Though she’s been a music performer her whole life, Mercer Island High School junior Leah Raissis was initially afraid of going on the radio. She joined the high school’s radio program this year, but she thought her work would be more behind the scenes.
“I’ve been in front of microphones my whole life, but for some reason, radio scared me because I don’t know who’s on the other side,” she said. “If I’m on stage, I can see everybody staring at me. Here, it’s kind of like I’m talking to the wall.”
As it turned out, the experience wasn’t so bad. Raissis got to have a little fun with it and soon after, she found herself doing things she never thought she’d be able to do.
Last week, Raissis and the radio program celebrated National High School Radio day with a guest presentation from Santana drummer Michael Shrieve. A longtime resident of the Seattle area, Shrieve is famous for performing with Santana at Woodstock in 1969 shortly after turning 20 years old, making him one of the youngest performing musicians at the festival.
Raissis arranged to interview Shrieve for her radio show “Dinner with Leah” which airs from 6 to 9 p.m. every Thursday on KMIH FM stations 88.9 and 94.5. Her drum teacher, Conrad Ormsby, was able to put the two in contact.
“He knows a lot of people and he knows I do a radio show,” Raissis said. “He asked if I wanted to interview Michael Shrieve, which of course I said yes.”
It was the third high-profile drummer Raissis interviewed for her show. Heart drummer Ben Smith and Yes drummer Alan White have also joined her in the studio, with the previous two coming through the aid of first-year teacher Joe Bryant. Many Islanders may know Bryant from his days as a Seattle radio personality; Bryant was co-host of “The Bob Rivers show” for 25 years. He took over as program manager of KMIH FM this past fall.
“These guests aren’t coming in here because they know me. These guests are coming in here because there is a kid that they want to share their wisdom and experience with and they want to help mentor the next generation,” Bryant said. “When you’ve got a 15-year-old kid that’s asking for some time to come in and teach me what you know and to share your story, I haven’t had anybody say no yet.”
Raissis, who also plays guitar and sings in a band with her younger brother, is a classic rock aficionado. She moved to Mercer Island when she was in middle school four years ago and created a “Club of Rock” to meet friends and to play music. Raissis said she joined radio with the primary objective of learning how to work the sound board. She hopes to one day work as a sound engineer.
When she began her show in January, Raissis quickly found radio to be another outlet for her musical passion.
“I started taking classic rock songs and plugging them into my show. And then, I did tributes,” Raissis said, noting the deaths of several famous musicians taking place shortly after she began her show.
“It kind of became that whole month, I was doing tributes to musicians who had passed away. It was sad, but it gave me something to talk about and show my knowledge.”
As a teenager whose musical tastes predate her age, Raissis doesn’t get a lot of chances to talk at length about her favorite artists from the 70s and 80s. She says that’s what she loves most about her radio gig. That, and of course, talking to famous musicians.
“I never saw that opportunity. I joined radio for one thing: to work the board. That’s all I thought about,” she said. “I never thought about getting on the air or doing any of this. I remember thinking I would love to interview musicians and famous artists, but I never thought that could happen. And once I joined radio, things just kind of turned.
“I can’t believe I’m doing it. Honestly, it’s like a surprise to me. I never thought I could do something like this.”
This Thursday, Raissis is organizing an Open Mic Night at 6:30 p.m. at the Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club. Cost is $5.
For more on the high school radio program KMIH FM, visit www.hotjamz.org.
