Get to see da buggah on TV soon enough!

I don’t know the details, and really it’s “noneya.” Suffice it to say, it’s been a great, great run of Hammertime that’s evolved since day 1 and saw the OG trio bond and develop the show’s format. The early day’s staccato is now a harmonious flow. Even with the replayed content, the dialog, transitions, music, and yes, even those teasers, seem effortless and help us morning commuters keep our sanity with the hilarity. Everyday’s broadcast is similar but different, giving us listeners a calming regularity but with an anticipation of that laughable Hammertime moment. Yes, Hammertime will go on just with a new (and very capable) member.

If you want to remember how it all started for Davey, Gregg, and Shawnee, take a look back to October 2013 and listen to Hammertime’s five minute early launch.

For a brief moment, both he and Shawnee were off-air, but Shawnee’s since returned. The crew might have mentioned why Wayne is now coordinating the show, but I missed the reason.

Anyone know where’s Davey D?

9/13 Update: Another week on air without Davey. I still don’t know what happened but to lighten the mood as Hammertime does, here are some possibilities.

Theory 1: The Happiest Place in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Maybe Davey didn’t have enough of the new Star Wars experience in Disneyland and went for an extended hana hou.

View this post on Instagram

I cried. For real. So happy! ???

A post shared by Davey D (@daveydhawaii) on Aug 25, 2019 at 11:20am PDT

Theory 2: Supporting the Mauna

Or Davey could have had a calling, took a leave of absence, and is now supporting the Mauna?

9/14 Final Update: Here’s the final update for this post. Davey is not returning to Hammertime.

While the contest is for the most creative, I gotta give it to the duet. Oh, the image I used is from the Lilly Pulitzer line at Target that’s just a time reference.

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All-Asian Wayne Anzaki mixed with Austrian-American Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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Perhaps a little controversial, but he was asked and Mr. Hammer produced, mixing Helen Keller and Bubba Smith. Don’t mind the Harley revving its engine in the background

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/147187514″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Say what? I can’t understand what “Oprah Chai” is saying. Maybe Oprah Winfrey and local chef Chai Chaowasaree can translate.

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And what’s with my SoundCloud images for these audio clips? Just playing around with SoundCloud’s integration with Instagram and using some of my recent shots.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/119847470″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

This prank call segment has some potential though I do feel bad for those getting punked aka hammer’d. One of these days, the person getting hammer’d won’t be able to take a joke and is bound to go off.

I know this is just the very beginning with rough spots expected, but from my limited sampling, here is Pulpconnection’s analysis and breakdown.

But before that, if you missed the launch of HammerTime, listen in to the first two minutes of HammerTime. So what if they started about 5 minutes early?

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116972762″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The Name

Just nitpicking here, but the name HammerTime is appropriate but small kine confusing. Thanks to MC Hammer, HammerTime is part of our vernacular. Gregg Hammer is a marquee draw and since two of the three members of HammerTime are Hammers, the name fits. But there’s Davey D who seems like the team’s radio lead but gets unequal billing. No, I’m not trying to disrupt the team, just pointing out an observation.

The Music

KRATER 96 plays adult contemporary music, and at my age, I don’t mind this music since it’s all familiar. Rihanna is as hip hop as it gets around here. There’s a good mix of 90’s and newer music. Trivia fact: if you listen to the launch of HammerTime, the first official song played is Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn from 1997.

The Traffic

Fortunately, KRTR has the best traffic reporter assigned to their station with Danielle Tucker and Traffic on the Fives. Danielle’s reports are thorough and tweaked just enough so they don’t sound like she’s repetitively reading the same report for several stations.

The Jocks

Davey D is a name I’ve heard before, but I’m not familiar with his style. I’m guessing his role is the experienced point man/facilitator of the program. The problem I have is telling the difference between the voices of Davey D and Gregg. When Hammer is in caricature-mode, it’s easy to discern, but in straight up regular dialog, I can’t immediately tell. Their voices have similar qualities unlike the former pairing of Gregg and Rory Wild.

Now, the main show, Gregg Hammer. Yes, I am a fan and believe Gregg belongs on the airwaves as one of the most talented entertainers. His range is wide and his speed of improvisation is unparalleled. But… these are new times, a new station, and a new team.

The Team

At times, it feels like Gregg is a one-man show. He goes into character but has to play all the parts. Listen in.

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While he can pull this off, the effect is more compelling when the team complements or augments the stories and jokes. Yes, the team is still adjusting to one another and will get better over time; I understand that. I’m not sure if Gregg’s team knows how to react to his skits or can’t keep up or can’t lead him to the next segment. Again, Rory Wild was the master of this. With a few, well-placed comments, questions, or even a sigh, Rory would be directing the discourse giving Gregg a new path for hilarity. The team just needs more time, more repetitions, more exchanges before everything comes together. My basis for comparison is Gregg’s time with the Wake-Up Crew that spanned years. Seemingly he’s known Rory even longer. So it’s with this bias and expectations, I listen to HammerTime.

The Format

Ugh, okay, this has got to be the worst aspect of the show. It’s no fault to any HammerTime member, just the format of KRTR. But I really hate it. It’s the whole “right after this…” teasing. What celebrity was arrested last night? Find out right after this. Where “this” is typically one or two songs and a commercial. Then there’s some banter followed by another song, news, or traffic report. Then another teaser. Now follow this format for hours. There’s just no flow. Staccato is a rhythm but not a desired flow for this morning show.

Unshackle the Hammer. When things start getting good, the format kicks in, stifling the creativity of Gregg Hammer. Remember the days of the Wake-Up Crew when they would talk for minutes, not playing any music, just doing the obligatory bill paying commercials. The dialog would carry and engage the listeners. I would stay through the commercials so I wouldn’t miss out when the conversation picked up. The current show format doesn’t allow for this, letting me leave knowing I won’t hear from Davey, Shawnee, or Gregg for some time. And when I do hear from them, it’ll be for a scant few minutes before another mandatory music interruption.

It’s the beginning, and I’ll keep listening to HammerTime. You just never know when Gregg will talk about his Instagram selfie.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116972604″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Oh, one last thing. Develop characters. Gregg needs to redefine and develop characters. Gone are the days of Tufi Claus, Robert Crazymero, Manyo the Janitor, Bubba Fujimoto, the old Japanese couple, Officer Sherman Botello, and others. Gregg needs a new cast and fast. I’m not sure if Bubbles is it though.