VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – Determined to recapture the magic of old school radio, a trio of rock ‘n’ roll aficionados reenter a hidden-away trailer in East Syracuse every Sunday night to broadcast their love of vinyl records.
The second they hit the airwaves of WSIV, those three go by the names of Ronnie Dark, Mike “The Night Owl” Adams and John “The Commander” Walsh, otherwise known as the curators behind the turntable-driven program “The Wax Museum.”
Now fresh off its 13th anniversary episode, the show started out with just Dark in the booth, but Walsh would soon fall into a co-hosting spot after a casual hangout at the studio.
“I knew he’d be a great second foil,” said Dark, who had previously worked as a disc jockey for Classic Rock TK99. “Doing the show by myself just didn’t have the same appeal to me because I wanted it to be more fun.”
A year later, the studio received a laudatory phone call from Palermo resident Mike Adams, a central service technician and self-described car buff with a collection comprising an estimated 300,000 records. He had been channel-surfing in his Saturn SL when he ran across the song “Slicin’ Sand” by Elvis Presley, at which point he had to know whose show he stumbled upon.
From there the rest is history, Walsh said, and like a “well-oiled machine,” the three on-air personalities who think of themselves as brothers have never run out of songs to spin or topics to banter about when they put their heads together.
“The show has a flow and camaraderie to it, and it didn’t take years for that to happen either,” said Walsh, a member of the Syracuse City School District distribution staff nicknamed “The Commander” due to his seniority status as the oldest of the DJing bunch.
Drawn to vinyl because of its “warm, crisp” sound and the look of the artwork on the covers, these friends spend each installment of “The Wax Museum” practicing the lost art of queuing up records and segueing them on the fly.
They drop the needle on anything from the Everly Brothers to Stone Temple Pilots, and not a show goes by without a track or two from Paul Revere & The Raiders, the program’s de facto “house band” and Dark’s all-around favorite. In between are flashes of garage rock, psychedelia and new wave, including mono and stereo selections revived from exceedingly rare or out-of-print albums.
“Nothing’s off limits on our show as long as we fit it in gradually over the three hours we’re given,” Dark said. “That keeps anything from being too jarring.”
On several occasions throughout the year, “The Wax Museum” has revolved around specifically themed setlists, such as an exploration of David Bowie’s early singles, deep dives into record labels like Tower and Capitol, an assortment of songs about surfing and hot rodding, and the playthrough of full albums front to back.
If the occasional record skips here and there, it’s all part of the charm of live radio according to the “Wax Museum” crew.
“It used to bother me when it first happened because I wanted everything to be perfect, but then I realized nothing is perfect and that it’s all about having fun and sharing good music,” Dark said. “Things happen, so you just gotta let it roll.”
Dark and his co-hosts are also intent on engaging in “zany shenanigans” during the show, with portions of each installment dedicated to humorous transitional liners. One finds them vocally replicating the synthesizer part from Pink Floyd’s “On the Run,” while another flaunts Adams’ impression of Peter Sellers à la Dr. Strangelove.
Calling the act of hosting “The Wax Museum” a “therapeutic” activity, Dark said the show continually reignites his appreciation for the medium of radio and his library of 45s—two passions that his parents Ron and Patricia Lauback were instrumental in fostering.
Since 2003, Dark has been a member of The Monterays alongside his father, who also serves as the announcer for “The Wax Museum.” He additionally plays guitar and sings for the bands Walrus and Gary Dunes & The Del-Tunes.
Helped by a long list of sponsors, “The Wax Museum” returns to WSIV The Voice 106.3 FM/1540 AM from 7 to 10 p.m. on Sundays.
The Christian format station also presents the self-help show “Messages of Love” with Genette Brush, the CNY music scene-celebrating program “The Wallflower Hour” with Patrick O’Malley and David DiNiro, and “Songs from the Attic,” an hour-long homage to the music of Billy Joel.
Immediately following “The Wax Museum” at week’s end is “The Night Owl Lounge,” another yet shorter show hosted by Mike Adams that features Dark on the controls. True to its title, that program deals in easy listening, cha-cha-chá, swing and artists heard most often around Christmas time.
Over the last dozen-plus years, the three hosts of “The Wax Museum” have interviewed more than 100 notable names on the program, including Jackie DeShannon, Tommy James, Micky Dolenz of The Monkees, and Karl Green of Herman’s Hermits. The show was also a runner-up for the Syracuse New Times’ “Best of Syracuse” radio category in both 2014 and 2016.
Those wishing to hear the exhibit of “lost and wayward” vinyl can visit wsiv1540.com and click the live player. They can also follow along with the photos and commentary posted in the show’s accompanying private group page on Facebook.
