BumbleBee Radio raises a glass to the Boston scene with its first live showcase

Kristen Eck’s indie radio station presents Count Zero’s record release with Lovina Falls and Singer Mali at Sonia in Cambridge on Friday, November 8

NOW PLAYING: Listen to BumbleBee Radio broadcasting 24/7  

BumbleBee Radio planning 5th anniversary festivities for Spring 2025

BUMBLEBEERADIO . GOOGLE PLAY . APPLE MUSIC . INSTAGRAM . FACEBOOK . YOUTUBE . TWITTER

Advance tickets for November 8  x YouTube video playlist

Tune in to BumbleBee Radio’s live brunch every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon ET

Photo Credit: Kristen Eck  

BOSTON, Mass. [November 8, 2024] -- When BumbleBee Radio launched in 2020 as a pandemic project for founder and live host Kristen Eck, it quickly became a way for New England indie and alternative rock bands to get played on air, at any and all hours of the day, alongside more well-known and global acts. Now as the Beverly-based streaming radio station approaches its fifth anniversary in the spring, Eck is keeping its past, present, and future in mind. 

But where the past involves looking back at how BumbleBee has evolved since the lockdown days, catering to a hungry audience eager to find a new alternative to the dusty old FM dial, and the future allows Eck to beam with pride over reaching the five-year milestone in the Boston area’s increasingly competitive digital radio landscape, it’s perhaps the present that is most exciting. 

Kicking off a string of celebrations that extend into the spring, BumbleBee Radio first dips into the live show scene on November 8, presenting Count Zero’s Thought So album release party – the theatrical Boston art-rock band’s first new record in 13 years – at Sonia in Cambridge, the former location of T.T. The Bear’s Place. Joining Count Zero on the bill are two BumbleBee Radio mainstays in Lovina Falls, the elegant baroque-pop project from Mistle Thrush’s Valerie Forgione, and Singer Mali of avant-rock mainstays Jaggery.  

“I am beyond excited to be working with these three exceptionally talented and creative artists,” says Eck, who spends her days as the WBZ News Radio helicopter reporter. “I don’t believe in doing anything small. I wanted our first official live event to be a musical tour-de-force. So attendees can expect grand, thought-provoking music in a dramatic setting – and hopefully a renewed sense of community in drawing old-school fans of Count Zero, Think Tree, Mistle Thrush, and Jaggery and giving them a night of some new music to remember.”

As part of the festivities, Count Zero will be releasing their first new album in 13 years, connecting a lineage that first began with its members in influential electronic rock band Think Tree. And both Lovina Falls – from her 2023 debut album Calculating the Angle of our Descent to a string of new singles – and Singer Mali are frequent artists heard on BumbleBee’s daily broadcasts, segueing in and out of a playlist that specializes in homegrown New England music, new indie from around the globe, and classic alternative from the halcyon days of rock radio.   

“I wanted to select three artists who travel in similar lanes musically, but are also somewhat different,” Eck says. “With it being deep into autumn with winter approaching I also wanted there to be a somewhat dark tone to the music. Count Zero is so unique in what they do that I’m kinda drawn to them like a moth. Having them as the headliner and then adding two straight-ahead rock acts didn’t seem to make sense. I thought more theatrical was the way to go here to make the event stand-out from every other show in the city. Lovina Falls fits that bill, while adding a bit more rock-flair and Singer Mali’s tremendous voice and dark-edged material also seemed like a perfect fit. This is definitely not a run-of-the-mill rock show.” 

While she’s been engaging radio audiences for the past half-decade, entertaining live music audiences has been part of Eck's varied repertoire since her days on Cape Cod, when she organized and hosted music nights as co-editor for a music web-zine and small indie record label, Subversive Green Rhino / Subversive Green Records. 

“The mission of Subversive Green Rhino was to showcase and share the creations of local musicians, writers, and artists on Cape Cod,” Eck recalls. “It’s a mission I’ve been drawn to most of my life. I was also the program director and morning show host of Cape Cod Community College radio station, WKKL, at that time.” 

Not only has the Sonia show brought Eck’s passion for music full circle, but her live BumbleBee Brunch, airing every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon, also connects to her Cape Cod past, as WKKL simulcasts the show live each week. 

It’s all part of a growing operation that’s rooted here in the Boston music scene, but has grown at a breakneck pace in recent years. When Eck launched BumbleBee – currently listenable 24/7 via the player on the radio station’s homepage as well as with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – she’d spend hours proactively hunting for new music, scouring the blogs and arts websites on a daily basis. 

Now, submissions come in from all over the world; bands, publicists, and labels have pitched Eck new music from across the United States and United Kingdom, as well as Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Moldova, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Colombia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and India. 

“I love discovering a great new song and get almost giddy about sharing that discovery with others,” Eck admits. “The feeling I get when I hear a song for the first time and think, ‘Oh my goodness! That is wonderful’ is priceless. We’re here for that kind of listener: The listener who enjoys discovering new music along with older music they may have forgotten about and enjoys being surprised.” 

And that reflects the listenership as well. BumbleBee Radio currently has just under 1,900 active songs in its bustling library, with about 725 new tracks added annually. As of September 1, listeners have turned to BumbleBee Radio not only here in Boston and across the country, but also the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Finland, Mexico, The Netherlands, Ukraine, France, Ghana, Russia, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Hong Kong. 

It’s giving Boston bands a global platform, and positioning Eck as an influential voice in this exciting new era of digital radio. 

“BumbleBee Radio is a station that takes chances and welcomes music that is off-the-beaten path in the world of indie and alternative along with post-punk, garage rock, pop punk, and other genres,” Eck admits. “BumbleBee is designed not primarily to make money, but rather as a showcase for music and creativity. To know that I can play local artists (or anyone else) anytime I want without a ‘boss’ messaging and telling me I have to placate advertisers and play more ‘mainstream’ music is rewarding.”

With Eck constantly upgrading her broadcasting capabilities, and an audio quality that could go up against any 50,000-watt commercial FM radio station, she’s not only developing new ways to reach her audience, but also ways her audience can reach her. BumbleBee Radio has added phone apps for both iPhone and Android that function with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making it very easy for listeners to take BumbleBee Radio along in the car. The playlist has evolved too, growing beyond an early mix of local indie and classic alternative and encompassing a spectrum of sounds that includes adding jazz, alternative hip-hop, and other genres that presents a genre balance that sounds spontaneous yet natural.

The station is constantly evolving, adapting, and moving forward. But it remains true to its local roots. As the BumbleBee tagline proudly states: “Programmed by humans, NOT by robots.”

“BumbleBee Radio’s five-year journey has seen it go from being an unknown to being a respected member of the incredibly talented and creative Boston music community,” Eck marvels. “It’s been a joy to meet the folks who create music in this city, put their songs on the air, and help promote their live gigs.”

Eck adds: “For an indie artist – whether it’s from Boston or elsewhere – to know that their song is not getting played once on the Sunday night ‘local show,’ but rather many times during on any day of the week right next to The Cure, Florence + The Machine, and Radiohead is something that fills me with not only pride, but also joy that I can make that happen. The friendships I have made doing that over the past five years are priceless.” 

And now, it’s time to celebrate. Or, rather, start the celebrations. After all, the new Count Zero album deserves to be heard – not just on-air at BumbleBee Radio, but live on stage, as well. 

“Five years later I am very optimistic about what BumbleBee has become and love the idea of throwing a party – a live music event! – to celebrate,” Eck concludes. “The station is so tied-in to not only the Boston music community but also indie artists from all over the world, that creating a night that showcases some of those artists seems like the most appropriate celebration I can think of.”

Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to Michael Marotta at michael@knyvet.com and reach Kristen Eck of BumbleBee Radio at kristeneck@bumblebeeradio.com. 

***

Count Zero record release at Sonia on Nov. 8

>> Click here to purchase advance tickets <<

***

A message from Kristen Eck of BumbleBee Radio:

“Hello! I'm Kristen Eck.  Owner, host, and program-director of BumbleBee Radio! What is it we do here?  We play Indie Music, Alternative, Electronica, Hip-Hop, and Jazz.

You'll hear music you recognize from artists like Pixies, Guru,  Björk, The B-52's, Beastie Boys, and Radiohead, but you'll also encounter a ton of new tunes you might not be familiar with. We also proudly feature Boston & New England area artists side-by-side with everyone else, regardless of whether they're signed to a record label. Hopefully you'll find a new favorite song or artist along the way!  If you like what you hear please tell your friends about BumbleBee Radio!”

***

Count Zero record release party press photo:

Photo Credit: Joan Hathaway [download hi-res versions]

***

***

Press Contact: Michael O’Connor Marotta at michael@knyvet.com
Station Contact: Kristen Eck at kristeneck@bumblebeeradio.com

BUMBLEBEERADIO . GOOGLE PLAY . APPLE MUSIC . INSTAGRAM . FACEBOOK . YOUTUBE . TWITTER