WQSV Profile:
Carter Cassidy
How did you come to be involved with WQSV? And how long have you been involved?
I won a raffle to play an hour of whatever music I wanted! Had so much fun putting the playlist together I asked Ben if I could keep at it and luckily he agreed.
When did you start DJing? Are there any DJs who influenced you? Or something/someone else who influenced you?
I started DJing at WQSV in November. I think I’m mostly influenced by one of my favorite radio stations back in San Diego, 91x. Tim Pyles and Hilary come to mind as well as the station’s great Sunday show Brunch With Bob and Friends which is a morning full of reggae and related music. I always liked that the focus was on independent radio, so glad to continue listening to and now contributing to independent music with WQSV.
Talk about your connection to music/the role music plays in your life?
I’ve been making playlists for as long as I can remember. Even recorded some songs off the radio with a cassette player then moved on to mix CDs throughout high school and college. Music has a strong emotional connection with me, as I’m sure it does for many people, and when I’m feeling down or want to get ready for the day or just want to relax and zone out, I always look forward to putting on some headphones or play some tunes through a stereo. Recently, I’ve shown my daughter how to play an album on our vinyl player and she’s always down for a dance party. So far she’s liking the White Album.
Describe your show.
I use the hour to explore a theme and usually will pull music from the early 2000’s but I’m always willing to pull songs from any era or genre if it fits the theme. I’ve done holiday shows, explored the best indie music of the 00’s, and recently decided to go through the seasons of music.
Who are some of your favorite musicians and why?
Currently I’m enjoying the new Father John Misty album. Overall, some of my favorites are Modest Mouse, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles, Tupac, Kendrick Lamar, Built to Spill, Bob Marley, The Strokes, Jenny Lewis (& Rilo Kiley) to name a few. I tend to veer more towards the indie rock side but am willing to give anything a listen. I like those musicians and others because their lyrics, melodies, or overall composition evoke an emotional response I feel a connection with and they all tend to try to push themselves with new sounds or genres.
What is your first memory involving music?
First memory of getting to play what I wanted was getting my parents to play the vinyl version of Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas album. I was probably 5 or so? Though I think the first song that got me really thinking about how music can take you on a mental journey in just a few minutes was when I first heard “Across the Universe”.
What was the first concert you attended?
My older brother brought me to my first concert, The Barenaked Ladies. I think I was around 12. I only knew the popular “One Week” song but they put on a great show. I think there was a running gag of them getting chased by a chef? There was a surprising amount of set pieces. First concert where I bought the tickets with my own money was Incubus during their Morning View tour. That was another great show but very different from the Barenaked Ladies.
How do you go about building your show?
First I try to come up with a theme then see what songs I have in my personal library that could fit that theme and then I’ll also spend some time at the station to see if there are any other songs I could add. Other times if I really want a specific song because I’m focusing on a particular artist or their influences I’ll buy the song to use on the show. Then I’ll scan through the lyrics to make sure it’s good to play at the 4 p.m. timeslot and try to fit everything in the hour. So far the most recent show has been the only one that’s been two hours and I don’t expect that to become the norm. I try to group songs that flow together well before a break and try to group songs in sets of 4 and start out with some more lively songs and have the last 4 be more relaxed.
Do you have any particular criteria when selecting music for your show?
Due to the timeslot, I have to be aware not to put on anything explicit. Other than that I just try to have the songs sound like they flow together well. I try to play some less well-known songs but will put in a more popular song if it goes with the mood or theme.