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Behind the Scenes
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Behind the Scenes
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It was fitting that I met Tom Addis at the KMHD studio
located at Mt. Hood Community College where he invited me to a recent
airing of the weekly Blues Palace! Time flew by as we talked about his
radio career, life relationships, rebellion in high school (mostly his) and
why people don't seem to be getting out to support the music as much as he and
I both thought they should.
Tom appeared quite at ease while hosting the show, a task he's been performing on the first three Fridays of every month for six years now. He first started 10 years ago with the news at noon and sports reporting. The next year Tom was volunteering for a Jazz program at the station, then started filling in for the Blues segment. For a while, Tom was acting as DJ for both Jazz and Blues, then realized it was a bit much to do both. I asked him if he had to make a choice between the two. "No choice," Tom answers firmly, "the Blues."
He has this real smooth groove of selecting CDs and shuffling them through the playing process. Tom is a true professional volunteer. He performs his job with consistency, care, pride and — obviously to anyone who listens — joy. Tom is very animated and it certainly comes across in his voice. While overhearing a conversation in the Aladdin Theater lobby recently, I recognized that familiar voice; it is how I first met Tom.
The Blues Palace was the show's title when Tom arrived at the station. However, he certainly announces the show with his own unique flair a verbal exclamation point. I asked about the musical intro to the Palace; it is an old live recording of Arthur Moore and Paul deLay performing together. This particular segment of KMHD's evening of Blues focuses on "upbeat Blues music, dance music," Tom explained.
The Blues program started with a single hour of Friday Freeway Blues. It was naturally extended due to popularity; the station has developed a strong Blues listenership. During the fundraising drive, those 10 hours of Blues receive 20 to 25 percent of the total pledges. Tom likes to "take the relaxed and humorous approach" during the pledge drives; it's quite pleasant, as pledges go.
Tom confided that he talks to himself in his car on the drive to Gresham as a pre-show workout — a bit of voice pumping up. He likes to be at the station a good half-hour prior to showtime. At that time, he pulls 80 to 100 discs from the KMHD library of approximately 500. He also contributes to the selection from his own, large personal CD collection. Tom brings a consistent flow to the night's show, but stated that he doesn't plan it ahead of time. He disfavors lengthy titles for disks, songs or artists, since it takes longer to write out on paper. As he meets his duty of keeping a play list, he has invented some of his own acronyms; a form of Blues shorthand.
The telephone keeps things exciting and interesting during The Blues Palace. Tom has a few regulars that call in most weeks, "I rely on the phone for suggestions of fresh material to play. There are some real knowledgeable people out there." Tom's attitude is well suited to the Blues: "If I'm not offending somebody, I'm not on the air!"
He enjoys the occasional opportunity to interview local artists during the show, though many are employed on Friday evenings during that time frame; and that's a good thing. Tom claims that the toughest part is dragging himself out the door, explaining that with his work schedule, it is like getting up very early on a Saturday morning. Tom compares his life to that of a mushroom, thriving in the hidden darkness of night. Tom works the night shift for Qwest and has been with the company for a loyal 28 years. He works on the digital switching equipment to make certain there is a dial tone available — in these days, a seemingly enormous and critically important task. He started to explain the technical aspect of his job, but seeing my eyes glaze over, he was perceptive enough to simply summarize that he is known as "Mister Dial Tone." Surprisingly, given his youthful attitude, he is actually close to retirement, but has no set plans for that departure. He does know, however, that he wouldn't get into radio: "It doesn't pay diddley squat."
Tom told me that he listens to Blues all the time and enjoys playing the guitar. He played a great deal earlier in his life, but set the instrument aside with the onset of adulthood. However, he recently ran into a friend who is also a very talented guitarist. It sparked his interest and he even enrolled in Terry Robb's acoustic class a year ago. "We have so many great musicians in this town — people just don't realize." (It amazes me how frequently I hear this.)
In closing, Tom mentions that he and KMHD both appreciate the CBA and its members. "You guys are our audience." And so, many thanks in return to Tom for his time, energy and command of the Blues language. I know it certainly makes those Friday evenings at home enjoyable — a veritable party even — with no cover charge. Except, of course, if you wish to be a responsible listener and enjoy guilt-free pledge drives. I am proud to say that I am now a financially supporting member of the station thanks to the great job performed by that Blues trio each week:
Steve Pringle - Friday Freeway Blues from 4 to 6 PM
Brad Lee Brenner - Rhapsody in Blues from 6 to 10 PM
Tom Addis - Blues Palace from 10 PM to 2 AM
©2002 Cascade Blues Association