John Bommarito
Digital Operations Specialist, The Song Break hostMy background is almost entirely music industry related. I have worked record retail, record wholesale, radio and been a mobile disc jockey as the four primary jobs I've held since 1985. Sure, there were a few other things in there - an assistant to a financial advisor, management level banker (hired during the pandemic with no banking experience), I cleaned a tennis club and couple of banks. The true version of myself is involved in music somehow. Since I don't play any instruments, my best outlet is to play other people's music and maybe inspire you to support that artist.
I've been a Folk Music Director and have hosted a popular Sunday morning radio program in Ann Arbor that largely focused on the singer songwriter scene. When that was taken away from me during the height of the pandemic, In 2020, shifted gears and debuted a weekly playlist and podcast both called Acoustic Alternatives. This has kept me grounded in what matters to me musically speaking.
I love live music in listening rooms like The Ark, Trinity House, 20 Front Street as well as house concerts. I'd spend 7 nights a week in front of live music instead of a TV if I could afford it. I believe the resurgence of vinyl will give way to a resurgence of CDs when people realize they are a lot more convenient and less expensive.
I'm grateful for Molly and the rest of the team at WEMU for giving me a new home and making me feel like part of the team.
I look forward to exploring all the "other duties as assigned" that comes with my job!
Contact John: jbommar4@emich.edu
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Justine Sedky from UMS discusses the April residency at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse with John Bommarito. -
NPR's Bobby Carter discusses the Tiny Desk Contest with John Bommarito. -
Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer "with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop" (The New York Times). She has been featured on Austin City Limits, Tiny Desk Concerts, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Late Show. She joined WEMU's John Bommarito on "The Song Break" to talk about her new music and her upcoming appearance at The Ark in Ann Arbor. -
Robert Ash, Director of Bands at Ann Arbor Huron High School, joins The Song Break to talk about the great opportunity bestowed upon them. -
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Laila Biali discusses Wintersongs on The Song Break with John Bommarito. -
Ben Makinen checks in from Bali on "The Song Break" with John Bommarito. -
John Bommarito interviews Professor Brent Wagner and Assistant Professor of Music Tyler Driskill about an upcoming event at Kerrytown Concert House. -
David Garfield joined John Bommarito on The Song Break. -
