My KZSM story spans nearly ten years. My show, “Celtic Corner” (Saturdays noon to 2 p.m.), debuted on KZSM Dec 16, 2017. Before that, I attended KZSM staff meetings since my husband had a show, but every time someone asked, “When are you going to do a show?” — I declined. Then, after listening to “Roots and Branches” (now Tuesdays 6 to 8 p.m.) with the late Tony Wilson for nearly a year, I realized that many of the songs he played resonated with me and with my culture. He was playing music that grew out of the Celtic influence, which is the music of my heart and soul.
So, with panic in every ounce of my being, I did my first show. I guess it went okay. I’m still here, still doing it, and I have learned to use most of the equipment. I was sure I knew enough about the music to sustain a show, but all the electronic things — buttons, slides, microphones — scared the dickens out of me.
I started by playing the music I was most familiar with (knowing all the lyrics, for instance). I enjoy playing the oldies that I grew up with, but I’m always looking for new younger artists to add to my listening library; I have found many that are now part of my permanent playlist. I love the bagpipes and would listen to them all the time at home. When I heard Smoke on the Water and later Eye of the Tiger, I realized I was missing a lot of music to share. Now I never know what my show is going to be — Celtic rock, blues, reggae, sea shanties, traditional fiddle tunes, ballads and Ceilidh dance music can make their appearance on my show at any time.
Some special occasions I love to remember with my playlist are coming up soon. I’m already featuring Celtic Christmas music, and my Dec. 28 show will celebrate Hogmanay, the traditional Scottish New Year’s Eve celebration with a Celtic dance party. On Jan. 25, the birthday of the Poet Laureate of Scotland Robert Burns, I’ll commemorate Burns Night, as I’ve done every year for 30 years. I’ll be talking about the history of the celebration, describing what goes into a Burns Night Celebration (including the food), and playing songs that were his poems but put to music and still played and sung to this day.
