Ep 189 | Aired 4/22/2020
If you love music and, more specifically, the music of artists from Arkansas, then tune in to Up In Your Business today. We have two guests who not only share their lives, but also their creativity and love of music: operatically trained vocalist and editor at the Arkansas Times Stephanie Smittle, and her partner, Stephen Koch, founder and host of the syndicated radio show Arkansongs and also a contributor to the Arkansas Times.
Ms. Stephanie Smittle’s love of music is wide, evident by her list of work and performances. In The Smittle Band, she sings a smooth jazzy style of music. On the weekends she sings sacred music as a cantor and chorister at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and on her side gigs you might find her sitting in with any number of bands, ranging from folk to performing with the Arkansas Symphony and other operatic productions.
Mr. Stephen Koch’s love of music is wide, historical and rooted in his Stuttgart DJ father’s love of ragtime. In 1998, Stephen and his co-host, Keith Merckx, began a two-hour radio program in Little Rock, Arkansas where they dug deep into the musical pioneers of Arkansas. They named the radio show Arkansongs. In addition, Stephen is a musician in his band Arkopolis.
Listen for an Arkansas music education class. We’ll have Stephen share his deep knowledge of such legendary Arkansas artists as Levon Helm, Sister Rosetta Tharp, Louis Jordan and more. And we’ll play an original song from Stephanie’s genre jumping album and another original song from Stephen’s rock album.
