WQSV Profile:
Lisa Otto
How did you come to be involved with WQSV? And how long have you been involved?
I’ve been a part of WQSV for about three years. I started out as a volunteer for the Wharf Rat music festival and then gradually took on more and more responsibilities before ultimately serving as Secretary on the board of directors for the past two years.
When did you start DJing? Are there any DJs who influenced you? Or something/someone else who influenced you?
I’m brand-spanking new at this! I made my radio debut in August of 2020. I used to listen to the House of Hair with Dee Snider religiously every Saturday night, but my biggest influence, undoubtedly, is my co-Esa, Theresa Hoffman. She’s shared her love of radio with me over the course of our long friendship, so when her last co-host left their show, I jumped at the chance to see her in her natural habitat. We’ve been subjecting all of Staunton to our nonsense ever since.
Talk about your connection to music/the role music plays in your life?
There’s really not a way to adequately describe what music has meant to me in my lifetime. I know it’s the reason I’m still here, I know that there’s not a minute in my day that doesn’t have music in it, and I know that everything I do is in pursuit of it. It’s just the ‘how’, ‘what’, and ‘why’ of my life.
Describe your show.
The Esas airs every Sunday night from 6-8pm. We have a different theme every week, which could range anywhere from 80s Teen Movies to songs about vampires, with a few laughs, hard opinions, and fangirling about celebrities in between. Our mix is eclectic, so it’s not unusual to hear Johnny Cash, The Misfits, and Billie Eilish all in the same hour.
Who are some of your favorite musicians and why?
Guns N’ Roses will always be my all-time favorite band- listening to Live Era ’87 to ’93 got me through a really tumultuous time in my teen years. David Bowie is another favorite, for so many reasons, but starting with my childhood obsession with the Goblin King. Apart from those, I listen to a lot of glam rock, synthpop, new wave, old metal (Iron Maiden, DIO, Judas Priest, etc.), alt-country, and celtic punk. I’ve gotten really into The Decemberists and LP during the pandemic. And Future Islands, Samuel T. Herring’s voice is just *chef’s kiss* delicious.
What is your first memory involving music?
I remember singing along to Oh! Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison in my dad’s pickup in front of our house in Steeles Tavern, which would have put me around 2 years old.
What was the first concert you attended?
My first concert was Umphrey’s McGee opening for Dave Matthews Band in Virginia Beach when I was 16. Incidentally, it was also the first time I ever nailed someone in the face with an inflatable beach ball. It was a magical night.
How do you go about building your show?
Theresa and I will come up with a theme, and then we make a spreadsheet of all of the music each of us feel would work for it, then we narrow it down by most relevant or what we already own, etc. Theresa and I are almost always on the same page music-wise, so it’s a very easy process.
Do you have any particular criteria when selecting music for your show?
We just have to love the music we play. We have some hard limits that we adhere to, like no pop country or jam bands (I know what you’re thinking, I literally just said my first show was Umphrey’s McGee, but just because I WATCHED it, doesn’t mean that I LIKED it), and the lyrics and subject matter have to be radio appropriate. Sometimes we have to set guidelines for ourselves, like what the max number of Rob Zombie songs in one show is (answer: 4), or how do we choose between two Backstreet Boys songs (we don’t, we play both). And of course we have to be mindful of what we talk about in between, because if not, we’d most likely end up with a Cease and Desist from Henry Cavill and nobody wants that (but if I’m honest, I totally do).