WQSV Profile:
Courtney Cranor
How did you come to be involved with WQSV? And how long have you been involved?
I first became involved with the station in 2015 when Tom, Kimberly, & Geoff were working with the Staunton Creative Community Fund to launch the station. They participated in a business planning class I was teaching through the Fund and the Bright Re-wired start-up competition we were doing in conjunction with the SDDA.
When did you start DJing? Are there any DJs who influenced you? Or something/someone else who influenced you?
I started DJing when my current show, Modern Lovers, started in August of 2020. I’ve wanted to for years.
Talk about your connection to music/the role music plays in your life.
Music has been a lifelong passion. I’ve always surrounded myself with it. It’s mood altering, helps me process emotions. It helps me remember things. I’m not even sure how to answer this question really other than to say I’m deeply connected to and interested in so many aspects of music. I can say that when my first husband and I divorced, separating our belongings was pretty quick and simple until it came to our music library. That’s when we had to start negotiating!
Describe your show.
Modern Lovers is a sexy song playlist. But not necessarily on-the-nose, Barry White kind of stuff (though I wouldn’t totally rule out playing something like that). It’s more about music that sounds or feels sexy than being topically romantic. It’s very subjective so it might not be sexy at all to someone else…hahaha. Songs that feel sultry and sensual to me are what I play. It’s fairly punk/post-punk leaning but they’ll be anything from jazz to folk to industrial. I don’t really play hardcore punk. Usually everything has to have some kind of groove with the rhythm section.
Who are some of your favorite musicians and why?
Vic Chesnutt, PJ Harvey, Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, The Velvet Underground, Elvis Costello – I could go on and on. Those are long term favorites. I never really have a favorite anything because it’s so mood-based and constantly changing. Right now, I’m loving the hell out of Foxx Bodies and Deap Vally. I’ve also just fallen in love with the Gareth Liddiard, Jim White, Chris Abrahams project, Springtime. According to iTunes my most played song is M.I.A.’s Come Around. I’m a little all over the place musically. So, the why…maybe it’s super-talented artists not doing things boringly perfect with ability to create tension in a song.
What is your first memory involving music?
I think it was being at the Carter Stanley Bluegrass Festival in Southwest Virginia in the early 70s with my parents and sister. I can also remember my dad sitting in with his sister’s husband’s band in Pennsylvania around that time and him playing guitar and banjo around the house throughout my life. But also, my mom putting on music really loud and sometimes singing along. Heart Like a Wheel was her cleaning album accompanied by a pot of coffee.
What was the first concert you attended?
The one I claim was Jimi Hendrix at the Mosque in utero August of 1968. My mother was seven months pregnant with me. Otherwise, I have to count Shaun Cassidy at the Richmond Coliseum in 77 or 78.
How do you go about building your show?
I’m not sure if I’ve settled into a method yet. Occasionally, I’ll do a themed show like a covers show or Halloween. I did a feminist show one time. In cases like that, I just deposit songs into a playlist for future use as I think of or come across them. Otherwise, it’s stuff I’m currently listening to or things that for some reason percolate to the surface of my consciousness. I try to not to repeat songs very often, but I repeat the hell out of artists. In an ideal world, I have collected all of the songs about a week before the show and have time to really think about sequencing them or editing the playlist.
Do you have any particular criteria when selecting music for your show?
Originally, I was going to play a PJ Harvey song every show. I sort of let go of that. She’s in most of them though! I guess my criteria is does it sound sexy to me. It’s a swept-up, swirly, falling into sedation when I hear it feeling at it’s best. Those are the songs I’m most excited to include. And most of the time, there’s a little element of darkness. If I have a core of those, I can build around them.