WCCC 106.9 FM and Avalanche

Obviously, all the airplay and support from Conn. radio stations was having a huge impact on the public. The radio station that did the most to help us, was also the biggest rock station in the state at the time, WCCC 106.9FM in Hartford. I had always listened to this station anyway, as they had always played what I thought was the best music of all the Connecticut stations. About three weeks before our debut, the Program Director for the station had called to tell me that the station wanted to do a major co-promotion with the club on July 5, featuring Avalanche. They did a lot of these...with up and coming national acts that they liked. Sometimes they worked out, and drew huge crowds...and sometimes...they didn't. They were called WCCC Big Shows, and usually, as part of the promotion, the first 107 people would get free T-Shirts with the band and station name on them. When I got the call, I had agreed to do the show immediately, because I knew we'd get a lot of exposure and radio airtime when the station promoted it, and I was grateful to have their help and support. After the debut, we had two days to rest and prepare for this...our first gig at the best club in New England, and my second home. It would also be our first indoor date, and with all the gear we used, it would be as big a production as any national act that had appeared there in the past. And everyone had appeared there..Journey, Aerosmith, Dire Straits, The Police, Count Basie, Miles Davis...the list was very long. And the club featured and showcased every musical genre. It was a club owned by musicians...and many bands who played there were often too successful to play clubs..but they came there anyway...because it was an oasis between New York and Boston...and  musicians knew about it, and loved playing there, and would tell other musicians about it. I think when the club and the station agreed to the co-promote, the club did so mainly out of friendship to me, more than anything else...and because it was a Tuesday night, the club normally wouldn't be very busy anyway, so we wouldn't hurt their business. We were  looking forward to playing ...we had all performed there before, while playing with many different groups, and it was a very comfortable place for us. After Avalanche's debut gig, the  buzz about the band was everywhere, including on the radio...and the owners of the club slowly began to realize that more people might show up for this show than they had originally thought...