TigerTV’s pop culture television show, “˜Studio 21′, will now host weekly bands under the leadership of executive producer junior Benjamin Gomez. On the third Tuesday of the month, Gomez will feature one band on both “˜Studio 21′ and KRTU’s concert series, KRTUesdays.
“On the third Tuesday of the month, a band will be on “˜Studio 21′ and we’ll give them a great live session and interview. Then they’ll play a gig on North St. Mary’s for KRTU. It’ll be a killer Tuesday afternoon for those bands,” Gomez said.
Gomez plans to transform “˜Studio 21′ into a show focused on music.
“Semesters before we have done video game segments, pop culture, release dates for albums and we’ve done celebrity gossip. I think we were missing that marquee, that boom factor and I think that’s what we want to do this semester by bringing in bands,” Gomez said.
As the Indie Outreach and Promotion Manager for KRTU, Gomez wants TigerTV and KRTU to collaborate more.
“We have all these fantastic facilities here at Trinity like KRTU and TigerTV. I don’t see why there’s not more collaboration,” Gomez said. “It makes perfect sense that we bring bands in. It’s beneficial for us, for the bands themselves and for anyone else that wants to get involved.”
Gomez hopes to contribute to the San Antonio music scene with the weekly sessions.
“There’s nothing that would make me happier than to see San Antonio become a new place for music and not being passed up on tour routes for bands that just go to Austin,” Gomez said.
During an internship with Austin Music Foundation last summer, Gomez developed the idea of bringing bands to Trinity.
“Austin Music Foundation has a program called “˜Artist of the Month,’ which I worked exclusively on. I thought, “˜Why don’t we bring these bands San Antonio?’ I work at a radio station and a television show and I thought, “˜Why don’t we put them on air and book them on a show’,” Gomez said.
Gomez hopes to collaborate with Austin Music Foundation and Do210 on the project.
Zachary Wooten, the program manager for TigerTV, is a host for “˜Studio 21′.
“I’m very excited to see what Benji will be able to accomplish,” Wooten said. “It would still be interesting to have people go off campus for a show, as well as have live music on the show and interview artists every week.”
Hosts of the show, like Wooten, will gain experience interviewing bands.
“This will be my first time interviewing people in a band. I think I would tone down my playful banter and ask serious questions “” unless it’s Kanye,” Wooten said.
Sarah Davis, executive producer of Newswave, understands the challenges of bringing in live guests.
“It’s great that Benji wants to utilize the resources of TigerTV and build from the San Antonio community. It’s a big organizational challenge to make it happen,” Davis said. “As executive producer of Newswave, I know how hard it is to bring in live guests from the community, but I know it will be great.”
Looking ahead, Gomez has high hopes for the project and believes it will make an impact on the San Antonio community.
“I’m excited for this semester,” Gomez said. “I think we’re really going to put KRTU, TigerTV and ultimately Trinity on the map in terms of being the pioneers of bringing musical talent to San Antonio.”
