Which shows do you DJ?
On The River
When did you start volunteering at the station?
I started volunteering in 2011 or 2012.
How did you first hear about KAXE?
Back in 1978 or '79, I visited a friend building an off-the-grid log cabin in the low country in Little Swan Township southeast of Hibbing. Every evening we listened to a great radio station they found on their battery operated radio while hanging out in the teepee near the building site. There was a woman with an alluring voice that sometimes DJ'd on the station. She had this group of young men captivated. The woman was Terry O'Brien and the radio station was KAXE.
Your favorite recent album or artist?
Hurray for the Riff Raff "The Past is still Alive"
Who got you into music?
I grew up near Chicago, IL in the 1960s when FM radio was coming alive. I listened to "underground" stations playing music I never heard anywhere else. But also, my best friend had a great stereo system and our local library had a good collection of LPs that you could take out on loan. We listened to artists like Steppenwolf, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and eventually Bob Marley and John Prine. We went to see live music at venues like Ravinia and the Amazing Grace Coffee House on the campus of Northwestern University. They didn't serve alcohol, so kids could get in and hear great live music.
Most memorable concert or festival?
My most memorable concert was either the first time I saw John Prine in 1974 - alone on stage with his guitar, a six pack of beer, and a pack of Marlboros - or the last time I saw John Prine in 2019 at All the Best Fest in the Dominican Republic. John played his entire first album by himself on stage, telling stories and about how the songs came to be. A few months later John was gone, taken by Covid.
Tell us about your favorite KAXE memory.
Favorite fellow on-air DJ at KAXE?
A hard question to answer... For volunteer DJs, I will say that Susan Lick is my favorite. For staff DJs, Andrew Dziengel and Heather Johnson both continue to surprise me with their musical depth and taste.
What hobbies do you have outside of DJing?
One of my passions is canoe tripping in the far north of North America. I have spent over two years of my life paddling on 25 expeditions in the Arctic and Subarctic of Canada and Alaska.
What's a musical ick for you?
Disco...polyester pickup music. Any music that is overproduced.
Prince or Dylan?
Big respect for Prince, but I gotta go with Dylan.
KAXE is turning 50 in 2026! Why should KAXE exist for another 50 years?
Beyond the Air
One of the many ways Jim has made a long-lasting impact on KBXE has been through his work in our vinyl library along with Tammy Bobrowsky. Years ago, many boxes that held all of the original KAXE vinyl library were taken out of storage from a basement into a space in the back of the KBXE studios. The music was back! And a very unorganized mess.
Through many many hours of Jim and others work, the library, now named the Jim Gallagher Vinyl Library, is organized and catalogued, and at the ready for our many volunteers. A true recovered gem for the station and we couldn't have done it without Jim!
Jim's 50 Songs
In honor of KAXE turning 50, we are showcasing playlists from our volunteers that help tell their musical story. Jim's playlist comes from a recent On The River he did at KAXE.
Find the playlist here to play on your preferred streaming platform.
