I've been a KBOO Folk Stripper since 1995, starting out as a host of Folk Espresso, and since Spring of 2009 I have been a host Pastures of Plenty on first Wednesdays. I'm not a musician, but I've been playing the stereo ever since I got my first transistor radio in 1961. I was a huge fan of the British Invasion groups and then Soul Music, but I didn't care for the folk music I heard on Top 40 radio. My best friend in high school was a big fan of early Bob Dylan, and I liked Fairport Convention when I heard them on underground FM radio in my hometown of Milwaukee (spelled with two "e"s, as in Wisconsin). I bought all of Ry Cooder's albums starting with his first LP in 1970. That's where I was introduced to the music of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. I began liking folk music when I heard Leo Kottke and some of the folky music in the later 1970s. Living in cultural mecca Ann Arbor, MI for 3 years opened my ears to blues, jazz classical and folk music. I remember sitting on the front steps of the Ark Coffeehouse listening to Norman Blake playing inside hours before his show. I produced the Portland FolkMusic Society Third Friday concerts from 1995 through 2006 and discovered the amazing wealth of great musicians here in the Portland and the Pacific NW. I have a fairly eclectic taste in music and I enjoy blending familiar favorites with new sounds on my shows. If I had to make a short list of my all- time favorite folk artists it would be Dave Carter, Ry Cooder, Leo Kottke, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson, and Bob Dylan- though they are all more than just folk artists. More recent favorites are Kate Power and Steve Einhorn, Doug Smith, Misty River Band, Harry Manx, Chris Smither, Milwaukeeans Willy Porter and Peter Mulvey, and Eva Cassidy. My favorite music of the past 4 years has been that of Portland's own the Decemberists, a band that seamlessly blends "Indie Rock", 1960's prog rock, and folk. It's a real privilege and a treat to be part of the KBOO Community.
