What is your name and DJ name?
My name is Amy Price, my DJ name is The Rock and Roll Doctor.
What is the name of your show, and when is it on?
I kind of gave up with show names, so I just call it “The Rock and Roll Doctor.” It’s on Thursdays, 3-6pm Mountain Time.
Please describe your show. What is its format?
It’s primarily rock. What it’s kind of evolved to be is like the first hour is sort of Americana, ’70s blues rock, and the second hour is jam, like Grateful Dead and Hot Tuna in every show, and then whatever else I want to throw in, like new stuff that is coming onto the scene. And the third hour is usually alternative indie.
What drew you to participate in KMRD?
Well, I love what you guys do – what we do! And I was so excited that there was an independent community radio station here that was freeform, and we can program our own shows, because that’s what I love about radio. I have done commercial radio, and I’m not a fan of just punching buttons and playing a playlist: I like to program my own show. And so this is a wonderful opportunity for me to get to do that.
What is the appeal of doing a radio show? How does it fit into the rest of your life?
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve been doing radio since 1995, and I kind of got into it – I was in the right place at the right time and the pieces fell together. From the moment I first did it, I thought: this is what I was meant to do, I love this. So I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s a very important part of my life. It’s a big part of who I am. It’s funny, I almost majored in communications in college, because I went to a school that had a really good communications department, and I thought about doing radio then, but I didn’t have enough confidence. And it was a big station, and the chance of getting an on-air show was close to nil. I said, “Oh no, I’m going to go into a field and help people,” so I became a psychologist instead. But honestly radio doesn’t feel like work to me, and so for me doing volunteer radio is a gift. People make it sound like an obligation, and I don’t look at it like that.
What difference has being a DJ made in your life?
It’s given me joy. And I’ve met some really, really incredible people. I got to to be part of a really wonderful music community back East when I lived there, and now out here. I’m with like-minded people. Music people are different. I’m trying to think how to explain this – it’s like, there’s a difference between people who listen to pop music or music as backround, versus people who actually care about what they’re hearing, and connect to it. Music is a very emotional thing for me, I’m very emotionally attached to music.
What are your hopes for your show?
I just want to keep doing what I’m doing! I know that’s not like this broad five-year plan or anything… I just want to do what I do and love it, and hope that other people love it too. You know, it’s always good to have more listeners! But I’m grateful for people who listen who actually listen. I don’t want to be somebody’s background noise.
What are your hopes for the station?
I want to see KMRD continue to grow, and be successful, and continue to be freeform and have the personalities that it has. And whatever I can do to help that!