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!
