DJ Appreciation Post – Tom Voorhees alternating host of Bluegrass Ramble
Join us every other Sunday to enjoy Bluegrass Ramble at noon on 91.3 KBCS co-hosted by Tom Voorhees. Thank you, Tom for bringing bluegrass to public radio at KBCS and keeping the sound alive in the Seattle area. We asked Tom some questions to learn more about him and what motivates him to share his love of bluegrass with the greater Seattle community. (more…)
KBCS DJ Appreciation: Tom Keeney
Tom Keeney – KBCS DJ Appreciation Profile
Bluegrass Ramble first aired on KBCS in the early 80s, and Tom started hosting the show in 2000. You can hear him on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays from 12noon to 3pm.
As he starts his 25th year, he feels just as passionate about this music and how it resonates in our community as ever. Tom played banjo in bluegrass bands which helped him develop a working knowledge of the music.
Before Bluegrass Ramble, Tom was always the one to make mix tapes for parties & road trips. He’s always had a love for blues, jazz and rock with a lot of time spent with long Grateful Dead jams. Big, deep grooves can be found in all these genres and Tom especially loves them in bluegrass. Hot Rize is an example of a band Tom says has crafted that groove so well, blending new approaches to traditional & original songs. He would also point you to all 6 of the Bluegrass Album Band recordings made during the 80s as the place to start if you’re new to bluegrass. They reinterpreted the old classic first generation of bluegrass songs with a fresh, new approach that inspired generations of artists that followed.
Tom says he feels like a bit like a chef as he curates a show, thinking of what tunes complement each other to how to create something bigger than the sum of the parts. Tom’s goal is to never make you want to change the station as he keeps the flow surprising and engaging. He feels he owes a huge debt to the music that he loves and he wants KBCS listeners to feel the same way. He says that bluegrass can be so beautiful and unique because of the gorgeous harmonies, the virtuosity of its practitioners, the stories being told, the fortitude of its founders and the adventurous spirit of the innovators who push and erase the boundaries. Tom has found a tear in his eye on many occasions watching live bluegrass when the joy just wells up and overtakes you.
He’s also been fortunate to connect on a national level to the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) and serve on the showcase band selection for the annual convention/festival and on the awards eligibility committee. Attending that event nearly every year for the past 10 years has energized him and brought him closer to many of the artists you hear being played on Bluegrass Ramble. Staying up till 2 or 3 in the morning for 5 nights in a row watching his favorite and new bands performing and jamming brings a delight unlike any other. Tom has also helped out at Wintergrass as an MC over the years, being part of a KBCS presence to that incredible festival.
Thank you Tom Keeney!
Tom Keeney
Tom Keeney
Tom Keeney in Home Studio
Tom Keeney Thank You
Wintergrass Jamming Culture
Every year, the nooks and crannies of the hallways of a fancy, downtown Bellevue hotel are filled with bluegrass music during the Wintergrass Music Festival. Wintergrass is a northwest bluegrass festival tradition bringing the region bluegrass artists from around the world, workshops on this musical genre and techniques, and a youth camp for the children on mid-winter break. KBCS introduces you to a little of the culture behind a bluegrass festival – the jamming.