YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A new radio talk show that delves into Youngstown’s storied pop-music history will premiere May 1 on WYSU-FM.
Dubbed “Rat Race,” the weekly program will air from 2-3 p.m. every Friday.
Two veteran Mahoning Valley rock musicians, Dean Anshutz and Anthony LaMarca, are the hosts.
“Rat Race” will journey through Youngstown’s recording history, Anshutz said, with interviews with past and present artists and industry insiders.
The show is part of WYSU’s effort to add local programming. Another new show that focuses on Youngstown’s polka history will be launched May 3.
Anshutz and LaMarca both have a keen interest in the city’s musical past.
They have scoured the archives of Peppermint Recording on Youngstown’s south side over the past few years and unearthed many unreleased and forgotten songs that were recorded by some of the area’s greatest bands. The recordings date back to the early 1970s.
The two, with Peppermint owner Gary Rhamy, have released several compilation albums of their finds, including the 2022 compilation album “Rat Race.” That album includes songs by several Youngstown acts that obtained regional and national fame, including Glass Harp, Human Beinz, Blue Ash, Morly Grey and LAW.
The trio also helped compile the music for Blue Ash’s “Dinner at Mr. Billy’s” album, which was released in January.
Anshutz is the drummer for Red Wanting Blue and the owner of Cycle Breaker’s record store inside Westside Bowl, 2617 Mahoning Ave.
LaMarca, a Valley resident, is a member of the Grammy Award-winning band The War on Drugs. He plays guitar and other instruments.
LaMarca explained what listeners should expect from the new “Rat Race” show.
“The first two episodes will be me and Dean introducing ourselves and telling how we got involved with Peppermint,” he said.
Future shows will focus on the bands, and the sound engineers, that recorded both rock and polka music at Peppermint over the years.
“We’ll have [Rhamy] on one show and [Youngstown polka great] Del Sinchak on another one,” LaMarca said.
Other planned episodes will feature artists like Frank Secich and Jim Kendzor of Blue Ash and members of Morly Grey and Left End.
An introductory party for the “Rat Race” show will take place from 6-9 p.m. April 30 in the barroom area at Westside Bowl. It will include a segment from 7-8 p.m. during which the show’s hosts will talk to musicians that will be featured in upcoming episodes.
The public is welcome to attend.
Rhamy will host the other new weekly show on the station, “Peppermint’s Polka Road,” which will premiere at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 3.
Both programs are part of WYSU’s new effort to increase its connection to listeners and strengthen its presence in the community, said Anne Vallas, station coordinator.
The goal, she said, is to better connect with its existing listeners while engaging younger audiences in the local arts scene.
The effort was announced during the station’s fall pledge drive. Anshutz, a regular listener of the station, was excited by the plan and contacted the station to see if he could help.
He agreed to host a WYSU publicity event at his record shop, and that’s when the idea of his launching a new radio program was raised.
Anshutz brought LaMarca and Rhamy to the station for further conversation, and that’s when both “Rat Race” and “Peppermint’s Polka Road” were created.
“The partnership with Peppermint is a strong example of where we see WYSU heading,” Vallas explained. “We want to be a platform and meeting space for artists and audiences across mediums and disciplines.”
The station, she said, wants to be a leader in the emerging landscape of public radio.
“Instead of giving in to the idea that ‘radio is doomed,’ I think we should position ourselves as marking the start of a rebirth of radio,” she said. “We see WYSU as the vanguard of the revitalization and redefinition of regional public radio stations. The station wants to position itself as the central hub for artists and audiences to congregate, collaborate and continue reinvigorating a connecting community, both on and off air.”
Pictured at top: Dean Anshutz and Anthony LaMarca are the hosts of the new “Rat Race” radio show on WYSU-FM.