PLAYING HIS PICKS - RXP gives Pinfield free rein in drive-time slot

[Refugee 7]

DJ Matt Pinfield, a Jersey Shore legend, is on the air at New York's coolest rock radio station, RXP, and he's looking for caller number nine.

"Caller nine right now will win front-row tickets to see Tom Petty," Pinfield says, and the phone lines light up immediately.

One by one, he picks up each line.

"You're caller number one, please try again."

Caller eight lets out a yelp of frustration, having just missed it.

It's a time-honored tradition in radio, but there's a twist in store for the winner.

Caller nine is Greg Naviello, who works in Kenilworth but lives in East Brunswick, which just happens to be Pinfield's hometown.

"No way," Naviello says. "You're from East Brunswick?"

"Yeah, I grew up toward the Milltown side, by Riva Avenue."

Pinfield tells Naviello the story of how, as a teenager, he bought eight tickets to see Tom Petty at the Palladium, just before Petty became huge, and how, of course, he made his friends pay for the tickets because he had to mow a lot of lawns to afford them.

Then he tells this same story on the air and gives another shout-out to Greg Naviello of East Brunswick.

Matt Pinfield can make an instant connection with nearly anyone.

That's a key reason why he just might save terrestrial radio.

When the Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications took over 101.9 FM in February, the station switched formats from "smooth jazz" to a mixed bag of rock — classic, alternative, new music and local music. The station set out to be different from the robotic, pre-programmed norm of commercial stations. RXP was to be fueled by its DJs, who would have a say in what they played and who would be encouraged to be themselves on the air.

What RXP needed was a marquee name.

They found that in Pinfield.

"We know we're not going to replace people's iPods," Pinfield said recently, in the West Village studio of RXP, "but we want to turn people on to what they should put in their iPods."

Pinfield joined RXP in May, spinning in the prestigious morning drive slot — 6 to 10 a.m.

Pinfield became a local celebrity in the '80s, when he held court as the most popular DJ at The Melody Bar in New Brunswick. In 1984, he began spinning at WHTG-FM 106.3, a fledgling modern rock station then located in Eatontown.

Pinfield, who went on to become music director, spent 10 years at HTG and helped the station become nationally known.

In 1995, he joined MTV as the host of "120 Minutes," the first of many forays into TV. Most recently, he hosted "Sound Off With Matt Pinfield," an in-depth interview show for HDNET.

Pinfield's enyclopedic knowledge of rock — delivered in a deep, gravelly voice — and his amiable personality catapulted him to fame.

He returned to radio after meeting E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt, when both were spokesmen for the electronics chain The Wiz. The two Jersey boys hit it off, and Van Zandt suggested Pinfield look into satellite radio. Van Zandt has created an empire through his "Underground Garage" programs for Sirius, so Pinfield took the advice, joining Sirius with "Matt Pinfield Plays Whatever He Wants." The program airs at 6 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month on "Left of Center," Sirius Channel 26.

Pinfield has continued his bi-weekly show on Sirius, even while signing on to RXP, and said that Emmis Communications has given him free reign to talk about his experiences at other jobs.

"They don't want me to pretend I've never worked anywhere else," Pinfield said. "They want people to hear that history and make that connection. So I talk about Rutgers and the Melody and HTG because it's part of my history. I'll play The Smithereens' "Blood and Roses.' I play a lot of Springsteen, which is great, because it's so Jersey Shore and I'm all about that."

Hence, the name of one Pinfield-generated Monday morning segment, "Cover Me," in which he spins a song as covered by someone other than the original recording artist. It's usually something obscure or offbeat, like the Foo Fighters doing Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street."

Another is "RXP in the U.K." on Thursdays, when Pinfield will play a new import, such as tracks by The Futureheads or Pigeon Detectives or Young Knives.

"Because I still go out and buy CDs," he said. "I know that's old school, but I love supporting the artists."

Keepin' it real

Pinfield has introduced "Local Licks" to RXP, a segment that features unsigned, local bands. "Local Licks" was a successful feature from his days at WHTG. Needless to say, it's a major coup for an unsigned band to get airtime on a commercial New York station.

At a listening party in June for the latest Coldplay album, "Viva La Vida," Pinfield was glad-handing with RXP listeners. Scott Hopkins, drummer for the Brooklyn-based band Nova Clutch gave him a CD, saying, "This is my band, maybe you could take a listen . . ."

Pinfield did listen to it. And he played a track, "Runnin'," on "Local Licks" the next day.

"We had people calling us, saying they heard us on RXP," said Tommy Mokas, lead singer and guitarist. "What an honor from such a guy. We got a lot more hits to our site after that, and a lot more albums downloaded."

"To me, it really solidified that the station is committed to playing local music," Mokas added. "And I love that, because, yeah, I could comb MySpace all day looking for new music, but there's something a little romantic about listening to the radio and finding new music. Not to mention that they've got Matt Pinfield — the guy's a celebrity, it's not like you're listening to college radio and it's some guy who just left third period to come do his show."

Joseph Antao, a Jersey Shore-based producer known on the scene as Indian, became close to Pinfield through their mutual love for British bands in the early '90s. At the time, Indian released music by Ned's Atomic Dustbin and The Wonder Stuff on the Point Pleasant-based label Gig Records.

Lands on his feet

"He's the John Peel of America," Indian said, referring to the legendary British DJ who broke new music from 1967 to his death in 2004. "He is the undisputed music champion, and he always lands on his feet."

"Pinny is still out there working for up-and-coming, unsigned bands," Indian said. "We've been doing "Pinfield Presents' shows across the country, where he introduces unsigned bands to new audiences."

A recent "Pinfield Presents" event at the Green Room in Seaside Heights featured The Mercurial, Blackwater Rising, and Last Perfect Thing.

"He brings instant credibility to the station," said RXP program director Leslie Fram, who in July also became Pinfield's on-air foil. "He also brings something real. With Internet and satellite radio, there's something remote about it. You don't feel connected to a DJ."

People generally do feel connected to Pinfield, because he has an uncanny ability to make everyone feel special and important, be they A-list celebrities, local musicians or college kids dancing at The Melody. He listens to people — a rare skill in a distracted society. He never forgets a face or a name, and he always seems to care.

"With Matt, I tell you, I listen to the phone calls he gets in the studio and he remembers everyone," Fram said. "Not only names, but where he met the person, what they talked about, and so on. His memory is amazing.

We had the band Morningwood in the studio, and off-air, Matt was telling stories, and they were saying, "We always learn something new from you.' "

"And he's a sweetheart, such a good soul," Fram said. "All his mail is in my office, and he comes in every day after the show and goes through it and starts listening to music people have sent in."

Just say no

The morning slot can be rough on someone accustomed to rockin' out at all hours. Fram said the schedule is tough on her, too, and that it's a challenge for any DJ to avoid burning out.

"You have to have a lot of discipline and you have to learn to say no," Fram said. "You have to learn how to treat your body, not stay out all night, even if you're at a great show."

Pinfield admits that it's been an adjustment. "If I go to a show, I have to keep looking at the time, making sure I'm not out too late," he said. "If it's a work night, I've gotta be in bed by 9 p.m."

On weekdays, Pinfield gets up at the un-rockin' hour of 4 a.m. at his home in Harrison and is in the RXP studio by 5:20 a.m.

"Pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, water, coffee," he said. "I line 'em up on my counter and drink one after the other. I take a bagel and throw lunch meat on it, then I'm out the door."

He is trim these days and claims to do 100 push-ups every morning on the grungy carpet of the studio floor. But he puts magazines on the floor first, so his hands don't touch the un-vacuumed surface.

50/50

He is visibly excited about being on the radio again, and about having input into the playlist.

"Fifty percent is playlist, I'll be honest, because it's the biggest market in the world," he says, "but 50 percent is from me. And the thought that I can play something at 8 a.m., and it's heard in New Jersey and New York City, and Westchester and Connecticut, and people are on their way to work or getting up in the morning and they're hearing it, that's huge."

MTV's Robin Reinhardt-Locke, senior vice president for studio relations and celebrity talent at MTV 360, knew Pinfield from his days at HTG and the Melody. The skills he used at the Melody translated well at MTV.

"Matt's extensive knowledge of music, and, specifically, music history, is what really endeared him to so many bands and artists," Reinhardt-Locke said, in an e-mail from her California office. "He just knew all the music references before the band even had to explain them. Plus his charming wit and his enthusiasm for music really won so many people over. He's definitely one of a kind."

On the set of "Sound Off With Matt Pinfield," Pinfield was known for a demeanor that put artists at ease. He was able to draw out stories from reticent subjects, such as Ray Davies and Lou Reed, and he focused the energy of the more extroverted, such as Weird Al Yankovic and Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance.

"Just about every artist made a comment on camera about how knowledgeable Matt is — they were astounded," said Domenic J. Cotter, producer of the series. "Artists love and trust Matt."

"My favorite moment was with the surviving original members of Alice In Chains," he added. "It was very emotional when they began to reflect on their time with (vocalist) Layne Staley and how much they missed him. It showed how much Matt is welcomed into the artist's circle because (guitarist) Jerry Cantrell was bringing up stories about all of them hanging out and having a good time."

The good will between Pinfield and musicians has paid dividends for RXP.

For example, Pinfield scored an exclusive interview with Jack White of The White Stripes for RXP, purely because White is a longtime fan who used to watch Pinfield on MTV's "120 Minutes" and was impressed when Pinfield talked about Johnny Cash during an interview with alt-country pioneers BR-549.

Other guests to Pinfield's show include Chris Cornell, Death Cab For Cutie, Ludo, Carolina Liar, Futureheads, G-Love, MCA of the Beastie Boys and Peter Buck of R.E.M. The only other DJ who interviews high-profile acts for RXP is the station's music director, Bryan Schock.

Even Pinfield's mother came up to the studio one day. As a goof, the DJ invented a game called "Ask Matt's Mom," in which callers could delve into the kooky details of Pinfield's childhood.

A family affair

"My mom came on the air and she's telling everyone how I used to throw the kiddie records they gave me under the refrigerator because I wanted real music," he said. "And then one day, they go to move the refrigerator and there's this pile of records."

Pinfield still wants "real" music, and he listens to college radio in order to find it.

During alumni weekend at Rutgers this spring, he heard somebody on WRSU mention his name and say how cool it would be if he came back, but what a long shot. "So I went back," Pinfield said, "and Sean Carolan (of WHTG) and I did a show together."

"I love radio," Pinfield said. "To have that street-level connection with listeners — with all the consolidation of radio, you lose the local connection, there's no connecting them to your life. Being at RXP, in the biggest market in the world, is a dream come true. And it's a real return to my roots, too, because radio is where it all began for me."

"I'm not a music elitist," Pinfield said. "I'm a regular guy who loves rock 'n' roll. I just love all things rock, that are good."

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