Well, I'm taking a break from Radio Free Nashville this weekend so there's no live broadcast from me. I didn't say, though, that I was taking a break from doing a blog this week, so here I am.
It's been a little over three months since I started this show. If you've followed my journey, it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of learning to do a half decent radio show. Indeed, the learning curve continues. Along the way, I realized talking off the top of my head isn't my strong point while trying to manage other details of the show...I had that skill once, while I was in Toastmasters for five years. But I've been gone from it too long and don't really have time to hook up with another club. So, since I decided to return to the practice of scripting my shows in November, I have found a few that have not been painful for me to listen to. I have actually enjoyed listening to them.
So in chronological order, here are my favorite shows of the ones I did this year, with links to the individual blog entries (In all of these, technical glitches not withstanding, by the way).
9/13/08 – The first one. First shows are always special, I guess. I knew I would be a bundle of nerves, so I did script this show. Perhaps for that reason it turned out to not be a total embarrassment to me. I remember how it blew me away when program director Beau Hunter told me that two calls came into the station from listeners saying they liked the show.
10/18/08 – Great Voices show. This is the one I did after listening to the replay of the "Geo on the Radio" Alex Harvey interview. I think the spirit stayed with me and made everything else click. Also one of the first where I had a theme. (And yeah, "quite" was one of my favorite words that day...)
11/22/08 – 1963 show. One of my favorite years in music. I thought the JFK assassination anniversary section came off well. I was dealing with a miserable cold that day but I must say it kept my voice pitch from jumping into the stratosphere as it often likes to do.
12/6/08 – The "by the shoreline" show where I talked about growing up in the Savin Rock part of West Haven, CT in the neighborhood of an aging amusement park. I was also happy with the extended pitch from the heart I did for Radio Free Nashville.
12/13/08 – The "highs of the 60s" show. Some good musical choices there. I was also inspired by the creative genius of my friend Dale Connelly earlier that week on the last broadcast of Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Show which lasted 25 years. He wrote a comic sketch with a most eloquent observation on endings that I just had to work into an encouragement piece on change. I want to write like Dale when I grow up.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't thank my musician friends Randi Perkins, Steve Craig and Simpli Lauri for taking a chance on me and agreeing to be guests on the show this year.
What I've realized after hearing some of my more recent shows played back is that perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on myself and I should stop venturing into "comparison-itis". My fellow DJ Steve Haggard of the Haggard-King Radio Hour on Tuesdays told me he thinks he and Kimberly King are getting pretty good at it after six months on the air. (I'd say so!). Hopefully I may be halfway to pretty good after three.
Things for me to remember going into the New Year: keep my voice pitch in the middle (you can tell when I'm particularly enthused or excited—up it goes!), and slow down so I don't stumble so much. Above all—focus, focus!
"Never Too Old" as I've noted, moves to Sunday at 8 a.m. starting January 4. It'll be a different experience in a few ways. By virtue of it being Sunday morning, it'll be more laid back. I will be following automation, which means I'll have more time to look around the studio before I go on-air and focus more on how things work and how I can make them work for me. Overall, it might be a better spot for a DJ in training.
Again, grateful thanks for those who have listened to "Never Too Old" or read the blog this year. I hope you will follow me into the next year.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Programming Note: Never Too Old moves to Sunday morning 8-9 a.m. starting 1/4/2009
The 12/20/08 show is the last live show for the year on a Saturday. There will be a rebroadcast for next Saturday since I planned a break.
Beginning on January 4, "Never Too Old" will return live with a new day and time: Sunday mornings from 8-9 a.m. The reason for the change is due to, like most things these days, the economy. I've been laid off and out of work since July and so I've had to try to grab whatever I could get workwise. Unfortunately, the pickings these days are those options where you need to work weekends. Thus, I've found it necessary to free up Saturdays for work opportunities. (In fact, I have an upcoming temp job lined up which is a 7 day a week stretch over two weeks. Feast or famine!)
The decision to move was a difficult one. As I've said in past weeks, I've had a great time being part of this Saturday afternoon lineup. I want to acknowledge that I have been on both sides of some wonderful programming by two extraordinarily talented people. However, I am looking forward to preceding the show "Samurai Songs" with Kerry Miller. This show features the music of the Japanese flute, and if you've never heard it, I think you will find it a calming, peaceful and tranquil way to spend part of your morning. Kerry's a good guy, too. I hope some of you will be able to follow me from Saturday to Sunday, but if not, the blog will continue and you can keep up with the show there.
Now what was I saying last week about change being constant...?
Beginning on January 4, "Never Too Old" will return live with a new day and time: Sunday mornings from 8-9 a.m. The reason for the change is due to, like most things these days, the economy. I've been laid off and out of work since July and so I've had to try to grab whatever I could get workwise. Unfortunately, the pickings these days are those options where you need to work weekends. Thus, I've found it necessary to free up Saturdays for work opportunities. (In fact, I have an upcoming temp job lined up which is a 7 day a week stretch over two weeks. Feast or famine!)
The decision to move was a difficult one. As I've said in past weeks, I've had a great time being part of this Saturday afternoon lineup. I want to acknowledge that I have been on both sides of some wonderful programming by two extraordinarily talented people. However, I am looking forward to preceding the show "Samurai Songs" with Kerry Miller. This show features the music of the Japanese flute, and if you've never heard it, I think you will find it a calming, peaceful and tranquil way to spend part of your morning. Kerry's a good guy, too. I hope some of you will be able to follow me from Saturday to Sunday, but if not, the blog will continue and you can keep up with the show there.
Now what was I saying last week about change being constant...?
12/20/08 Playlist - A Twist On Christmas
This show was sort of a special edition. I did a "Twist On Christmas" and loosened up the format a bit today. I had some of the usual oldies mixed in with some songs of the season you might have grown up with some cute and kooky types of holiday tunes.
Now let me see a show of hands here: who among us grew up in the 60s and thereabouts like I did with Johnny Mathis' Merry Christmas album? My family played it over and over again until it became etched in my brain as it is to this day.
Sleigh Ride – Johnny Mathis
Tonights the Night – Shirelles
Come and See What's Happening In the Barn – Stephen Hill and Woody Wright (one of the most creative Christmas songs I've ever heard; co-written by Woody Wright, Bill and Gloria Gaither, Michael Sykes)
Havin' A Party – Sam Cooke
Frosty the Blues Man- Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - that is their most requested song
My good friend Gigi Swanson, who is a songwriter, got in touch with me about a Christmas song she co-wrote with Diona Devincenzi. It's a song about a woman's opinion on the ideal way of celebrating the holiday. I heard it and I think I am right on with her about it –this sounds really good to me!
Merry Christmas to Me – Diona Devincenzi (video link)
How Did We Live Without Christmas? – Mark Lowry (featuring his Christmas album "Mary Did You Know" today. If you are familiar with the song "Mary Did You Know?" Mark Lowry co – wrote it with Buddy Greene. I am humbled to know both those guys personally).
Amen – the Impressions
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love (from the legendary Phil Spector Christmas album)
Christmas Wrapping – the Waitresses (I love this one about a gal chasing a guy amidst the seasonal hustle and bustle and tracking him down in a grocery store--and getting him)
As Mark himself would say, "it's my show!" and I indulged myself because he has to my ears been the #1 male singer in my world for the past seven years. So, I played his version of this holiday classic because I think he does an awesome job.
The Christmas Song – Mark Lowry
Marshmallow World - Darlene Love (also from the legendary Phil Spector Christmas album)
Encouragement: I brough Mark back in to give a message for us all.
Let There Be Peace On Earth – Mark Lowry
Remember there's an encore broadcast next week. I want to thank everyone for listening to me or reading my blog this year.
The music was good, there were a couple of usual technical glitches, but I didn't like my on-air performance today. I don't think I slept at all last night due to sinus problems and a brain that wouldn't shut down. Then there was the decision about the show that I felt I had to make due to my situation. All those things affected me. Ah well. I think a break will be good to recharge the battery.
Now let me see a show of hands here: who among us grew up in the 60s and thereabouts like I did with Johnny Mathis' Merry Christmas album? My family played it over and over again until it became etched in my brain as it is to this day.
Sleigh Ride – Johnny Mathis
Tonights the Night – Shirelles
Come and See What's Happening In the Barn – Stephen Hill and Woody Wright (one of the most creative Christmas songs I've ever heard; co-written by Woody Wright, Bill and Gloria Gaither, Michael Sykes)
Havin' A Party – Sam Cooke
Frosty the Blues Man- Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - that is their most requested song
My good friend Gigi Swanson, who is a songwriter, got in touch with me about a Christmas song she co-wrote with Diona Devincenzi. It's a song about a woman's opinion on the ideal way of celebrating the holiday. I heard it and I think I am right on with her about it –this sounds really good to me!
Merry Christmas to Me – Diona Devincenzi (video link)
How Did We Live Without Christmas? – Mark Lowry (featuring his Christmas album "Mary Did You Know" today. If you are familiar with the song "Mary Did You Know?" Mark Lowry co – wrote it with Buddy Greene. I am humbled to know both those guys personally).
Amen – the Impressions
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love (from the legendary Phil Spector Christmas album)
Christmas Wrapping – the Waitresses (I love this one about a gal chasing a guy amidst the seasonal hustle and bustle and tracking him down in a grocery store--and getting him)
As Mark himself would say, "it's my show!" and I indulged myself because he has to my ears been the #1 male singer in my world for the past seven years. So, I played his version of this holiday classic because I think he does an awesome job.
The Christmas Song – Mark Lowry
Marshmallow World - Darlene Love (also from the legendary Phil Spector Christmas album)
Encouragement: I brough Mark back in to give a message for us all.
Let There Be Peace On Earth – Mark Lowry
Remember there's an encore broadcast next week. I want to thank everyone for listening to me or reading my blog this year.
The music was good, there were a couple of usual technical glitches, but I didn't like my on-air performance today. I don't think I slept at all last night due to sinus problems and a brain that wouldn't shut down. Then there was the decision about the show that I felt I had to make due to my situation. All those things affected me. Ah well. I think a break will be good to recharge the battery.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
12/13/08 Playlist - Highs of the 60s
Segment #1 – Highs of the 60s
I started the first part of the show today with "highs of the 60s". Now, that's not to say that I'm talking about anything I might have partaken –I didn't do the drugs (I was only a kid, you know), I just did the music. I'm a CD collections and compilations fan and in the 80's Warner Brothers put out this great one called Highs of the 60s. It's a little bit garage, a little psychedelic, and it's got one of those pink/blue color combinations on the cover that makes your eyes freak out and vibrate. (I remember I did an art project like that once in grade school with those colors.)
Count Five – Psychotic Reaction
Shadows of Knight – Gloria
Left Banke – Walk Away Renee
Knickerbockers – Lies
Swinging Medallions – Double Shot of My Baby's Love
By the way, if you are a fan of the psychedelic, early progressive rock, summer of love type music, check out "Strange Daze" with Beau Hunter Thursday nights from 8-10 on Radio Free Nashville. I sat in with Beau on his show when I first got here and trained in and I had a blast—I heard stuff I hadn't heard in 30 years.
(Brief WRFN pitch)
I talked about this last week and I just mentioned quickly once again...if you're planning some year end giving. I hope you'll think about a gift to Radio Free Nashville if what you hear on this station is important to you. Radio shows do matter in people's lives; I found that out this week (more on that later), but in the meantime let me tell you what you can do to support RFN:
Write a check payable to Radio Free Nashville and send it to Post Office Box 41488, Nashville, Tennessee 37204. Visit the web site at www. radiofreenashville. org and make a donation via PayPal, through your PayPal account or on your credit card. Or become a sustainer and make a monthly donation through PayPal, adopt-a-bill, or make a workplace donation through Community Shares. Of course your donations are all tax-deductible.
Segment #2 – Picking Through the Record Box
When I was growing up, we had one of those big furniture like stereos, which I eventually inherited or was cast off on to me. But, I used to have the worst time with the turntable. As it got older, the thing didn't work or the speed would be off. I would know precisely if it was too fast or too slow, and it would bug the heck out of me. I finally complained enough to have my dad look at it and we figured out the belt drive was the problem. The belt would fall off or not set right. Eventually I started fiddling with it myself, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I put up with it until one day it finally gave up the ghost completely. So we junked it and I got one of those new "component" stereos. I'll always remember how excited I was about that.
I kicked this off with something from 1961, something we sure had enough of around here this past week.
Dee Clark - Raindrops
Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – (I bet you all thought you were in for the 18 minute version...so if you took a potty or smoke break or did something else, well, you missed a few songs! This was the 3 minute edit version that top 40 formats had.)
Sir Douglas Quartet- She's About A Mover
The Music Explosion - A Little Bit O Soul
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - Frosty the Blues Man (giving a sneak peek at what next week's "Twist On Christmas" show will be like! I'll play that next week, too)
By the way, speaking of the blog, I've gotten a few compliments on the picture of me that's out on the blog and the MySpace page for the show. Thank you! That was taken on my 50th birthday back when I was still in St. Paul and back when I still had a job. My co-workers came in and assaulted my desk with all that 50th birthday stuff. I was picking little glitter "50s" out of my keyboard for weeks afterward. My favorite thing of all that was a hand drawn sign one of my co-workers's daughters made which simply said "wow—the big 50". So I doctored the background of the picture, took the office out and made it kinda retro.
Segment #3 – Soul Stew
I had with me a great two disc collection of hits by the Temptations. I got one or two of these in, starting with one of my favorites when I was in junior high.
Temptations - You're My Everything
Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch (Our technical glitch of the day. Don't ask me what happened in the beginning. I played this from the online catalog made up of MP3 files and it started sticking like an off track CD and sounding like one of those weird dance mixes. Fortunately, it fixed itself.)
Temptations - You've Got To Earn It (not a big hit I don't think, but a cool catalog song I discovered on this set. I really dig this tune.)
Segment #4 Recent/current section
My "This week's featured songwriter" out on my Wendy V MySpace page. I have been doing some screening of music for an independent music awards project for the last few weeks and came across this gal who is from the Gold Coast of Australia. Her voice and her songs touched my heart in a million pieces. I had to buy some of her tracks for myself and they are in extreme heavy rotation in my MP3 player. Her name is Samantha Mooney .
I started with the title track from her album
Paper Memories – Samantha Mooney
A Thousand Miles Away – Steve Haggard (Love Conquers All)
In the "support your fellow DJ department", Steve Haggard is co-host with Kimberly King of the Haggard-King Radio Hour on Tuesdays from 4-5 pm on Radio Free Nashville.
With Paper Memories being a song about reflecting on change, here's what I hope is a word of encouragement for you.
Encouragement: Change
Change. It's a given. It's the one thing that is ever constant in our lives.
If ever you had a doubt that a radio show matters in many people's lives, you need only to have experienced the outpouring of love and support for the hosts of two radio shows that ended in the St. Paul/Minneapolis MN market over the past two weeks. On one of the shows the hosts got to say a fond farewell to their listeners; the other sadly did not.
In that farewell broadcast of the first show I mentioned, I was struck by something said which was part of a humor skit that came from the pen of one of the co-hosts, the brilliant Dale Connelly. The character in the sketch noted it was too late for so many things, "because every ending, whenever it comes, comes early. And there is always something left undone."
And so it is when change comes, whether it is something quick or planned. If we don't get to do or say something before it comes to a close and it's beyond our control, we could be filled with regret. Sometimes there are things you can't do anything about, even despite your best efforts. When this happens we need to be kind to ourselves and not beat ourselves up. Know that we did the best we could do...and move forward with hope and anticipation to the next--you guessed it--change in our lives.
Closer: King Curtis - Soul Serenade
I started the first part of the show today with "highs of the 60s". Now, that's not to say that I'm talking about anything I might have partaken –I didn't do the drugs (I was only a kid, you know), I just did the music. I'm a CD collections and compilations fan and in the 80's Warner Brothers put out this great one called Highs of the 60s. It's a little bit garage, a little psychedelic, and it's got one of those pink/blue color combinations on the cover that makes your eyes freak out and vibrate. (I remember I did an art project like that once in grade school with those colors.)
Count Five – Psychotic Reaction
Shadows of Knight – Gloria
Left Banke – Walk Away Renee
Knickerbockers – Lies
Swinging Medallions – Double Shot of My Baby's Love
By the way, if you are a fan of the psychedelic, early progressive rock, summer of love type music, check out "Strange Daze" with Beau Hunter Thursday nights from 8-10 on Radio Free Nashville. I sat in with Beau on his show when I first got here and trained in and I had a blast—I heard stuff I hadn't heard in 30 years.
(Brief WRFN pitch)
I talked about this last week and I just mentioned quickly once again...if you're planning some year end giving. I hope you'll think about a gift to Radio Free Nashville if what you hear on this station is important to you. Radio shows do matter in people's lives; I found that out this week (more on that later), but in the meantime let me tell you what you can do to support RFN:
Write a check payable to Radio Free Nashville and send it to Post Office Box 41488, Nashville, Tennessee 37204. Visit the web site at www. radiofreenashville. org and make a donation via PayPal, through your PayPal account or on your credit card. Or become a sustainer and make a monthly donation through PayPal, adopt-a-bill, or make a workplace donation through Community Shares. Of course your donations are all tax-deductible.
Segment #2 – Picking Through the Record Box
When I was growing up, we had one of those big furniture like stereos, which I eventually inherited or was cast off on to me. But, I used to have the worst time with the turntable. As it got older, the thing didn't work or the speed would be off. I would know precisely if it was too fast or too slow, and it would bug the heck out of me. I finally complained enough to have my dad look at it and we figured out the belt drive was the problem. The belt would fall off or not set right. Eventually I started fiddling with it myself, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I put up with it until one day it finally gave up the ghost completely. So we junked it and I got one of those new "component" stereos. I'll always remember how excited I was about that.
I kicked this off with something from 1961, something we sure had enough of around here this past week.
Dee Clark - Raindrops
Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – (I bet you all thought you were in for the 18 minute version...so if you took a potty or smoke break or did something else, well, you missed a few songs! This was the 3 minute edit version that top 40 formats had.)
Sir Douglas Quartet- She's About A Mover
The Music Explosion - A Little Bit O Soul
Denver and the Mile High Orchestra - Frosty the Blues Man (giving a sneak peek at what next week's "Twist On Christmas" show will be like! I'll play that next week, too)
By the way, speaking of the blog, I've gotten a few compliments on the picture of me that's out on the blog and the MySpace page for the show. Thank you! That was taken on my 50th birthday back when I was still in St. Paul and back when I still had a job. My co-workers came in and assaulted my desk with all that 50th birthday stuff. I was picking little glitter "50s" out of my keyboard for weeks afterward. My favorite thing of all that was a hand drawn sign one of my co-workers's daughters made which simply said "wow—the big 50". So I doctored the background of the picture, took the office out and made it kinda retro.
Segment #3 – Soul Stew
I had with me a great two disc collection of hits by the Temptations. I got one or two of these in, starting with one of my favorites when I was in junior high.
Temptations - You're My Everything
Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch (Our technical glitch of the day. Don't ask me what happened in the beginning. I played this from the online catalog made up of MP3 files and it started sticking like an off track CD and sounding like one of those weird dance mixes. Fortunately, it fixed itself.)
Temptations - You've Got To Earn It (not a big hit I don't think, but a cool catalog song I discovered on this set. I really dig this tune.)
Segment #4 Recent/current section
My "This week's featured songwriter" out on my Wendy V MySpace page. I have been doing some screening of music for an independent music awards project for the last few weeks and came across this gal who is from the Gold Coast of Australia. Her voice and her songs touched my heart in a million pieces. I had to buy some of her tracks for myself and they are in extreme heavy rotation in my MP3 player. Her name is Samantha Mooney .
I started with the title track from her album
Paper Memories – Samantha Mooney
A Thousand Miles Away – Steve Haggard (Love Conquers All)
In the "support your fellow DJ department", Steve Haggard is co-host with Kimberly King of the Haggard-King Radio Hour on Tuesdays from 4-5 pm on Radio Free Nashville.
With Paper Memories being a song about reflecting on change, here's what I hope is a word of encouragement for you.
Encouragement: Change
Change. It's a given. It's the one thing that is ever constant in our lives.
If ever you had a doubt that a radio show matters in many people's lives, you need only to have experienced the outpouring of love and support for the hosts of two radio shows that ended in the St. Paul/Minneapolis MN market over the past two weeks. On one of the shows the hosts got to say a fond farewell to their listeners; the other sadly did not.
In that farewell broadcast of the first show I mentioned, I was struck by something said which was part of a humor skit that came from the pen of one of the co-hosts, the brilliant Dale Connelly. The character in the sketch noted it was too late for so many things, "because every ending, whenever it comes, comes early. And there is always something left undone."
And so it is when change comes, whether it is something quick or planned. If we don't get to do or say something before it comes to a close and it's beyond our control, we could be filled with regret. Sometimes there are things you can't do anything about, even despite your best efforts. When this happens we need to be kind to ourselves and not beat ourselves up. Know that we did the best we could do...and move forward with hope and anticipation to the next--you guessed it--change in our lives.
Closer: King Curtis - Soul Serenade
Sunday, December 7, 2008
12/6/08 Playlist: By The Shoreline
Busy, busy show today!
Segment #1 – By the Shoreline
Well, we are heading toward wintertime starting pretty soon and the weather's getting colder. It's been that way here in Nashville, though I know that if I were still in Minnesota winter will have already started in earnest so I won't complain that much! So I thought we'd steer our thoughts toward warm weather and think about being by the shoreline today.
I grew up in West Haven, CT on the southern CT shoreline. I lived three blocks away from the beach and a major amusement park called Savin Rock. This amusement park was around since the 1800s and lasted until the mid-60s. Drive down Beach Street which was the main drag back when I was a kid and you'd see rides like the Virginia Reel and the Flying Horses, and the big roller coaster called the Sky Blazer (in the early part of the 20th century there was a similar huge roller coaster built out onto a pier right off of the beach until a hurricane took it out). We little kids had our own set of rides to go on. The Tilt A Whirl was my favorite and so was the mini roller coaster in the White City section. At night when I was upstairs in my bedroom I could hear the stock car races running from the track by the Sky Blazer. As you could imagine, it was fun being a kid and growing up with all that close by. Savin Rock started going downhill by the time I came along but I managed to get a few good years in before redevelopment took over in 1967 and the park was torn down. But there are lots of memories and some great music as the soundtrack of our lives during that time. And when you think of the beach, who else do you think of but...the Beach Boys.
I Get Around – Beach Boys
So Much In Love – Tymes
Under the Boardwalk – Drifters
Summertime - Billy Stewart (technical glitch of the day--one of the CD players was left on continuous and those impatient Drifters again (!!) wanted to keep singing. So I started over.)
Don't Worry Baby - Beach Boys
When I do look back at all of this, I remember that for me it was mostly about--food. There were a lot of great restaurants around that beach area and it was a big deal for me when I'd get to go. There were Jimmies and Phyllis' which were your stereotypical 50s drive in restaurants. The one I liked the best was Turk's. It was a white building with a big old hot dog drawn on the front of it, and my dad would always let me get my hot dog, chocolate milk and French fries. Occasionally I'd get to go to Scotty's further down the shore which had the best vanilla malts and shoestring fries...these were soft, not those over-fried things you get today. When I would get taken to the beach, always with my parents or my sister (I was never allowed to go alone), I always hinted to get some food from a place across the road from the beach that still exists today and has changed very little, Chick's Drive –In. I didn't always get my way, but when I did I had some of their great French fries. They don't make hot dogs and French fries like that anymore. But those were great times, great memories.
Pitch for Radio Free Nashville year end giving
Segment #2 – Picking Through the Record Box
You know, I was talking to some people earlier this week about this part of the show and they used to do the same thing with their boxes of records, just going through and bringing out things they'd feel like hearing. Let me go back to the Beach Boys and do a little shameless self-promotion. When I was growing up, the song I would get sung to me most often was "Windy" by the Association...but I'll take my props on this song.
Wendy- Beach Boys
100 Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniel
Baby Love - Supremes
Black Is Black - Los Bravos
Segment #3 – Soul Stew
In my first year here there was an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum called Night Train to Nashville. They had a video screen where they showed some old black and white footage of a Nashville music TV show from back in the 60s, and when you put me in front of that sort of thing, it's hard to move and I think they almost had to throw me out of there. Along with the exhibit came the release of a two CD set covering R &B from 1945-1970, so I took a couple today from that collection.
The Chokin Kind - Joe Simon
Talking About My Baby - Impressions
Sunny – Bobby Hebb
Anna - Arthur Alexander
Everlasting Love - Robert Knight
Segment #4 Current
For our recent/current day section, I do a feature on my wendyv MySpace page where I highlight a different singer/songwriter each week. My pick for this past week is in my opinion a first class male vocalist—one of the best singers I've heard in the past seven years. Somebody needs to sign this guy. This track is A1 as well—some great players on here. - Turn the Knife - George Adams
Army of Angels - Randi Perkins-(my guest from a month or so back)
Well sometimes it does take an army of angels to turn love around, but other times it just takes one person to reach out and change things. This piece I'm going to share with you is my Wendy V's Encouraging Words column on my Embrace Encouragement website for this month and it's called What If You Just LOVED?
Closer: Soul Serenade - King Curtis (this might be a keeper...works nicely as a fadeout..especially yesterday when the automation didn't kick in on time!)
A couple of glitches on my end and the station had some technical issues going on earlier in the day--we were off the air on FM for awhile but came back on by 2 p.m. So all things considered, not bad. I was really happy with how I did the pitch.
Segment #1 – By the Shoreline
Well, we are heading toward wintertime starting pretty soon and the weather's getting colder. It's been that way here in Nashville, though I know that if I were still in Minnesota winter will have already started in earnest so I won't complain that much! So I thought we'd steer our thoughts toward warm weather and think about being by the shoreline today.
I grew up in West Haven, CT on the southern CT shoreline. I lived three blocks away from the beach and a major amusement park called Savin Rock. This amusement park was around since the 1800s and lasted until the mid-60s. Drive down Beach Street which was the main drag back when I was a kid and you'd see rides like the Virginia Reel and the Flying Horses, and the big roller coaster called the Sky Blazer (in the early part of the 20th century there was a similar huge roller coaster built out onto a pier right off of the beach until a hurricane took it out). We little kids had our own set of rides to go on. The Tilt A Whirl was my favorite and so was the mini roller coaster in the White City section. At night when I was upstairs in my bedroom I could hear the stock car races running from the track by the Sky Blazer. As you could imagine, it was fun being a kid and growing up with all that close by. Savin Rock started going downhill by the time I came along but I managed to get a few good years in before redevelopment took over in 1967 and the park was torn down. But there are lots of memories and some great music as the soundtrack of our lives during that time. And when you think of the beach, who else do you think of but...the Beach Boys.
I Get Around – Beach Boys
So Much In Love – Tymes
Under the Boardwalk – Drifters
Summertime - Billy Stewart (technical glitch of the day--one of the CD players was left on continuous and those impatient Drifters again (!!) wanted to keep singing. So I started over.)
Don't Worry Baby - Beach Boys
When I do look back at all of this, I remember that for me it was mostly about--food. There were a lot of great restaurants around that beach area and it was a big deal for me when I'd get to go. There were Jimmies and Phyllis' which were your stereotypical 50s drive in restaurants. The one I liked the best was Turk's. It was a white building with a big old hot dog drawn on the front of it, and my dad would always let me get my hot dog, chocolate milk and French fries. Occasionally I'd get to go to Scotty's further down the shore which had the best vanilla malts and shoestring fries...these were soft, not those over-fried things you get today. When I would get taken to the beach, always with my parents or my sister (I was never allowed to go alone), I always hinted to get some food from a place across the road from the beach that still exists today and has changed very little, Chick's Drive –In. I didn't always get my way, but when I did I had some of their great French fries. They don't make hot dogs and French fries like that anymore. But those were great times, great memories.
Pitch for Radio Free Nashville year end giving
Segment #2 – Picking Through the Record Box
You know, I was talking to some people earlier this week about this part of the show and they used to do the same thing with their boxes of records, just going through and bringing out things they'd feel like hearing. Let me go back to the Beach Boys and do a little shameless self-promotion. When I was growing up, the song I would get sung to me most often was "Windy" by the Association...but I'll take my props on this song.
Wendy- Beach Boys
100 Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniel
Baby Love - Supremes
Black Is Black - Los Bravos
Segment #3 – Soul Stew
In my first year here there was an exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum called Night Train to Nashville. They had a video screen where they showed some old black and white footage of a Nashville music TV show from back in the 60s, and when you put me in front of that sort of thing, it's hard to move and I think they almost had to throw me out of there. Along with the exhibit came the release of a two CD set covering R &B from 1945-1970, so I took a couple today from that collection.
The Chokin Kind - Joe Simon
Talking About My Baby - Impressions
Sunny – Bobby Hebb
Anna - Arthur Alexander
Everlasting Love - Robert Knight
Segment #4 Current
For our recent/current day section, I do a feature on my wendyv MySpace page where I highlight a different singer/songwriter each week. My pick for this past week is in my opinion a first class male vocalist—one of the best singers I've heard in the past seven years. Somebody needs to sign this guy. This track is A1 as well—some great players on here. - Turn the Knife - George Adams
Army of Angels - Randi Perkins-(my guest from a month or so back)
Well sometimes it does take an army of angels to turn love around, but other times it just takes one person to reach out and change things. This piece I'm going to share with you is my Wendy V's Encouraging Words column on my Embrace Encouragement website for this month and it's called What If You Just LOVED?
Closer: Soul Serenade - King Curtis (this might be a keeper...works nicely as a fadeout..especially yesterday when the automation didn't kick in on time!)
A couple of glitches on my end and the station had some technical issues going on earlier in the day--we were off the air on FM for awhile but came back on by 2 p.m. So all things considered, not bad. I was really happy with how I did the pitch.
Support Radio Free Nashville
This is an on-air pitch I did on the 12/6/08 show:
We're getting to the end of the year and you may be making some difficult decisions in these tight times about year end giving. I'd like to have you think about considering a gift to Radio Free Nashville. Those of you locally probably realize what a great community resource it is...it's been involved in some wonderful things this past year, just to name a few the Homelessness Marathon, the Young Voices of Nashville, the Oasis Center which had a benefit show last month, a new local news division and expansion of the signal. I'm sure there will be other activities coming up in the new year which as a fairly new programmer I can't wait to be part of.
From a musical programming standpoint as well, RFN offers something that's very rare and precious in radio these days. I know I am blessed to be part of our Saturday afternoon lineup which I've often called the best in town. You will really be hard pressed to find a musical mix like this certainly in commercial radio.
First off, we've got Bobby Bob's Rock and Roll Revolution. I love him...he's a throwback to the times when top 40 radio was fun. Bobby and his alter ego "Popsy" with his hysterical philosophies and observations are just a riot.
Geo On the Radio, what he's doing is just brilliant radio. He's got great musical taste and he puts sets together that can entertain you one minute and zing your heart the next. I know I've learned about so many wonderful artists just by listening to his show (especially one I'm going to play for you later) and some terrific guests he's interviewed, like Steve Leslie this afternoon. The one interview I'll never forget is Alex Harvey. I remember being in the studio listening to the rebroadcast and experiencing a gamut of emotions...I'm a major fan of him now. Radio that impacts your soul like this is hard to put a price on.
Then there's Backstory with River Jordan, a dear lady who is a very gifted writer and storyteller, also plays some wonderful music and features a wide range of authors. And me, well, I've said this before: I'm just very fortunate to be dropped in the middle here and live a dream and share with you as a music fan and a writer and encourage a population that gets overlooked and undervalued these days.
We can probably all think of programs that were dear to us at one time or another which disappeared due to lack of support and broke our hearts. So, if you've enjoyed anything you've heard on Radio Free Nashville, whether it's my show or one of my fellow DJs anywhere in the program schedule, I hope you'll think about lending support for keeping the great programming going.
Here's how you can do that: Write a check payable to Radio Free Nashville and send it to Post Office Box 41488, Nashville, Tennessee 37204. Visit the web site at www.radiofreenashville.org and make a donation via PayPal, through your PayPal account or on your credit card. Or become a sustainer and make a monthly donation through PayPal, adopt-a-bill, or make a workplace donation through Community Shares. Of course your donations are all tax-deductible.
Thanks!
We're getting to the end of the year and you may be making some difficult decisions in these tight times about year end giving. I'd like to have you think about considering a gift to Radio Free Nashville. Those of you locally probably realize what a great community resource it is...it's been involved in some wonderful things this past year, just to name a few the Homelessness Marathon, the Young Voices of Nashville, the Oasis Center which had a benefit show last month, a new local news division and expansion of the signal. I'm sure there will be other activities coming up in the new year which as a fairly new programmer I can't wait to be part of.
From a musical programming standpoint as well, RFN offers something that's very rare and precious in radio these days. I know I am blessed to be part of our Saturday afternoon lineup which I've often called the best in town. You will really be hard pressed to find a musical mix like this certainly in commercial radio.
First off, we've got Bobby Bob's Rock and Roll Revolution. I love him...he's a throwback to the times when top 40 radio was fun. Bobby and his alter ego "Popsy" with his hysterical philosophies and observations are just a riot.
Geo On the Radio, what he's doing is just brilliant radio. He's got great musical taste and he puts sets together that can entertain you one minute and zing your heart the next. I know I've learned about so many wonderful artists just by listening to his show (especially one I'm going to play for you later) and some terrific guests he's interviewed, like Steve Leslie this afternoon. The one interview I'll never forget is Alex Harvey. I remember being in the studio listening to the rebroadcast and experiencing a gamut of emotions...I'm a major fan of him now. Radio that impacts your soul like this is hard to put a price on.
Then there's Backstory with River Jordan, a dear lady who is a very gifted writer and storyteller, also plays some wonderful music and features a wide range of authors. And me, well, I've said this before: I'm just very fortunate to be dropped in the middle here and live a dream and share with you as a music fan and a writer and encourage a population that gets overlooked and undervalued these days.
We can probably all think of programs that were dear to us at one time or another which disappeared due to lack of support and broke our hearts. So, if you've enjoyed anything you've heard on Radio Free Nashville, whether it's my show or one of my fellow DJs anywhere in the program schedule, I hope you'll think about lending support for keeping the great programming going.
Here's how you can do that: Write a check payable to Radio Free Nashville and send it to Post Office Box 41488, Nashville, Tennessee 37204. Visit the web site at www.radiofreenashville.org and make a donation via PayPal, through your PayPal account or on your credit card. Or become a sustainer and make a monthly donation through PayPal, adopt-a-bill, or make a workplace donation through Community Shares. Of course your donations are all tax-deductible.
Thanks!
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