Lament is a versatile mistress. She can force her victims into debilitating misery, or inspire them to create amazing works of art. In this case, it was a web magazine.

When Oxford, Ohio’s modern rock radio station WOXY 97.7 FM – otherwise known as “97X, The Future of Rock and Roll” – sold its license to broadcast at that spot on the dial in early 2004, fans old and new alike feared the worst. Assurances of moving to an internet only format, which would at least keep the spirit of the station alive in some form, were speculative at best.

Anger. Hope. Fear. Relief. All are words that described how fans of the 21-year-old station flip-flopped emotions after learning of its potential demise. You see, 97X wasn’t just a radio station. For some, it was a way of life. Its reckless dismissal of all that is uniformed and homogenous about today’s Top 40 music charts earned a respect and loyalty unmatched in the world of radio. When a small, yet loud group of WOXY fans posting to its message boards learned their favorite station might be gone forever, they asked themselves, “What next? What do we do now?” Enter Randomville.

Named for the section of WOXY’s message boards that allows for free thought, no matter the subject, Randomville is a collection of like-minded individuals dedicated to showing the world that entertainment exists outside the sphere of a mainstream comfort zone many have become accustomed to. Our intent, our goal, is to take what’s on the fringes of pop culture and bring it to an audience who might not know it exists. In other words, we’re taking the indie mainstream, baby!

Not all of us are professional journalists. Many of us slave away at day jobs we hate for little money. What we are, however, is passionate. We want to bring you entertainment you may not have heard about, without pretension, in a way that you can understand and enjoy. While WOXY indeed made its triumphant internet-only return several months after its terrestrial signal disappeared from the airwaves, Randomville’s mission has never faltered. We’re tired of watching the independent get gobbled up by the mainstream. It’s time we did something about it.

Welcome to Randomville. Enjoy your stay.