By Vanessa Balintec
Volunteer radio station Canoe FM will be adding new program Weekend Funk featuring funk and soul music for the first live overnight show the station has hosted.
The show which comes on every Saturday from 11 p.m. to Sunday 1 a.m. will be hosted by new volunteer and Lindsay resident Mike Perry. The show boasts two parts: the first hour full of vibrant funk music to get listeners dancing and the other hour The Quiet Storm showcasing slow jams and soulful sounds designed to relax the mind.
“It’s a real honour to have a specialty show and to bring funky music to the people of Haliburton County” said Perry who’s been working with the station for months to get the show going. “This is really great because it’s a hobby for me. I really enjoy radio work and I’ve loved funky music since I was a kid. It helps my creative side – it’s a little creative expression which is always good to have in life.”
Canoe FM had been looking for a lively Saturday evening show for some time and Perry’s pitch was the right fit.
“My program committee a couple years ago they were trying to find some kind of dance fun music for a Saturday night because they felt that they wanted to try to attract not necessarily a younger audience but something that’s not going to put people to sleep” said Canoe FM station manager Roxanne Casey.
“He was excited about doing something fun upbeat and funky. Mike said this is what he could offer and we said that would be great.”
Perry a lawyer social worker and Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team’s executive director is passionate about old-school live radio music and will be looking to host contests and highlight local and Canadian artists during his two-hour show.
“I think everybody’s funky down deep” said Perry and radio persona DJ M.P. “I think funky music speaks to that side of us that we all have that seeks expression and really gets us moving. This show really wants to put the fun in funk and have people enjoy the music get to know it better and look a little bit at the messaging that’s come out of the funk scene over the years.”
Weekend Funk will be hosted by DJ M.P. live every Saturday from 11 p.m. to Sunday 1 a.m. debuting on July 13. For more information visit @wkndfunk and @thequietstrm on Twitter and canoefm.com.