Some news, folks: I’m sad to say that I’m about to conclude my stint as host of Guest Mix and take a pause from WUMB. Though I’m excited about what’s ahead, I will greatly miss working on this show.

As you know, when I chat with musicians for Guest Mix, I try to get them to say something special that only they can say about the song we’re about to hear. But when Tim Easton came on the show last year, I also asked him about an article he’d written for his website titled, “Radio Crush,” a 2,193-word love letter to all stations with curation independence and creativity, like WUMB.

“I love the idea that there’s someone out there that wants to turn me on to music,” he started. “I love listener-supported stations. Like in Nashville, we have four of them where DJs are still playing the music that they want to play. So I really appreciate you inviting me to play some songs that I wanted to play. And I just dig the idea that there’s a DJ in there that really wants to turn you on to some songs.”

That is a succinct description of WUMB’s mission, and, yes, this show’s mission, and I feel so lucky to have been the person helping us all listen to songs that people like Tim Easton want to make damn sure we get turned on to. You and I also got hipped to songs suggested by folks like Chuck Prophet, Sarah Jarosz, Jorma Kaukonen, Valerie June, G.E. Smith, S.G. Goodman, Hayes Carll, and so many others.

G.E. Smith and Rob (October 2020)

As grateful as I am for getting to talk to heros, old and new, I am just as grateful to you, loyal listeners and members, for coming back to shows like this, and supporting this music-loving ecosystem that we all contribute to.

I’m taking a sabbatical, but Guest Mix is not. After June, you’ll hear some favorite recent episodes during the summer, and stay tuned for news about how the show will continue into the fall and beyond.

And I’m really going out in style, people—four new episodes this month. Seth Walker just aired, but we’ve got Molly Tuttle, Grant-Lee Philips, and Erin Rae after that (see the schedule below).

Hitting the pause button on my WUMB work was a very tough decision, but an incredible opportunity arrived to do some traveling this year, and I snapped it up. I’ll be traveling in the U.S. and abroad for a while, and on the other side of all that, I’ll be doing a mix of radio, podcasting, teaching, and writing. And we haven’t ruled out some sort of return to WUMB for me in the future; I know I’ll be yammering into a microphone somewhere after my sabbatical is over.

I feel so fortunate to have worked with my WUMB colleagues—Jay, Patty, Anita, Brendan, Randi, Albert, Michelle, Chachi, Scott, Holly, Jon, Perry, Dana, Gail, Buffie, and of course, Jordan Wuth—the engineer who made Guest Mix sound as good as he could, even when my interviewees had faulty internet and no microphone, or when there was construction happening in front of my house. And special thanks to our program and music director Jay Moberg, too, for his leadership and for fostering my creativity and freedom while I’ve been at WUMB. Like all of you, I love listening to this radio station, and have learned something from everyone I’ve worked with here.

And again, I thank you, dear listeners and music lovers, not only for listening, but for your kind phone calls—back when I hosted Sunday Morning Brew— and for all of the emails and donations to the show and station.

If you want to stay in touch, go to my current website, “The Media Narrative,” for updates or to sign up for the newsletter there, and you’ll learn the latest. Meanwhile, enjoy the summer and see you out there in radioland!

~ Rob Hochschild

GUEST MIX FOR JUNE 2022
SATURDAYS 1 P.M.

June 4 – Seth Walker
June 11 – Molly Tuttle
June 18 – Grant-Lee Philips
June 25 – Erin Ra