All Over Albany

My Exit: Mark DiMartino

Every Monday WEXT gives us a chance to check out the songs on someone else's iPod with My Exit -- the show where a listener gets to program an hour of their favorite music.

Today's My Exit DJ is Mark DiMartino, and his collection includes The Beatles, Neil Young, and Richard Thompson.

Who?
I'm Mark DiMartino and am pleased and honored to be once again hosting My Exit. I work as a licensed clinical social worker treating those with chemical dependency. In addition I also sing in a great choir at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Glenville and lead the congregation in song as a cantor and sometimes sing at weddings.

What kind of music do you like?
Although I listen to anything and everything from folk to classical, I mostly lean towards guitar-driven rock and blues. Songs with a message that evoke strong emotions are also important to me. With a brother 6 years older, I remember listening to Elvis and Buddy Holly in the late 50s, but it was the British Invasion that did it for me.

"I'm Only Sleeping"- The Beatles
This song leads off a five song set with a theme of sleeping, dreaming, waking and day dreaming. This stripped-down version is a rehearsal of the song from The Beatles Anthology 2 with John comically exclaiming, "I'm Only Sleeping, Take 1."

"I Woke Up This Morning" - Ten Years After
From their fourth album Ssssh. This was released August 1969, the month they performed at Woodstock. I picked the song as it not only goes with the theme of my first set, but regular radio for over 40 years has only played "I'm Going Home" and "I'd Love to Change he World."

"No More" - Neil Young
"No More" is a powerful statement about the devastating effects of drug abuse and the near impossibility of stopping and staying stopped but from my experience it is very possible.

"Grey Walls" - Richard Thompson
Another thought-provoking song about the pain of having to commit a loved one to an institution for their safety and everyone else's. Thompson has a knack of writing entertaining songs about the dark side of humanity.

"Closing the Bookstore" - John McCutcheon
This multi-instrumentalist from Virginia has appeared in this area for many years in coffee houses and particularly at the Old Songs Festival in Altamont held the last weekend of June for over 30 years. This song is a plea to support our local businesses as much as possible and not allow the cookie cutter big box stores to gobble up all the real estate.

You can hear Mark's My Exit show Monday night at 11 pm on 97.7, Saturday at 8 am, or at exit977.org.

Here's how to schedule your own My Exit show on WEXT.