Your show’s tagline is “Great songs and great songwriters.” What makes a song “great” in your mind?
I look for strong musicality - a melodic hook, acoustic instrumentation, and interesting lyrics. I am drawn to songs that are actually about something. Thoughtful insights. But I also love funny, quirky, off-the-wall songs. Songs that make me laugh are an extra plus.
For me, music is emotion. The best songs for me are ones that move me emotionally. Music can also inspire political action. We found that out in the 1960s. If a song I play on The General Store moves you emotionally or inspires you, I don't need any more validation for what I do.
The first episode of The General Store included songs from Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1930s), Bryan Ferry (1980s), and Jimmy Buffett (2020s). How did you decide to bring those songs from different eras together?
I love putting together thematic sets of music. The first two that you mention are included in my set on the theme of dancing. I love the Bill Robinson song “The New Lowdown” because it includes the sound of Bill actually dancing. I find it cute and charming.
The Buffett song is in a set of music about ways to live. I am a huge Jimmy Buffett fan. He was an amazing writer who had an almost journalistic approach to songwriting. He brought humor and insight and still managed to keep you interested by inserting the lyrics into delightful melodies. His song “Bubbles Up” encapsulates his world view and has a very positive message. I am drawn to positive songs. They are sometimes hard to find, but well worth the effort.
What was the inspiration for The General Store? Was there a real store with great music in your past, or something else?
The concept of The General Store has been percolating in my mind for many years I am old enough (76) to recall General Stores. We had two or three where I grew up. They are almost completely gone now, replaced by Walmart. At one time, they were not only a place where you could get anything from food to tractor parts, but they were also rural social centers where all kinds of folks would meet and have conversations about politics, the weather, and who just got married. They had a feeling - a warm vibe and usually a pot-bellied stove around which people would gather. Hopefully, I can bring that warm sense of community to this show.
The show is full of contrasts – the old and the new, the familiar and the obscure, the serious and humorous, raucous rocking and quiet meditations.
Do you write music or play in a band?
Nope, but I love music. It has always been a central part of my life. My contribution to the music world is as a radio host. I started doing radio when I was about 15. For the next 20 years or so I worked in commercial radio. The General Store is my first experience with public radio, and I love the difference. I tend to think of this show as what radio should be. Exciting, adventurous, unpredictable, thoughtful, and emotionally relevant. Music can reflect life, inspire it, and make the world a better place.
You opened a recent episode with a clip from Cheech and Chong, which was an unexpected delight. How did you decide to mix it up that week?
I am always looking for surprising ideas or songs to open the show and get the listener's attention. Cheech and Chong are certainly cultural touchstones that so many of us of a certain age can relate to. That bit is funny, but it also reminds us that before CDs and digital downloads, there were those big 12-inch vinyl things that had recorded music on them. You had to be really careful with how you handled them.
These days, it is very interesting to me to see how vinyl records are making a comeback. In the very animated debate about vinyl vs CDs I am very definitely on the CD side. I sold my vinyl collection a few years ago because it was so heavy and hard to move around. I now own a massive collection of CDs that I play on the show. About 99% of the music you hear is from CDs. But I do see the writing on the wall. I know I will have to transition to digital storage. But I tell ya, I am not looking forward to ripping all those CDs.
In several episodes of The General Store, you have played a song that you describe as a “guilty pleasure”. Let’s explore that a bit. What makes a song a guilty pleasure for you, and why are people sometimes afraid to admit that they like a song or artist?
It's a new feature called "The Music Custodian's Guilty Pleasure". I tend to avoid playing the "hits" that we have heard thousands of times on commercial radio. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that The General Store is heard on public radio. It's my sneaky way of playing a song that we all know and building a musical set around it and including much more obscure songs that fit the progression.
You have a great ear for music. Which current artists should we be paying more attention to?
Thanks so much. At my age, I am having trouble remembering where I left my car keys or forgetting why I came into a room. But I am very lucky that when it comes to music, I never forget a great song.
Most of the songs I play on the show were written between about 1968 and the present. I am a baby boomer, and I remember all that great music I grew up with. But I also love to keep up on the wonderful songs being written today. I love the music of Dawes, Sarah Jarosz, Molly Tuttle, and so many more. Songwriting is still an art, and there are so many artists out there today who treat it that way. Authenticity is also very important when I choose a song for The General Store. You can't get more authentic than a song that is performed by its writer, so singer-songwriter originals are a staple.
Anything else we should know?
I love hearing feedback from listeners, and I have a Facebook page where you can ask questions, make suggestions, view playlists, and share your views about the show. Positive and negative, I love it all. I can also be reached via email at radiogeneralstore@gmail.com
Be sure to catch The General Store every Wednesday at 2:00 PM, only on WSDL 90.7 FM.