Tuned In with Ethan Schmidt

Ethan earned one of four Volunteer of the Year awards for 2016 not just because of his super bright smile and all-around kindness, but because he is one of the hardest working folks you’ll come across.

Ethan has taken on sound engineering under the wing of Radio Boise’s Sound Engineer, Speedy Gray, which has doubled the station’s capacity to produce live in-studio work. It’s a tough job that doesn’t always get the praise it deserves, but Ethan (and Speedy!) are the forces behind making performers sound great on-air. We stole a few minutes of Ethan’s time recently to learn a little about why he devotes so much of his time and talent to community radio.

When did you catch the community radio bug?

My first exposure to community radio was when I was growing up in Colorado. Fort Collins had a great college radio station, KCSU. I lived in the next town over so the signal wasn’t always stellar, but they always played great music. After moving to Boise I took the first opportunity I could to get involved with KRBX.

What is it that you appreciate about community radio?

I love how inclusive it is, we’re all united in our goal of growing the music and arts community in the valley; and since the content isn’t dictated by a larger corporation, the chance of discovering something strange and fantastic is infinitely greater than on a commercial station.

What do you like most about Radio Boise?

There’s a lot to like, everyone involved in this project works hard to provide consistently high-quality programming. Working alongside them and the artists on the in-studio broadcasts tops the list for me. I also really enjoy the Radio Boise Tuesday showcases.

Where and when do you listen to Radio Boise?

It’s virtually always on in my car, and I stream it from home frequently, especially for Bangers and Mashups – nothing closes out Sunday night quite like it.

What can’t you get out of your head, music-wise?

Right now I’m real high on a band from The Netherlands called Dakota, plus the live album by The Colorist Orchestra & Emilíana Torrini, and I’ve been listening to Rumours and The White Album by Fleetwood Mac a lot lately.

If you could go backstage for any artist’s show, who would it be and why?

If I could go back, I would say some of the early Beatles shows in Hamburg and The Cavern Club, for obvious reasons. If we’re talking current bands, I think hanging with a band like Rubblebucket would be a great time.

Where do you see Radio Boise in 5 years?

Honestly I think as long as the station can keep working with local artists and organizations to grow the arts community in the area, there’s no limit to where it could be in five years time. Barring an alien invasion of the spiders from Mars, that is.

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