Posts Categorized: News

McGoldROCKS 2025: This Thursday Night!  McGoldROCKS is back! On Thursday, October 9th, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM, the Salons at the McGoldrick Center on the USM Portland Campus will come alive with a brilliant night of music, community, and pure energy. This year’s lineup features four powerhouse acts: Covered in Bees Little Oso Neal Ray …bringing an explosive mix of sound that guarantees there’s something for everyone.  Jack, host of No Longer Dangerous will emcee!…

WMPG’s Jazz at the Movies team present Not Not Jazz, Jason Miller’s dynamic documentary on Medeski Martin & Wood—on Saturday, October 18th at 7:00 PM (28 Neal St., Portland). Not Not Jazz takes you behind the scenes with these groundbreaking musicians—John Medeski, Chris Wood, and Billy Martin—whose “avant-groove” sound helped define a generation of jam band music. As a special treat, MM&W drummer Billy Martin will perform live in a trio with Jamie Saft and Jesse Heasly for…

Join us during Begathon for our Driveway Record Sale on Sunday, October 26th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dig through crates of vinyl, cassettes, CDs, and gear, enjoy good company, and grab a bite from The Fried Rice King food truck while you’re here!  

A rotating cast of WMPG DJ’s broadcast live from venues around town. The live events runs from 4-8pm. Broadcasting live from 5:00-7pm. WMPG’s Freaky Fridaze rolls on with a brand-new lineup of live broadcasts from some of our favorite local spots. This happy hour series takes your favorite community DJs out of the studio and into the wild, spinning records and soaking up the vibes with listeners, music lovers, and beer drinkers alike. Bunker Brewing is on…

An Extraordinary Place – See It Soon! Tom Bell’s award-nominated documentary An Extraordinary Place continues to hit screens near and far this season, and we’d love for you to join us. In a world of algorithm-driven playlists, music is everywhere, yet can feel disconnected. An Extraordinary Place reminds us what happens when people share music not for clicks, but for love, connection, and community. The film celebrates the beating heart of WMPG – the volunteers,…

Bluegrass Spectacular returns at OLS – a benefit night for WMPG Tickets go on sale – Tuesday 9/16 at 10am It’s back! For the 20th Anniversary of the WMPG Bluegrass Spectacular, we’ve got some old favorites and a group of young pickers making a name for themselves across New England, for yet another installment of your favorite night of the year. As always, your hosts are the World Famous Grassholes, back once again to set fire…

Declutter Your Space and Support WMPG! Are those old vinyl LPs and CDs collecting dust and taking up space in your home? WMPG has a solution that helps you and your favorite community radio station at the same time! We’re gearing up for our highly anticipated Fall WMPG Record Sale and are currently accepting donations. Whether you’re a longtime music lover ready to part with your collection, or just looking to tidy up, your donations…

Summer in Maine is short but oh-so-sweet, and WMPG is soaking up every note of it. . Coming up: SEPT 3rd – Two Minutes Out – Live from the Drive – 92 Bedford St, Portland. FREE!! 10th – Ella Hue Live from the Drive – 92 Bedford St, Portland. FREE!! 17th – Sigrid Sibley Time: 7.30pm – 8.30pm Come celebrate great local music, right where the magic happens here on 90.9FM

August 2nd 2025 Connor Ratliff The Worm spoke to actor/comedian Connor Ratliff. Listen here Dr Shah on Let’s Connect Greater Portland Listen to “In Conversation with Dr. Nirav Shah” on Spreaker. July Annella chats with actor Dave Register Listen to “Annella chats with actor Dave Register” on Spreaker.

Bobby Shaddox joined WMPG as a volunteer in 2014 after relocating from San Diego, CA to Portland. During his time at the station, he has hosted the weekly show Left of the Dial and served on WMPG’s Board of Directors. Bobby was prominently featured in the recent documentary An Extraordinary Place, where he delivered his signature karaoke weather report. As the new coordinator of Blunt Youth Radio, Bobby aims to boost youth participation at WMPG…

    WMPG is seeking to “contract ” a Radio Audio Engineer for 10 hours a week. The qualified person will have a couple years experience repairing broadcast equipment and comfortable with computer networks. We need someone to make our radio signal sound great! If interested email stationmanager@wmpg.org or phone (207) 780-4424 for more details. Will stay posted until filled. This is a “contract” position and not a USM position. This person will be responsible for…

This June, WMPG is turning up the volume on love, identity, and community. Join us for a month-long celebration featuring queer-themed music, powerful storytelling, and special programming that honors LGBTQ+ voices past and present. From thought-provoking podcasts to live shows spotlighting queer artists and activists, we’re proud to stand with the community and share stories that inspire, uplift, and unite. Tune in and celebrate Pride with WMPG all month long! Programs featuring Pride segments include:…

Percussionist and composer Shamou lived in Portland from the early 2000’s to 2016 and had a profound impact on the local music scene. He settled in Maine after getting involved with the Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, ME, where he was a musician in residence from 1998-2017. He passed away in September 2024. This single episode program, created and hosted by longtime WMPG DJ Barb Truex, is a remembrance of his musical life from his…

This past Tuesday night was electric at WMPG’s annual Battle of the Bands, where 11 incredibly talented acts lit up the stage in an unforgettable evening of music, community, and pure passion. Taking home first place was none other than Graham Ganter, who wowed the crowd (and judges!) with his soulful voice, masterful guitar work, he was accompanied by an impressive fiddle player. Graham’s talent earned him a full-day recording session at Monaco Studios — a state-of-the-art,…

Tune in to WMPG every other Friday morning from 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM for Both Sides Now, the radio program hosted by Merrill, who takes listeners on a deep dive into the lives and music of legendary bands and musicians. Whether you’re a die-hard music enthusiast or just looking to expand your musical horizons, this show is for you. Check out the recent episodes below to get a glimpse of the fascinating artists and bands that Merrill has…

WMPG celebrated the New Bill Dufris Memorial Voiceover Studio at USM  Hello Bill-tastic Friends and Family, It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years since we lost our beloved Bill Dufris – an effervescently energetic, inspiring, multi-talented individual with a heart of gold. While we’re sure Bill would find today’s world puzzling, there’s no doubt he’d be incredibly proud of the creative work that continues to radiate from the people whose lives he touched….

For over a decade, International Jazz Day has been celebrated every April 30th to identify jazz as a universal language. This Wednesday, WMPG joins this celebration with Herbie Hancock, UNESCO, and the global community with JUKE JIVE N’ JAZE, a program featuring jazz musicians from around the world including from Japan, Brazil, France, So, Africa, Canada, India, Panama, Sweden, Argentina, Hungary, England, Holland, Italy & many more!

Our Jazz at the Movies team presents a film screening of Bill Frisell: A Portrait A character portrait of anti-archetype guitar hero, Bill Frisell, this nuanced film traces the ideas and processes that shaped Frisell’s music, and provides rare insight into the mind and personality of one of the significant musicians of recent decades. Full of live music, revealing stories, and intimate access to the normally reclusive Frisell, various collaborations are followed from development to fruition,…

Record Store Day at Bull Moose with WMPG – Listen to the full broadcast Sat – April 12th 8am – 12 midday Record Store Day is like Christmas for some music lovers, I know…big labels have muscled in, making it harder for indie shops and smaller artists to shine. Still, there’s no better place to celebrate than our local record stores in Maine.  WMPG will be at Bull Moose in Mill Creek. As the birthplace of RSD (seriously, the idea…

UPDATE: We reached our goal! What a week – culminating in the screening of the WMPG movie last night, with our founder, Howard Allen, in the audience! It was a perfect way to celebrate everything this station stands for. I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for making this Begathon such a success. Thank you listener supporters, first time donors, sustaining donors, business supporters and volunteers! Our goal was $50,000,…