%s1 / %s2

Playlist: Jeff Wax's Portfolio

 Credit:
No text

Featured

Episode # 1 - Castaway: Joe Duley

From Jeff Wax | Part of the Desert Island Discs series | 25:40

"Desert Island Discs" inaugural show broadcast in February of 2012 on WMPG in Portland, Maine featuring an interview with popular radio personality Joe Duley.

Joe_duley_and_roger_daltry_small We couldn't have picked a better guest than Joe Duley as our very first castaway on the inaugural episode of "Desert Island Discs".  Duley and his wife, "The Lovely London Lass" Charly, host the ever popular radio broadcast "Dining With The Duley's" on WMPG Radio.  The Duley broadcast is a wonderful sample of the style of our show and the ways in which we've compressed eight song selections and a guest interview into a thirty minute broadcast.

Episode # 2 - Castaway: Bill Audette

From Jeff Wax | Part of the Desert Island Discs series | 29:24

Bill Audette became our second guest on "Desert Island Discs" and his show aired in March of 2012 on WMPG radio. Audette offers up his vast knowledge about music from the era of "Doo Wop" spinning the "platters that mattered" from the 50s and 60s. He's put together a great playlist of songs you won't want to miss.

Bill_audette_small Our "castaway" on this show is Bill Audette who hosts "The Night Train Show" heard every Saturday afternoon from 1:30-3:00 PM EST on WMPG Radio in Portland, Maine.  Over the past 12 years of hosting The Night Train Show, Audette has personified several on-air personalities to authenticate the music that “feeds his soul” These nom de plumes include: "Your Deacon of Rhythm & Blues," "The Big Kahuna," "Old Time Rock & Roll Rebel," "The Master of Motown," "Your Pop of Doo Wop," and "Your Rock-a-billy Rebel."

"The Night Train" show is a recreation of a mid-sixties, big-city radio show, complete with professional sounding, slickly produced station ID's and promos, song intros/outros/segues, and especially a hyped-up presentation from him, "Bill Audette- Your Old Time Rock N' Roll Rebel".

Episode # 5 - Castaway: Matt Powell

From Jeff Wax | Part of the Desert Island Discs series | 01:45:26

Our castaway is Matt Powell born and raised in “The Gem City”, Dayton, Ohio; the hometown of Orville and Wilbur Wright and a hotbed of the emerging genre of Funk music in the 1960s when Powell was a teenager growing up in the "Buckeye State." Today Matt hosts "The Rhythm Of The One" every Sunday afternoon from noon to 2PM EST on WMPG Radio in Portland, Maine. On his show Powell serves up heaping platters of New and Old school funk with tasty sides of Soul, Disco, and Afro Beat.

Matt_powell_photo_small In the late 60’s Dayton and Ohio were hotbeds for the funk. Back then they didn’t call it “funk”, it was just plain music.  As a youth Powell has fond memories of watching both The Godfather of Funk: James Brown and the legendary funk bass guitarist Bootsy Collins performing in local venues.  Eventually Funk evolved into a music genre that originated while Powell was still in high school when African American musicians blended soul music , jazz and R&B into a rhythmic , danceable new form of music.   Funk: the only musical genre ever to have transformed the nation into a throbbing army of bell-bottomed, hoop-earringed, rainbow-Afro'd warriors on the dance floor. Its rhythms and lyrics turned bleak urban realties inside out with distinctive, danceable, downright irresistible music.  Funk is uniquely American music born out of tradition and community, filled with energy, attitude, anger, hope, and an irrepressible spirit.  Matt Powell was hooked.

Episode # 6 - Castaway: Rock Bergeron

From Jeff Wax | Part of the Desert Island Discs series | 01:21:19

Popular WMPG Radio morning DJ Rock Bergeron journeyed with us to the Island becoming our first live guest on "Desert Island Discs" on April 30th as our show's format expanded from 30 to 90 minutes. Rock shares his insight on the decline of commercial radio, his eight selected music tracks, a book, a luxury item and much more.

Rock_bergeron_small Our "castaway" is Rock Bergeron, the host of "Something Or Other" - a weekly music show heard every Friday morning from 6:30am to 8:30am on WMPG Radio in Portland, Maine. In a former life Bergeron was a commercial radio deejay who says he "truly misses the days when you could make a living entertaining folks by playing records and CDs, even at 3am." Rock grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire where, at an early age he developed a fascination with radio, wondering what went on behind the scenes while the DJ played songs and commercials. He rode his bike to area radio stations and pestered receptionists for tours. At home he would use his dad's cassette player to record himself reading stories and advertisements from the newspaper. When he played records on the stereo he would talk over the intros of songs, trying to time his raps to end when the song's vocals began. During his junior year of high school the Boy Scouts offered Rock an opportunity to learn about radio through their Explorers Program and soon he was working part-time at the local AM station, WGIR, playing local ads during Red Sox and Bruins games. Being an on-air announcer was what he really wanted to do and by the time he graduated he was working the overnight shift on 'GIR's sister station, Rock 101. That began nearly twenty years of jobs on stations in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, Rock had a habit of rebelling against the narrow playlists at many of the stations he worked for and would frequently get in trouble for playing deep cuts not approved by his bosses. And in 1997, after a leave-of-absence dispute, Rock found himself out of radio while living on Martha's Vineyard. For a short time he tried commuting off-island to a station on Cape Cod, but ultimately Rock had to find work outside radio. Since his exodus from commercial radio he's worked in the warehouse for an internet bookstore, as a clerk at a CD store, at the counter of a local bakery and currently in an assisted-living facility for the elderly. While certainly missing his career in radio, Rock enjoys the freedom he has hosting a show on Southern Maine Community Radio at USM on WMPG.

Lately, Rock has embraced the phrase "work to live, don't live to work" and he's enjoyed several European vacations, been in two improv comedy troupes and has just completed his first attempt at writing a screenplay based on his early days in radio which he hopes will someday find its way to Hollywood.

Episode # 7 - Castaway: Derry Rundlett

From Jeff Wax | Part of the Desert Island Discs series | 01:20:34

On the third episode of "Desert Island Discs" aired on May 7, 2012 noted Portland, Maine attorney, Derry Rundlett journeyed with us to the Island. "Put your ears on" for ninety minutes of music, mirth and merriment, - and meet this erstwhile impresario and virtual Renaissance man who shares his unique playlist and myriad anecdotal stories from his dual lives in the worlds of law and entertainment.

Derry_rundlett_small Our "castaway" is Ellsworth "Derry" Rundlett, a prominent attorney in Portland, Maine who specializes in trial law and personal injury litigation.  Derry graduated from Bowdoin College in 1968 where his first foray into the world of music was hosting a radio program called "The ETR Show - Hits of Our Decade" on which he played songs from the early era of Rock & Roll, - the 1960s.  

Deciding the law was his true calling; he graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in 1973 and has been practicing in Portland for nearly forty years, now a senior partner with the firm of Childs, Rundlett, Fifield and Altshuler.  Since 1999, Derry and his co-host Attorney Steven Schwartz have moderated the popular show "Law On The Line", a call-in television show broadcast monthly on the CTN-5 Television Network in Portland on which he converses with noteworthy members of Maine's legal community.  Over the years, he's interviewed many distinguished attorneys including F. Lee Bailey, Maine Governors John Baldacci and John McKernan, Chief Justice Daniel Wathen of the Maine Supreme Court, one of the chief murder prosecutors with the Maine Attorney General's Office, and countless other notable lawyers who are involved in front page news legal cases.

Derry is no stranger to the world of show business.  In fact, he is the president of the company "Murder Mysteries Incorporated", and has written, produced, directed, and been the lead actor in over forty murder mystery productions throughout New England.  What's more, he's served as the president of Portland Players and was lead or supporting actor in several of their productions including "Play It Again, Sam" and "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."  Three of his favorite characters are Neil Diamond, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley.  In the 70's and 80's, he appeared in several productions presented by his entertainment company in which he personified those characters.  As recently as this year he has appeared as Elvis Presley at various charitable events on the live stage and television.  He has the exact replica of the famous white jumpsuit Elvis used in his Las Vegas and national concert tours.  He is considered by his friends to be a trivia expert with respect to the early rock and roll years, especially the 60's when The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Monkees, and Elvis battled for supremacy in the rock and roll world.  Over his lifetime, he's witnessed dozens of musicians in live performance; however there is one event that eluded him, the concert Elvis never attended scheduled in Portland the day after Presley passed away at Graceland.  Framed, with the official Elvis stamp in his home is the unused ticket from that concert which inspired Derry to pay homage to "The King" by creating his incarnation and keeping his spirit burning.

Episode # 8 - Castaway: Michele Arcand

From Jeff Wax | Part of the Desert Island Discs series | 01:22:59

Our castaway is Michele Arcand. A poet, activist and one of the driving forces in the Portland independent music scene. Michele is sui generis. The beauty of music and words are her forms of self-expression; she describes herself "as a life force ready for adventure." Michele is the occasional host of "Local Motives" heard on WMPG Radio (90.9 FM - www.wmpg.org) on Friday evenings at 7:30pm and runs the Wednesday night "Open Mic" at The Dogfish Bar & Grille" in Portland. Michele's trip to The Island is imbued with inspiration, hope and dripping with energy. Enjoy!

Michele_arcand2_small Our castaway is Michele Arcand. A poet, activist and one of the driving forces in the Portland independent music scene. Michele is sui generis. The beauty of music and words are her forms of self-expression; she describes herself "as a life force ready for adventure." Michele is the occasional host of "Local Motives" heard on WMPG Radio (90.9 FM - www.wmpg.org) on Friday evenings at 7:30pm and runs the Wednesday night "Open Mic" at The Dogfish Bar & Grille" in Portland. Michele's trip to The Island is imbued with inspiration, hope and dripping with energy. Enjoy!