Amp put me back in touch with unpredictability in music. A long time ago, commercial broadcast radio still had DJ personalities who played music they wanted to hear. As a kid in Los Angeles, I could hear Dr. Demento or Rodney Bingenheimer or whoever spin anything they felt like playing. We fortunate listeners got exposed to famous bands, unknowns, weird lost music of past ages, and a steady flow of recordings that could be goofy or stupid or offensive or beautiful – or all of the above. I taught myself to play guitar and piano by listening to all these crazy songs on the radio, and my taste in music became vast and all-encompassing as a result.

Early this year, I was introduced to the Amp app by my friend, @JoeOnTheGo. As a musician between bands, looking for a musical outlet, I found the idea of DJ-ing shows online very interesting. I started off crafting playlists of my favorite music, but quickly found myself drifting away from heavily curated shows. For better or worse, due to my own musical experiences, on Amp I am continually inspired by my own chaotic whims and by the requests of listeners calling in or messaging in the chat to veer way out in odd and unpredictable directions. I truly never know what will happen next. And there are Amp listeners who seem to enjoy it – which is essential, because there are no Amp shows without the Amp community of listeners. Literally: if nobody is listening, your show ends. Amp DJs are grateful for the support of their listeners, and they do their best to support each other in return.