Partners On the Air and Off

Married couples who host folk music programs at public radio stations might appear to be a pretty obscure category.

But not at KPFK-FM (90.7), whose listeners can begin each weekend with John and Deanne Davis’ Saturday-morning folk music show, “Heartfelt Music,” and close the weekend with Roz and Howard Larman’s “FolkScene” on Sunday nights.

To a certain extent, the Larmans and the Davises live parallel existences. In addition to their shared affection for radio and folk music, each couple has been married more than 30 years.

But it’s the differences, not the similarities, that make “FolkScene” and “Heartfelt Music” such complementary programs at the North Hollywood-based public radio station.

“The two programs are really different from one another,” observes John Davis. “We don’t do what the Larmans do and they don’t do what we do.”

The Larmans regularly present in-studio performances and interviews with top musical talent during their 7-to-10 p.m. show. Since “FolkScene” began in 1970, guest performers have included Tom Waits, Randy Newman, Richard Thompson and Kate and Anna McGarrigle. “FolkScene” also reaches beyond traditional folk and into other areas of music, including roots-oriented rock and Celtic music.

“Heartfelt Music” has a homier and more informal appeal. John and Deanne Davis simply play their favorite new folk CDs and act as if they are entertaining a small group of close friends in their living room. They not only talk about the music they play, but also discuss their personal lives and families with naturalness and warmth. It’s small wonder that many of their fans feel an intimate connection with them.

The shows help fill an important void in Los Angeles because folk music is rarely presented on local commercial radio.

The Larmans have played the larger and more visible role in the local folk scene. Over the years, they’ve produced folk and bluegrass festivals and music fairs, booked talent, and lent their expertise to record labels, writers, artists and movie producers. (They were musical consultants for the 1992 film “The Last of the Mohicans.”)

For many years, they managed to pursue these activities while holding down full-time jobs. But folk music is much more than a mere hobby to the Larmans. A few years ago, when Howard Larman’s technician job with Pacific Bell was moved to Concord, Calif., and Roz Larman’s position as a credit-card arbitration consultant was shifted to San Diego, the couple chose to stay in Los Angeles.

“We just couldn’t move,” Roz Larman says. “I can’t live in any place where there isn’t a lot of music going on. I knew if I went down to San Diego, I would be in a mental institution within a month or two. I need to go to a concert once in a while, and there’s not much going on in San Diego [in terms of folk music].”

The absence of full-time day jobs proved to be a blessing in one sense. The free time gave the Larmans the opportunity to compile two CDs of live performances from their radio show. The first album, “The FolkScene Collection,” hit the stores in 1998. A second volume (“The FolkScene Collection, Volume Two”)--consisting of performances by the likes of Waits, Lucinda Williams and Vince Gill--was released in October.

“If we both had jobs, the records wouldn’t have happened,” Roz Larman says. “We wouldn’t have had the time. I spent hours on the phone [coordinating the two albums].”

The Larmans are immensely proud of the high production values represented on the two “FolkScene” albums, which shine brightly even though some of the recordings date to the ‘70s. Indeed, the show’s dedication to quality sound presentation has been a key reason why the Larmans have been able to attract name artists to perform live on-air. The couple credits engineer Peter Cutler for “FolkScene’s” marvelously mixed live music. Cutler joined the program in the mid-’70s when he was just 17.

“[In the early days] we had to convince [potential guest artists] that we were serious enough about what we were doing and that we were serious about the sound,” Howard Larman recalls. “The problem back then was people had had bad experiences with public radio. [For example] a group with three or four people would get to a station and find out that there were only two microphones. There was no real serious concern for sound.”

“FolkScene” is very much a team effort, with each member responsible for distinct duties. Roz Larman books the guests and serves as the on-air host who introduces the recorded music. Howard Larman interviews the in-studio guests and makes arrangements for their live-performance needs, and Cutler mixes the sound. (Son Allen Larman also contributes to the show as an assistant engineer.)

Beginning of an On-Air Partnership

The on-air rapport between John and Deanne Davis is so affectionate and genuine that it’s easy to assume that like the Larmans, the couple has been working as a radio team for decades. But John Davis hosted the Saturday-morning folk music show alone for nearly 25 years before Deanne Davis became a regular part of the program about five years ago.

Actually, he knew he had stumbled onto something special years earlier when Deanne Davis periodically appeared on the air with him during KPFK fund drives.

“Fund-raising is tough enough with two people, but it’s really tough with just one person,” John Davis says. “So I remember practically begging Deanne to come in and help out. It turned out to be the most fun I’ve ever had fund-raising, and people liked it. They would call and say, ‘You guys are having so much fun together. It’s great to hear you on when you’re fund-raising.’ I thought, ‘We ought to do this on a regular basis.’ ”

John Davis, who makes his living as a consulting engineer in the broadcast business, generally takes the lead when it comes to choosing and introducing the music during the course of “Heartfelt Music,” which airs between 8 and 10 a.m. His passion for folk dates to the late ‘50s when, as a young DJ, he began spinning records by artists like the Weavers at Los Angeles radio station KCBH.

Showcasing Largely Unrecognized Artists

He relishes the opportunity to showcase such talented and largely unrecognized artists as Aileen and Elkin Thomas. He refuses to cave into listener requests asking for folk favorites from the distant past.

“I feel the program has to evolve and keep changing,” he says. “Not to say that those weren’t good songs, but I don’t want to go back and play ‘60s songs.”

“He just won’t play the Lovin’ Spoonful no matter how many times they beg him!” Deanne Davis says with a laugh.

She injects “Heartfelt Music” with much of its engagingly lighthearted spirit. She’s quick to laugh or serve up a quaint anecdote. During the course of the show, she might also be found crocheting an afghan for one of her grandchildren or addressing Christmas card envelopes.

“People are really interested in us because we talk a great deal about what’s going on in our families and our lives,” Deanne says. “One of our major recent stories is, we put in all this magnificent sod grass in our backyard, but we had these raccoons coming in every night digging this stuff up. People would call us with little remedies. They were really interested in how we were doing with our raccoons!”

Deanne Davis’ radio experience actually predates “Heartfelt Music.” Between 1988 and 1994, the Davises fulfilled a dream by owning and operating a country radio station in Yucca Valley. She helped in the business aspects and was a fill-in disc jockey. The couple sold the station when it proved to be a financial drain.

Because the Larmans and the Davises do not get paid for hosting their radio shows, they approach the music they play and their place in radio with pure affection.

“I love music,” John Davis says. “That’s why I love doing the program. I can truthfully say that there has never been a time when I’ve felt I just didn’t want to get up and go down to the station to do the show.”

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BE THERE

“Heartfelt Music” airs from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturdays on KPFK-FM (90.7); “FolkScene” can be heard from 7 to 10 p.m. Sundays on KPFK-FM. This Saturday only, “Heartfelt Music” will air from 8 to 11 a.m.