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WXOX @ Folklife 2025 During the summer of 2025, the WXOX Next Wave Academy traveled to Washington D.C. to celebrate Youth and the Future of Culture at the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.   They recorded the following interviews with participants, organizers, and attendees at a pop-up radio studio located inside the Arts & Industries Building.  Please enjoy these conversatoins as you make plans to attend the next Smithsonian Folklife Festival! THE 2025 FOLKLIFE INTERVIEWS Youth & The Future of Culture Andes MC Musician Interviewed by Max Cash & DJ SoTek Translator: Betto Arcos July 3, 2025 Alliance of Black Orchestrial Percussionists (ABOP) Interviewed by Lila Hayden & Jordan Gray July 6, 2025 Commissioner Anna Gomez Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Interviewed by Max Cash & Lila Hayden July 3, 2025 Mayor Craig Greenberg Louisville, Kentucky Pre-Game Interview w/ Max Cash, Jordan Gray, & Lila Hayden June 24, 2025 Di'Orr Greenwood Artist / Skateboarder / Nike Designer Interviewed by Max Cash July 6, 2025 Ionkwahronkha’onhátié We Are Becomming Fluent Taiawentón:ti’ & Karonhiióstha Interviewed by Max Cash July 7, 2025 Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando Musicians Interviewed by DJ SoTek July 6, 2025 Sabrina Lynn Motley, Director 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Interviewed by Lila Hayden & Max Cash July 6, 2025 Myaamia Center Miami University Interviewed by Lila Hayden July 4, 2025 The Rodriguez Family Low Rider Artists Interviewed by Max Cash & DJ SoTek July 7, 2025 Stax Music Academy Students Interviewed by Lila Hayden July 5, 2025 Stax Music Academy Instructors Interviewed by Lila Hayden July 5, 2025 Kerry Ward, Liason Specialist Library of Congress, Veterans History Project Interviewed by Max Cash & Sharon Scott July 3, 2025 MORE INTERVIEWS COMING SOON . . . The WXOX crew provided live coverage of the festival events for listeners worldwide on www.artxfm.com and through the free WXOX Apps.  Back in Louisville, audiences were able to tune in through their radios on WXOX 97.1 FM and WXND 100.9 FM. Class of 2025 High School Graduates - Aaron Ziegler (DJ SoTek),) Lila Hayden (musician), Jordan Gray (documentarian), and Maxwell $ Selby (broadcaster) - were selected for their unique talents to represent WXOX in the nation's capitol.                      Connect with ARTxFM on social media:                                                       WXOX FOLKLIFE CREW MAX $ SELBY WXOX Next Wave Director Maxwell Cash Selby was born into the ART FM family and has been an integral part of the station's development since day one.  Over the years he has played many roles from program coordinator to graphic designer to technical assistant.  He has been a DJ and station promoter for WXOX 97.1 FM since he was a child and has recently cultivated a number of youth initiatives for student broadcasters nationwide including the Next Wave Teen Academy and the 2024 Grassroots Radio Conference Student Radio Summit.  His published works include technical contributions to Radio World Magazine and Wiley’s For Dummies series. Outside of the studio, Max has served as Class President, Founder of his school’s Future Problem Solvers Team, Quick Recall Champion, and AP Scholar.  He is a curator and an artmaker; a skateboarder and a squash player.  Max loves a city full of music and is continuing his work in radio at WTUL 91.5 FM at Tulane University this fall. LILA HAYDEN Musician / Speech Champion Lila Hayden is an avid musician.  Playing violin since age 5 and working her way through the completion of the Suzuki method pedagogy, she now performs with the Louisville Civic Orchestra, Louisville Academy of Music, and Trinity Presbyterian Church.  In addition to playing classical music, she loves to learn about it as well-- serving on her school's academic team and co-hosting a classical music radio hour on WXOX 97.1 for over two years.  Her other main passion, besides music, is public speaking.  Last year, she placed top 15 in 4 national tournaments in Informative Speaking. In addition to speech, she has found interest in mock trial as the co-captain of her school’s team for two years.  This past year, She won the 1st Place Attorney Award at the Yale Bulldog Invitational Tournament with a perfect score for the tournament.  Overall, she loves learning about music and enjoys sharing it with others.  This fall, Lila brings her talents to the halls of Dartmouth College. JORDAN GRAY Filmmaker / Documentarian As an aspiring filmmaker and future Film & Television major from Kentucky, Jordan Gray is driven by a deep passion for storytelling that connects, uplifts, and inspires.  At the heart of every project she creates, she is committed to making people feel seen, heard, and understood. Her most notable projects —the Scholastic Art Award-winning short film What is Success? and her documentary series The Cultural Diet —explore themes of identity, culture, and representation.  These projects highlight Jordan's goal to blend social commentary and visual storytelling.  Jordan approaches each project with a mix of creativity; business-minded strategy; and a deep sense of empathy, believing that film has the power to spark change, build community, and encourage compassion across cultures.  Embarking upon her undergraduate studies at Howard University in the Fall of 2025, Jordan is dedicated to telling stories that make a difference — one frame at a time. AARON ZIEGLER DJ SoTek Aaron Ziegler (DJ SoTek) is a native of Louisville, Kentucky who enjoys mixing a wide range of music from Pop to Techno. He is known for his series of pop-up dance events that bring youth together in unique locations around the city.  Discovering music, skateboarding, and graphic design are some of the hobbies he enjoys most when not DJing.  He is a 2025 graduate from the DuPont Manual magnet school and is continuing his education at University of Cincinnati where he is studying graphic design and hosting a weekly program on Bearcast Radio.

ABOUT THE WXOX NEXT WAVE: WXOX Next Wave Teen Academy. Class of 2024. Photograph by Aron Conaway ARTxFM's NEXT WAVE: TEEN RADIO ACADEMY is a radio learning adventure that provides Louisville area high school students with the skills they need to become professional broadcasters.  At the Academy, student DJs get hands-on experience with the ART FM studio equipment and obtain the FCC training required for FM Broadcasting nationwide.  To learn more, visit the Next Wave website or check out "A New Wave" by Luke Boggs, the recent feature about our Teen Radio program in On The Record Magazine, a publication by the DuPont Manual High School Journalism & Communications magnet program.     If you have any questions please e-mail nextwave@artxfm.com

           

ARTxFM P.O. Box 5103 Louisville, Kentucky 40255 USA

ARTxFM / WXOX 97.1 FM Louisville  *  P.O. Box 5103  *  Louisville, Kentucky 40255