I have to confess I've been in a bit of a musical rut lately. It happens to the best of us - you hit a point where everything you hear suddenly sounds unremarkable and uninspired and you can't figure out what genre of music you're craving, you just know nothing is quite right. Indie seems too lo-fi or quirky or groove-less; classic rock feels too familiar, expected, predictable; singer/songwriter is too cliche, chamber pop is too cacophonous... and on and on.
As is often the case with ruts of any kind, sometimes the cure is simply a change of scenery. Which is why I was so happy to re-discover 91.9 WFPK Radio Louisville on a recent trip to the bluegrass state.
If you agree with my theory that all music is local, then you'll understand what I mean when I say that WFPK just sounds like Kentucky. Their DJs create the perfect playlists of Americana, roots rock, bluegrass, indie, jazz, folk... endless combinations of music and yet everything flows beautifully from one song to the next. As a wise friend explained it to me, "WFPK is just always perfect for every moment. They're like your own personal soundtrack, and they are never wrong."
And suddenly, listening to these perfect playlists, my musical rut disappeared. I once again found myself hastily scribbling the names of songs or bands while stopped at stoplights, desperate to hear more from every band that caught my ear - Walk the Moon, Wild Sweet Orange, the new TV on the Radio, Foster the People. I once again have a whole mental queue of music to investigate.
Even better, WFPK is a listener-supported station, which means that in non-pledge times, it is almost completely ad-free. And you're in luck - they stream online as well. If you're in need of new inspiration, this is an excellent place to start. And then if you love it as I do, consider becoming one of those listeners that supports. Because no matter where you live, Radio Louisville makes the world a better place, and we should all be so lucky as to be able to keep it around for a long time.
