Image via Todd V. Wolfson

Were you surprised to be asked to do this new KGSR show after so many years on 101X?

I’ve been quietly involved there for some time – as a regular contributor to their morning show, and by helping book and host the the KGSR morning show broadcasts from the Four Seasons during ACL and SXSW. And while I wasn’t actively looking for a job, it’s definitely a rarity that there was an open gig - they simply don’t pop up very often because the on-air staff they have is so small, dedicated and genuinely happy.

I’ll be primarily playing within the confines of the KGSR “format,” but look at it this way: how many places can you hear Talking Heads, Radiohead and Aretha Franklin back-to-back-to-back? What has me excited about KGSR is that the parameters of "What’s KGSR?" are already so wide. To me, the brand is as equally inclusive and wide as a brand like Austin City Limits - the show or the festival. Sure, there’s stuff that isn’t right for ACL or KGSR, but there’s a lot more stuff that is right. That said, we’ve built in a few songs an hour that are maybe a few shades more eclectic or adventurous than you’d typically hear so early in the evening, plus a segment each weeknight at 9:40pm called the “Last Twenty” – where I’ll spin new, local, unreleased and underrated tunes at the end of my shift.

Can you give a couple of examples of tracks you'll hear on the show that might surprise us?

In just the next few nights, I plan on playing new material from Jason Collett, The Gutter Twins, Okkervil River, Vampire Weekend, Kate Nash, Jack Penate, The Whigs, The Rumble Strips, Oh No! Oh My! – all of which I suspect would be surprising on some level for most listeners. I’ll also play new stuff from Billy Bragg, Gary Louris, Maceo Parker, The Drive-By Truckers, Kathleen Edwards and Willie Nelson. Those may be less surprising, but the idea here is to share great songs, not average songs that get my hip card punched.

Will you still do your occasional bits on the 101X and KGSR morning shows?

Yeah, I hope to. I enjoy coming in on Thursday mornings and making the tour of the radio ranch – sitting in with Bryan Beck on KGSR and then with Jason and Deb on 101X. They’re obviously two completely different types of shows, but I can honestly say if I wasn’t on either of them, they’d still be my two preset morning shows. The Jason and Deb show is particularly fun – I find myself talking (and ranting) about stuff there I talk about nowhere else. I believe Jason Dick is a singular talent – he makes a very difficult job - being funny four hours a morning - seem almost embarrassingly effortless.

You've been covering the Austin music scene longer that almost anyone we know. Who are some of your favorite local acts at the moment?

In a lot of ways, I’m curious about the creative evolution and potential market nationally for the same bands that everyone else is – White Denim, Brazos, Tacks The Boy Disaster, Black and White Years, The Lemurs, and so on. And I’m as excited as anyone to see if Ghostland Observatory’s 2008 is somehow even bigger than their 2007. What I think is interesting is that in a year where the music industry was worse off than ever, there were more Austinites enjoying banner best-of-career years than maybe ever before- Spoon, Ghostland, Roky Erickson, Patty Griffin, and Grupo Fantasma among them. And then there’s the people that to me are the heartbeat of this city- guys who quietly and consistently do great work on the same scale year after year, folks like Jon Dee Graham or James McMurtry (whose April 2008 album should floor people).

You're still the host of The Next Big Thing on 101X for a few weeks. Any recent finds you're hoping to see performing at SXSW 08?

Looks like Sons & Daughters, Lightspeed Champion, and Justin Townes Earle are on the handy Austinist list of “rumored confirmed” and those are the three I’m probably most excited about seeing. I’d also be interested in De Novo Dhal, Bell X-1, MGMT, Jacob Golden, and Air Traffic if they end up coming.

Thanks for talking with Austinist.

Andy Langer's radio show can be heard on 107.1 KGSR-FM weekdays from 6-10pm. Until mid-February, he'll also host "The Next Big Thing" on 101.5 KROX-FM Sundays from 6-10pm.