The other day Spotify recommended a playlist to me titled “Divorced Dad Rock,” I assume because I had been listening to a lot of music from the late 90s/early 2000s that featured screaming dudes; bands that included Papa Roach and My Chemical Romance and Dashboard Confessional. (please don’t judge me, it’s music from my youth).
I was listening to that music because I needed to scream, and singing loud is a socially acceptable and more fun way to do so. I also recently read about how singing out loud is physiologically good for you, especially singing in groups like choirs.
In South Africa, where I grew up, singing together is such a fundamental way of celebrating or mourning or resisting oppression with community. Each person somehow knowing where their voice fits in the harmony and making sound out of a feeling. Music is the story of everywhere - every culture has traditional songs and dances - and I believe there must be a purpose for that; that for survival through troubled times, music served as a way for our ancestors to build resilience and share histories.
Throughout history, music from all over the world has also been a tool for resistance against some sort of status quo. Making, listening to, and sharing music is such an essential way to not feel alone, especially in times of distress. I think of the music created during the civil rights movement here in the U.S. and the artists and radio stations banned in South Africa during apartheid, and how the oppressive powers clearly saw a threat in the unifying power of music. I get a sense of the way that repeats throughout history and what that means for us at KALW Music today.
When I speak to the music programmers for the segment I host called On Repeat, I get a deeper appreciation for how our on-air talent thoughtfully curate the songs they play on their shows. I also learn over and over that all of us on the music team are primarily driven by the obsession of wanting to share the joy and power of music. We get genuine satisfaction in helping someone experience the same high we felt when we heard a song for the first time or giving away tickets to see an artist live.
We also view the sharing of songs as an essential service during difficult times. The selections you hear on your favorite music shows are often reflective of the moments we’ve been living through, from deaths of local and national music icons, to raids on the same immigrant communities that have made invaluable contributions to culture in this country. And equally as important, the music programs are there to just offer an island of respite amongst the unrelenting tides of exhausting news - to give a listener a moment to revel in a song that reminds them of being a kid or the chance to discover a new artist that speaks to their ear’s soul. Sometimes they do that on-air, and sometimes they do it in real life at dance parties around the Bay Area where people can come together in community and experience the physical thrill of feeling a beat drop or belting the same chorus as a whole room of people they’ve never met but now, for sure, love.
It goes back to that ancestral message that we were all made to dance (whether we’re “good” at it or not!) and that we’re all seeking the type of connection that can be found through a beautiful melody or a well-written song lyric.
That’s why what we do will always feel essential to me, because music programs are the medium that can spark connection, that can lessen feelings of isolation, that can empower and inspire, that can offer a place of rest and joy, and that can uplift artists in the community to do their essential work of creating the music that we share. Music has saved me time and time again and it’s my life’s deepest privilege to get to do what I do at KALW. I’m grateful to be surrounded by music-loving people who feel the same. And I’m especially grateful that whenever the tough times feel toughest, I can dive into the absolute catharsis of putting on Welcome to the Black Parade and yelling “We’ll carry on! We’ll carry on!”
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This piece was brought to you by KALW Speaks, a monthly series of essays from KALW staff and contributors, exploring the ideas that drive our work. Each of these essays reflect our commitment to innovation and invites you into a deeper conversation about the future of public media.
Learn more: From A Whisper To A Roar.
