Show Spotlight: Necessary Luxuries

Necessary Luxuries host Night Nurse with Katelyn at Record Store Day 2019

Necessary Luxuries host Night Nurse [right] with friend Katelyn at Record Store Day 2019.

Night Nurse has the weekly prescription for all of the fun at 33 1/3: Necessary Luxuries. Meet our resident vinyl expert and devotee – also an actual nurse – who sets the platter and ties it all together through the warm, crisp sound of a record in this month’s Show Spotlight interview.

(Necessary Luxuries airs live every Wednesday evening from 5 – 7 PM.)

When did you discover Radio Boise?

Just before moving to Boise in August, 2017 – I became aware of KRBX while Instagram “researching” the area. Started listening while unpacking. 🙂 I’ve always been a big fan of community radio – listening and learning about new artists.

How long have you been hosting Necessary Luxuries? What drew you to take on this program?

The 5 – 7 PM Wednesday slot opened up in early September 2018. I was excited to go from 1 – 3 AM to daylight hours. Izze (host of Fever Dream) and I collaborated on a show name.

For those who may not be familiar with your show, how would you describe the Necessary Luxuries sound?

My goal is for it to be fun. Reminiscent of laying on the living room floor with your friends and playing different records – wherever the mood takes you. Old and new music, some quirky. We’ve got Indie, Pop but tend to gravitate to the R&B/Soul.

Do you have a ritual surrounding your show? You know, a ritual meal or a certain artist you have to play?

No official [Wednesday, show day] rituals. Yoga at 5:45 AM, tune into Ramblers’ Retreat, breakfast, study (full time graduate student now) and then put show together. I often make notes on Post-Its and set aside records throughout the week. My tradition post-show is to head around the corner to Calle 75: savor a glass of wine with a brisket burrito.

Your program is now famous for it; so why the all vinyl format??

Personally, I feel that the vinyl format elevates the music listening experience. The physical act of removing the vinyl from the cover and sleeve, the brushing of the vinyl, checking for RPM speed, lowering the needle. Appreciating the artwork of the jacket/sleeve. Listening to a whole record rather than a new single – we get to hear the whole message being sent by the artist/band.

And then there is the purchasing of the vinyl: heading to the record store, thumbing through the stacks, catching up with the staff, hearing their recommendations.

We also have Record Store Day (which will eventually be recognized as a legit holiday – I am optimistic): that experience with fellow vinyl lovers is the best.

What music can you not stop listening to these days?

Yikes, this is tough question. If the label is Daptone, Big Crown, ATO Records, Record Records, Secretly Canadian or New West – I’m usually weak in the knees.

At the moment, top records on repeat include Betty Wright, Tuxedo, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Durand Jones & the Indications, Aloe Blacc, Caamp, Futurebirds, Hippo Campus, The Greeting Committee, The Chicks, Korby Lenker, J.D. Simo, Leon Michels, Hanni El Khatib…

What other kinds of things keep you busy in life [outside of radio]?

Life right now is consumed with school. I’m in the Family Nurse Practitioner [program] at Gonzaga University. Because of COVID, I value the time spent with our small group of friends. Aerial yoga and cycling round out the rest of the time. Unless you count my snail pace rate of cross stitching adventures (currently working on a large David Bowie “Let’s Dance” image).

What other KRBX shows do you listen to?

#SomanyStellarShows – Another tough question.

Sunday Soul Party, Bangers and Mashups, Strange Feeling, The Rapture, Daft Manifesto, Party of One, The Chowdah, It’s Now Right Now, Tennis Court Disco, V3 (the banter between Wayne & Gabe is hilarious), Life in the Sunshine and Forces Of Obvious Luck (this last one has become one of my faves).

Why do you believe volunteering for community radio is important?

Community radio provides something extraordinary. When you put all of the pieces together, the energy of our station is synergistic. I like to compare it to the Power Rangers – separately they were pretty cool. But put them together and you get a Megazord. (The things you learn from babysitting in the 90’s.)

I want to say it is all about the music but there is so much more. KRBX is the station I listen to for current issues in our immediate area. Appreciating different viewpoints.

I have always been a proponent of volunteering for a cause/effort/organization that you identify with and want to support. More importantly, volunteering for Radio Boise is one way to ensure that local voices continue to be heard and amplified!

Necessary Luxuries airs Wednesday from 5 – 7 PM.