On Wednesday, October 28, Spokane Public Radio joins stations across the country to celebrate the seventh annual Public Radio Music Day. This year’s theme, Sounds Like Home, celebrates the music, musicians, and stories that connect us to the Inland Northwest.
At a time when public media faces significant funding cuts, we’re celebrating the vital role local music plays in bringing our communities together, supporting regional artists, and preserving the sounds and spirit that make this place home.
Join Spokane Public Radio for special programming throughout the day:
SPR Classical | 10a to noon: Two hours of live performance celebrating the beauty of music and the connections it creates in our community.
SPR Jazz | 1p to 3p: Explore the sounds, styles, and spirit of the vibrant jazz scene in the Inland Northwest.
SPR News | 7p to 9p: Hear local singer-songwriters share the voices, stories, and sounds that make this place home.
These are some of the artists you'll hear:
Aspen Kye is a singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist local to Spokane, WA. Weaving Neo soul, jazz and folk, Aspen Kye’s music captivates the audience with honest lyrics much about growth and simply existing on this earth. Her music will leave you feeling at peace like a sip of hot tea with honey.
Blake Braley is a soul singer songwriter, keyboardist, and organist based out of Spokane, WA. The music draws inspiration from soul and funk classics of the 60s and 70s with a modern twist. It’s simplistic, groove driven, melodic, feel good and sensitive. Growing up a three sport athlete, Blake did not pursue music until shortly after graduating high school in 2014 when he met his now guitar player and music partner, Tristan Hart Pierce. Blake fell in love with all things music and decided to drop out of college to pursue his new found passion as a musician. Since then, Blake has become a staple in the Spokane music scene as both an artist and instrumentalist. He has held a residency at local Spokane bar & venue, ZOLA, for the last 7 years. Blake also frequently plays with PNW powerhouse, Allen Stone, as his fill in keyboard player and music director for Stone’s annual music festival, “Stone Family Field Trip”
Charlotte Carruthers began her musical career singing with her father, Arnie Carruthers, and his trio when she was 19. Over the years, Charlotte has sung and played piano in a wide variety of bands from rock, country, jazz combos and big band swing and beyond. Her experience also includes nearly 30 years as a member of classical choirs and ensembles in New York, Eugene and Seattle. For several years in the 1980’s, she and her brothers held the house band spot at the Spokane House - performing everything from Manhattan Transfer vocal jazz to Led Zeppelin! She and her brothers often performed with their father for many years at Spokane jazz clubs like Hobart’s and Ella’s. She was also a featured vocalist with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra for 20 years. After moving to the Seattle area, she became involved with the vibrant community big band scene there. She was the pianist and vocalist for the Mach One Jazz Orchestra for 17 years and led the band for nearly 10 of those years, in addition to subbing in several of the other Puget Sound big bands regularly. She was also a member of Rich Wetzel’s Groovin’ Higher Orchestra for a few years playing horn-infused rock charts. Charlotte returned ‘home’ to Spokane in 2025 after retiring from her day job. She began pursuing new musical adventures here. She is currently a member of Le Donne choir and continues to sing and play occasionally with other groups.
Christopher is 14 years old, and is in 9th grade at Deer Park High School. He is a violinist and pianist. He has been playing the violin since age 3 and piano since age 4. He has been a member of the Spokane Youth Symphony since he was 7 years old, and is currently in his 4th year with the Symphony Orchestra. He is now acting as the assistant of the concert master of SYSO. He also regularly plays the piano for his church on Sundays.
Rogan Kahale is a saxophonist, composer, and ethnomusicologist currently based out of Spokane, Washington. He specializes in fusing contemporary jazz and classical music with indigenous practices, sensibilities, and storytelling. He is currently the resident composer/arranger for the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, a New York-based jazz big band dedicated to showcasing the history of Indigenous people in jazz. He also tours with the Julia Keefe Band as lead alto saxophone, performing works in prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, Stanford University, and Birdland in New York. During his time as a touring musician, he has had the honor of sharing the stage with acts such as Esperanza Spalding, Kansas, Mali Obomsawin, and more. He also directs and composes for the Spokane-based big band, the Imagine Jazz Big Band, which is dedicated to providing young composers with a space to create new music.
Jazz pianist/keyboardist Tom Pletscher has been a performer, recording artist, composer, and educator for over 45 years. After performing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, as well as throughout the Midwest, for 35 years, Pletscher relocated to Spokane in 2016. Educated at Macalester College in St. Paul, and Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. Tom continues to play in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene as a solo pianist, as well as collaborating with area musicians in trios, quartets, and larger groups, up to big band. From swinging straight ahead acoustic piano, to electronic keyboard focused contemporary/jazz fusion, his award winning style and compositions have always focused on touch/dynamics, and musicality.
Tom Pletscher-
Jazz pianist/keyboardist Tom Pletscher has been a performer, recording artist, composer, and educator for over 45 years. After performing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, as well as throughout the Midwest, for 35 years, Pletscher relocated to Spokane in 2016. Educated at Macalester College in St. Paul, and Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. Tom continues to play in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene as a solo pianist, as well as collaborating with area musicians in trios, quartets, and larger groups, up to big band. From swinging straight ahead acoustic piano, to electronic keyboard focused contemporary/jazz fusion, his award winning style and compositions have always focused on touch/dynamics, and musicality.
Thank you to our event donors: Hoffman Music and Media Credit Union