Category: community

Carlisle Halloween Parade 2022

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This past week, October 26th, WDCV walked in Carlisle’s annual Halloween parade! Our theme was Favorite Artists. How’d we do?

 

WDCV’s Climate Consciousness

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Community Post: Interview with community DJ Ken Shultes   

Ken Shultes, a Dickinson alum and the man responsible for reaching Dickinson’s carbon neutral goal, brings his work with him to his radio show each week. Ken’s Sustainability Jam Hour focuses on current climate change issues, and emphasizes the actions we can perform to help our environment. He believes that music is a useful tool to explain these current events in a fun, interesting way.

Ken graduated Dickinson College in 1989, and has lived in the Carlisle area almost ever since. For 18 years, Ken managed facilities here at Dickinson, but in the past three years he has been the Associate Vice President for Sustainability and Facilities Management. He is in charge of directing the college to reach its 2020 goal of carbon neutrality, in which the college will reduce 25% of its emission due to heating and cooling buildings, along with other actions. This is a huge responsibility, and requires the action of every student, faculty, and staff member. Therefore, Ken uses his radio show as a means to remind people of their responsibility to our environment and Dickinson’s climate conscious pledge.

Climate change and global warming are heavy subjects, so Ken hopes to make it a fun and approachable conversation through his choice of music. Three years ago, when the Sustainability Jam Hour first started, Ken maintained a small list of songs that he thought connected to sustainability, climate change, and nature. But as time went on, he found a multitude of songs that reflected what he believes in. By now, he can argue for almost any song’s connection to sustainability; it’s quite impressive. Although each song relates to climate change in some way, genres differ immensely throughout Ken’s show. His show features a little bit of everything, like classic rock, alternative, show tunes, kid’s music, and indie pop, although he admits he has not been convinced enough to play much heavy metal. Ken has three children who inspire his music tastes and open his mind to songs he previously did not consider seriously. After playing a couple songs, Ken spends a few minutes talking and reflecting upon what he believes these songs connect to, whether that be a certain action we should all be taking, such as turning off lights when we’re not using them, or current events that will affect our ability to properly reduce our impact upon the earth. Ken sprinkles in important, educational facts along with his music, creating a fun show that has an crucial purpose and a strong effect on its listeners.

Ken is appreciative of his time here at WDCV, as it is a creative release in the middle of his work day. He finds the Sustainability Jam Hour to challenge his ability to talk about climate change in a fun way, to make it an approachable subject for his listeners. He welcomes music as a tool to further this conversation. These days, any song he hears automatically tests him to find a connection to climate change, and he hopes his listeners can develop an ear for sustainability as well!

 

 

Listen to Ken’s show, Sustainability Jam Hour, on Mondays from 10 am to 11 am, and learn how you can reduce your impact upon the earth!

 

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

Finding a Voice at WDCV

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Community Post: Interview with community DJ Greg Bear     

Throughout our discussion of Greg Bear’s WDCV show, the word “freedom” came up quite often, as Greg finds that it perfectly describes his experience with the station over the past two and half years. He and his wife and daughter moved to the Carlisle area from Philadelphia over ten years ago, and though he still misses the bustle of the city, his radio show here at WDCV, entitled Alloy: A Mixture of Jazz and Progressive Music, has become one of his favorite endeavors unique to Carlisle.

When he is not hosting Alloy, Greg is a graphic and web designer, and he finds that his day job and his radio show both provide different yet deep creative fulfillment. The show’s name encompasses Greg’s love for jazz and his growing appreciation for more experimental kinds of music that don’t traditionally fall in the jazz genre. As a result, Alloy features a wide range of music, from current releases to perennial classics. After finding the initial song that sparks his inspiration for a playlist, Greg carefully curates the rest of the show around this song’s theme, which differs each week. This theme could be a word or a phrase, and after the show, Greg puts out a newsletter describing the through-line of how the songs connect to one another, while directing listeners to Alloy’s website where he posts all of the music from each show. Occasionally, Greg will also release podcasts featuring conversations with artists whose music he has featured on the show. These podcast conversations provide Greg, and his listeners, insight into each artist’s creative process.

                                       

Each week Alloy offers a diverse mix of music and sounds. After almost three years at WDCV, Greg thinks he has gradually come closer to finding and articulating his tastes and his voice, though he admits he is still searching. One artist regularly featured on Alloy is guitarist Bill Frisell, whose music has expanded Greg’s understanding and appreciation of jazz and experimental music, as well as the limitless potential of the guitar as a solo and collaborative instrument. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno are also popular name the resurface in his shows, though Greg notes that his playlists are driven more by music that resonates with him than specific artists. His music tastes have changed drastically over the years due to the opportunity WDCV has given him to search out new artists and discover genres he wouldn’t have originally sought out. Greg views this special platform to share music as one of the best parts of college radio and one of the best aspects of his experience with Alloy. The show has allowed him to explore all dimensions of the music world and discover new ways of interfacing with his favorite genres while highlighting new music and providing him a bit of freedom in each week’s playlist.

 

Listen to Greg’s show Alloy, Tuesdays from 9 am to 11 am.

 

Check out his website at http://www.alloypm.com/

 

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

WDCV Legend: Davis Tracy

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Community Post: Interview with community DJ Davis Tracy   

When he was young, Davis Tracy yearned for a family TV, but he got a radio instead. This gift sparked a passion for radio that has lived on throughout his entire lifetime thus far. He would listen to a multitude of stations, from popular music to radio theater. This passion stuck with him throughout his schooling, time in the army, professional career, and to this day Davis spends two hours every Monday morning playing bluegrass CDs for his loyal listeners.

Davis started his show, Bluegrass @ Dickinson, in the 80s, when vinyl was still popular. Over time, Davis has switched to CDs, though he questions what he’ll do when those go out of style as well. Because of the popularity and age of his show, Davis has connected with many bluegrass artists and labels who send him bluegrass music. This way, Davis finds new voices, sounds, and twists on his favorite genre each week. This relationship also allows Davis to curate larger bluegrass events, such as Bluegrass on the Grass, a Carlisle community event that occurs every summer on the Dickinson campus. Inspired by the fun he found in playing with his own band, Country Bob and the BBQ Boys, and help from other bluegrass lovers, Davis introduced Carlisle to a bluegrass festival that is now one of the town’s most popular community events. Davis of course wanted to show people how lovable bluegrass is, but also had the intention of depicting Dickinson as an approachable and desirable place to visit. The town had other popular music festivals in the past, but they mostly focused on orchestral music, a genre that Davis believes to be less accessible. Bluegrass, on the other hand, is easy to dance along to, and brings joy to many listeners, and Davis himself.

Before Davis’s WDCV career started, he served as a United States Army Officer in the early 70s, and participated in many Outward Bound wilderness classes, in which he learned survival skills and the ability to get along and work with others who were different than him. Davis then went back to school and earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. He worked at Dickinson College as a counselor in the Wellness Center for 29 years, and as a faculty advisor for WDCV for over 10 years, where he made many improvements for the station and the students involved. In 2010, Davis retired, and has since worked part time at Franco Psychological Associates in Carlisle in addition to continuing his WDCV radio show. He starts his day around 5 am every day, occasionally accompanied by his beautiful labradoodle, Freddie, who loves to snuggle up next to anyone he takes a liking to, which is most everyone.

Davis has always loved music and been invested in it.He played tenor guitar in high school just because no one else was playing it, but discovered his love for guitar at Lehigh University. Davis never did participate in college radio when he was attending Lehigh, but he met his “radio mentor,” Paul Campbell, while attending the University of Tennessee. From this experience, Davis learned to appreciate bluegrass more, as well as the importance of college radio. He finds that college students have a refreshing on-air presence that commercial radio voices don’t possess. Davis loves to hear the progression and growth of student DJs, whether that be their professionality on air or their music tastes that first developed in high school. This student connection is what Davis misses the most about advising WDCV, though he is grateful he still has the opportunity to share his music with his listeners, and enjoys listening to student and community DJ shows alike. Davis is loved here at WDCV because of how much he has done for the station, and how committed he still is!

 

 

Listen to Davis’s show, Bluegrass @ Dickinson, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, from 8 am to 10 am!

 

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

WDCV’s Hidden Celebrity

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Community Post: Interview with DJ Bob Zieff
Bob Zieff is the kind of person who actually has articles written about him in books, newspapers, and Google searches. There’s even a song written about him, called “Who the Hell is Bob Zieff?” He is a big star in the music world, and he DJ’s here at WDCV every week. He leads an intriguing life, guided by his love for music, specifically jazz and classical music, specifically of the 20th century, of which he has loved since the age of twelve. Outside of WDCV, Bob is a jazz composer. He studied music at Boston University and spent many years composing for jazz musicians of all kinds. Bob has connections to many famous jazz artists, including Chet Baker and Richard Twardzik, whom he mentored. Bob’s following reaches more than just neighboring states; people from Japan, Sweden, Germany, Norway, and many more know Bob Zieff as one of their favorite jazz composers. A CD of his was recently released, a compilation of musicians performing some of his best creations. Bob is very modest about his fame though, and when asked what he likes to do other than DJ, rather than focusing on his own musical creations, Bob laughed about the jazz book that he’s been writing for decades now.

It’s amazing that someone as profound and inspiring as Bob has been a member of WDCV for almost twelve years now. In Bob’s show, Jazz Pathways, he hopes that his music choices will help others learn more about jazz. During his two hours at WDCV each week, he does not care about what’s deemed as popular, because as Bob says, “if you want to know what’s bad, listen to what’s popular.” Rather, Bob is interested in the complex, colorful nature of the jazz that is great to listen to because of the skill of musician and composer alike, not just because of the aesthetic it creates. Bob enjoys playing music that represents something:a musical progression, a harmonic riff, a compositional puzzle. 

 

By doing this, he introduces a lot of jazz artists who are not very popular in the jazz world.He wants to paint jazz as approachable to all listeners, which is why he is so perfect for WDCV. Artists include Lester Young, CharlieParker, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman among others. By listening to Bob’s show, he wishes that all listeners can learn just a little bit about what he has dedicated much of his life to.

Listen to Bob’s show, Jazz Pathways, on Sundays from 12pm to 2pm for a lesson on jazz!   

Click here to listen to the Enrique Heredia Quartet play the music of Bob Zieff!

Click here to purchase Bob’s latest publication from Fresh Sound Records!

 

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

Digging with DJ Joe George

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Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Joe George

Joe George’s music taste is as eclectic as his DJing experiences. Joe’s WDCV radio show Dig! features Alternative Rock, Industrial, Punk, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more. He prefers not to define his tastes other than describing it as “just good music.” The show’s name reflects his concept of digging through the multitudes of new music produced every day. A large part of Joe’s weekly show focuses on new these new releases, but he notes that artists from his youth, such as The Beatles, Roxy Music, and David Bowie have shaped and influenced how he hears newer music today.

Joe is a Dickinson alum, class of 1989, and was involved with WDCV all four years as a DJ, Music Director, and Program Director. His experiences in college bolstered his love for music, and gave him the perfect opportunity to share his eclectic tastes with anyone listening, both on and off campus. He also worked as a DJ in local nightclubs until 2013.

Outside of WDCV, Joe has been in retail banking for 17 years.  He and his wife also write a bi-weekly art column for The Sentinel newspaper, in which they explore the fruitful art scene within and around central Pennsylvania.

                                           

Joe continues to DJ professionally for special events, including receptions, fund raisers, parties, and even Dickinson class reunions. Joe prides himself as being very good at judging the atmosphere of the event, and can pick music that will entertain any crowd. Different venues demand certain sounds, specific artists, and genres; Joe enjoys creating “soundscapes” that please his customers and make the event memorable.

When it comes to his Tuesday morning WDCV show, Joe shares music he finds to be exhilarating and thoughtful. Therefore, Joe’s two hour show on WDCV is a creative release for him, in which he combines new and old tracks. And while he has spent the prior week carefully curating his program he still mixes live on the air. He believes college radio is something special, a unique kind of sharing platform in which every listener walks away with a slightly, if not completely, changed perception of music. To Joe college radio is a place to explore. During his WDCV show, Joe hopes to make his listeners feel something, whether that be satisfaction or confusion.

He enjoys when listeners call in to talk about his music tastes and playlist choices, and finds real satisfaction from sharing his love of music with all WDCV listeners.

 

 

Listen to Joe George’s Dig! on Tuesdays, 6am to 8am, and be sure call in to let him know what you think!

 

 

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

The Blues According to Danny

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    Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Danny Dicker

Danny may posses a quiet personality, but he speaks through the music he plays here at WDCV. Danny does his research on his music, knows the many covers of his most favorite songs, and could tell you the background story of most blues songs and their singers. His show name, The Crossroads, echoes a Robert Johnson song with the same name. The blues artist inspired not only Danny’s show name, but also his love for blues and rock. During his one hour show, Danny plays both old and new songs that have charmed him with their unique sound. He attempts to create a diverse collection for his listeners by connecting some jazz songs to his favorite blues artists and using music to talk about the                                                                                   unique time period in which we live today.

Danny has only been a DJ for two years, but has already found a home here at WDCV. He moved to Carlisle about seven years ago with his father, and works in the Dickinson catering business throughout the day. He enjoys seeing live music, though he admits it’s been hard to support that passion as he gets older and must work more. To make up for this, Danny plays his own favorite music with his guitar. During the past four years, his talent has grown by playing great blues and rock songs, most commonly by The Black Keys, one of his favorite bands. He could talk forever about this band, their differing sounds throughout their albums, their seemingly soon-to-be break up, and that one chance he almost had to see them live. It is his love for this band and others alike that bring out his true personality, one wrapped tightly around bluesy guitar riffs and a steady rhythm.

                             

His favorite artists range from Mac DeMarco to BB King, from The Beatles to Isaac Hayes. Danny’s favorite backstory of a blues song is the history of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.” A mixtape containing this song was shot into space for other life forms to find, as a representation of what our music sounds like, to convey human emotion.  Danny explained how this song was chosen to express the feeling of loneliness, and it only makes sense that it should be floating in space by itself until other life forms eventually find it. These backstories that Danny discovers bolster his love for music. They are unique, and present a special imagination to each song that he cannot find in any other genre. It only makes sense that Danny is so excited each week when he arrives at the WDCV station for his show, because it gives him chance to share this beautiful genre with all of his listeners.

 

 

Tune in to Danny’s show, The Crossroads, Thursdays from 10pm to 11pm, to hear a taste of the blues!

 

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

Love For Sinatra

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Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Deeg Shank

Dolores “Deeg” Shank is the perfect example of a music lover who is committed to the appreciation and exploration of what she loves most. She grew up outside of Philly and at a young age of 12, she discovered Frank Sinatra on a John Denver TV special. Once she witnessed Frank’s charisma and smile, and heard his stylish sing, she was taken. Flash forward to sophomore year of high school, when Deeg would listen to her favorite radio station constantly, which sponsored a four hour show dedicated solely to the lovely creations of Mr. Sinatra. This radio show inspired Deeg to create her own Sinatra show when she arrived at Dickinson College as a freshman.

She loved being a WDCV DJ throughout her time as a student, and missed the opportunity to be on air once she graduated and moved on. But after twenty-three years without WDCV in her life, Deeg returned, and of course continued her Spotlight on Sinatra show, just like she had done as a student. Deeg taught high school for many years, but has now retired from that and taken on dancing. Deeg’s spare time is filled with ballroom dancing, belly dancing, swimming, cooking at the local pool as well as substitute teaching at Big Spring High School during the school year. It is through activities like this that Deeg is introduced to much of the music she listens to outside of Frank. She is very open to ballroom music and Top 40, and in fact recently attended a Justin Bieber concert that was mostly enjoyable. Over the years she has also seen a variety of other artists, including John Denver, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Buble, and The Rolling Stones, while she laments never having seen Michael Jackson and George Michael.

                                  

Her love for Frank has taken Deeg on quite a journey throughout her life. She saw him in concert 12 times throughout his life, one of which he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Additionally, Deeg has met two of Frank’s children, been to his favorite restaurant in New York City multiple times, and has become well known in the Frank Sinatra community due to her full back tattoo devoted purely to Frank. Deeg receives compliments on this creation from those who both love Frank and just barely know about him. She decided to get this tattoo as an homage to Frank, the one artist who has inspired her throughout her whole life. Deeg’s love for Frank stems from his originality and musical expression throughout his years as a famous singer. She admires the way in which he lived his life completely by his own standards, and no one else’s. In Deeg’s opinion, he is a great man, who deserves the recognition she hopes to bring him through her show.

Deeg only plays songs by Frank Sinatra, but she loves playing covers of his songs to spice up her show and bring new voices to her listeners. Her favorite albums by Frank include “Nice and Easy,” an album filled with slow ballads, “Trilogy,” recorded in 1979 when Frank was 63 years old, and a couple Bossa Nova albums created back when Frank collaborated with Antonio Carlos Jobim. Deeg has been sending Frank Sinatra’s music into the air waves for years now, and finds joy in the fact that someone, somewhere will hear his music and smile. This has been proven to her when a listener called in one evening to thank Deeg for playing such great music while they were stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. Because of Deeg’s radio show, that experience wasn’t as awful as expected. Moments like those prove to Deeg that her music, her love for Frank, and her dedication to WDCV are a positive force in this world. 

 

Listen to Deeg’s show, , from , for an insight into Frank Sinatra’s best creations.  

Listen to Deeg’s show, Spotlight on Sinatra, Mondays from 6pm to 8pm, for an insight into Frank Sinatra’s best creations.  

 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

If All Music Is Sound, Is All Sound Music?

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Community Post: Interview with Tom Wilkins

Tom Wilkins has been a WDCV DJ for the past 5 years. He moved to Carlisle when he married his wife, about 28 years now. He has spent the past 15 years teaching high school with a focus on special needs education, though Tom seems adamant about retiring soon. Tom sought interest in WDCV when his daughter went off to college and joined her college’s radio station, which inspired him to follow in her footsteps. He reached out to WDCV and has been spinning albums ever since.

Initially, he chose a specific theme for each week, picking from all different styles of music. After a couple years, Tom found this extremely restrictive and felt the limits of his weekly themes when, one day, a listener called him during his radio show. The caller asked why he chose to play such mainstream music when WDCV’s mission is to play underrepresented artists. Although this caller possessed a rude attitude, his question shook Tom in multiple ways. Why did he feel the need to play music he knew people could easily listen to, when what he really wanted to play was music that intrigued and challenged him?

From that moment on, Tom began playing untraditional music. “Experimental, weird music,” as Tom put it. Some names are more recognizable, like Brian Eno, one of Tom’s favorite artists, but others are more strange to the common listener. The songs and artists he plays are typically more recent, though this genre of music has been around for a very long time. Tom describes his taste in music as “familiar enough to engage you, but unfamiliar enough to challenge you.” He wants to share the music that makes him think, the music that requires active focus rather than passive listening. He questions, “if all music is sound, is all sound music?” To Tom, all sound can be music if you open your mind to it. He spends a lot of time searching for more music to share with his listeners each week, either by reading magazines or listening to shows similar to his own, which allows him to connect with others who share his taste in music. This show is important to Tom musically, and he hopes that through listening in on his radio show, others too can learn to appreciate music that is abnormal and untraditional, yet challenging and intriguing.

                  

Listen in on Tom’s show, String Theory, on Tuesdays from 8pm to 10pm to hear Tom’s favorites! 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

“The Teacher Creature”

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Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Mike Conrad

Mike Conrad is the host for Jazz on The Rocks, which airs Saturdays from noon to one. His relationship with WDCV began many years ago when he was a student at Dickinson College. Back in 1964, the station was in a different location and streamed an AM signal. During his time at Dickinson, Mike was a DJ and engineer. Once he graduated, he began teaching at Cumberland Valley High, and left his WDCV days behind for different dreams.  

Because he loved radio so much, Mike searched for more opportunities to get on air, and finally found a gig at WHYL FM, another local yet larger Cumberland Valley radio station, in which he had a four hour show every night. Eventually, Mike moved on and continued his search for a way to get on air. He worked for WIOO, an AM Carlisle station, WSBA in York, and later WKBO in Harrisburg. As Mike stated,  “these were the golden days of “top 40” radio and I was right in there rocking and rolling.” During his time as a rock jock on KBO, the station capitalized on Mike’s primary occupation and he became known as “the teacher creature,” complete with his own set of custom jingles. It was great fun for Mike, and filled his desire for radio.

      

Eventually, Mike got married and had a family.  His duties as a father and teacher necessitated leaving his on air job, but he continued to do voice-over work during this time, of which he continues today.  Because of Mike’s passion for radio, he still searched for a radio station that could fit into his schedule. Three years ago, Mike got a show on WDCV, and began producing Jazz on the Rocks from his own production studio.  Each show was and is recorded by himself, then sent into the station, where it is automatically played every Saturday. This process is very easy and flexible for Mike, and allows for him to live outside of the Carlisle area while simultaneously DJing for his very first radio station.  Although the “teacher creature” no longer rocks the airwaves, listeners to Jazz on The Rocks hear relics of those bygone days in the form of various jingles and other production elements.  Radio has always been one of Mike’s favorite passions, and he thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to DJ his hour on WDCV each week.

 

Listen to Mike’s Jazz on the Rocks, Saturday from noon to 1pm, for a special hour of Mike doing what he loves most!

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos were given to WDCV as a gift from Mike Conrad, who captured them when he was still a student. 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!