What was the first concert you ever saw?
Babatunde Olatunji. When I was a kid--probably 11 or 12--he came to Allegheny College in my hometown, in Meadville, Pa. My family went, and I was very impressed with all the drumming and the costumes and all that stuff.
What CDs are in your changer right now?
Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Live at the Wetlands; a new Stellas CD we just recorded; a Miles Davis compilation of stuff from the '50s, from the Kind of Blue era; and an old cassette copy of the James Gang's Funk #49 that I just found.
How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?
More than 500. I never get rid of anything.
Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?
I'm basically a computer illiterate. I don't like computers, and I don't trust computers. I got an iPod as a gift, and it's just sitting in a desk. I wouldn't even know how to download music.
What was the first album you owned?
I think it was Miles Ahead by Miles Davis.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
Oh, I'm not going to die, Stephen. Any selection by Jimi Hendrix; probably "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)."
Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don't know about? What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
Appalachian music, bluegrass, mountain music. I don't own any, but I don't turn it off when it's on KXCI.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
Jimi Hendrix, because he bridged the gap between soul music and rock music.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland. No, wait, scrap that. Axis: Bold as Love is probably my favorite.
