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Written by Lori Donovan
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 WXPN's Helen Leicht celebrates 30 years in radio and the XPoNential power of Philly Local Musicians.
More than half a century ago, a controversial movement began on the
streets of Philadelphia. Young men were gathering on street corners,
raising their voices with a sound that raised concerns from their
parents and made teenage girls swoon. Do-Wop, a predecessor to rhythm
and blues, soul and rock and roll, was born here. And, in 1951,
Philadelphia-based radio stations and their legendary disc jockeys
became pied pipers in a new era of music.
As the second largest metropolitan area on the northeast coast, it’s no
surprise that Philadelphia had a hand in forging the country’s musical
trends. Area disc jockeys were instrumental in introducing audiences to
the new sound and propelling local Philly artists into the national
spotlight.
More than fifty years later, the music has changed, but the mission
is still the same. While most commercial radio stations follow national
trends and Billboard charts, it’s the public stations that have taken
up the gauntlet of promoting local music to the masses.
No one does this better than Hellen LeichtHelen Leicht. Celebrating
her 30th year as a Philadelphia disc jockey, Leicht has been
responsible for introducing listeners to the music of artists like Tom
Petty, The Cars and Elvis Costello. As the host of “Leicht Lunch” and
“Breakfast with the Beatles,” she became a local on-air celebrity. But
it wasn’t until she joined WXPN in 1990, that Leicht became the local
musician’s best friend.
“We were playing indie projects already,” says Leicht, “so I asked [the station’s (cont’d)
former program director] Mike Morrison if there was any reason we couldn’t invite local artists to send in their music.”
Morrison didn’t want to be inundated with tapes from basement bands and
wannabe rock stars, but if Leicht was willing to sift through the
submissions herself, then he couldn’t complain. Fortunately, Leicht has
both patience and a great ear. The result has been astounding for both
the audience and the performers.
It was in these early days that bands like The Innocence Mission were
discovered and songwriters like Ben Arnold first heard their work
aired. “They might not have gone on to be U2, but artists have come out
of this that are amazing session musicians, or songwriters who make
their way to Nashville and get covered,” says Leicht. “These people
that I’ve been playing all these years, they’re true working musicians.
They make their living doing what they love.”
Since that time, Helen Leicht has been a tireless supporter of the
local underdog and her efforts have spawned the Philly Local show
(Tuesdays at 9p.m.), an Emerging Artists Program (which she heads), and
countless performances by local artists as both opening acts and
headliners at Philadelphia music venues like World Café Live, The Tin
Angel and the Kimmel Center.
One of Leicht and WXPN’s biggest success stories is their relationship
with folk/soul singer Amos Lee. A transport to Philadelphia from South
Carolina, the elementary school teacher turned songwriter was a regular
visitor on the air at WXPN. He quickly became a local favorite and
other independent stations across the country took notice as well. Lee
gained opening act status for industry heavy-hitters like Norah Jones
and Bob Dylan and this past October he released his sophomore CD,
Supply and Demand to critical acclaim.
Leicht is reluctant to take any credit, but admits, “It feels good
to know that I worked at a station that would allow me to believe in
somebody and give them the opportunity to be on the air. You need that
microphone. You need to be able to give some people a voice.”
Lee was so grateful for the help of WXPN that he included the
station in Supply and Demand’s liner notes. “Any member who would buy
this CD and see that he thanked [the station], I think they would be
proud of that whole circle,” says Leicht.
The circle doesn’t stop with the station’s member/listeners. Amos
Lee’s success has also benefited others. He called on Philadelphia
singer/songwriter Mutlu to open many of his 2006 tour dates across the
country, later produced Mutlu’s EP, and continues to stay involved in
Philadelphia community projects. “It’s that greater group of people
looking out for the other people,” says Leicht. “That’s when you can
make some difference. That’s when you can call them up and say ‘I have
this Musicians On Call program’ and there’s not even a question.”
Perhaps the most significant way Philly Local musicians can give
back to their community, Musicians On Call (MOC) is a service providing
live musical performances to patients in area hospitals. An offshoot of
the organization that got its start in New York, MOC has become a
veritable Who’s Who of Philadelphia talent. As usual, it wasHelen
Leicht Leicht who spearheaded the initiative.
After a visit to a New York Hospital in 1999, Leicht was hooked.
“We would watch these kids and they would peek around the corners and
smile,” she says. “One child’s mother asked the artist to come into her
son’s room to play. He wasn’t able to respond [physically], but as the
artist began to play you could see him responding through his heart
monitor. The mother started to cry. It’s very emotional.”
Feeling certain that the Philly musicians would feel the same, she
went back and recruited Mutlu, Jim Boggia and Lauren Hart to be the
first to test the program in Philadelphia. The three said yes
immediately and Musicians on Call started making regular visits to area
hospitals.
Visiting musicians go from room to room, along with a guide who
clears each visit with nurses, visitors, patients and parents. “Not
everyone can do it,” says Leicht. “Not everyone can go visit a
hospital, let alone entertain.” Each performer must be versatile enough
to sing songs that appeal to the general public and especially to the
youngest patients. Songwriters forgo their egos in favor of
performances of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” theme or the Beatle’s
“Yellow Submarine”.
“Amos and I actually went together on one visit,” says
singer/songwriter Mutlu. “There was this guy, who had been pretty ill
but was now a few days from leaving [the hospital]. We stopped in and
sang “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers for him and he started to cry. The
way that song impacted him, made us realize how important it is, what
we’re doing.”
The Musicians On Call roster grows larger each year, with more and
more local artists eager to perform for deserving audiences. Those who
are unable to make individual visits contribute in other ways, donating
their music to hospitals’ “CD Pharmacy” or performing at benefit
concerts keep the program alive.
One such show will take place on Wednesday, December 20th. Philadelphia
Bands Together: WXPN Musicians On Call Benefit Concert will be held at
World Café Live and feature a host of singer/songwriters and local
bands. It’s an opportunity to give back and to visit with their
contemporaries in the local scene. “They’re all in for the right
reason,” says Leicht. “They hang out with each other. There’s music the
whole time and a great camaraderie.”
When it comes to the Philadelphia music scene,Helen Leicht and WXPN are
changing the landscape XPoNentially. “The whole local emphasis, allows
me, hopefully, to help musicians be heard and involved in the
community,” says Leicht.
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