There was a little ritual that played out at many of David Brombergs’s concerts. Audience members would call out songs they wanted him to play, or perhaps just wanted to get David’s response, which invariably was “I take requests, I just don’t play them.” This was usually followed by “You may know what you like but you don’t know s*** about putting together a set list.”

And so it is with playlists for music programs. Artists, and even more so, radio promotion people want you to play every song they release. Meanwhile some listeners would have you play the same songs every week. I understand. For the music DJ operating in an algorithm free environment, a dwindling space, it helps to have a clear focus when deciding what to play, and just as importantly, what not to play. My focus is on singer-songwriters with songs that address the social, political and economic issues relevant to our times. My show is entitled “Music They Don’t Want You To Hear” for a reason, and takes its inspiration from the music and activism of Phil Ochs. I don’t play love songs. As Sir Paul suggested, we don’t need more “Silly Love Songs,” although that doesn’t seem to have stopped him. I hope my audience likes the songs I play but I have to find them meaningful first.

Songs are an effective way to perpetuate an awareness of historical events and address current issues. Songs like Woody Guthrie’s “1913 Massacre,” Our Native Daughters’ “Mamas Cryin Long,” and John McCutcheon’s “Christmas in the Trenches” tell both the personal and universal stories of our often painful history. When well-crafted and well-presented, such songs are compelling and powerful. Equally powerful are phrases that resonate and stay with us like “We Shall Overcome,” “I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore,” or “Blowin in the Wind”. Songs that became more than the words and music that they embodied.

My focus is on the lyrics – are they well crafted, have an appealing turn of phrase; do they have something to say, a story to tell; are they Music They Don’t Want You to Hear?

My bias is toward stripped-down, straightforward production. I find too many songs are over produced, the music overwhelming the lyrics/vocals rather than supporting and enhancing them. Too many producers apparently subscribe to the Phil Specter “wall of sound” school of music and too often it turns into noise. As Tom Paxton put it “There will always be room for an acoustic guitar and a single voice.”

In an article in the New Yorker, a radio consultant was quoted as advising country music stations to never play more than 15% of its songs from female artists and never more than two in a row. This is a good indicator of what’s wrong with the Nashville pop country pabulum often heard on commercial radio. I try to play good music so women and people of color often make up a major portion of my playlists. That portion is growing as more such individuals finally find outlets for their music.

My playlists are developed without consultants, curators or committees. It is algorithm free and reflects the taste and opinions of the host. For those looking for mindless ear candy there are lots of other choices on the radio dial and streaming universe.

Ron Cooke is the author of a book of short stories and poems entitled Obituaries and Other Lies (available at Amazon); writes a well-received blog (ASSV4U.com/blog); and hosts a weekly radio show called Music They Don’t Want You to Hear on KTAL-LP in Las Cruces, NM.  He is also a founding director of A Still Small Voice 4U, a not for profit supporting arts, culture and community that presents folk concerts, sponsors artists, festivals and community groups. Ron is an avid cyclist, racer, blogger, sculptor and ne’er-do-well.