By Jacqueline Ott
“Like a Prayer” by Madonna. When I think back to my childhood, to my introduction to music, this is the song that plays in my ears, filling my mind with visions of my mother and I dancing in the car, me in my car seat, her in the front, both singing with voices that I’m still convinced became one with the Pop Queen’s sound.
Our family influences us in minute and mountainous ways. It is no small wonder, then, that we oftentimes find our family in the music we listen to, intermingled in the very notes that fill our headphones. Our parents in The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Norah Jones; our siblings in the music we listened to just so they would think you were cool (for me: Sublime, The Grateful Dead, and Sufjan Stevens); our grandparents in the lofty places reached by Frank Sinatra.
About a month ago, on Junior Parents Weekend, KDUP decided to bring that familial music into the station by opening up the radio waves for junior students DJs and their families. Three juniors who capitalized on the opportunity were Gabriela Riegos, Jacob Tressel, and Molly Steiner. Riegos brought her brother, sister, and parents in for an hour-long show, while Tressel rocked the show with his mom and dad. Steiner and her mom joined Steiner’s cohost in the broadcasting of her show. I sat down with the Riegos, Tressel, and Steiner to talk about the experience.
JO: What kind of music did you and your family decide to play and why?
Gabriela Riegos: We played our classic family favorites. My parents were young when they
had my brother and I, so we grew up on Norah Jones, Destiny’s Child, TLC and System of a Down. My mom’s all time favorite movie is Love Actually, so we also played a song called “Take Me As I am” from that soundtrack.
JO: What was your favorite moment of doing the show?
GR:I liked watching how cool my family thought the mic and headphones set up was. My brother felt like he was on a podcast. I highly suggest any DJs to bring their family in. It was so fun and it made me look at KDUP through a new lens.
JO: How did your family react to being on the show?
GR: They loved it! It was such a unique experience and I was so glad to have the opportunity even though I don’t have show this semester.
JO: Did you have people listening to the broadcast?
GR: Yes! I had my mom and brother post the link to their Facebook. Both were resistant to it, but once people started texting and messaging saying that they were tuned in, they loved it. We were able to interact with our “fans” a bit by asking them to send in requests. I think our little show had listeners from Providence, RI to San Francisco, CA.
Jacob Tressel hosts his show Con Mas Queso with his cohosts on Tuesdays at 6 PM.
JO: What kind of music did you and your parents decide to play and why?
Jacob Tressel: Throwbacks, mostly 80’s music. That’s all we really listen to as a family. We played some Phil Collins because “You’ll Be in my Heart” is my mom and I’s song.
JO: What was your favorite moment of doing the show?
JT: Watching my dad stutter as he tried to address the audience, because he makes fun of me and my co-hosts for that a lot.
JO: How did your family react to being on the show?
JT: They loved it, they were nerding out and telling my aunts and uncles to listen in. My siblings and a few more of my relatives also listened in, but just doing the show with my parents was a success, no matter how many people listened!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVExU1T-V5Q
Please enjoy this Phil Collins music video, dedicated to Jacob and his mom!
Molly Steiner and her mom hosted Steiner’s regular show, Box of Rain, with Molly’s cohost, DJ Jealous. Box of Rain takes place every Sunday at 2 PM.
The show, curated by Mrs. Steiner under the DJ name Singin’ Lisa, centered around songs about parents and their children. Choosing songs like “Beautiful” by Carole King, “She’s Leaving Home” by The Beatles, and “Cats in the Cradle” by Harry Chaplin, DJ Singin’ Lisa dedicated the playlist to the other parents at Junior Parents Weekend. The playlist also featured multiple songs written by musicians in honor of their children, like Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely?,” crafted after the birth of his daughter Aisha and featuring her infantile cries at the beginning of the heartwarming tune.
Here’s one last song featured by Molly and her mom, DJ Singin’ Lisa: “Teach Your Children Well” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. This song implores not only parents to teach their children well, but for children, as time goes on, to respond in the same manor to their parents: “And you, of tender years can’t know the/fears that your elders grew by/…Teach your parents well.” As we are influenced by our parents, our siblings, our grandparents in the music we love, we can also see the notes we’ve added to our families’ songs.
So there it is! A successful Junior Parents weekend featuring some great guests, who breathed new life into KDUP. Sophomore DJs and parents, start planning your shows together for next year! You can always begin with simply trading songs, both old and new.