This week’s Volunteer Focus features Veronica Bisesti, host of Subculture and our resident Events Calendar Guru. Read on:

 Tell me about your history and involvement with music. How does that relate to your involvement with radio?

On Sunday mornings, it was a family tradition to have bagels and listen to music.   We (mom, dad and I) would spend hours together at the kitchen table talking, eating and listening to the music they loved. (Dad loved the Platters and all things doo-wop, Mom loved the Mamas & the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, etc. ).   As I developed my own music taste, I truly grew to appreciate what my parents had exposed my ears and mind to.    I’ve carried that love of music with me through the years and enjoy being involved with a growing musical platform like Portland Radio Project.

How long have you volunteered for PRP, and how did you get involved?

I have been a part of the PRP family for about a year and a half.   The studio was once housed on the floor right above my office and one morning I ran into Jeff (on-air guy) who said “Hey, do you know theres a radio station above you?”     I immediately went to the website, filled out the “wanna be a volunteer” form and the rest is history.

What do you love most about your Wednesday night show, and how did you get the idea for it?

SUBCULTURE – I adore doing my show, I ADORE IT!   Why, you ask?  Oh, I will tell you. Allowing yourself the opportunity to not only listen to a variety of musical genres but to re-trace the evolution of those musical genres is paramount to everyone’s musical adventure. I get to curate a show based on tunes that I love, in genres of music that I love, and expose folks to music that got us where pop music is today.    I like to throw in the occasional fun fact and educational tidbit, too, with hopes that these glimpses into musical history will intrigue listeners into actively participating in what’s out there instead of inactively listening to what is deemed as popular.  

What do you do when you’re not on the air? Job to pay the bills, hobbies, passions…

When I am not on the air, I do also contribute to Portland Radio Project by compiling the website event calendar.   I work in downtown Portland for a financial services company – and Shane, my significant other of 15 years, is a 911 dispatcher for a neighboring county.   In a perfect world, my passion would be to spend every Sunday morning listening to music with him…and eating bagels.

PRP