Mr. Shovel's Check One Two
Encyclopedia
Mr. Shovel's Check One Two was a radio show that aired on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles, Ca. from Feb. 2004 - Jan. 2009. The show which featured local and unsigned artists was created and hosted by Mr. Shovel (Mark Sovel, Indie 103.1's music director and also the producer of Jonesy's Jukebox hosted by Sex Pistols
member Steve Jones (musician)
. Jones bestowed the nickname "Mr. Shovel" after continuously mispronouncing Sovel's real name). In 2004 Indie 103.1 was dubbed "America's Coolest Commercial Station" by Rolling Stone Magazine and again voted Indie 103.1 "Best Radio Station" in 2008.
Check One Two aired Sunday nights from 6pm-8pm and gave many Los Angeles area bands their very first taste of commercial radio air-play. This led to several unsigned local bands getting added into "regular rotation" on Indie 103.1 and often led to significant record deals. Some of the more notable names that received early support from Indie 103.1 and Check One Two were The Airborne Toxic Event
, Silversun Pickups
, She Wants Revenge
, Cold War Kids
, Warpaint
, and The Submarines
.
Mr. Shovel made music news in the winter of 2008 when he and Indie 103.1 program director Max Tolkoff were summoned to the home of the "unsigned artist" Prince (musician)
,
who played for them a new record which would later be called "Lotusflower (album)
". Prince handed Shovel and Tolkoff the music to take with them to world premiere on Indie 103.1. Shovel appeared the following day on Jonesy's Jukebox with the music and stories about the visit.
On January 15, 2009 Indie suddenly went off the air to be replaced by a Spanish language format. Indie 103.1 and Check One Two's support is regarded as having united the local music scene in Los Angeles in the first decade of the 21st century.
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
member Steve Jones (musician)
Steve Jones (musician)
Stephen Philip "Steve" Jones is an English rock guitarist, singer and actor, best known as guitarist and founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
. Jones bestowed the nickname "Mr. Shovel" after continuously mispronouncing Sovel's real name). In 2004 Indie 103.1 was dubbed "America's Coolest Commercial Station" by Rolling Stone Magazine and again voted Indie 103.1 "Best Radio Station" in 2008.
Check One Two aired Sunday nights from 6pm-8pm and gave many Los Angeles area bands their very first taste of commercial radio air-play. This led to several unsigned local bands getting added into "regular rotation" on Indie 103.1 and often led to significant record deals. Some of the more notable names that received early support from Indie 103.1 and Check One Two were The Airborne Toxic Event
The Airborne Toxic Event
The Airborne Toxic Event is an American indie rock band from Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California. It consists of Mikel Jollett , Steven Chen , Noah Harmon , Daren Taylor and Anna Bulbrook...
, Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups
Silversun Pickups is an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band comprises Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester....
, She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge
She Wants Revenge is an American musical duo, based in San Fernando Valley, California. The group's debut album She Wants Revenge was released in early 2006, with three singles to follow...
, Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett , Jonnie Russell , Matt Maust , and Matt Aveiro .-History:...
, Warpaint
Warpaint
Warpaint is a mascot pinto horse for the Kansas City Chiefs National Football League team, currently in its third incarnation. The gelding is most famously associated with the Chiefs' glory days at Municipal Stadium when the team won two American Football League Championships, and the horse led the...
, and The Submarines
The Submarines
-Band history:Working as solo artists in Boston, the two members of the band, John Dragonetti and Blake Hazard, were introduced through a mutual friend, Joe Klompus. Dragonetti and Hazard became partners and soon toured Europe together as members of the band. The relationship lasted for four...
.
Mr. Shovel made music news in the winter of 2008 when he and Indie 103.1 program director Max Tolkoff were summoned to the home of the "unsigned artist" Prince (musician)
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
,
who played for them a new record which would later be called "Lotusflower (album)
Lotusflower (album)
Lotusflow3r is the twenty-sixth studio album by American musician Prince, released March 24, 2009 on NPG Records. A triple album set, it contains two Prince albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSºUND, as well as Elixer, the debut album of Prince protegée Bria Valente...
". Prince handed Shovel and Tolkoff the music to take with them to world premiere on Indie 103.1. Shovel appeared the following day on Jonesy's Jukebox with the music and stories about the visit.
On January 15, 2009 Indie suddenly went off the air to be replaced by a Spanish language format. Indie 103.1 and Check One Two's support is regarded as having united the local music scene in Los Angeles in the first decade of the 21st century.