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10 Questions with ... Mase
July 16, 2013
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
To be honest my "radio" career had been VERY brief and will probably tick off a lot of people who have been doing this for years. I did college radio with my roommate and later on bandmate at GA Southern College (Now a University) in the mid-late 80s for two years. Then transferred to GA State Univ. in Atlanta and decided that I wanted to play drums in a band rather than play bands on the radio, so the next 15 years of my life was spent in bands, one of which got signed and later involved in a NASTY lawsuit with a major label that shall remain nameless. After 15 years of "we have a gig in Knoxville on a Tuesday night, just to get our foot in the door" gigs, I kind of lost the dream. My wife Joy and I decided to move to the beach, any beach, and here we are eight years later.
1. What stands out the most from when you first started at WKZQ 10 years ago?
Probably how many people who are still here. Sure there have been a few that have come and gone, but for the most part it's the same core staff. From what I'm told that is rare.
2. What do you love most about your job?
Crushing dreams of young bands on add/drop day. I'm kidding...but adding a song I really like is so much more fun than adding a song that I "should/have to" add, especially if I end up being right about them.
3. What has been your most defining moment at KZQ?
I don't think there has been one moment. I have been lucky enough to do and see a lot of things that I wouldn't have if I had another job. Whenever I think I'm having a bad day at work, I see some guy on roofing a house in 93 degree heat and somehow producing that commercial that came back right before I was going to leave for the day isn't such a big deal. Of course the day that KZQ starts getting monitored, this answer might change.
4. What do you enjoy most about hosting "The Flight Test" every Monday night?
Sitting on my sofa at home on Monday nights in my briefs sipping a tasty beverage listening to two hours of music that I know I'm going to like. I honestly voice track the show so I can listen each week. It really is two hours of music I want to hear. That guy talking during the show is a distraction, but the tunes are great.
5. How would you describe your specialty show?
Oh...you mean the "multi-award winning" Flight Test? I'm sure it's pretty much like most specialty shows. Since KZQ is true alternative I don't play very many singles (and sometimes bands) that we have in regular rotation, which frees up space in the show younger and lesser known bands. For example we added the new Grouplove right out of the gate, so I didn't play it on the show. I probably played Diamond Youth or The Bayonets instead.
6. Explain your music meeting.
They are great. Since it's just BJ Kinard and I here at the station and no consultants, it's actually just a matter of us deciding on what we like and feels right for the station. Sure we look at "the charts" but we don't follow them all the time. There have been a few songs in the past few years that have gone to #1, but we still didn't think they were right for us, so we only played them at night and sometimes not at all. I'll let you guess on what bands those were. While at the same time we are three singles deep on the IAMDYNAMITE album because we love the band and it's a really great album.
7. What is most important to you when championing new music for KZQ?
Finding a band that we really like and need the help. I love the new Queens Of The Stone Age, but they don't need me or anyone to champion them. I go back to IAMDYNAMITE...those guys have played five or six shows at House Of Blues here and every time they play they sell 50+ CDs at the merch table. That shows us that our listeners dig them and we are right to them a shot on air.
8. Explain the recent enhancements to the WKZQ website?
We (and by we, I mean those web people we have hidden somewhere) have recently revamped it to be much more user-friendly. We have also added these things called "blogs." So we now have another outlet to talk about things we dig. I think we might try that twitter thing next. That is still a thing right?
9. What do you love most about living in Myrtle Beach?
Wow...there are so many things. The 120 item seafood buffets every 50 yards, the hundreds of Wings Beach Stores, the 14 million tourists we get each year (really 14 million...you would think KZQ would be monitored huh?) that aren't the strongest of drivers. For me it's really about living at the beach. That's why I moved here in the first place. I make a point to see the ocean every day I leave my house.
10. What are you most passionate about?
Probably going to see shows. We have a great House Of Blues here in Myrtle Beach, but besides that we don't have any smaller clubs or bigger venues. So if I want to see some of the bands I play on The Flight Test or someone like MUSE I have to go out of town. It's nothing for me to drive the three hours to Charlotte or Raleigh/Chapel Hill or two hours to Charleston to see a show.
Bonus Questions
What new band has blown you away the most with their live show?
That's a tough call. Not sure I can narrow it down to one band. But some that have stood out are A Silent Film, IAMDYANMITE, Little Hurricane, and The XX.
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