Radio Connects Us All

KPTZ 2020 ~ Change includes the audio clip from DJ host Dalana’s Music to My Ears show, aired on 7/08 and 7/11/20. KPTZ Programming Lead Ruby Fitch, host of Beach Rumble, added the snapshot of KPTZ during the summer of 2020 to get the word out about the many new developments on the 91.9FM airwaves, over recent weeks, with more changes due. Stay tuned!

Remember when change was something you found at the bottom of your purse or jacket pocket?

Well those days are definitely over. Now, because of the pandemic, we are bombarded with changes we never even dreamt of – while losing thousands of people to this virus. Change – starting with the countless weeks most of us stayed home, schools closed, most businesses shut down, the rampant unemployment, streets empty of cars, but full of protestors, and shortages of everyday things. Not to mention how we risk our lives to go shopping or fill up our cars, the risk of standing too close to people without face coverings, the risk of hugging a friend or kissing our grandchildren.

Change, risk, death, repeat.

The physical and mental anguish filling our lives begs for most of us to strive for some moments of peace, some respite from the world that’s spinning as always, but so much more confusing, troubling, frightening and changed.

So far, 2020 has been a challenging and inspiring time of adaptation and creativity for KPTZ, as we’ve pivoted to meet the evolving needs of our local community. Our 91.9 FM family of staff and volunteers has found profound solace and purpose in our work as a resource hub for public health information. We feel honored to be a source of comfort, connection, and communication during this period of hardship and social isolation.

The keystone of KPTZ’s COVID-era programming has been the Monday morning broadcast of the weekly Public Health Update from the Board of County Commissioners’ meeting.
You’re listening.
We’re listening.
We are all tuned in to hear Jefferson County Public Health Officer Dr. Tom Locke and Director of Emergency Management Willie Bence provide current regional and national information about the virus and its effects in our community.

Wellness and safety are always at the core of KPTZ’s messaging and momentum. This is reflected in the production and broadcast of Public Service Announcements – short, informational reminders about masking, testing, and health. And in our thoughtfully curated KPTZ Local News and Community Resources weekday features, as well as Through Science to Health, where experienced public health professionals digest the current thinking about best practices for staying healthy.

KPTZ has been called upon to air civic meetings & special events during a time when we as a community cannot safely gather in-person. Besides airing special joint meetings of our elected officials, we have partnered to broadcast City Council meetings, Port Commission meetings, and special candidate forums. Port Townsend City Manager John Mauro has also come forward to chat with constituent listeners directly, with his weekly call-in show Brewocracy Now.

In the midst of all of this, we are all doing our best to entertain and delight you! With new KPTZ shows like Filter, Crackin’ the Vault, Cats in Our Laps, It’s Saturday! & Live From Rainshadow. As well as our regular roster of music, conversation and wonderful what-not. Visit KPTZ.org for our full daily and weekly schedules.
Thank you, listeners.
From KPTZ 91.9FM.
Radio does truly connect us all!
We at KPTZ want you to know that no one is suffering alone. We remain here for our community and all of our listeners during this very difficult time. Stay masked! Stay Safe! And stay with us at 91.9FM.

A collaborative effort with Rainshadow Recording! KPTZ broadcasts a live concert every Friday from 3-4pm, direct from Rainshadow Recording at Fort Worden State Park. With help from a talented pool of musicians, our rotating DJ hosts, and sound engineer Everett Moran. 

11/20: First The Winter

Jimmy Stewart and Aili Emilia began writing and playing music together in Minneapolis MN in 2015. Heavily influenced by singer-songwriters like Damien Rice and Glen Hansard, much of their music presents a raw, somewhat dark view of love and relationships.

Jimmy Stewart is a classically trained pianist who taught himself to play the guitar to try to win a certain ballerina’s heart (and subsequently wrote a lot of depressing songs when that plan failed). Aili Emilia is that certain ballerina, as well as a talented vocalist and violinist.

But there’s a happy ending. At a recent and very special performance in their hometown of Minneapolis, Jimmy ended the show with the surprise of a lifetime – and Aili said “yes”! They are now happily engaged and living in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains.

11/27: The Shaky Barbers 

Just like being at a Hawaiian vampires wedding in Kentucky! A post-holiday special with Douglas Francisco’s Shaky Barbers. Wicked lap-steel and red-hot arrangements. 

12/04 Michael Townsend

After leaving his home in Indiana as a teenager, Michael Townsend traveled west and studied music for ten years in the dance halls of Montana. In Seattle he studied with African players, particularly the Shona and Yoruba.
In the City of Dreams, Michael has performed with his wife Vickie for twenty-five years, with Bertram Levy’s tango ensembles, played in the pit band for Key City Players (besides staging his own shows in that theater), and gigged with Three Chords and the Truth. Lately his interests include Native American songs, free jazz, and transcribing music of other instruments for the guitar.

12/11: Joe Bridge

Joe Bridge first came to light handing out cassette tapes in the Sequim High School parking lot in 1991, distributing music from self-produced underground artists recording in barns, bedrooms, and basements. The seminal “Super Community Rock” (1995) gained instant cult-classic status inspiring a generation of songwriters. He studied music composition and sustainable human ecology while at Fairhaven College and in 1999 began hitchhiking the continent with mandolin, tarp, and songbook, releasing “25 Elizabeth Street” (2002) in Northampton, Massachusetts. Returning to Sequim, he recorded and toured with Cetecea (2003), Super Friends (2008), and This Is Our First Time (2016), before releasing his 2020 album “We Are Rising”.

12/18: Savsatt  

Founded in the city of Seattle by Steve Moore and Eric Harris, Savsatt is an atmospheric metal band that creates music to take the listener on an inner journey of catharsis and rebirth. With influences ranging from classical music to more conventional black metal bands, Savsatt is creating a unique brand of instrumental heavy music that many listeners from all over the Pacific Northwest have come to enjoy. Since its formation, the band has increased in size to include additional guitarists, a violinist, and more creative voices that have pushed their sound to greater heights. Finding inspiration in the difficult times we live in, Savsatt is forging new music from the ashes of a pandemic and sociopolitical instability that can offer listeners comfort within a dissonant embrace.  

Booking inquiries & info: [email protected]