(This story has been corrected for an error since it was first posted.)

Vancouver bands are reviving the ’90s to help independent radio station CiTR resonate in the future.

The University of B.C.-based radio station that provides alternative programming to Metro Vancouver listeners aims to raise $30,000 during its fifth annual Fundrive that culminates with a ’90s cover tune night, Nov. 25. Half the funds will be dedicated to digitizing the station’s extensive library of more than 32,000 CDs, 10,000 LPs and 4,000 seven inch records, many of them rare and local gems.

“We’re concerned that eventually labels will stop servicing physical copies,” said Brenda Grunau, manager for the station that broadcasts on 101.9 FM. “We get about 200 CDs a week and we’re starting to get a lot of online submissions that we’re not able to handle at this point.”

CiTR has purchased a 100-CD burner volunteers have dubbed Jack the Ripper. Grunau says the station has a student glued to a computer writing code so converted files can be appropriately tagged allowing DJs to find what they need quickly.

She says all of the campus radio stations in the United States have digitized their libraries, as have other local radio stations.

“The number of songs that they have in rotation every time, it’s something like 300 songs per week, whereas we rarely repeat a song in a week,” Grunau said. “So the amount of songs that we’ll be pulling from our library is far more extensive than another place.”

Ben Lai, a longstanding CiTR volunteer, host of Thunderbird Radio Hell on 101.9 FM and the Shindig band competition, came up with the ’90s cover night at the Biltmore Cabaret with his friend Darren Susin, a musician.

“We read somewhere that in New York or something they were doing an all-Pixies show, where all the bands would just play Pixies songs, so we thought how come that never happens here, so it kind of went from there,” said Lai.

The super group Rick White’s Hair, which Susin belongs to, will bust out “El Scorcho” by Weezer and “Where It’s At” by Beck. Rock band Safety Show will rap to Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” from the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds. Two-piece indie rock band Hermetic will cover two-piece band The Inbreds’ “Any Sense of Time.”

“There’s actually two bands doing [The] Tea Party songs, which is weird,” said Susin. “It’s like this real mid-’90s, real wanky, cheesy… oh yeah, it’s good.”

Dance pop band Fine Mist and art rockers Role Mach will cover numbers by the Canadian rock band.

The other half of the money CiTR raises will cover operations and equipment.

Grunau said it’s important for members of the community, who can participate in the creation of content for CiTR, to support a broadcaster of local music, comedy and news.

“Independent media is really important these days. And with the growing consolidation of papers and news stations, the diversity of programming and the authenticity of the local voices and local news is at risk,” she said.

Tickets to the Finale Party are $12 in advance at Zulu and Red Cat records, or $15 at the door. Volunteers are taking pledges for the Fundrive at 604-822-8648. For more information, see citr.ca.

crossi@vancourier.com