10 Questions with ... Mistress Carrie

1. What was your first job in radio and early influences?

WAAF was my first job. As an intern, I fetched coffee, made copies, filed the mail, and dubbed cassettes. I did whatever they needed. I was lucky enough to learn under people like Mark Razz, Opie & Anthony, John Osterlind, and Greg Hill, people who have had long and successful careers and who were willing to teach me and give me great advice. I paid attention.

2. What led you to a career in radio?

I had been around WAAF for almost eight years, both as an intern and as a Street Teamer. I applied for every job, and I applied to be O&A’s producer, so I made a demo. I didn’t get the job, but then PD Dave Douglas asked me if I ever thought about being a jock? I said no and walked out of the room. When I told Opie the story, he called me an idiot, told me that I was stupid, and said that I was just “offered a job by one of the most influential Rock stations in the country, in one of the biggest markets, and that I should turn around, go back to Dave’s office, apologize for being an idiot and say YES!” I told you they were there for great advice, and that I listened. Soon after O&A got fired and I was the night jock at WAAF. I think both of our careers are doing just fine.

Had I not taken Opie’s advice that day, who knows where I would be. And now, he and I are both part of the Westwood One family, and it was great to hear from hIm when I got the job.

3. You worked at the legendary WAAF for 29 years before they flipped format in February 2020. You were also on the air at the sign off. How difficult was that day for you?

Sending off WAAF at midnight on February 21, 2020, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. It was like pulling the plug on a loved one, or putting your dog down, you savor every last second with them, and then all of a sudden, they are gone. WAAF was part of every musical memory of my youth, and I spent 29 years in those call letters. It’s like I lost my best friend. I am honored that I was part of the team that was there at the end, and I will forever be grateful to Mark Hannon our GM, and Joe Calgaro our PD for trusting Mike Hsu and I enough to send the station off properly. That is a gift I will cherish forever, and I think we did it right. The last thing that signal aired before it was given to God, was Black Sabbath Black Sabbath… it was the perfect choice! Ozzy was a constant artist for all of WAAF’s 50 years, and that album came out six weeks before it signed on. Nothing else would have made more sense.

4. Shortly after WAAF went off the air, you started “The Mistress Carrie Podcast.” Tell us about it.

After WAAF signed off, I had about two weeks to go on job interviews before Covid hit, and when I realized what was going on in the industry and around the world, I decided to start a company and build a studio at home, so I could open myself up to new possibilities. The podcast was announced in May of 2020, and Episode #1 featuring Brent Smith from Shinedown came out a month later. Since New England has so few outlets for new Rock music, and an audience searching for a new home after WAAF, I launched The Mistress Carrie Podcast to help fill the gap. It’s a Rock “lifestyle” podcast. Established artist interviews and new artists are given a platform to introduce themselves to people who love the music and live the lifestyle. The music is the common thread, but rock fans have varying tastes and interests, so there is room for a lot more. Instrument manufacturers, roadies, authors and filmmakers, tattoo artists, bike builders, hot rod customizers, travel experts, alcohol distillers, beer brewers, and of course there is always room to continue my military and veterans outreach work. If you love rock music, you’ll always find something interesting on the podcast. New episodes come out every Wednesday, but every weekday I release a “mini-pod”, with Rock News and Music headlines that’s 5 minutes long for that busy person that wants to stay informed. That’s called the Situation Report.

5. Who are some of the best guests you’ve had on the Podcast and how has it been received overall?

I am so fortunate and grateful at the outpouring of love from the Rock Community, and the support and willingness to come on the show. Guests have included established musicians like Brent Smith/Shinedown, Corey Taylor/Stone Sour, Slipknot, Amy Lee/Evanescence, Tommy Vext/ fmr. Bad Wolves, Brad Arnold/3 Doors Down, DMC-Darryl McDaniels/RunDMC, Mike Mushok/Staind, Saint Asonia, Kevin Martin/Candlebox, Shawn Morgan/Seether, Adam Gontier/Three Days Grace, Saint Asonia Chris Traynor/Bush, Mark Morton/Lamb of God, Doc Coyle/Bad Wolves, Dez Fafara/Coal Chamber, Devil Drive, Josh Todd- Buckcherry, Morgan Rose/Sevendust, Tyler Connolly/Theory of a Deadman, Mike Mangini/Dream Theater, Royal Blood, Sully Erna/Godsmack, Lzzy Hale/Halestorm, Wes Scantlin/Puddle of Mudd Nuno Bettencourt/Extreme, Rick Nielsen/Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Jacoby Shaddix/Papa Roach, Billy F Gibbons/ZZ Top, Chris Daughtry/Daughtry

Newer artists like Spencer Charnas/Ice Nine Kills, Ayron Jones, Diamante, Blake Bedsaul/ Saul, Thrasher/Escape The Fate, Todd Whitener/Blisskrieg, Lance Dowdell/From Ashes to New, Marc Labelle & John Notto/Dirty Honey, Jack Underkofler/Dead Poet Society

Comedians like Lenny Clarke and Paul Mecurio and former WAAF hosts Lyndon Byers – Boston Bruins/WAAF, Mike Hsu/WAAF, Pike FM, Kevin Barbare, Mike Saia/Producer AAF to Afghanistan

Music Industry guests like Sarah Hagan/Zildjian Cymbols, Frank Sgambellone Front of House engineer, and even the one and only Karen Durkot!

Plus Director Jonathan McHugh/Long Live Rock Documentary, and even Dr. Sadie Allison giving sex advice on Valentine’s Day.

And like I said, the military stories that I’ve always told, like USMC veteran and author Andrew Biggio /Author of The Rifle, Gary Morrow/Vietnam Veteran/Purple Heart Recipient, 1SGT Jonathan Hill/The Outpost Movie/Silver Star Recipient And that’s just in the first year! I’m now in 102 countries and growing every month! I’ve been VERY BUSY!

6. Congrats on your new gig doing afternoons on WWFX (100 FM The Pike) in Worcester. How has this new gig been going for you?

It’s been amazing! So much of the audience used to listen to me on WAAF, so it’s like home, just a little different. I’m so grateful to Cumulus, and Bob Goodell and Chuck Perks for bringing me on, and I get to work with Mike Hsu again!!!

7. You also recently joined Westwood One for Afternoons on their Rock 2.0 Format. Where do you find the time for all of your various gigs?

I’m on their CRX format too! HA! Well, I don’t commute into Boston anymore, so that’s three extra hours a day! I figured out the math, in 22 years on the air at AAF, I spent two full years in the car in Boston traffic! The best thing I can say is I’m efficient. The prep I do for the Sit Rep on my podcast, also preps me for my radio shows, and the interviews I release on the podcast get used in pieces on the shows as well. Everything feeds into everything else. I don’t waste any time or resources. I also host a live streaming video show on Tuesday nights on my Facebook page called Cocktails in the War Room, at least then I can drink and work!

8. Since you’ve been a fixture in Rock Radio and now have the perspective from working on WWFX and Westwood One, what's your take on current Rock music and the Rock format overall?

It’s been interesting introducing myself to a new audience that never heard me on the radio before, either because they are a Classic audience or live outside of New England. I need to win them over, so I work hard to do that. Radio is all about loyalty from the audience and your relationship with them. I just hope I can win them over and entertain them during their day! The response so far has been great, and I’m part of amazing teams at Westwood One, and Cumulus who really encourage me to be myself, and “do what I do”. I think Rock is evolving and becoming what it’s meant to be in this era. There are some amazing artists out there taking inspiration from the past and creating something new with it. The world is getting small with technology, and the audience has access to every genre equally, so new sounds are being infused into Rock, and other artists are starting to incorporate guitars into their pop/hip hop etc. Rock is in an exciting place right now.

9. Who are your three favorite artists and/or songs of this year so far and why?

I love The Pretty Reckless album ‘Death by Rock and Roll”, talk about pouring everything you have and all of your emotions into your songs! The music women are making in Rock right now is awesome!!! Ayron Jones has been a favorite since I interviewed him last year! What a unique talent, he is going to be HUGE! I’ve been waving the flag for Dirty Honey since the beginning and I am so excited to see where they go, I just love them! Those are some of the newer artists… But so many more established artists are releasing amazing stuff now too. I loved Corey Taylor’s album, Seether, Evanescence, Foo Fighters, Royal Blood, and so many more!

10) Finally, you’ve always been a huge supporter of our Military Veterans. I understand your weekly “Cocktails in the War Room” Live Video Show raised Over $5600 for the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation, to help feed at risk veterans, and vets in need. Tell us about the show and your support of our Veterans.

I grew up in a military/first responder family, and there was an expectation to “do your part” for your community. When I heard that Veterans, especially elderly ones were struggling to eat during the lockdown, the “family” in the War Room came together fast! I sold 850 t-shirts in two weeks and shipped them off from my dining room table and donated the profits to help the Food4Vets program that launched at Gillette Stadium. Basically it is a Covid safe, drive thru food pantry for Veterans of any age. We have since held War Room volunteer days to pack food boxes, and sort donated coats. My work with the military and veterans is part of my business model and will always be something I do. I got married during the lockdown, and my husband is a Marine who is deployed right now overseas, so this just became even more personal for me! I’m very aware of how lucky I am to have been born in the U.S. Doing what I do, being who I am, would be impossible in other parts of the world, and even though we are not a “Perfect Union” I will work towards getting us closer to that every day!