The Beat Goes On

The Beat Goes On is a one-hour, weekly, theme-driven program hosted by Travis Parkin, a popular Freeform Music DJ with NPR affiliate station, KUNM, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A lifelong music collector, published songwriter, and former San Francisco nightclub owner, Parkin currently works as an Albuquerque-based graphic designer spending much of his normal working day with one ear tuned to streaming broadcasts of his favorite DJ's on Public Radio stations across the US, Canada and the UK. He and his audio engineer, John Burgund, cull songs from music databases, radio station archives, and online audio services spending nearly 30 hours each week identifying, acquiring and cataloging distinctive musical gems.

Each TBGO program focuses on a specific musical topic such as great coffee songs, the history of Swamp Pop, the lyrics of Johnny Mercer, or the best codependent love songs ever written. The music is interspersed with brief interludes of relevant background information and within the established theme, Travis goes to great lengths to expose listeners to "some of the best music they've never heard" incorporating songs from a wide range of musical genres. It is not unusual for Parkin to preview 25 to 30 renditions of a particular song before deciding which version will be included in the program. Expect to hear the unexpected?everything from cutting edge remixes and mashups to string quartet interpretations of David Bowie...from Downtempo Chill and Trip-Hop to Bluegrass renderings of Puccini arias! The Beat Goes On is modern, eclectic, entertaining and often humorous.

The program is "evergreen" (the host never makes reference to seasons, time of day or year, or geographical locations) so that each show can originate from any locale and can be aired at any time of the day or night. The musical selections are unique and diverse and are handpicked to appeal to true music aficionados of all ages.

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The Beat Goes On is a one-hour, weekly, theme-driven program hosted by Travis Parkin, a popular Freeform Music DJ with NPR affiliate station, KUNM, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A lifelong music collector, published songwriter, and former San Francisco nightclub owner, Parkin currently works as an Albuquerque-based graphic designer spending much of his normal working day with one ear tuned to streaming broadcasts of his favorite DJ's on Public Radio stations across the US, Canada and the UK. He and his audio engineer, John Burgund, cull songs from music databases, radio station archives, and online audio services spending nearly 30 hours each week identifying, acquiring and cataloging distinctive musical gems. Each TBGO program focuses on a specific musical topic such as great coffee... Show full description