Sirius-ly Jammin'

Sirius-ly Jammin’

This is a postscript to the Baja Journey that Gary Field and I have blogged about previously (mostly Gary, by the way…see below). An important part of our trip involved our lifelong love affair with great music and our graphic memories of our years in, and very much a part of, the music business…. during our respective careers in the radio business and as concert promoters in Eugene, Oregon, at a time when a ton of creative talent found its way to our doorsteps and on our airwaves at KZEL-FM.
After years of living in Los Cabos, Mexico, I have found that one of the keys to happiness involves being close to the music I love (and Teena, the woman I love… shares this passion). Old or new, whether it is The Boss (our first Gold Record Album was awarded to KZEL in 1975 for helping to “break” a new artist by the name of Bruce Springsteen, due to our great program director, Stan Garrett, and his widely respected reputation as having one of the finest ears for talent in the radio business), or David Allen Coe, or Lady Antebellum, or Jack Johnson, or Joe Jackson, or the Grateful Dead (a Eugene favorite), or Bonnie Raitt, or Mozart, or Norah Jones, or Mark Knopfler, or Government Mule, or Beethoven, or the Dixie Chicks (well, you get the idea of my musical tastes….and did I mention John Hyatt and James Talley?), you will find them all on satellite radio (well, except maybe Nashville’s James Talley, who deserves to be heard as much as anyone…check his website). And having our music with us every minute was one of the gifts of the journey.
Music, News, MSNBC, PBS, Sports (and yes, even the usual bunch of right wing noise)….it is ALL on the radio everywhere in this hemisphere. And that, dear friends, is what I’m talkin’ about. It was lovely, being in the company of our music “friends” on the road and in our music pod… the car.
Most of our 5000 mile drive became an adventure in awesome guitar riffs, enervating rhythms and scintillating keyboards while participating in long cuts on Sirius 17 (the “Jam On” channel), and I would encourage all who understand, to check it out on your next road trip to anywhere.
Now that the satellite is part of Mexico as well, access to the rich flavors of music also makes living in this wonderful country truly more delightful and fun. And most certainly, I feel closer and more committed to, Rock world that was (and is) so much a part of me.
After 26 times, part of me knows I will drive the Baja again! There is nothing quite like it on the planet. Thanks, Gary! jw