Music Show Updates
October 17, 2023 - 8:16 am
Sometimes the business of making radio gets in the way of talking about radio. I’m reminded of the opening lines to the Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter song “The Wheel:”
“The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down,
You can’t let go and you can’t hold on,
You can’t go back and you can’t stand still,
If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.”
True enough, you might say, but aren’t the next two lines:
“Won’t you try just a little bit harder,
Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?”
In the constant whirl of what’s coming up next the things that have happened, regrettably, sometimes don’t get their due.
KBCS has been blessed with stability. We’ve long had a group of passionate volunteers with the unique mixture of time and technical knowhow and musical knowledge (and sometimes the music itself) to curate and host a radio show. When a show does go away and is not replaced with something similar it’s often that one of those crucial components is not to be easily found. It’s the very uniqueness of many of our programs that make us love them but can also be what causes the acute sadness when they go off the air.
The question I’m most asked when a show goes off the air is why did I cancel it? I likely didn’t cancel it. Our volunteers work hard and continually make delightful radio that everyone at KBCS is quite proud of and happy to air.
Usually, a show ends because a volunteer has said what they’ve needed to say and feel that it’s time to move on to other pursuits. We’ve even had hosts leave and then return at a later date. In fact, one of our longtime favorites is considering such a thing right now. Dare I say: stay tuned? I daren’t. Not yet, at least.
A few updates:
Hawai`i Radio Connection
Hawai`i Radio Connection is not going off the air. That said, Uncle Ed and Maile are stepping down as regular hosts. Uncle Ed has been with KBCS since first discovering the station at 1993’s Northwest Folklife Festival. His passion and knowledge and collection of Hawaiian music is extraordinary. For the past 12 years Uncle Ed has co-hosted their week of HRC with Maile. Maile brought a spontaneous and infectious spark to the show. Their chemistry and humor together, not to mention their exquisite musical tastes, will be deeply missed.
Music of Africa
We’ve been proud to host Music of Africa since 1993. It was hosted over the years by Jon Kertzer, Andy Frankel, Hans Kelstrup and the late Doug Patterson. This 30-year run has been beautiful and inspiring and we thank all those who made it happen. You can still catch Hans on the radio as the host of African Airwaves at the mighty good KBFG in Seattle. There are rumors that Jon Kertzer isn’t quite done with radio just yet. Time will tell.
City Soul
Earlier this year City Soul went off the air after 19 years. J Justice and Atlee brought the grooves and the soul of the Emerald City to our airwaves. Their show was hip and sophisticated and the perfect salve for a Friday night. Keep your eyes and ears open because you can still catch J Justice and Atlee spinning live around town.
Folksounds
Folksounds ended an astonishing run of over 40 years this past August. Eric Hardee (32 years) and Jean Geiger (26 years) gave us an expansive showcase every week in the very best of acoustic music. Their passion and service and curatorial skills made Tuesday evenings at 7:00 PM a destination.
We are quite grateful to all of the KBCS volunteers, both past and present.
Thank you for listening.
Iaan Hughes, Music Director
