What do you call the space between the last track on a vinyl record and the label? No, this isn’t a riddle or a trick question. That space is called a runout groove—the same name as Tommy Newman’s show on KRTU Indie Overnight.
We sat down with Newman, host of The Runout Groove, to find out more about him and his radio show.
“The Runout Groove focuses on music that is primarily from independent labels and DIY artists and spans genres like alternative/indie rock, post punk, indie dance, synth pop, cold wave, and so on,” Newman said.
He can trace his love for indie music back to the 1990s when he first listened to a mixtape from his friend’s older brother. On it, songs from Black Flag, NWA, Public Enemy, and RevCo. spurred his appreciation for music that most people may not know. After that, he would scour record stores and hunt down mixtapes to try to find more indie music.
“I still actively seek out the fringe stuff rather than passively stumbling upon it (i.e. letting Spotify tell me what it thinks I’d like),” he said. “All of that opens up a whole new world of underground music to me, and I love sharing it with whoever will listen. And that’s the ethos that I hope characterizes the show.”
Now as the owner of the record store Southtown Vinyl, he draws a parallel between sharing new songs and artists with his KRTU listeners and his customers and staff at his store. He prioritizes playing songs that he loves on The Runout Groove and tries to have every song add something to the next.
“I want each song to flow effortlessly into the next song,” Newman said. “But I still want to present a broad spectrum of sounds. So, while I wouldn’t necessarily play an upbeat indie dance tune right after a punk song, you might still hear the two in the same show if the mix happens to go that way.”
Newman has been a KRTU listener since the 90s and began sponsoring KRTU shows after opening Southtown Vinyl. When he was approached to host his own show on the station, he was excited to start.
“I love the fact that KRTU is a boon to our community,” he said. “They do so much for our city, our musicians, our people. I love the fact that it is listener supported and not beholden to any outside interests. I also love that KRTU has a mutually beneficial relationship with small businesses –they support each other.”
Between running his record store, hosting The Runout Groove, writing for the Southtown neighborhood newsletter, and working as a board member of the SA Parks Foundation, Newman spends his free time listening to music. When he can, he enjoys going to see live music shows, repairing turntables, and making his own music with modular synthesizers. He said that music has always been a friend to him no matter where he was in life.
“The songs you listen to and love really are the soundtrack to your life,” Newman said. “That feeling you get when you hear a new song that blows your mind doesn’t change as you get older. It’s a constant, and it’s always there waiting for you.”
Remember how a runout groove is the space between the last track on a record and the label? Well, The Runout Groove airs Friday nights on KRTU from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m.—the space between the last hour of the work week and the first hour of the weekend.
Southtown Vinyl is open Monday through Thursday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is located at 1112 S. St. Mary’s Street just south of downtown San Antonio.
Check out Tommy on this episode of What’s On My Turntable?
