Arizona 411 – Spotlighting the State’s Music Makers

🎙️ Meet the voices behind The Arizona 411

Tom Heath sits down with Hope and Bo Awesome, the duo behind The Arizona 411, to talk about how their show became a trusted platform for Arizona-made music and one of the standout programs on Downtown Radio Tucson.

🎶 A radio show dedicated to 100% Arizona music

This episode explores why Hope and Bo chose to build a show focused entirely on local Arizona artists, creating space for musicians from Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Bisbee, and beyond to be heard.

📻 The power of community radio in Tucson

Listeners get a behind-the-scenes look at how community radio gives creators the freedom to build meaningful, locally driven programming that reflects the culture and creativity of Tucson and the wider state.

🤝 How Hope and Bo built their on-air partnership

From a chance connection through the grocery business to becoming co-hosts with great chemistry, Hope and Bo share the story of how their partnership grew into a key part of the show’s success.

🎤 Authentic interviews with Arizona musicians

Hope and Bo explain how they prepare artists for relaxed, genuine conversations that feel natural and unedited, helping listeners connect more deeply with the people behind the music.

🔔 The story behind the iconic Arizona 411 bell

One of the show’s signature sounds gets its moment in the spotlight as they reveal how the bell became part of the Arizona 411 identity and added a little extra personality to the broadcast.

🌵 A statewide celebration of Arizona’s creative scene

The conversation highlights the depth of the Arizona music scene, showing just how much talent exists across the state and why local media matters in helping audiences discover it.

🚋 Why this episode fits Life Along the Streetcar so well

At its core, this is a conversation about culture, creativity, and the people building community in and around Tucson—making it a natural fit for Life Along the Streetcar.

What happens when two passionate champions of local music decide that Arizona artists deserve more than a passing mention on the radio? You get The Arizona 411, a one-of-a-kind Arizona music radio show that has become a standout part of Downtown Radio Tucson. In this episode of Life Along the Streetcar, host Tom Heath sits down with Hope and Bo, the voices behind a program dedicated entirely to Arizona-made music, to talk about where the show began, why it matters, and how it continues to elevate artists from Tucson to Flagstaff and everywhere in between.

Their conversation is about much more than songs and playlists. It is about community radio in Tucson, the power of authentic storytelling, and the role local media can play in building a stronger arts culture. Hope and Bo share how The Arizona 411 grew from a personal idea into a respected platform for independent Arizona musicians, and why their mission to spotlight homegrown talent has resonated so deeply with listeners and artists alike.

For anyone who cares about Tucson podcasts, Arizona artists, local radio, or the creative spirit that runs through this state, this episode offers a rich and revealing look behind the microphone. It is warm, funny, insightful, and full of the kind of real conversation that reminds us why local voices still matter.

🏜️ Arizona Music, Arizona Stories, Arizona Pride

At the heart of this episode is a simple but powerful idea: Arizona has an incredible music scene, and it deserves to be heard. Hope and Bo explain that The Arizona 411 was built around a commitment to playing 100% Arizona music, a format that immediately set the show apart. What began as an experiment soon became proof that the state is overflowing with talent, from Tucson musicians and hip-hop artists to indie rock bands in Phoenix, Bisbee, and Flagstaff.

That statewide focus is one of the most compelling parts of the story. Rather than limiting the program to one genre or one city, The Arizona 411 embraces the full spectrum of the Arizona music scene. It highlights how deeply creative this state really is and invites listeners to discover artists they may never have encountered otherwise. The result is more than a radio show. It is a living archive of local Arizona artists and a celebration of the sounds shaping the region right now.

Tom’s conversation with Hope and Bo makes it clear that this is not a casual hobby or a novelty concept. Their work is rooted in genuine admiration for the musicians they feature and real pride in Arizona’s cultural identity. That passion comes through in every part of the episode. Listeners walk away with a stronger sense that Arizona is not just a place where music happens. It is a place where original, meaningful, high-quality music is constantly being created.

🌆 Community Radio in Tucson with Heart, Structure, and Soul

Another major takeaway from the episode is the value of community radio and why it continues to matter in a digital world. Bo shares how his experience in commercial radio eventually pushed him to create something more personal, more intentional, and more fulfilling. That journey led him to Downtown Radio, where he found a home for a show that could be both polished and deeply connected to the local community.

That balance between professionalism and authenticity is a defining trait of The Arizona 411. Tom points out how structured and consistent the show feels, and Hope and Bo explain that this is by design. Their format includes recurring segments, thoughtful pacing, and a listener-friendly flow that keeps the show engaging while still leaving room for surprise and spontaneity. It is a reminder that local radio in Tucson can be every bit as compelling and well-produced as larger-market programming, while offering something far more personal in return.

The episode also reveals how the partnership between Hope and Bo helped the show evolve. What started as Bo’s vision expanded into a true collaboration, with Hope taking on booking, coordination, and eventually an on-air role that added warmth and chemistry to the program. Their connection gives The Arizona 411 its distinct personality. There is humor, ease, and affection in the way they talk to each other, and that dynamic makes the show feel inviting to listeners. In many ways, their partnership reflects the best of Downtown Tucson culture itself: collaborative, creative, and deeply rooted in community.

🎤 Behind the Interview: How Arizona 411 Connects Listeners with Local Artists

One of the strongest parts of this episode is the insight it gives into how Hope and Bo interview musicians. Their approach is thoughtful without feeling scripted, prepared without sounding stiff. Instead of overproducing conversations, they send artists a general framework ahead of time so guests can feel comfortable and ready. Then, once the interview begins, they let the exchange unfold naturally.

That method creates something many shows struggle to capture: genuine human connection. Hope and Bo talk about wanting artists to sound like themselves, not like polished media robots. They avoid heavy editing whenever possible, which means listeners get the real pauses, laughs, nerves, and unexpected moments that make a conversation feel honest. For fans of music interviews, artist storytelling, and podcasts about local culture, this is one of the most appealing aspects of The Arizona 411.

The interviews also help listeners understand the people behind the songs. This episode makes clear that Hope and Bo are not just promoting tracks. They are creating a platform where musicians can talk about their work, their struggles, their creative choices, and the journeys behind their albums. That adds depth to the listening experience and turns the show into something larger than a weekly playlist. It becomes a place where the Arizona arts community can be heard, understood, and appreciated on a more personal level.

As Tom notes, that authenticity is part of what makes The Arizona 411 stand out. Whether they are talking with a first-time artist or someone releasing a fifth album, Hope and Bo bring respect, curiosity, and energy to every exchange. They are helping listeners discover music, but they are also helping artists feel seen. That kind of trust is what builds lasting community, and it is one reason the show continues to resonate so strongly.

🚋 Why This Episode Matters for Tucson, Arizona, and Anyone Who Loves Local Creativity

This episode of Life Along the Streetcar is ultimately a story about what happens when passionate people create space for others to shine. Hope and Bo have built far more than a radio program. Through The Arizona 411, they have helped strengthen the bridge between artists and audiences, spotlighted the depth of the Arizona independent music scene, and shown how Tucson community radio can fuel discovery, connection, and pride across the state.

Listeners will come away with a fuller appreciation for the work that goes into local broadcasting, the talent thriving in Arizona, and the importance of platforms that put creativity first. Even if you never hear the entire interview, the message is clear: Arizona’s music culture is rich, diverse, and worthy of attention, and Hope and Bo are among the people making sure it gets heard.

Tune in to this episode of Life Along the Streetcar to hear the full conversation with the hosts of The Arizona 411 and discover why their show has become a trusted voice for Arizona music, Tucson artists, and community-driven storytelling. Then explore more episodes at lifealongthestreetcar.org, follow along on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LifeAlongTheStreetcar, and listen on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/lifealongthestreetcar. If you love local stories, independent voices, and the cultural heartbeat of Tucson, this is an episode worth sharing.

Welcome back to another episode of Life Along the Street Streetcar, where we talk about the things happening in our urban core, from a mountain to the University of Arizona. We talk about social, cultural, and economic developments that are shaping our urban core. And today. As always, I’m always excited for my guest.

But today I’ve got a couple of superheroes from Downtown Radio that I’ve been looking up to since the day I joined the station. And finally, after eight years, they agreed that I was worthy enough to come onto the show. We have, Hope and Bo. I’m going to. I’m just going to call you awesome, because that’s who you are in downtown radio.

Hope and Bo. Awesome. Very cool. Welcome into, our humble little life along the studio. Sho here. Oh, happy to be here. Awesome. You have been on downtown radio since pretty much the beginning, right? Yeah, pretty close to it. You know, it it was, an odd happenstance for me because I was actually working in commercial radio, for, care for May here in Tucson.

And I had been doing radio for at that point, about 25 years, both from a public standpoint and then and then a commercial standpoint as well. And I had this moment where I was not having fun, believe it or not, not having fun, making money doing radio. And I, I stepped back and I said to myself, what would turn this around for myself?

And the idea basically was, was I was going to take all this stuff that I had learned about radio over the last 20 years and build a show from the ground up, using all these things that I had learned. And because, you know, in commercial radio, it’s it’s a very much a job where you just show up, you say the words, it’s all built into place for you.

And whereas in public radio, you have your own, you know, you can you have to create your own words, and yet you kind of lack the structure as to like, you know, and I, I so I took what I thought was effective in commercial radio. Not that I wanted to be commercial, but there is some things that make them successful and build my own show.

And so I started building the Arizona for one one. And my idea was, was I was just going to host it online somewhere. I wasn’t going to put it on radio, I wasn’t. So you came up the show before you found Downtown Radio? Yeah. Okay. And and it, And because my idea was, was that I didn’t want anybody else to to tell me what to do on it.

I wanted to, like I said, build it from the ground up, build all the audio images for it, and create the structure for the show so that it was ran the way I thought would be most effective and then fun to do. And so yeah, I started doing the show was really barebones. And the first question I asked myself was, can I even do two hours worth of Arizona made music?

That was the first hurdle. And sure enough, that was a lot easier. Yeah. Else. And so I think I did it for about a year where I was just hosting it online in random places. I couldn’t podcast it because I didn’t have licensing to the music or anything like that. And so it was just kind of in these obscure links, you know, being shared on the internet and things like that.

And then I saw downtown radio starting up. I approached, the guy that was starting it, and I said, hey, I got this show that I’ve been doing on just hosting online, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in having it on there because to me, turned terrestrial radio is still a really neat space to be in, and it’s far more significant to me in terms of the universal experience that people have when they listen to the radio.

And so I, I had I had spent my early time at Kcrw. I knew very well how difficult it was to get on air over there. And so when I saw this low watt station thing popping up, I hit the guy up and I said, hey, would you be interested? And he said, absolutely, that’d be great. And so, yeah, that’s how I wound up at Downtown Radio.

And then at that point, I completely stopped hosting anywhere. And so I just made and that was that was 2016, 2015. Yeah, about 2016. Because I think the year I mean, the show it started and then you guys were one of the very first shows you, I don’t know if you were there when it first turned on, but yeah, no, we weren’t there when it first turned on, but I was still there when the original studios were all.

Yeah. You were at the old place. My my first, my first, work with Downtown Radio was moving from that old place to the new places. Like, I showed up for me, like, hey, welcome aboard. Grab a grab a box with me. We’re moving. So, were you involved? Were you involved with the original online version? Not at this time, no.

So, he’s had lots of experience in radio, but it was in 2020, during the pandemic. He was looking to onboard more interviews and there’s just a lot of, coordination that goes with that. So that’s why I was like, hey, I, I can do that. So do you wanna do that for another show? Just curious. No.

Okay. Yeah. Oh, no. No. Well, and I’ll tell you, Tom, it was awesome. It was really cool because I quit care for May in 2018. I was I was doing downtown radio and working in commercial radio at the same time, which people in commercial radio thought I was an idiot for doing local radio, because to them they’re like, if you’re not getting paid, right, well, I do it right, you know, and people then come and community radio thought I was so amazing because I was working in commercial radio.

Anyways, I get paid to do this. Yeah, exactly. You know, and and to be honest, I quit there in 2018, two years before the pandemic, because it was becoming more of a job than it was. And so I quit there to to spend more time to do, this stuff and then work on and spend time with family.

But, I’ve got, you know, I’ve, I’ve spent my life networking in Arizona in this entertainment space, in various genres and things like that, and, and, and radio. And so I had an opportunity in 2020 when all the studios. So I quit care for me in 2018. That quit was justified when the pandemic came because they went in and they fired everybody.

So all these people that thought I was crazy for quitting all lost their jobs anyways because without ad revenue, they just didn’t have any way to pay anybody. So well. At the same time, there’s a station up in, Phoenix that’s kind of like downtown radio, but with a much larger reach, you know, and they’re, they’re the alternative rock space.

And I was friends online with the lady who hosted the morning show there, and she said, hey, I’ve got a question for you. Would you be willing to host the show for a while? While I got some stuff I need to do? And so she I said, you know what, I’ll give that a shot. And so I produced everything at the house.

And during this time, like I said, studios all shut down. So suddenly my setup became very valuable because we were able to operate. And so I had all this stuff going on, hoping the kids are, you know, hanging out because, you know, it’s an open studio at the house. And I looked at Hope and I said, hey, is there any way I can get your help on a few things?

And she was like, I guess I’ve never done this before. And then sure enough, she took to it like water. And then eventually it was like, hey, because I had always been afraid to book interviews because I didn’t want to commit to something that I couldn’t follow through on. And and it’s a lot of coordination. But once she said, yeah, I could help you with that, that then it became, okay, cool, you can focus on that.

I can focus on talking to the guests and stuff like that. Then it was like, hey, ho, hey, would you like to talk on air? You know, and she’s like, kind of. So it’s like, no, what are you, crazy? You know, because talking on air is really intimidating. Hearing your own voice is a really intimidating thing. And so, you know, at some point.

But it’s it’s your first time here, you’re like, yeah, this is like, this isn’t even sound like me. Yeah. Unfortunately, that’s that’s just you sound like the show thing. It sounds great. The show opened up so much at that point because of the fact that it became less of a guide, you know, talking just to you. And it became more like like you got to listen in on a conversation between two people that were talking about stuff, the interest, you know, that’s what I’ve really come to enjoy about the show is, first of all, your collective knowledge.

I mean, you both clearly love music. It does that, like, obviously, you know, both for you that goes back where, where did like was music a part of you? Yes. I’ve always been a big music enthusiast. I mean, I was like the teenager that went to sleep with their iPod in their ears, as crazy as that sounds.

But, and crazier. I was the guy that went to to bed with the Discman and, like, the iPod. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That’s that’s some dedication there. Yeah. Set up the CD so it doesn’t skip. But, and then I’ve always loved lyrics and then with the local art, so much of it feels so meaningful, you know?

So once I got involved in that space, I was blown away at the art as blown away at the artists. And it was a lot. It’s been a lot of fun. Well, and one of the, the, the signatures and I don’t know if this comes from, you’re getting comfortable with being on the air. Is your bell.

Oh, yes. And I know when, when Bo when I was talking about the interview, he said that you were a little nervous about doing because this is a new, a new first experience for you. So, to help you out. Oh, I want to be. Oh, I want to get your crutch here. Oh, I ain’t good.

And, so if you feel the need, you can, you can, you can raise. Oh, right. That’s, one of those iconic sounds from, from the Arizona for one one when when there’s some good things happening. We hear that bell, going off there. So that made that feel a little bit a little more at home, so.

Oh thank you. It’s very, very nice. So yeah, the the bells came about because, when he did his radio cafe, they had a bell. Okay. And then eventually we did our show. And so I got us bells and that’s how that came to be. So, the, you know, the, the interviews that, that really elevated, I think, you know, going back to just for a moment where you talked about the structure, like there clearly is a, professional structure to the way you do your show because you have that that third set triple play.

And you do, you know, it’s every show you can sort of count on something at a certain time. Like, you know, and then the interviews that are coming up, and you really do a great job of interviewing these, these, these, these musicians and I don’t know, do you, you know them all, like, how does oh again, this is all where having the help and then also becoming a team became so like evolutionary for the show.

Right. Like like I said, like just booking things that’s so time consuming and then managing all that. So time consuming. And then to think about having to get around to the interview. Well, once she was committed to taking care of so much stuff on, then I began thinking like, you know, it’s like it’s not just enough to just get them on there.

Let’s make it worth everybody’s time. Both the artist and ourselves and and the listeners. Excuse me. Yeah, they’re the listeners, you know, whatever they. Yeah, right. All right. Yeah. That’s what I like about this show. As long as I’m happy, I’m good, you know. Yeah. So then it became though for myself like like like challenge yourself to to to to make this conversation good and worthwhile.

And what we figured out was, was that coming up with the conversation kind of guideline or framework before we talked to them and then sending it over to them makes it sound as if, you know, like we’ve already been sitting around and hashing this out. And I promise you, the length of the interview that you hear is about the length of the phone call that we have to make, because it doesn’t sound like you edit much.

It’s yeah, we just it goes, that’s what it is. And, you know, some of that kind of came from an old idea. You know, I had attended a taping of of of Letterman years back and, and you know, I didn’t know it, but they do the show twice. And then they clicked together all the best parts. So they, you know, I mean, I didn’t know.

And they do the interviews twice. And that gives the guest an opportunity to chew it over. And I think that’s cool. But I didn’t want to do my interviews twice and no one’s got time for that. Yeah. And so I thought, well, if we just shoot over the structure for it and, and then, then that way they’re not coming in because early on hope a attest we’d be doing some interviews and there’d be like this pause.

Yeah. Like, oh man, I don’t know about that. Yeah. I didn’t expect that to, you know, or whatever. I and so then and so now when people, you know, when we get them on the phone to do our interviews, they’re extremely like, like comfortable that because everybody’s nervous, even though it’s a community radio show, you know. Yeah.

Once it’s out there it doesn’t matter where it starts. Once it’s out there, it doesn’t come back. Yeah. No, you put something on there, recording it. It’s it’s. And if you say the wrong thing, it will come back to haunt you. Yeah. For sure. It seems to like the first take. People seem to be so authentic. And that’s kind of what’s exciting too, is like if you do two takes, you lose some of the, that’s that’s how to explain the spontaneity.

Yeah, the magic of it. So I think that first take is when we first started, we would we would do like 60 minute interviews and then we would edit them down to fit the show. And after a while, I realized two things. One is incredibly time consuming. Oh yeah. But then two, I’m portraying their words differently than maybe they intended, because I’m I’m putting them together in a different order.

And now we try to go as much as possible with one take the live and make the gaffes and all because those are part of that. It’s genuine. Yeah. Capturing the personality and and all that. Yeah. Especially when they ask the wrong questions and you have that completely wrong. Like oh okay. Hey you know I know and like the two of you, I don’t do any research for this show.

It’s all spontaneity. How did you guys meet? Did you do was it through music? I didn’t do you want to talk or do you? I feel like I tell this story pretty well to tell it. Tell a story. Hope a nice day. Jobs or both? We both have worked in grocery stores our entire, lives, basically.

And I’ve worked for fries here in Tucson my entire life since I was 17 years old. And Hope has worked for various companies that have, you know, serviced the grocery stores. And so when Hope was younger and I was much younger, I would see her, vending bread and stuff like that. And, you know, of course, there’s this beautiful girl over there, but.

And, so one day, fast forward, you know, to make this long story even longer, I, I’m shopping at the fries over on first and Roger, and I’m passing by this beautiful woman who’s also shopping at fries and first and Roger, and she’s on our cell phone, and I recognize her, and it’s home. And I say, oh, hey, how’s it going?

Gives me this look. And I, I could just feel or go, this guy’s like trying to see it. I don’t like it that way. Like, oh, I just kind of slunk away and then I run into her, my store that I actually work at, and she’s actually working, and we casually talk and I’m like, and I explain or I’m like, yeah, I saw you.

And I waved and she was like, oh no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah. I have, you know, how do you read me? I feel like I was like, oh, hey, you know that I remember, I don’t remember slinking away. I think, maybe I was just a little nervous or projecting. Yeah. So you met through the grocery business, you found out you share this love for music, and then, you know, as we’re kind of wrapping up here, the Arizona for one one, it’s all Arizona made music happen.

What was the the impetus behind that. Why was it specifically just Arizona music or not? Tucson music or not all music? For myself, I had a good history with working with the hip hop scene here in Tucson, and I was very much aware of the talent level of the hip hop scene in Tucson. And, so then I began to ask myself if that’s the case.

And then I while I had that base in Tucson hip hop, I spent then the next, like I said, 20 years working in alternative commercial radio. So then I began exploring, alternative rock in Arizona. And, and that was where the premise came from. And then instead of because I know that there was a show on that, it’s a legacy show on Kcrw locals only, and I was aware of it, but I always felt the show was very limited and very kind of closed off to the general, public and part of my commercial, you know, education was like, let’s open this up to as many people as possible.

And so that’s where instead of it just being, you know, Tucson, it became, let’s cover the whole state. And then at the end of it, I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if every state had a show like this? And then they would make it really easy for people to be like, what the hell is going on in this local hour?

You know? Well, there’s there’s things about that too, that, you know, I’ve learned a lot about Arizona music in general. Tucson. I think we’re incredibly blessed with talent. Yeah, yeah. Well, absolutely. You had in the rest of the state, it’s just I don’t know if every state compares to it. It just seems like we have a really deep, connection with it, with the arts and the in the music.

I think so, too. And like I said, I where I, like, I just express my desires. I agree with you. I’m not sure if every state could pull it off, but once we began this exploration, like it’s been amazing to see how. Yeah, I mean, we culminate now. I can’t remember what year we started it, but during, you know, we started doing a countdown at the end of the year.

And I remember when we first went to do it, I was like, I’m not sure if we could pull that off because I wanted it to be an inch, you know, not no band doubling up on the list. Well, the first countdown we did had 75 different artists. You know, well, the next one we the show now there’s 100 different artists at the end of the year and we pare that list down.

So, like last year for instance, we added 150 or 354 different songs from 154 different artists. That all came out last year. And you’re you’re in countdown started in July. Yeah. No. Yeah. Yeah. Right. And so then what we were kind of explaining on air two that was so cool is what people got to understand is, is that this is just kind of in this alternative space, right?

This doesn’t include all the country music that gets made out of here, all the, country rock that gets made out here, which we cover the country rock. But then also the hip hop scene now we, we do some hip hop stuff on the show, but we do not cover that extensively. So yeah, this state is, is very rich with a lot of talent literally from Bisbee all the way up to Flagstaff is what we’ve really been discovered.

And we continue to discover more, you know, because we solicit on the air all the time. If you’re making music out here, send it to us and we’d love to share it with people. And then then we begin building these relationships. How do people get there? How do people share? How do they get their music on your show?

Email? Yeah. Primary through email. Sometimes they will reach out. What’s the email address? The Arizona form one one at gmail.com. Okay. And yeah. And then or you know Instagram is where we’re always most available when people want to talk to us and things like that. That’s the Arizona for one one as well. That’s the hashtag there, the handle there.

And you know, and then the other side of it too, Tom, when you ask like like, you know, do we know these people? No. But over time you begin to build a relationship and people begin to, you know, see your show as a community and, and stuff like that. And, and another like fun story that I really like to, to, to reflect on and talk about is, is, you know, I’ve been doing little entertainment things like this my whole adult life here in Tucson.

And so I’ve spent a lot of my life like being known by people and things like that. And, you know, and then that’s always been a cool aspect of the job, especially when I was at care for me, because there was a period when care for me really, like supported. They wanted their jocks to be out there and be big rock stars.

And so doing this project, you know, we still get the same kind of, you know, books and things like that and respectfully go out in the public. And it’s really fun. But I’ll tell you, it was really interesting. We go to a show at Congress to see these, bands that are phenomenal. They were playing with some Tucson bands, but, the name of the band is Chrome Rhino.

Oh, they’re really old, and they’re out of Phoenix. And, and it was just it was so awesome because we go to see the guys. And again, like I said, I’ve been doing this on my whole life. And so I’m used to like, it was so funny. The guys ran up to her. Oh, yeah. I was like, and I’m like, standing there like, hi.

Oh, hi. How’s it going? Oh, yeah. Yeah, you’re the other guy. Yeah, sure. And then and then I. So I’m over there drinking my water, you know. Yeah. Oh, man. This is a good time. And then Hope comes back and she’s like, hey they gave they gave us a virtual. And it was like, hey, can you help. Can you introduce me to them?

Hey, how did you get them to sign to bow on that record? I yeah, I there’s definitely when you when you have guests that have come back for a second round or you’ve seen them and, and now you’re, you know, interviewing them. It’s really interesting where, where you have it’s probably my phone buzzing in the background there.

I don’t know. Anyway, but it’s interesting when you, when you start to have that familiarity because you’ve seen them or you’ve, you’ve, experience with them. And now they’re on the show and there’s a different level that that intimacy on that call. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. No. And we and we love it like, like we’ve got some interviews coming up with some people that we’ve talked to in the past.

And it is it’s great once you have that repertoire and releasing a new album or doing something different, and you can go back to I remember when this happened and exactly. And we had talked about this coming down the pipeline and it’s kind of neat, you know, and but every interview, when it’s the first time, I hope and I as we’re queuing up the phone where I say, okay, I’m nervous.

Yeah. Let’s see, she’s like V2 and I’m like, I don’t know why. And you just we’ve never had anybody, you know, there’s some people that’ll be a little more flat, but we’ve never had anybody be rude to us. Yeah. And we always are a very what if this is the one? You know, you come from a place of respect and that’s, you know, and it might not be I would imagine for many of the artists that’s not their their strength is not in promoting their albums.

They’re there to make the music. Yeah. And so they’re uncomfortable. And your style of interview and I kind of relate to this, I think it’s very it’s it’s casual but pointed. You know, you’re not just randomly talking about things. You have an agenda in your mind and you’ve had it kind of planned out, but it’s also not scripted.

And they can just be themselves. And you play off of them a lot. And it’s not just, you know, if they’re flat and you create a little bit of energy in that, you ask that right question that that triggers something, and all of a sudden that flatness turns to excitement. He’s a pro that he’s very good at. Well, but that also she knows because when I first started out, it was like, oh my God, what am I doing here?

But, but, but that that’s you know, that to me is a testament to like our love for the show is, is that we push ourselves to try and be good at. It’s not for any commercial sake other than to do something that we really enjoy. And you absolutely use the right word. It’s because we respect both the artists and then the platform that, you know, we’re putting together for them.

Absolutely. And we don’t want to mishandle it so that they’re like, those guys, those guys, those guys. Yeah, amateurs over there. And you want them to hand you albums when you show up. Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m not kick you out the list. You want to be able to to you know, talk to them again down the road and, and, and we’ve had really great success with that I think.

So the shows Arizona 401. It’s on downtown radio 99.1 FM streaming at downtown radio.org across the globe. What what when is your show originally? I know it’s been rebroadcast a few times. When does it originally go out? Thursday. Airs 5 to 7. Okay. So. And then it does a replay on Saturdays and Thursdays. I mean, I’m downtown radio just in general.

It just impresses the heck out of me. But Thursdays is one of those lineups that’s just. Yeah, it’s just strong. Yeah, I, I agree, we love the follow up to our show. You know Mike and then spike, guys coming on before us, we feel like we’ve got some of the best lead in and coming out, you know?

Well, the musical album introduces my show, so I’m pretty lucky there with. I got DJ Bank doing that for me and Sundays. No, no, you know, just no competition. Everybody loves each other, but we’re just. When you look at a lineup, it’s hard to find, a better lineup across the board than downtown radio. Definitely seven days a week.

Yeah, it’s. And I love all the the additions that have happened over the last year. I wonder if there’s like a level of professionalism that seems to have added two more people that have a background similar to yours or have a, a structure to their show. What about the interviews? Are they are they housed anywhere? Do you keep those do this, get put out into the world or are they just on the show?

You know, and that’s one of those things where it’s like with more time. But yes, we actually do podcast them and it’s so neat, you know, I mean, because that we can podcast is because we don’t need to have licensing for anything, right? Yeah. And so we do have it podcasting. If you, if you just search on any of the podcast sites, the, the Arizona for one one interviews.

Okay. And so yeah, but what problem is, is that, you know, you have children and jobs and stuff. And so I’ve got it updated up to a certain point, but I’m not sure if I added any of the interviews last year, but I’m going to get better at that. But that is a really neat resource because that distributes to like YouTube.

And I heart Radio and all these different places. Apple Podcasts and yeah, so it is out there. Yeah, I think that’s that’s something no offense, but you need to get going on that. Yeah. Yeah. That’s why that’s got to that’s the important stuff there. Yeah. I, it needs to get out in the world because you’re interviews are really thorough.

They’re good. And they highlight not just the talent in Arizona, but I think the passion that creates all of that are these, these artists, when they come on and they talk, you can hear in their voices how they their struggles, their what they’ve overcome. You know, sometimes it’s their first album and they’re just giddy. Sometimes it’s their fifth album and they’re they’re still giddy about the new album.

But, yeah, I’m always fascinated by all this because like I said, I’ve been around music and entertainment, but I still the idea of getting all those things to come together and make that sound, it’s like that. It’s still fascinating to me to this day. All the decision making that goes on with all of that, I, you know, simple pluck of a guitar and, a drum hit and everything else like, dang, dude, that’s crazy.

Pretty brave to, you know, it’s like you put those vocals there. It really works. But I wouldn’t have thought to do that, you know? Oh, absolutely. Well, it’s the Arizona for one one the Arizona for one one. It’s on downtown radio. We can see some of the archived interviews on podcasting platforms. We can connect with you through Instagram.

The Arizona 411 at gmail.com. All of these places we can connect. And, I hope if you haven’t listened that you go check it out and and see the quality of show you put together, but also the quality of music that Arizona puts together. And I’m incredibly grateful I, I joke about it, but you are one of those sort of iconic shows that, as I got involved with Downtown Radio, was incredibly impressed with the style and the professionalism.

It just gets better, you know, show after show. So thanks for spending some time with us. Thanks for having so much for having us, Tom. Yeah. All right. Well, this has been another exciting episode of Life Along the Street car on a downtown radio 99.1 FM, and then podcasting out into the world on all kinds of platforms that you can find us.

And, just invite you to head over to life along the street, Car Dawg. For past shows, which were updated through, all of our shows. But I’m just saying this ahead. And you get the audio, the video. We want to thank Ryan Hood for allowing us to play their intro music or their music while we intro and exit the show, and it just doesn’t get done without our executive producer, James Portis.

My name is Tom Heath. I’m your host, and I look forward to chatting with you on the next upcoming episode of Life Along the Street Car. Tune in every week and until the next time, stay curious. Tucson,