Who am I, you might wonder?
Well, if you’re reading, expect to see some posts like these – profiles of KZSC DJs where you can learn a little about us. I always like to learn about my listeners, so here’s some of the give and take in action.
My name is Scott Karoly, I’m twenty-two years old and am the Music Director at KZSC.
(above, a picture of me in a Vivian Girls t-shirt. Wow! Have you heard of that band? I have!)
“But what does that mean, Scott?”
That means I deal with record label promoters, independent promoters, and artists trying to get their music on the station, track how their releases are going, deal with in-studio performances, the KZSC new music library, processing new music into the station - a whole lot of things.
I do the show Dose of Thunder, thursday nights at 8:30. I play all new releases to KZSC which is pretty important to me – we need to stay a relevant station, and play things that are new and exciting. I feel like even though I listen to plenty of older music, there are so many new releases that are wonderful, and if it weren’t for KZSC, I wouldn’t have found out about them so easily.
Back to the questioning, what are some of your favorite new releases that you’d never heard of that have blown you away?
Well, recently I’ve been enamored with Bosque Brown‘s new album Baby. Give that a spin if you wished Cat Power was a real person and not a Chanel ad. Other things that I’d never heard of that floored me were Francois Virot‘s album Yes Or No, Surf City‘s self-titled EP, and the forthcoming release from Jason Quever’s band Papercuts, entitled You Can Have What You Want. It’s absolutely gorgeous, analog, warm music – the sounds of old organs and tube amps and delicate vocals. Kind of like the light in your bedroom in the afternoon when it’s warm and you can smell your carpet.
What are some of your favorite records ever?
Well, that’s an impossible question! If I could take five bands with me to a place that I’d never return from, I’d take Neil Young, Yo La Tengo, Okkervil River, Why?, and the Beach Boys. But those answers will probably change tomorrow. Sometimes Pavement is on that list.
What makes you stick around at KZSC and do a radio show?
The ability to play whatever I want and have people enjoy my tastes. It’s like making the world’s biggest, 20,000 watt mixtape that everyone gets to hear on a thursday night. It’s kind of always been my dream, and while it’s almost over, I love every second of it.
What other radio stations do you listen to?
Locally? None. This is where it’s at. How did we only get silver for the metro goldies? Honestly!
That’s what I thought you’d say.
Yeah, well we’re the same person!
What music did you grow up on?
I have two much older brothers, so what they listened to. Grunge, Guns ‘n Roses (the first CD I ever purchased was Appetite for Destruction at the old Record Exchange on Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame, CA), the Beatles, the Who (my brother Dave has something like 50 Who LPs), Paul Simon. My mom raised me on Graceland. My dad liked Johnny Mathis. I guess she won. Kids who were raised on Graceland turn out okay – just look at Vampire Weekend!
Are we done now?
Sure.
(look back next week for a REAL interview between me and another DJ!)
About the author
Music Director - Our music director takes more dance classes than academic classes, collects noisemakers, sups on soup in the wintertime, and still finds time to read Susan Stryker's "Transgender History" to KZSC's pet seahorse.