“I was born and raised here in Washington. From my early childhood, living along busy Burwell Street near downtown Bremerton and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, to living for nearly 20 years in the Wenatchee Valley. I’ve been fortunate to have a career, playing music on the radio (recently as your afternoon host on KW3) and as a live DJ at private events. Here are ten songs that have resonated with me.” -Connor
Paul McCartney “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey”
1st song I remember. It unfolds like a book, with several chapters, providing imagery that bursts into technicolor.
Stevie Wonder “Living For The City”
I first heard this as a little boy in the low-income neighborhood of Westpark in Bremerton. Although I was young, I felt the pain and hurt. I still feel it today.
U2 “The Unforgettable Fire”
I was lying in bed listening to the radio under my pillow on a Saturday night. It came on the radio and changed my life…The most beautiful song I think I’ve ever heard on a first listen.
Pet Shop Boys “West End Girls
I first heard it in my senior year of high school. It still gives me goosebumps.
The Sundays “Here’s Where the Story Ends”
This song changed the direction of my future music tastes. The whole album is a brilliant soundtrack to my life in the early 1990s.
Pearl Jam “Even Flow”
Pearl Jam and the Lollapalooza festival performed in Bremerton, Washington, on July 22nd, 1992. Lush opened the event while I was still in line to get into the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. Once inside, my best friend and I waited in line for pizza. The food area was enclosed with temporary fencing. Pearl Jam unexpectedly was the second act on the bill that day. Their first soaring guitar riffs immediately alerted everyone on the grounds. Thousands of young adults rushed toward the stage from a grassy hill beyond the main area. The frantic food court sprinted and pushed against the fence. I was caught in the crowd, running madly toward the stage.
Wolf Alice “Lipstick on the Glass”
I finally got to see them live this past October. It was a sold-out, energetic show at Seattle’s Showbox Sodo. Only 1,800 can brag that they were there. Wolf Alice are huge in England, selling out two nights at London’s O2 Arena in early December.
Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”
This song gets me emotional. Every time I hear it, I am reminded of my daughter Katie.
Sufjan Stevens “Redford (for Yia Yia and Pappou)”
Many songs by Sufjan floor me. It’s the only one of his that unpacks my emotions without a single word or lyric.
Frank Sinatra “Moonlight Serenade”
I was preparing to provide music and lights for a wedding in Quincy a few years ago. It majestically came on randomly. I was married to my wife on a windy Saturday in June. It describes my feelings for Michelle.
LOOK: Iconic TV Shows With Only One Cast Member Surviving
From Diff’rent Strokes to Gilligan’s Island, several of the most iconic TV shows in history now have only one surviving main cast member.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
Guess the ’80s Faces: How Many Do You Recognize?
Before social media, these ’80s icons earned their fame the hard way — and while some are still in the spotlight, others may be harder to place today.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz