Villens United by Chris Haskell

Since moving to Somerville a decade ago, I’ve become fascinated with the local arts and music scene that my city has to offer. Whether it’s PorchFest, The Fluff Festival, or catching live music at Aeronaut on the weekend, there is always some fun entertainment to be had in your neighborhood. In my never ending quest to inform the community of all the great entertainment the Somerville area has to offer, I recently started broadcasting my own radio talk show The Villens Den on bostonfreeradio.com.

Debuting in 2011, bostonfreeradio.com is a user produced community radio website that broadcasts live and pre-recorded shows out of The Somerville Community Access TV building in the heart of Union Square. Members pay a very small fee for classes and annual membership and are given access to the studio and equipment. DJs both young and old are fully responsible for creating and crafting their own shows. Radio shows range anywhere from political talk to old school jazz, representing the different interests of our rapidly growing community.

Boston Free Radio station manager Heather McCormack has been overseeing the station and its programming for the last year and even hosts her own show Fresh Greenz. Heather has brought an infectious and energetic passion to the fledging radio station and is always looking to expand the station’s audience. Heather encourages Boston Free Radio DJs to join her hosting fun live events and broadcasts at Aeronaut Brewery, La Cantina Mexicana, and other local hangouts. She is also teaching high schoolers about the world of radio and media as the station’s youth media coordinator as well.

Getting the word out about a community internet radio station hasn’t been easy for the BFR crew. A few months ago half the station’s time slots were empty. These days it takes a little bit of shuffling to find time slots for new DJs. With many becoming distrustful of mainstream media and news, more people seem to be showing more interest in user produced podcasts and local community news outlets. Boston Free Radio has now developed a small following and members are planning future community events to reach new listeners.

A few months ago I came up with the idea to broadcast my own radio show to go along with my column here in The Somerville Times. After a couple easy classes at BFR, I was recording my own show. Since then I’ve been having a blast with my guests in studio and I have been treated to some great live in-studio music from the likes of Mickey Rickshaw, Carissa Johnson, and Kali Stoddard Imari. Along with discussing upcoming projects, musicians and artists also join me in studio to discuss the important issues surrounding our community.

Traditionally I like to keep my show lighthearted and fun, but this week were going to be discussing some serious social issues. I’d like to invite my readers to tune into The Villens Den on bostonfreeradio.com this Thursday from 5:00–7:00 p.m. This week we’ll be discussing the recent shootings in Tulsa and Charlotte, The Black Lives Matter movement, and the presidential debate. I’ll be taking live calls this week and I’m sure that there will be no shortage of opinions on these matters. We can also be found streaming through the Boston Free Radio Facebook page.

For anyone who may be interested in joining us at Boston Free Radio be sure to check us out online at bostonfreeradio.com for more information and feel free to stop by the station sometime at 90 Union Square Somerville if you’d like to sign up for an annual membership and start your new hobby as an uncensored radio DJ!

Later Villens … keep on rockin’ in the free world.