Licia Torres is a true believer in the local music scene in metro Phoenix — a scene she embraces both on-air and off as the mid-day host of “The Licia Torres Show” on KWSS-FM (93.9 and 99.5) with an enthusiasm that’s beyond contagious.
“We have so much excellent music out there right now,” Torres says. “The talent is amazing. And the drive of the local musicians is amazing. It's really important to find that band that's just outstanding. And we have a lot here in Phoenix. It keeps the station alive; local music does. It's exciting to play.”
Launched in 2005, the independent nonprofit has a history of breaking local acts, from Upsahl, a talented singer who caught the ear of former morning host Beef Vegan at 13, to KONGOS, whose “Come With Me Now”
was a hit on KWSS long before it topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart on its way to going platinum.
“Look at Luna Aura,” Torres says. “Beef Vegan played her years ago, and she's moved on to LA. Upsahl, we were playing her when she was still in middle school, and now look at her. She's this music sensation.”
KWSS was recently named the Best Radio Station in the Phoenix New Times Best of Phoenix issue, where the writer noted, “While some Phoenix stations confine local artists to an hour or two of weekend programming, the FM broadcaster keeps them woven into daily rotation and often debuts new tunes.”
The KWSS fall fundraiser returns to Pho Cao with six indie artists
On Saturday, Oct. 24, six local indie acts will support the station that’s done so much to support the scene at the annual KWSS fall fundraiser at Pho Cao in Scottsdale. Flowers Cards & Morphine will headline the event, which also features the Kyle Owen Band, Alex Okami, Mill’s End, The Richard Maxwell Band and Marloma.
They’re also raffling off a brand new Ibanez guitar valued at just under $500, a Maggie Keane painting of Paul Simonon smashing his bass (an iconic moment captured on the cover of The Clash’s “London Calling” album) and a box of handmade vegan soaps from Strawberry Hedgehog.
Proceeds help defray the station’s operating expenses, from transmitter site rental to internet services, music licensing fees, software licenses, insurance, equipment maintenance, the leasing of an HC channel at 94.5, attorney fees and more.
“That's where the majority of the money goes,” Torres says. “And usually, we get anywhere between $1,400 and $1,600 at Pho Cao.”
One place that money does not go is to the DJs. They all volunteer the time it takes to make that station what it is.
30-year radio veteran Licia Torres says, 'Radio is in my blood'
Torres is a 30-year radio veteran who got her start in the business at 19, answering the phone and editing PSAs for the program director at KDKB-FM. She worked an overnight shift for two years at KZZP-FM before leaving the Valley to work at stations in Chicago (WJPC-FM), San Francisco (KMEL-FM) and Los Angeles (KJLH-FM).
She’s been volunteering at KWSS since 2013.
“Years ago, when I first started in radio at KDKB, I wasn't on the air,” she says. “I was just doing a little production, like putting tags on commercials like Harkins Theater, ‘now showing’ or ‘coming soon.’ But I remember talking to someone else that worked there saying, ‘This is so much fun. I would do it for free.’ And here I am doing it for free and loving every minute of it. Radio is in my blood. So I enjoy it. A lot. And I'm not gonna stop until I absolutely have to.”
Torres has high hopes for this year’s fall fundraiser, which usually happens in November but she decided to do something different this year and moved to October.
“It’s my favorite month of the year,” she says. “It's autumn. It’s a beautiful night. The temperature, I already checked, is only gonna be between 80 and 85. So I think it's gonna be very successful. A lot of people have been speaking to me about it and it's all been very positive. And it's just given me that reassurance that I need when I'm doing these fundraisers.”
Torres is a big fan of all 6 acts performing at the KWSS fall fundraiser
Torres chooses the bands herself, and she’s thrilled with the talent on tap.
She discovered Flowers Cards & Morphine through a song they sent her at the station.
“I just fell in love with it,” she says. “I needed a slow, local indie rock song on the radio because everybody sends me all the really high-energy stuff or really hardcore rock ’n’ roll. And there it was. I was asking for a beautiful slow song and I got it from them. And I fell in love with it right away. It's called ‘Commitment.’”
At that point, Torres had to see them live.
“They were just wonderful on stage and people rushed the stage to see them,” she says. “I go, ‘Whoa, look at this! This is great.’ I stood there and watched them and I really liked them. I asked them if they’d play and they said yes. So now they’re headlining.”
All the bands performing should be familiar to anyone who’s tuned into the station lately.
“I give them as much exposure on the radio as I possibly can,” she says, “so that the listener becomes familiar with them and say, ‘OK, yeah, I like that. Maybe I'll come to the show.’”
Torres herself is a big fan of all the artists on the bill, from Okami (“I really wanted to incorporate a little goth, something different and danceable into the fundraiser lineup”) to Marloma (“she's got a great vocal range”) and Mill’s End (“they get people wanting to dance when they're up there on stage and they’ve been releasing some really cool singles”).
“I take a lot of chances with the bands,” she says. “I don't mind doing that because I’m given that freedom by my boss. And that's a good freedom to have for radio because otherwise, how are we gonna give exposure to these local artists?”
Admission to the fundraiser is $15. VIP tickets are $150. That includes admission and seating for four at a VIP table, four dinners, four appetizers and four beverages.
As Torres says, “You walk in, you sit down, you’ve got your table, you're all set up for the night comfortably at Pho Cao.”
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At KWSS, Torres says, 'We have to support local just like local supports us'
Listeners can also make donations or become sponsors at kwss.org.
“We've actually had people donate $150 for the VIP table who could not come, but offered it to us to try to get somebody else to use it,” Torres says. “Just go to kwss.org, look for that donate button, click on it and take it from there. There are various ways you can make a donation.”
Torres also encourages local bands to send their music to licia@kwss.org.
“One song is all I need,” she says. “Then if I'm interested, there will be more. But it has to be an MP3. And I need a little bio, especially if you're from Phoenix, I want to know a little bit about how you're connected to the Valley of the Sun.”
As an independent station, Torres says, “We have to support local, just like local supports us. The bands that we play sometimes will text me or send me an e-mail and say, ‘Oh my God, you played me next to Depeche Mode.’ They get excited about the song before and after their song. So that makes me really happy. I'm like, ‘Yes, they're getting excited about it.’ It just makes them feel good. And that makes me feel good. I'm able to do this, so why not? Why not do it?”
KWSS Fall Fundraiser
When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24.
Where: Pho Cao, 7436 E. McDowell Road, Scottsdale
Admission: $15.
Details: 480-947-2608, kwss.org.
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: This radio station champions local music. Now 6 bands return the favor
