The Sheldon Eskin Show: A Radio Veteran Invites Artists to Share Their Stories

The Sheldon Eskin Show: A Radio Veteran Invites Artists to Share Their Stories
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Sheldon Eskin

Sheldon Eskin

Sheldon Eskin is a Los Angeles-based broadcaster, author, and performance photographer. Early exposure to the music industry allowed him to develop a passion for radio: “I would go to radio stations in Hollywood, where they would let me listen, ask questions, and learn…I loved music.” Eskin recalls winning two albums at the Westside Jewish Community Center as a child; Marion Williams, a gospel singer, and Louis Jordan - “The King of the Jukebox” - a hugely popular bandleader from the 1930’s-50’s. And while he enjoyed many types of music, Eskin found an affinity for R&B. He got an early start working at KPPC FM, the first underground radio station in Los Angeles - broadcasted from the basement of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church.

It seems natural that Eskin eventually moved into artist management. According to him, he simply loves talking to people and people generally like to talk to him - or, as he puts it, “at least they don’t run.” He recounted an early experience of working with Clifford Solomon, a friend of his and former music director for Ray Charles. Eskin had wanted to put Louis Jordan’s band back together (or at least its living members), and asked Solomon if he knew anyone - to which Solomon replied that he, himself, had played in Jordan’s big band. Similarly, at a remembrance for Roy Porter, a famous bandleader and drummer, Eskin asked Johnny Kirkwood the same question: “I asked [Kirkwood] if he knew anybody that was in Jordan's band, and he said, ‘Why do you wanna know? I said, ‘I want to put the band back together.’ He says,’I was his drummer!’ So, for one show, I found the musicians who played with [Jordan], then I got them to go to the Musician’s Union and rehearse!”

Eskin has since hosted several of his own radio programs, including the Country-Western-themed, Mother Road, who’s format was, ‘Oldies but Goodies.’ “Basically,” he told me, “If the artist [was] a baby boomer and had a new record, I was gonna play it.” He currently hosts, Voice of the Blues, airing every Friday night on KCLA FM. The show also airs Wednesday mornings on KPRO1570 AM, out of Riverside, a purposeful move since Eskin doesn’t want the show to only be accessible on the Internet, but rather wants it to be “terrestrial.” He comments that there is a lack of intimacy in radio these days: “In the old days, radio stations were all local and you couldn't have multiple stations. Now, you have the big companies that came in, bought up all the little radio stations, made them into one umbrella, and then you have the music becoming very 'Top 40' - 40 songs that play all day long and every 2 hours you're getting the same song.” Eskin hopes to bring some intimacy back, no matter how many listeners he has: “Radio is interesting because you don't know who's out there. You’re kind of talking to one person, but that one person could be 5 million. All I see is a microphone, maybe a script, and thats it.”

The Sheldon Eskin Show combines Eskin’s passion for music with his love of connecting with people. He describes the show as expanding beyond music to encompass, ‘arts and entertainment.’ He interviews artists of any type - painters, musicians, actors, authors, etc. - to allow listeners to get to know them, while allowing Eskin to tell his own musical story that fits within the interview: “This is where my life as a producer/engineer/writer comes in - there may be segues that go to another [topic], but I like telling stories with my music. That takes a different kind of knowledge.” Also a freelance writer for Southland Blues, Eskin has extensive editorials accompanying the interviews on his website.

A couple of Eskin’s favorite recent interviews include one with Jon Mulholland, director of Cooper and Hemingway: The True Gen - a documentary about Gary Cooper and Ernest Hemingway: “I got [Mulholland] to tell stories that were not included in the documentary, which was so cool!” He also describes interviewing a “bullet artist” who literally shoots his pictures. Apparently, the artist completed a painting (or bullet-ing?) of Justin Bieber that was later stolen from a museum in Toronto. Eskin reflects that the more he speaks with prominent visual artists, the more he has developed a deep love for contemporary art.

The Sheldon Eskin Show has been a positive outlet for a very positive person. Eskin emphasizes that he doesn’t like “talking trash”- he’s definitely not a ‘shock jock.’ His goal is to share a connection with a fellow artist - and, of course, to play music: “Everyone needs money to live, but the reward of realizing that your actions have an impact on others and what that impact is, is amazing.”

Voice Of The Blues airs every Friday from 7-8pm on kclafm.com as well as on KPRO1570 AM out of Riverside Every Wednesday from 5-530am

To listen to The Sheldon Eskin Show, please visit: http://sheldoneskinshow.com

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