We hope you are enjoying Residency. This new hour-long program features fresh multi-genre programming from new voices and special guests. It follows the Friday Night Blues Party, airing midnight – 1am MT on Saturdays.
Jeff Kynoch has been Residency‘s first host, introducing audiences to jazz music, new and old, from all ends of the spectrum. His six-week stint in the host chair has celebrated well-known artists such as Bill Evans and Miles Davis. He’s also shared new music from rising stars, including American drummer Makaya McCraven and French trio Argentique.
Time flies, and now we’re getting ready to welcome Residency‘s next host, Michael Dunn. He’s a carpenter by day, and he’ll be spinning tunes with a distinctly country music flavour when he hosts Residency. His affection for country music can be traced back to his childhood. “When I was a kid, I remember looking out the window in wintertime, and hearing AM radio country music coming through clock radios, boom boxes, you name it,” he says.
Dunn grew up in Manitoba but says he has “bounced around” Alberta since moving here twenty years ago. When he got to Edmonton in 2007, friends connected him with the local community, including folk festivals and CKUA. “I knew right away that CKUA was the place where you could hear different things. It felt like natural music.”
He enjoys many styles of music, but says he always comes back to country. “This is the kind of music that speaks to me, a working-class guy. Especially the old stuff. It speaks to the struggles of working people, and bringing hope and fun to people who work in the field or on the assembly line.”
He’s happy to follow the first Residency host, Jeff Kynoch, whom he calls “a beauty,” and he mentions longtime hosts Cam Hayden and Allison Brock when he looks ahead to his own time in the CKUA host chair. “I’m used to being in the bar or at a festival when a country band is partying on stage, so I will gladly follow the Friday Night Blues Party, and hopefully live up to the standard.” And, he says of Wide Cut Country, “I have loved that show for years. Allison has always been really on top of what country music is, and what local people are creating.”
He’s looking forward to playing music for CKUA’s audience. “It’s pretty high bar to try to reach, but I hope I can present some cool music that I like and that a few others will like, too.”
Content Director Arianne Smith-Piquette says, “Residency is a launchpad for up-and-coming hosts to develop a program and share their unique voice and perspective with the CKUA audience. Each residency will last six weeks, and we’d love to hear your feedback. You can get in touch at feedback@ckua.com. We’re very excited to share new voices and perspectives on CKUA!”
Tune in to hear Michael Dunn, the newest host of Residency. His first program will be Saturday, January 11, midnight – 1am MT.
