Get to Know Greg Vandy, Host of The Roadhouse

Each Sunday morning at 9 AM PT, Greg Vandy hosts KEXP's beloved roots program The Roadhouse. Vandy's show is renowned for his wide-ranging take and appreciation of all things roots, blues, and traditional American music. From country to bluegrass, gospel to soul, Vandy's show explores all the facets of American music that delves into its history while bringing in fresh new sounds and perspectives.

Throughout the year, Vandy also programs specialty shows based around different themes and genres, like his yearly "Daddy's Songs" special for Father's Day and his Thanksgiving special focused on American Traditional Songs. Just recently on Aug. 11, 2024, he aired a new special called "Before Grunge: The 80's Indie Underground" which you can find in the KEXP archive here (playback expires Aug. 25). 

To help reintroduce Vandy, we asked him some questions to get to know him, his musical philosophies, and some of the music that's impacted him personally. Read their conversation below. Can't tune in on Sundays? Revisit each week's Roadhouse in our two-week streaming archive. 

KEXP: When did you first start DJing?

Greg Vandy: I started to DJ in Bellingham at WWU and hosted a show on KUGS-FM called “Now Hear This!” on Friday afternoons. It was a Jamaican show. It was the 80’s and the “Sandinista" album by The Clash, which was co-produced by Mikey Dread, turned me on to dub music. It was all I listened to at the time. I listened to Jamaican music for 7 straight years.

In the early 90’s, I lived in New Orleans and volunteered at WWOZ-FM. At that time the studio was located in the “treehouse” building in Armstrong Park. On occasion, I was a substitute DJ and played soul-jazz, brass bands, trad, and/or whatever the time-slot required.  I learned a lot there about American tradition and roots music.

I lived in NYC after NOLA and I spun records here and there while working at Sound Of Brazil (SOB’s), as a booking assistant. I have many, many stories about that place and the legendary figures who passed through, from Celia Cruz and Tito Puente to Roy Ayers and The Heptones. When I returned to Seattle in ’97, I worked as a bartender at Hattie’s Hat and played mixed tapes (cassettes) as a pre-fonk to the shows at The Tractor every weekend. It was quite the scene and very music-centric at the time. Many of my mixes were sourced from Don Slack’s “Swingin’ Doors” radio show, and in hindsight, these were primitive mixes of what would become The Roadhouse.

What first brought you to KEXP?

In 1999, I adopted The Roadhouse show on KCMU, months before the transition to KEXP. After serving Don Slack margaritas (no salt) and getting to know him, I began pestering him about me doing The Roadhouse. Don was the KCMU Music Director and he was temporarily doing both The Roadhouse and Swinging’ Doors on consecutive nights at this time. He responded to my initial suggestions with laughter until I made a cassette-tape demo, with my version of The Roadhouse complete with old station underwriting spots and IDs, which I had dubbed as if it were a real show. Don listened to it (and, apparently, had a cassettes deck too!) then eventually offered me the show.

What inspires you to share music with other people?

It’s all about sharing. That’s the point. A lot of collectors are into the artifact and the material thing of owning a lot of records or art, but many of us also just want people to hear it. Every person who collects is proud of their collection and it brings them a certain amount of cred, and I get that. But for me, hosting a radio show allows me to share audibly. Every week I’m motivated to keep digging and exploring new releases to find the best songs to make a three-hour mix that is unique. My goal is to find a groove for each set- to find the pocket, where each song pairs sonically with the next. After awhile of this, a DJ will get a sound that the listener can identify with. My show is about creating such a sound; the sound of real instruments, traditional structure, and minimal processing that features great songwriting. And there’s so many new bands doing this! It's a good feeling when a listener credits me for turning them on to a new song/band or mention the whole set as good.

How would you describe your show to someone who has never heard it?

The Roadhouse has evolved over the years. It’s a roots show, but it’s very contemporary and elastic. Most of the genre terms fall short in my opinion, but I typically explain the show as blues/folk/country/soul and rock ’n roll with a constant back & forth dialogue between the original creators of yesterday and today’s cosmic travelers, heads, and songwriters.

I play a lot of older recordings, yet I’m most attracted to new the interpretations. There’s a bunch of young artists being informed by what came before them and considering the wealth of re-issues of obscure artists from the past by boutique record labels over the past 20 years, there’s a lot to draw from. So it’s a constant dialogue, and it’s always has been this way since the dawn of recording.

What are three albums you love?

Universally considered the most impossible question to answer, my three albums change daily. My albums and songs always depend on the environment. If it’s late at night, then maybe Daniel Norgren’s “Buck” featuring “Howlin’ Around My Happy Home".

If it’s morning, maybe Randy Newman’s 1972 classic, “Sail Away”. If I’m road-trippin’ down the California coast then it’s definitely the Allah Las debut album. A perfect desert record is Ry Coder’s soundtrack to the film “Paris, Texas”. The Staple Singers’ 1965 album Freedom Highway is a classic, and two albums that provided a mini-template for my radio show before I even knew it are Beasts Of Bourbon’s “The Axeman’s Jazz” and The Meat Puppets “II”, both released in 1984. Both bands were post-punk and willing to tap into country and blues to great effect and really made those genres appealing to me.

But the band I’m crushing on right now is Tobacco City, and their Lagniappe Session for Aquarium Drunkard, which has been on repeat as of late.

And my summer band this year has been The Bures Band, one of the many Australian groovies I’ve been featuring on the show lately. The new vid to their new single “Green Town” is priceless. That’s not three, and I’ll have completely new answers tomorrow! It’s always changin’ which is why a radio show is a good idea.