By Jeanne Brook
As longtime visitors, the Urquilla-Graham family feels especially connected to Ocracoke through their many years of serving as guest DJs on the island’s nonprofit radio station WOVV.
Known as “Ocracoke’s Village Voice,” WOVV broadcasts at 90.1 FM and online at wovv.org, bringing the island music, news and cultural programming. The station also broadcasts Ocracoke School Dolphins basketball games, hosts a Radio Club for high school students, and offers an after-school program for younger students.
Veteran WOVV staffer Peter Vankevich, host of “What’s Happening on Ocracoke,” the station’s Friday morning news and cultural program, as well as a Monday evening music show, makes it his mission to bring visitors into the station’s mix. He recruits vacationers to step behind the microphone as guest DJs, inviting them to share their own playlists and musical discoveries with WOVV listeners.
The guest-DJ experience often reaches far beyond Ocracoke. Visitors frequently tell friends and family back home when they’ll be on the air, turning a vacation on the island into a chance for people hundreds or even thousands of miles away to tune in online.
The Urquilla-Graham family, attendees at a recent open house, is one of the groups he recruited. For them, taking a turn behind the microphone has become a memorable tradition and a way to connect with the island’s community and share their favorite songs with listeners both near and far.
Marta Urquilla and Jomo Graham and their children, Luz and Ruben, of Washington, D.C., first met Vankevich in 2013 over the July 4th holiday.
Vankevich asked if they were interested in bringing the children, then about eight and five years old, into the radio station to do a promo for the station, which at that time was located in a kiosk on Silver Lake.
“I vaguely remember recording it and not really knowing what we were doing, but just that it was something for the radio,” Ruben said, “and then that we were going to get to hear it later on while we were driving around.” Their promo spot was distinctive, as the family, being bilingual, recorded it in both English and Spanish.
As Vankevich spent more time with the family, they talked about music, and he invited them to be guest DJs.
So, for about the past 10 years, as a meaningful and important part of their summer visit, the family brings a playlist and explains the songs. Talking about the social and historical significance of the music provides the kids with a greater appreciation for their song choices, Graham explained.
To prepare for the next show, they keep a shared library where they drop songs with special meaning. They each choose a minimum of three songs and usually end up with more than they need for the two-hour show.
“We’re a very music-centered family,” Luz said. “It definitely comes from both of our parents, showing us all types of music as we were growing up, and so I think it’s just something that connects us a lot. It definitely feels special to be able to share that, not just with each other, but with the island as well.
“It’s also very personal because I feel like music can be such a vulnerable thing. It’s what you connect to, what you love, what draws you in, maybe it has some personal meaning for you. It taught me to be pretty comfortable with doing that and with letting people see who I am.”
Ruben said that talking on the air has changed him.
“In the past, I was not as comfortable with public speaking,” he said. “But it’s been good practice, and now I definitely feel more confident in myself. And then getting to hear what music my family listens to and what they like and what Peter likes has also shaped my music taste.”
Urquilla said she is always interested in what music the kids choose.
“They love to talk about the songs and what interests them,” she said. “These days, everyone is on their own listening experience. We don’t hear music blaring out of their room like we did when we were young. We can be together but not hearing a shared sound. So, it’s fun to sit in the studio together and hear each other’s tastes.”
They have also noticed that the kids know songs from their younger days, like The Smiths, Morrissey, Oasis, and even Chris Isaac. Graham said, “A couple of times I asked, ‘Where did you hear that?’” Social media has been a big influence is the answer.
For the most recent show in August, they had Bruce Springsteen on their minds, because they had attended his D.C. show of the “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour, and they listened to Springsteen tracks on their drive down.
“My parents have been fans for a long time, and they’re always going to concerts but I never listened to his music,” Luz said. “I started to get into it more.”
Ruben chose Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” and Urquilla chose “County Fair,” which she said makes her feel nostalgic for summer and being from a small town.
She also played “House of a Thousand Guitars,” as she was so moved by it during Springsteen’s show. As a biracial and bilingual family, it helped them to feel seen and heard. “I understood it as a promise that there is a place for us. Finding yourself and each other in the music is comforting.” They closed out with “You are Not Alone,” by Mavis Staples.
“Being on this side of having done all these shows, I can say it has made Ocracoke more than a place to vacation. We have felt a part of the community and have built relationships over the years,” said Urquilla.
Graham writes a daily haiku. In honor of that, here is one this writer wrote for their family:
Music runs through us
Expanding our hearts and minds
We are not alone
Vankevich estimates that, since joining the WOVV team in early 2012, he has hosted about 200 guest DJ shows. He refers to those guest shows as “Songs to Share, or Breaking into the Juke Box.” When there are not recorded shows, the station plays a variety of daily programmed songs which are temporarily halted for these live broadcasts.
Many guests have said that doing a WOVV show has now become a highlight of their annual visits. Most of these shows have been saved and many are rebroadcast, sometimes years later. Among the rebroadcasts are the original promo done years ago by Luz and Ruben.
If you would like more information on WOVV, go to the website: https://www.wovv.org/ and hit the contact button.
