Name:

Mary

Location:

Rural Western Washington

What music genres are you in charge of?

Most of the non-Spanish language World Music stations plus Americana, Folk, Bluegrass, Female Focus.

What are your favorite stations to program and why?

African, hands down, it's the mother of us all and if you listen well you can hear the seeds of all music rattling about in the various regions.

Who are your favorite artists/bands?

I have no boundaries. Any song that makes the needles on my soul meter jump, then I'm on board. Over the years the people always in the first breath include; XTC, Muddy Waters, Beau Jacques, AC/DC, Toumani Diabate, Kermit Ruffins and whatever the latest previously unknown to me artist or genre that I come across.

What up and coming artists/performers do you think we should be excited about?

I just (belatedly) discovered Fred Eaglesmith so he's up and coming in my book. "Bow Thayer & Perfect Trainwreck" is a fine follow up to "Spend it All", which I played the snot out of. I can't wait to set the lasers on stun and wear out the disc. First blush listenings have given me several favorite new songs. It's rare an artist this prolific and talented gets past me but that he did. Look for more from Fred on the Americana and Folk stations.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

U2 Joshua Tree tour. They opened in Tempe, AZ, and I emceed the show. Bono had fallen off the stage in rehearsal the night before opening and cut his chin so badly they had to delay the tour start by one day. Then he couldn't sing very strong that first night and the Edge carried a lot of the parts but so did the crowd. The disc had been out for days but we all knew all the words. Then they ended the tour in Tempe in December, where they filmed "Rattle & Hum". They came on my show at KUPD the night before the first night of filming and stayed for hours and sang country songs and went out and hung with the crowd outside.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure CD that you won't admit to owning - until now?

No guilt.

If you were stranded on an island with 5 CDs, which ones would you choose?

Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
Toumani Diabate - The Mande Variations
Beatles - Rubber Soul
John Hiatt - Bring the Family
Jorma Kaukonen - Quah

If you can spend 24 hours with an artist, living or dead, who would it be?

Ali Farke Toure

What do you think the future holds for world/international music in the U.S. ?

I have learned so much about world history and the world as it stands today from listening to world music and finding out about the players and listening to the lyrics. Even before translating the words you can hear experience and lessons in the tones. People are hungry for change and as our election demonstrated, we will go for it. Turning away from a manufactured musical landscape can be a big part of that change. If we choose to live within our means will it mean more people deciding that they can make their own music so the handmade music of other countries becomes more treasured? That would be beautiful.

If you could have one superhero power, what would you choose and why?

Bio-location so I can move in the blink of an eye when the sh*t comes down.

Tell us something random about yourself:

I'm learning how to bio-locate