KZSM: Follow the Heartbeat Around the World on Wednesdays
Much of the music we play on KZSM 104.1 FM and KZSM.org comes from right here in the heart of Texas—but not all of it. One of our newest shows, “Heartbeats and Echoes” (Wednesdays 10-11 a.m.) features music from around the world—places you might never see or only dream of visiting.
“Heartbeats and Echoes” is inspired by host Jeanne Randall’s lifelong passion for drums. “You've got music, and you've got to have a drumbeat,” she says, recalling the rhythm of her childhood as the daughter of a drummer in the Marine Corps Band. Hearing the song 'Heartbeat,' by Celtic Thunder “really grabbed me because it talked about The Heartbeat of the Earth. And I realized that that's why I've always been drawn to the drums,” she said. That essential heartbeat is always present, regardless of the type of music. “Everything is an echo of that original heartbeat, whether it's somebody's voice, whether it's a flute, or any other instrument.'
She searches far and wide for music that excites her, then arranges the songs she’s downloaded into a playlist, continent by continent. “North America, South America, Europe, Asia. Then I’ll go to the African continent and from there to the Middle East,” she said. She considers music from the Middle East— Israel, Egypt, Syria, etc. to be especially exotic and compelling. “That music has a primal rhythm in some cases that just pulls me in.”
Other favorites include the Mongolian band HU. Though classified as heavy metal, their music incorporates traditional instruments, lyrics from their literature and throat singing. This week’s show will introduce Skáld, a French Nordic folk group and their traditional Norse song “Grótti,” from their album “Viking Memories.”
“Heartbeats an Echoes” grew out of “Celtic Corner” (Saturdays noon-2 p.m.), which she hosts as “Limey’s Lass.” The inspiration to create a music show came when she heard some of the Celtic music of her childhood played by Texas artists on “Roots and Branches,” a show hosted by the late Tony Wilson, still broadcast Tuesdays from 6-8 p.m. “Oh wow,” she thought, “I can do that!”
Tune in Wednesday to hear something you may have never heard before and won’t hear anywhere else. And if “Heartbeats and Echoes” or another of our shows makes you say, “oh wow, I can do that,” go to KZSM.org, click “get involved,” and complete a Volunteer Interest Form, or email KZSMSanMarcos@ gmail.com.
