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THE ROCKSTARS
THE SPECIAL GUESTS OF THE GROOVE ZONE!
THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS FEATURE SOME OF OUR PAST SPECIAL GUESTS TO THE SHOWS. . .
BUCKET LIST MEMORIES
The resident DJ and the crew have played host to some of the music world's most outstanding players and personalities over this past couple of years.Â
With Season 4 slowly winding down, the amount of talent coming in as special guests is still quite extraordinary...
PEPE DELUXE
IS BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF FUN!
One of the interviews that took place in 2021 was a pipedream at one point. Pepe Deluxe had been a favorite artist for over 20 years when the DJ finally had the chance to converse with James Spectrum.
The two reconnected in late January 2022 and decided on a second round, not too long after the band's fifth studio album was released.
The interview is scheduled for an airing in early March 2022.
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS
FRIDAY MARCH 4, 2022
The 40th anniversary of the debut album by Liverpool's A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS happens the same year that a man finally gets the chance to talk with one of his teenage music heroes, MIKE SCORE of A Flock Of Seagulls!
40 years of knowing and being a fan had passed since his first introduction to the iconic New Wave band in 1982, courtesy of the Seattle station KYYX 96.5 "The Wave Of the Eighties", and the newly-launched MTV Music Television network.
With the exception of a very brief shoulder-brush "meeting" backstage after a show in the mid 90s when AFOS were on tour, this would be a first for the resident DJ.Â
Sitting in on the conversation were Neo RetroFM's DJ DUCKIE, and BRAD B of C AVERAGE, an Olympia band on the Kill Rock Stars label.
NICK HEYWARD
(HAIRCUT 100)
His days as the lead singer/frontman for British New Wave Pop band HAIRCUT ONE HUNDRED were preparing NICK HEYWARD for what would end up becoming a 35+ year solo career.
This was a very special moment for the resident DJ, and yet another bucket list event could be marked off.
Nick's appearance was part of the March Madness 2022 event on the Groove Zone.
OUTTA THE VAULT
A random assortment of past show segments, mostly from the Neo Retro period.
MARTIN REED (MTR PROJECT)
July 18, 2020
This interview with MTR frontman Martin Reed is possibly the first one ever given since the band formed in 2019. This would be Reed's first appearance on the Groove Zone shows.
There is a noticeable difference between the first and second interviews in Martin's comfort level.
MTR Project is one to watch!!
Follow the "I'm Ready" link to hear the show from July 2020.
BEN RUHL
(BLUE MAN GROUP, BEN RUHL MUSIC)
August 7, 2020
Ben Ruhl graduated from Olympia High School in the early 1990s, with a road map of success that would lead him to a 13-year position with the Blue Man Group.
After his extended stay with the Las Vegas-based troupe, he started to create his own music and to date, has already released a handful of albums.
Follow the "Wave Rider" link to catch the episode with Ben as the special guest.
NOW PLAYING: SEASON ONE
These music artists were on the station's first "heavy rotation" round.
Spanning the globe between Ireland, Canada and the United States, there is a vibrant music movement on the brink of another pop explosion! These featured acts are heard regularly on the station.
MOUNTAIN HEAD
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA
These "skull bandits" from up north have been a regular playlist mainstay on The Groove Zone programs for awhile now.Â
Gaining popularity with audiences around the world, Ben & Kyle Hannah are enjoying their rise to the top in this post-COVID world we live in.
You'll find yourselves mesmerized by the band's groove-heavy style, and stellar sense of humor!
These guys have found their home with DJ D-Phoenix on the Groove Zone shows!
Visit mountainheadmusic.com for merchandise, music and more!
ROSBOROUGH
DERRY, IRELAND
Rosborough is one of DJ D-Phoenix's favorite artists, as well as a friend. A chance interaction in 2019 opened the door between the two, and Rosborough's growing catalogue is featured in heavy rotation on the station's programs.
He has been a Special Guest on the DJ's "Mixtapes:17" programs on Free Radio Olympia 91.9 FM, and now he'll have even more room to run on the new station.
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Visit rosboroughofficial.com for more information.
DJ DAN
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA
DJ Dan hails from Olympia WA, and has been a friend of DJ D-Phoenix since their club days back in the mid-1980s.
One of the most popular world-level DJs around, Dan's schedule keeps him very busy and in-demand.
Among other artists he's recorded remixes for, he counts Lady GaGa, Janet Jackson, New Order & Depeche Mode as friends!
Trying to land an interview with DJ Dan is a challenge in itself, but his music can be heard on NEO.RETRO.FM in the meantime.
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Visit djdan.com for merchandise and information.
NOW PLAYING: SEASON ONE
These musicians, artists, and bands were on the station's first "heavy rotation".
Spanning the globe between Ireland, Canada and the United States, there is a vibrant music movement on the brink of another pop explosion!
These featured acts are heard regularly on the station.
CAROLE POPE (ROUGH TRADE)
SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO, CANADA
Gaining worldwide success with her band Rough Trade's "All Touch" back in 1983, Carole Pope was the mysterious, leather-clad vocalist who made her mark, and then slipped out of the spotlight for a time.
That's not where her story ends, however. Still producing great music today, Pope has continued to create powerful and relevant music decades after her initial heyday back in the day.
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Visit carolepope.com for more information.
PORTUGAL. THE MAN's ERIC HOWK
SEATTLE, WA, USA
Eric is the instantly recognizable guitarist for Grammy Award-winning Portugal. The Man. After an accident on a job-site left him disabled with a spinal cord injury in 2007, he has gone on to worldwide fame with the Portland, OR-based group.
He visited with DJ D-Phoenix back in 2019, and it was that conversation that inspired the DJ to continue to reach out to members of the music community.
Eric's interview is still one of the highlights of our DJ's career.
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Visit erichowk.com for more information.
PORTUGAL.THE MAN's JASON SECHRIST
PORTLAND, OR, USA
In preparation for the station's launch on June 1, 2020, DJ D-Phoenix knocked on the door of Portugal. The Man's management a second time.
After a few scheduling mishaps, Jason was the 2nd PTM band member to grace the Groove Zone stage, and appeared as a Special Guest during the premiere week of NEO.RETRO.FM.
Our DJ has jokingly said that when it comes to interviews with PTM members that he wants to "Collect 'Em All!"
Many thanks again to the management of Portugal. The Man for orchestrating these sessions.
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For more of Jason, visit www.instagram.com/jasonsechrist
ROCK THE PRESSES!
DJDP Productions News & Updates
WHAT'S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES AND IN THE REAL WORLD...
DUB FX is Special Guest on The Sessions!
September 5, 2020
The song "Flow", featuring Mr Woodnote, has a 9 minute version on Youtube; it was that track that another DJ at Free Radio Olympia used to introduce D-Phoenix to the music of Dub FX in early 2019. If someone would have told the DJ that he would be in convo with Dub FX down the road, he would have laughed at the possibility. Fast forward about a year and a half, and it was a bit more than just a single conversation.
The original Dub FX interview hit on topics ranging from Covid-19 to shadow governments; that's what gave birth to the idea of a new podcast series about "conspiracy theories", hosted by the two men.
"Hook, Line & Thinker" debuted on NeoRetroFM on Thursday October 8th to a positive reaction from listeners. As of this update, Ben, Cade & Darren were preparing for the upcoming taping of their third episode of the podcast. Stay tuned for dates and times!
DUB FX : One of the Groove Zone Family!
October 8, 2020
One of the benefits of not being under corporate management/ ownership in the music industry is calling your own shots and being in control of your (musical) career. When your successful management team is your best friend of many years, you have a tendency to be an artist with near-limitless potential of stellar success.
Ben, aka Dub FX, decided to engage the station's goofy, bipolar on-air dj/host on more than just one occasion, that is the original guest interview in September on The Sessions radio program.Â
Now, on a bi-weekly basis, listeners around the world have been treated to the podcast miniseries "Hook Line & Thinker", co-hosted by the unlikely but fun pairing.Â
Realistically, the roundtable-format show could last indefinitely, as it collects information and misinformation from the realm of fabricated and legitimate mystery.
For the season that we're in, we will simply enjoy the time that we have with Dub FX as our "houseguest" at NeoRetroFM.
For more information about Dub FX, visit https://dubfx.com/
A Dream Come True: BOOK OF LOVE
October 17, 2020
D-Phoenix left an interview request with his new Facebook "friend" TED OTTAVIANO via Messenger back in July of 2020. The request sat unseen and unanswered for roughly two months before it came to Ted's attention. Once it did, a phone conversation was scheduled to happen within a few short days.
Ottaviano is the "Boy" in Book Of Love, the chart-topping synthpop band that rose to fame in the mid 1980s. Along with his sister Susan and friends Jade and Lauren, they rocked the world with their stylized dream-laced synthpop in dance clubs all over the world.
Ted recently took some time out with the resident DJ and the result was a dream come true for D-Phoenix.
For information about Book Of Love, The Myrmidons and more, visit www.bookoflovemusic.com
COREY PRYOR (TeneT)
October 11, 2020
One of the most random surprise phone calls via Facebook Messenger happened in early October when D-Phoenix was on-air in the middle of a song and caught former Newsboys keyboardist COREY PRYOR at his breakfast table in Australia one morning!
Totally by chance and without any expectation of actually catching the EDM pioneer on the line, let alone conduct a 25-minute interview with him, the resident DJ casually conversed with Pryor, who is currently producing music as TeneT.
Contemporary Christian music fans will remember Pryor from his days with Newsboys, and his next project Sozo.
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For more information about Corey, TeneT and his other work, visit https://www.artistecard.com/coreypryor
THE SESSIONS w/ DJ D-Phoenix
What began as a mini-segment back in 2019 with the Eric Howk interview on Free Radio Olympia, "The Sessions" has blossomed into an ongoing "love parade" of special musical guests.
Looking back, it was probably the on-air interview w/ his longtime friend, the late Mikey Dees (Fitz Of Depression), during the 2018 Black Friday radio program that ignited the idea of interviewing friends and musicians for the shows. It's even better when the friends happen to be musicians.
That bit of fortitude that was mustered with the initial interview request to the Portugal.The Man camp is the same spark each time a new request is submitted, regardless of the intended celebrity recipient. Statistically, it's a 1-3 ratio of granted requests.
Artists that have been solicited for an interview, but have declined for various reasons are still in the minority as of press time. Among those opting out have been Thomas Dolby, who is on an educational hiatus; The Dandy Warhols had nothing much to say about anything; The B-52's couldn't find the time in their schedule to allow one; or the artists are simply in a holding pattern, as the crew awaits their responses.
Only one out of the dozens of requests sent out was met with some disdain. Neil Arthur, of Blancmange, had messaged the resident DJ back via Facebook Messenger, directing him to his management team to set up an interview. So, of course D-Phoenix contacted the band's management, explaining the suggestion by Arthur. No reply.
A month passed, and no response from Blancmange's management. Another follow-up email was sent, three weeks passed and no response. A final courteous email went out, still nothing.
That's when the DJ made the decision to contact them again, however this time he wasn't requesting an interview. Knowing this could ruin any possibility of a future interview, the DJ told the recipient what he thought of their lax correspondence habits.
The Sessions are a definite highlight of The Groove Zone's 30 year history.
FEE WAYBILL
THE TUBES
Aired on Saturday March 6th on the station's direct LIVE stream in an audio-only version at 7 pm, followed by the video version premiere on YouTube one hour later at 8 pm Pacific time.
Spending that time with Fee was a real special thing for the DJ. The Tubes were always one of his favorite peripheral groups from that era, so having the chance to converse with Fee was something to remember.
It had been brought up during the interview that Fee was interested in sitting in on a future taping of the Hook, Line & Thinker podcast, and his eyes lit up with excitement at the idea. However, shortly after the interview, the station's crew contacted The Tubes' management to extend the invite to Fee, and was declined by the band's manager or booking agent, but with the suggestion to offer one at a later date.
Eventually, a later date arose and so the invite was extended again, but was met with a final decline from the management. The GZ team is wondering if Waybill will ever know that he wasn't forgotten, and that a couple of attempts had been made to make good on their word to include him in the podcast at some point.
Regardless, the Waybill interview stands as a definite highlight for sure.
MICHAEL QUERCIO
THE THREE O'CLOCK,
PERMANENT GREEN LIGHT
Michael Quercio is the king of paisley-pop! Images of neo-psychedelic hazy days in the 1980s and the pop heydays between then and now all come to mind. Bright, energetic, youthful, vivid and edgy... the Paisley Underground was the breath of fresh air that the mid-eighties so badly needed at that time.
Michael put aside some time recently for his first appearance on The Groove Zone shows, and it was an absolute thrill for the resident DJ to chat and compare notes on their wild youth, and the musical landscapes they grew up in.
Michael's Paisley Underground Consortium can be heard weekly on Sundays from 4 pm- 6 pm Pacific time at LuxuriaMusic.com ...
THE SESSIONS
JUST KEEPS ROLLING ON . . .
Even at times when the guest door doesn't open as often, the caliber and variety of special music guests is something to look forward to.
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Above: WEBB-HILL