Not many were around during the OG times of podcasting. A recent survey found that 90% of current podcast fans began listening in the last five years. Today, podcasters and listeners grumble about too many podcasts. I remember (NOTE: This is much like the "I walked 20 miles to school in the snow" type story) when it was a struggle to find enough podcasts to listen to.
One of those OG podcasters is Suzy Chase, a longtime independent podcaster based in NYC. We'll let Suzy tell her own story: "I started The Groove Radio Podcast in early 2005 because I wasn’t hearing the soul, R&B, disco, and yacht rock that made me fall in love with music in the first place. It became the first mixtape podcast, and I was one of the very, very few female podcasts at the beginning."
In 2005, after working in major-market radio and at Interscope Records and Jive Records, Suzy launched The Groove Radio, the mixtape podcast blending soul, R&B, and yacht rock at a time when podcasting was still young.
Suzy says: "It captured a moment when music discovery was personal and tactile. The show eventually led to a DJ residency in Brooklyn."
This year marks the podcast's 20th anniversary, and Suzy Chase has released TGR Unplugged, a limited series of nine songs/nine stories that looks back at how music found us before the algorithm, before listening became something optimized rather than felt.
What is TGR Unplugged ? The new series takes a stripped-back, story-driven approach that pairs deeply personal memories with iconic songs. Each
of the nine episodes features Chase telling one story through the lens
of one track; from the nights that shaped her youth to the turning
points that defined her creative life.
Groove Radio focused on curating soul, R&B, and yacht rock playlists,
offering themed mixtapes and deeper dives into music that scores life's
moments, featuring guest artists and personal stories, aiming to
provide good soul music often missed on mainstream radio.
Every episode of TGR Unplugged blends
memories and music criticism, reflecting how a single song can capture a
time, a place, and a feeling we all recognize.
Speaking about
the project, Suzy Chase said it’s “about going back to where it all
began — remembering why we fell in love with music in the first place.”
The nine episodes are short, about seven minutes long, and have a simple yet effective structure. Chase plays a short clip of the featured song, then comes on and explains why she chose this song, and then the song plays in its entirety. These songs are NOT the usual suspects -- Beatles, Respect by Aretha, Bee Gees, Michael. In episode one, Suzy confesses: "The B Sides and guilty pleasures just as much as the cool hits."
On these nine episodes, Chase's voice is velvety smooth, with no syllable coming out without meaning, intention, and feeling. Suzy Chase would have been a superb FM NYC DJ in the 70s, playing songs you may not have heard of but infused with the magic of the creative process and culturally relevant.
Let's use episode six as an example. In the show -- SKIP?REPEAT -- Suzy asks us if we've ever skipped past a song numerous times until we didn't. From her first album comes Thinking About You by Whitney Houston. The singer known for her power ballads had very different roots, we learn from Chase. She describes the song as a funky, mid-tempo track, which she said was outside Whitney's lane. Chase observes: "This was Whitney before the machine fully polished her."
Suzy goes on to note:"Le Chic's fingerprints were all over this song."
In episode one, Chase talks about the Grand Rapids, Michigan family band, DeBarge. Discussing the song, All This Love, Chase recalls, "From the moment I heard this song, I thought it was made just for me."
In episode 8 highlighting Computer Love by Zapp & Roger, Chase explains that the electronic funk on the surface hides what's underneath -- a true romantic song.
Episode 9 ends the series with a powerful love ballad by Anita Baker about an apology.
How did Suzy Chase become the voice of The Groove Radio?
In a 2015 interview with Mariana Howard in The Up Coming, Suzy shared her early history:
Suzy continued: "I mixed in other artists, like Ambrosia, Heart, and Air Supply. They ended up offering me a full-time position, so I dropped out of school and took it. Eventually, I made my way to NYC and worked for some big record labels like Interscope and Jive. I always knew I wanted to get back to doing a radio show, my first love, but one where I had total autonomy… so when podcasting started up, I jumped in."
In addition to producing The Groove Radio for the last 20 years, Suzy Chase has been very busy. She has a DJ residency in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The Groove Radio podcast was recorded live on Saturday nights at Trophy Bar.
Suzy notes: "I use my residency to curate my playlist. I mix in the moment for the crowd, but I’m recording as I spin. That night’s set is what I release as the podcast, usually by the next day."
In addition to music podcasting, Suzy Chase has a vibrant career as a cookbook publicist.
Cookery by the Book Podcast has been a #1 cookbook podcast since 2015. She created the cookbook podcast niche in the food category.
Decorating by the Book Podcast is a podcast for interior design book lovers. The companion podcast to Cookery by the Book.
Dinner Party Podcast is the podcast for cookbook and decorating book lovers. A combination of Cookery by the Book + Decorating by the Book -- a collaboration with Substack.
I realize that the large podcast ecosystems will classify TGR Unplugged in the music genre. That's their linear, spreadsheet, "no one escapes our box alive" cognitive apparatus.
Yet, the podcast is much more than that for several reasons. First, Suzy Chase is an OG podcaster. She rolled the dice 20 years ago, so podcasters, listeners, advertisers, and corporations could benefit today and in the future.
Second, forget video podcasting. You can wrap yourself around Suzy Chase's polished, weighted-blanket cozy voice with no need of visuals. Suzy is a pro, and she's been doing this a long time. It shows, and she's so good that she doesn't have to show off.
Third, the concept of the mixtape is the precursor to the playlist of today. For those who may not know, a mixtape is a collection of music, either a non-commercial compilation by a listener or an unofficial recording by an artist. Historically, they were recorded on cassette tapes, but now can be digital.
Fourth, what makes TGR Unplugged so powerful to listen to isn't simply Suzy's choice of songs. Or how she details their creative birth. Or the artist who recorded the track. Or even how that song spoke to her at that time in her life. Or how musical artists go through moments of creative transition.
It's all of those characteristics, and how Suzy is our avatar for how music shapes our lives.
If you love how music impacts your life, your mood, your outlook, and your emotional balance, then listen to Suzy Chase's TGR Unplugged. It's a sonic experience that you will not soon forget.
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