We here at Turtle Love Co. love our extra-curricular activities. Amy likes to put on her wetsuit and swim in the ocean, Rachel spends time at her family’s camp on a lake, Adrianne has a garden and a three-year-old daughter, and I (Xander) am a disc jockey at Portland’s community radio station.
Born in the dorm room of a University of Southern Maine student back in the 70’s, WMPG broadcasts all kinds of eclectic music and talk radio shows. The musical preferences of the community station’s djs range from acoustic folk to blues, hardcore metal, indie rock, and a show dedicated entirely to Frank Zappa. There really is something for everyone at WMPG, and I’m really proud to be a part of such a diverse, grassroots, music-loving family!
My own eclectic music show, called Vox Pop Radio, airs on Mondays from 1:30 to 3 pm (you can actually listen to all of our fabulous djs by streaming WMPG online!) and travels through geography, time, and genre willy-nilly. Well, it’s usually not willy-nilly to me, as I hear all kinds of threads connecting kora music from Mali to, say, the soul music of Otis Redding. It’s sometimes hard to explain why I like the music I like – so maybe I’m not a typical dj. I just hope the music I play will resonate with someone else out there. Sometimes a song just hits you, wham! like it reached inside of you and plucked a string that makes a beautiful note. Those are the songs I try to play.
Here’s a song called La Llorona by Beirut, one of my past and current musical obsessions. I like this song, from the album March of the Zapotec, because Zach Condon plays with a 19-piece band from Oaxaca, Mexico. I’m a big fan of genre-bending musicians!
A lot of towns have great community radio stations. Get involved! All of those dedicated djs who volunteer their time deserve dedicated listeners.
