CJSR is devastated by the loss of our friend and volunteer, David Finkelman.
For over 8 years as the host of Big A, Little a (and Resistance before that) on Saturday afternoons from 12-2pm, Dave delivered an eclectic look at punk “from 1977 to the present day, and everything weird and wonderful in between”. The show considered punk not from a musical perspective, necessarily, focusing instead on the attitude behind the music, boiling punk down to its essential ethos and not its sonic trappings. The show was well loved by our listeners and Dave’s fellow volunteers, who voted it CJSR’s best program for three years in a row. Dave always encouraged his listeners to stick with him, even if they heard something they didn’t like, guaranteeing that they would be exposed to other ideas or sounds they might like.
Dave will also be remembered as his alter-ego Raven Connors on CJSR’s hilarious late-night goth show/radio serial The Darkness of My Soul, co-hosted by his close friend Lex McKie as Esper Banyon. Darkness of My Soul was a showcase for Dave’s sense of humour and his talents as a performer, and like Big A, little a, was an example to other DJs of what great radio could be.
As a member of the group Energetic Action, Dave also had a profound impact on the Edmonton music scene, as well CJSR’s playlists. An amazing performer, David was unquestionably a massive talent brimming with new ideas for musical ventures. Energetic Action’s latest release, Becoming, topped the charts here at CJSR, but so did his free jazz project Filipino Doctor, as well as Dave’s cassette release Songs for Wax Museum, droning electronic noise that was “available free to wax museums worldwide.” These high-concept projects were balanced by Dave’s humility and complete lack of pretension. He wanted to share music with others.
We will remember Dave as an intelligent, talented, funny, and all around amazing human being. He taught us to be more adventurous listeners. He challenged our boundaries and expanded them. He was an incredible member of the CJSR family and the Edmonton music scene, and he will be deeply missed.
Our deepest condolences go out to Dave’s family, his close friends, and to all of those lucky enough to know him.