Medicine Ball Caravan

The Medicine Ball Caravan is an hour-long weekday morning music program on KRVS 88.7FM in Lafayette, Louisiana. Airing every Monday through Thursday mornings at 11 am (CST) with repeat broadcasts each following morning at 2 am. Produced and hosted by the station's Music Director, Cecil Doyle, the show features a wide array of musical styles that feature not only local Louisiana sounds but also classic and contemporary recordings with occasional live in-studio interviews and performances.

Development

The show came about in 1997 after the departure of former station managing director, Lisa Richardson. Cecil was hosting both a World Music and Reggae program and offered to cover Richardson's duties until a replacement could be appointed. At the time, richardson was hosting a Wednesday morning singer-songwriter hour called The Hungry Ear. Richardson wanted to retain her show's namesake, but Doyle considered other titles. Figuring that his eclectic mix recalled some sort of musical medicine show, he considered naming it simply, The Medicine Show. This title was already i use by annual broadcasts of concerts dedicated to the formation of a traditional music chair for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the name of the late Dr. Tommy Comeaux. Wanting something with a similar feel, Doyle remembered the obscure 1971 musical documentary, Medicine Ball Caravan, which featured a California bus tour of acts that ranged from Doug Kershaw to Alice Cooper. Figuring this represented the musical range of the program, he adopted the name.

Programing

Medicine Ball Caravan soon became a weekday morning follow-up to the station's syndicated airings of David Dye's World Cafe. The program tends to feature new independent releases linked with classic tracks to show the newer tune's influences, intended or not. Live in-studio guests through the years have included Zachary Richard, Henry Butler, Tracy Bonham, Citizen Cope, Micheal Doucet, C. C. Adcock, Dirk Powell, Red Stick Ramblers, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Scott Ainslie, Scott H. Biram, Wayfaring Strangers, Sonny Landreth, Guy Forsyth, Gina Forsyth, Rachael Sage, Dayna Kurtz and The Malvinas.