class and buy the books at LSU to get A's, I could've graduated much sooner! LOL Anyhoo, lately I've been thinking of going to grad school to get an MA or MFA We'll see.

As for work, I'm still in radio! (I keep trying to get out, but they keep pulling me back in. lol) I started as a production assistant at WWNO (New Orleans' NPR affiliate/classical radio station) in 1991. In 1994, I took over the Production Manager position. Ten years later, I'm still doing it. My job entails going out to record classical concerts of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, local and world-class chamber ensembles, and a few others. I then produce them into broadcasts. I also produce a couple of in-house shows and one syndicated one, and do other miscellaneous production chores. I also do a lot of freelance stuff for NPR, PRI, BBC, CBC, and other initialed entities. WWNO is a liberal place with a lot of good people, and they pretty much give me free range to do what I want, so it's nice.

My other job is as a radio engineer for the New Orleans Hornets. I love this job. I've been there for 2 seasons and I'm one of only two female radio engineers in the NBA. (They came to me on the recommendation from another engineer.) There's two parts to this job. My favorite is running the broadcast courtside at home games. I sit on press row (the table that runs the court with the ads on the front) two seats away from the team I'm working. (So if you're watching the game on TV, look for me at the end of the table. I'm usually the only chick on press row.) I usually do the visiting team's broadcast, but sometimes I do the Hornets' side. Setting-up and doing the broadcast is usually easy, so like Dave the Rave, I get paid to watch the game (and from the best seats in the house)! The other part of the job is not so glamorous. Some games (both home and away), I sit up in the Hornets' Master Control (in the Hornets' offices) and run the broadcast (keeping the log, cueing the talent, playing the commercials and bumper music, etc.). I get to watch the game on TV in there. Whoo hoo... not the same. The Hornets' organization has been really nice to me and the job is really fun.

I did shows at WTUL in the early to mid-90s, which was a lot of fun, but it was getting hard to fit it into my schedule with school, work and Logan, so I stopped. Besides, I was only in my late 20s and the other DJs were calling me ma'am. Eeeek! I miss doing the shows though.

My obsession is ice hockey. I totally fell in love with the sport at my first New Orleans Brass game in 2001. And it turns out that I have a real mental aptitude for the game! I got really involved with the Brass, so I learned a lot and made a lot of hockey friends. The Brass (and now the B.R. Kingfish) are no longer around, but we try to make it to Sea Wolves games in Biloxi whenever we can. I also watch a lot of NHL on TV. I did go to one NHL game in January when I went to Nashville on business. I went all out and bought a ($100) ticket for an on-the-glass seat at the blue line. It was absolutely amazing!! I was taking pictures on my cell phone and sending to Barry so he was kinda with me. Anyhoo, I absolutely love the sport and can't get enough of it! Hopefully, I can take all this NBA experience and switch over to hockey someday.

So that's pretty much my life. I'll let Barry update you on his work and hobbies himself.

-Jenni Lawson

BTW - Jane and Paul did move to Oxford, where he was getting his Master's in Southern Studies (I think he already had a law degree). They were keeping their house down here, but I haven't heard from her since.

Hi to everyone!

Here's a really brief summary of what I did after KLSU...

Some of you may remember our wedding; Jenni and I got married on the steamboat Natchez here in New Orleans, in May 1989. It was a pretty cool wedding and reception, and it was all Jenni's idea. Wish I had her creative energy...

I got my MS (mathematics/physics) in December 1989, and the following month Jenni and I moved to New Orleans. I started working with Martin Marietta Aerospace (now Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems) in March, 1990 as a Propulsion Analysis Engineer. I am still with the company, in the same department, today. Our job is primarily to provide launch support for the Space Shuttle. My company assembles the shuttle's External Tank, and provides engineering and support for it as well. In my 14 years there I have worked on four different lanch vehicles: the space shuttle, Atlas V (now launching), the Shuttle-C (scrapped in '92) and my favorite, the X-33 (and a great big F*CK you to Bush/Cheney for canceling this one when it was 75% complete after five years).

My company has been very involved with the Space Shuttle Columbia investigation... it was actually our tank that lost some foam insulation during the STS-107 liftoff, that was the probable cause for the disaster last February. I don't work with the foam insulation, but we've been incredibly busy since about last summer and I'm looking forward to getting the next one launched, probably next spring. HOPEFULLY.

Aside from all that, around 1991 I was able to go back to my original station, WTUL, to do some more shows (as an alum). I had actually been a DJ at TUL from 1983-85 before coming up to LSU... so I picked up where I left off and for a few years, I did a Saturday night "progressive oldies" show. It was fun but I just got tired of doing it... and the last time I did a show was in August 1998. Every now and then I miss it, but not for long.

I've always been a videogame nut, and when I started working I was suddenly able to afford some of the things I had always wanted. I've managed to accumulate a collection of about 7,000 videogames (the actual games themselves, not pirated versions or bootleg copies) and about 90 different systems. I've also been very interested in Japanese animation for the past decade or so, and have a collection of production cels (the painted transparencies they used to use to make the animation itself... they use computers now) and you can see my gallery at http://www.bcantin.com

Jenni's already told you guys about Logan, our son. Yep, he's named after "Logan's Run". He's already about 5' 4" and is developing a fantastic taste in music. The other day: "Hey, dad, check out this cool CD! Have you ever heard of Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd?" *sob* My baby's growing up... but I really need to get that boy introduced to some GENESIS (with Peter Gabriel, of course). He's going to space camp in Huntsville, Alabama this Friday.

I have a cat, his name is Mikko. He's an orange tabby. I used to hate cats, now I love 'em. Go figure.

Anyway, that really is brief for me. It's great to be in touch with everyone again... I'll continue to spread the word as best I can and get in touch with as many people as I can find, to let them know about this site.

-barry cantin

Dez (Rabeneck) Crawford checking in. Eating lunch at my desk today while I give you all an update.

I graduated LSU in 1983 and worked in printing, editing, advertising and a few various rent-paying jobs for several years, including a stint as a late-night country deejay. Those late-night truck drivers sure love Johnny Cash, which is fine by me, but I never want to have to play another Alan Jackson song ever again.

Became continuously involved with a number of wildlife conservation and animal welfare causes along the way, leading me to what I am doing today. I have been the Assistant Director for the East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control Center since 1999, which means I'm the operations manager for a public animal shelter serving around 430,000 citizens. And I thought I was underappreciated by the public when I was an unpaid deejay!

I am also Vice President of the Louisiana Animal Control Association, an organization providing credentials and continuing education for shelter workers and humane officers throughout Louisiana.

In 1985, got married to Dave Crawford, your former station manager, chief announcer and tower builder. By then Dave had finished law school -- he worked for a number of years as an attorney before delving into the bar business. Dave can update you on himself in more detail when he signs on.

In 1991 Dave bought the Bayou from Frank Duvic and was the owner/operator for several years. Jeana Esser, Dave Lewis and a few others from the old days worked and/or played music there during that time.

I helped Dave renovate and open Spanish Moon (1109 Highland Road -- former Cypress Hollow and Art Bar) in 1996.

Dave sold the Bayou in 1997, partly because the drinking age was raised to 21, and he operated Spanish Moon until 2002, when he decided to sell out due to health problems. Spanish Moon is still operating under new ownership.

I try to keep in touch, at least occasionally, with as many folks from the old days as I can. I started a tiny blog for the station, but didn't get updates from anyone out there, so it remains quite wee.

Visit: thedropsheet.blogspot.com

Dave and I still live in the same house, in a state of perpetual renovation, with our cats and snakes.

We both have really short hair now. Dave is more interested in the new music scene than I am -- exposure to techno music puts me at risk for going postal.

Oh well, a touch of grey. I still listen to the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Robyn Hitchcock, Dire Straits, etc ... but I have an open mind if a new artist actually writes music with lyrics.

Glad to find this place ...

Dez