KMAS Radio

Jeff Slakey

Long-form interviews and conversations from Mason County, Washington. Host Jeff Slakey sits down with local leaders, legislators, small business owners, and community voices for unhurried conversations about what's shaping the Hood Canal region — government, education, healthcare, the outdoors, and the people making a difference. New episodes drop throughout the week. For daily local headlines, subscribe to KMAS Morning News with Jeff Slakey.

  1. 3d ago

    Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling: Summer Growth, Restructuring & a 50% Drop in Neighborhood Crime

    This month's Sheriff Sit-Down, brought to you by Our Community Credit Union, finds Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling walking through the biggest changes the department has faced in generations. With the county's population reportedly tripling each summer, Sperling starts with how deputies are handling the seasonal traffic surge before diving into a major internal restructuring: two new lieutenant positions, four open sergeant slots, and a shift of detectives, neighborhood watch, DARE, school resource officers and the PIO into a reorganized civil division. He calls it the largest leadership turnover the 172-year-old agency has ever faced, driven by retirements and by growth anticipated from the naval shipyard's new dry dock. Sperling also details the department's SET team, the first proactive crime unit since 2018, bridging the gap between an overworked patrol division and detectives tied up on major cases. He closes with a direct answer to a question a lot of residents ask: with Washington ranking near the bottom nationally in officers per capita, how does Mason County avoid being either under-policed or an over-policed "police state"? His answer includes a real-world example, a 50% drop in crime after two neighborhoods funded a dedicated deputy — and a philosophy rooted in Sir Robert Peel's 1829 principles of community policing. #MasonCountySheriff #SheriffSitDown #KMAS #MasonCountyWA #HoodCanal #WashingtonState #CommunityPolicing #PublicSafety #LawEnforcement #LocalGovernment #RyanSpurling #PNWNews #ThingsToKnowWA #SETTeam

  2. 5d ago

    James Berkley Band at Hoodstock 2026: Story-Driven Singer-Songwriter Sets at the Robin Hood Saturday Night

    Hoodstock 2026's Saturday night turns ticketed and 21+ at Robin Hood Village in Union, WA — and the James Berkley Band is one of two acts closing out the weekend on land, alongside the Stephanie Anne Johnson Band (6–10pm; James Berkley Band on around 8). Singer-songwriter James Berkley, born in San Diego, raised near Seattle, now based in the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area, joins KMAS by phone for one of the most personal previews of the festival. He talks about the sound (for fans of Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz and John Mayer), how storytelling and genuine connection drive his shows, the Jason Mraz song that first put a guitar in his hands, and growing up in music through his father's churches. For Hoodstock he plays as a trio with his nephew Anthony Berkley on drums and Frank Sinclair on bass and vocals — his bandmate in The Red Books. It's the ticketed evening cap on a full Hoodstock weekend that also includes the free daytime Land Concert and Saturday's Water Concert out on Hood Canal. Get evening-show tickets and the full lineup at hoodstock.org. James BerkleySaturday Night Tickets #Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #JamesBerkley #JamesBerkleyBand #TheRedBooks #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #RobinHoodVillage #SingerSongwriter #AmericanaSoul #LiveMusicPNW #SpokaneMusic #PNWEvents #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA

    James Berkley Band at Hoodstock 2026: Story-Driven Singer-Songwriter Sets at the Robin Hood Saturday Night

  3. 6d ago

    The Georgetown Orbits at Hoodstock 2026: Seattle Ska & Reggae Lights Up the Water Stage

    Hoodstock 2026's Saturday Water Concert gets a full-horn dance party in the middle of the day when Seattle ska and reggae mainstays The Georgetown Orbits take the Water Stage at the Union Marina on Hood Canal. Guitarist and founder Orion and bassist Cale join KMAS by phone to talk about the band's two decades playing traditional Jamaican music — ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub — the Bob Marley gateway that started it all, and their 2025 album Constellations. A seven-plus-piece band with a full horn section (sax, trombone, trumpet, keys), the Orbits build the kind of danceable, deep-catalog set that gets a crowd moving — even a crowd floating on kayaks and paddleboards. They land midday on a water bill that runs from Santa Poco's country in the morning through DJ Mixtress to a Tom Petty tribute from Petty Thief at night — all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also includes the free daytime Land Concert at Robin Hood Village. On the water, your ticket is a flag: grab one at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort or May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org. https://thegeorgetownorbits.bandcamp.com/ #Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #GeorgetownOrbits #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #WaterStage #WaterConcert #Ska #Reggae #Rocksteady #SeattleMusic #LiveMusicPNW #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA #ExploreHoodCanal

    The Georgetown Orbits at Hoodstock 2026: Seattle Ska & Reggae Lights Up the Water Stage

  4. Aug 9

    Queen of Hearts at Hoodstock 2026: Cinematic Soul on the Free Saturday Land Stage at the Robin Hood

    Hoodstock 2026 opens up a free, all-ages afternoon on land — and Seattle–Tacoma band Queen of Hearts is one of the standouts. On Saturday, August 15 from noon to 5pm, the Robin Hood Village in Union hosts a free Land Concert with vendors and food trucks, a newer addition to a festival that has traditionally lived out on the water (where a flag on a boat or paddleboard is your ticket). Queen of Hearts — a collective of singer-songwriters known for three-part female vocal harmonies over cello, guitar, keys and flugelhorn, with a sound they call "cinematic and sultry" — joins KMAS by phone to preview a return to the Robin Hood, where they'd played the venue's Revival series. Bandmates Carrie and Thomas talk about what makes a multi-genre festival special ("the beauty of a festival is you get to hear all different things"), the new land side that lets everybody in without a boat, and the new songs they're most excited to play. They share the free afternoon bill with Kaitie Wade, Norman Baker, Dakota Poorman and the Stacy Jones Band, all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also features the Saturday Water Concert and a ticketed 21+ evening show. See the full lineup at hoodstock.org. Queen Of Hearts#Hoodstock2026 #QueenOfHearts #KMAS #ExploreHoodCanal #MasonCounty

    Queen of Hearts at Hoodstock 2026: Cinematic Soul on the Free Saturday Land Stage at the Robin Hood

  5. Aug 7

    Santa Poco Opens Hoodstock 2026: Honky-Tonk Kicks Off the Saturday Water Stage on Hood Canal

    Hoodstock 2026's Saturday Water Concert kicks off at noon with Pacific-Northwest honky-tonk band Santa Poco opening the day on Hood Canal — the first act on the Water Stage at the Union Marina boat launch. Founder and songwriter Pat McHenry joins KMAS by phone to preview the set and tell the band's story: a San Antonio transplant who found a shared love of George Strait and classic western swing with co-founder Andy Shofner, and who watched a "small but mighty" country-music scene take root across Washington as fans arrived from Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia. Expect twangy Telecasters, pedal steel, and songs off their album Cowboy Songs including "The Way It Goes" and "Full House Queen." Santa Poco starts a stacked day on the water that rolls through DJ Mixtress between sets, Georgetown Orbits, and Seattle Tom Petty tribute Petty Thief to close — all part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also features the Robin Hood Village land concerts and vendors in Union. On the water, your ticket is a flag, not a wristband: grab one at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort or May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org. Santa Poco #Hoodstock #Hoodstock2026 #SantaPoco #KMAS #HoodCanal #MasonCounty #UnionWA #WaterStage #WaterConcert #HonkyTonk #CountryMusic #PNWCountry #LiveMusicPNW #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA #HoodCanalEvents #GeorgeStrait

    Santa Poco Opens Hoodstock 2026: Honky-Tonk Kicks Off the Saturday Water Stage on Hood Canal

  6. Aug 5

    Petty Thief at Hoodstock 2026: Seattle's Tom Petty Tribute Headlines the Saturday Water Stage

    Hoodstock 2026 closes out its Saturday on the water with Seattle's premier Tom Petty tribute, Petty Thief, headlining the Water Concert / Water Stage at the Union Marina boat launch on Hood Canal. Founder and frontman Andy Volmer joins KMAS by phone to preview a set built for a one-of-a-kind venue — where the sound carries clear across the canal and the crowd pulls up by boat, kayak and paddleboard as the day's final act takes the stage. A no-gimmicks, no-costumes five-piece that plays the songs "like Petty would have played them himself," Petty Thief digs well past the radio hits: expect Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers staples alongside Traveling Wilburys, a couple of Mud Crutch deep cuts, and the odd Byrds cover. The Water Stage is part of a full Hoodstock weekend that also includes the Robin Hood Village land concerts in Union — and on the water your ticket is a flag, not a wristband. Get your Hoodstock flags at the Union Country Store, Union City Market, Summertide Resort and May Mobile Marine, and see the full lineup at hoodstock.org. Petty ThiefWater Show Ticket Information #Hoodstock2026 #PettyThief #TomPetty #KMAS #ExploreHoodCanal #WashingtonEvents

    Petty Thief at Hoodstock 2026: Seattle's Tom Petty Tribute Headlines the Saturday Water Stage

  7. Aug 2

    Champagne Sunday at Hoodstock 2026: Glam-Folk Duo Playing the Friday Kickoff at Robin Hood Village

    Hoodstock 2026 kicks off Friday, August 14 with a 21+ night at Robin Hood Village Resort in Union, WA on Hood Canal — and glam-folk duo Champagne Sunday is one of three bands opening the weekend, alongside Moon Music and 5 Guys 1 Flute (6–10pm, tickets $30). Married multi-instrumentalists Jessi and Jared Fredeen join KMAS by phone — a return visit for a duo who first came through the KMAS green room back in 2018 on the edge of a big Robin Hood weekend. In this preview they unpack what "glam folk" means (all-original, high-energy, story-driven, "everything to 11"), the surprising arsenal of instruments two people bring to the stage — ukulele, keyboards, harmonica, percussion, even trombone — and the running joke that they sound like a full band (including the time a fan brought four shots to the stage looking for the rest of the group). With 20-plus years together, a deep catalog, national touring and a Patreon following, Champagne Sunday sets the tone for a weekend that also spans the free daytime Land Festival and Saturday's Water Concert out on Hood Canal — where your flag, not a ticket, gets you in. Get Friday kickoff tickets and the full Hoodstock lineup at hoodstock.org. Champagne Sunday Tickets to Friday Night #Hoodstock2026 #ChampagneSunday #KMAS #ExploreHoodCanal #WashingtonEvents

    Champagne Sunday at Hoodstock 2026: Glam-Folk Duo Playing the Friday Kickoff at Robin Hood Village

  8. Jul 19

    Shelton Art Walk 2026: Downtown Art Market, Live Music & Beer Garden — Saturday July 25

    The Shelton Art Walk returns to downtown Shelton on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from noon to 6 p.m., and KMAS gets the full preview from one of the participating artists. Presented by the Downtown Shelton Creative District, this year's walk centers on Cota Street with 40+ artists and makers at the Art Market and 13 downtown businesses hosting artist showcases — House Flowers, Marmo, Cota Street Antiques, the Mason County Historical Society Museum, Town Pub, Powers Music and more. There's live music, live art demonstrations (paper beads, acrylic, oil, mosaic and felting), a sculpture garden at 2nd and Cota, a beer garden, food, kids' activities, a community mural project, and a digital passport with QR codes for prizes. It's a free, all-day celebration of the growing arts scene in Shelton and Mason County — with artists coming in from as far as Olympia to take part. Follow the Downtown Shelton Creative District for the full map and lineup. #SheltonArtWalk #KMAS #Shelton #MasonCounty #HoodCanal #DowntownShelton #CotaStreet #ArtWalk #ArtMarket #PNWArt #LiveMusicPNW #BeerGarden #SculptureGarden #SupportLocalArtists #SheltonCreativeDistrict #WashingtonEvents #ThingsToDoWA #PNWEvents #SummerInShelton #FamilyFriendly

See All (267)

About

Long-form interviews and conversations from Mason County, Washington. Host Jeff Slakey sits down with local leaders, legislators, small business owners, and community voices for unhurried conversations about what's shaping the Hood Canal region — government, education, healthcare, the outdoors, and the people making a difference. New episodes drop throughout the week. For daily local headlines, subscribe to KMAS Morning News with Jeff Slakey.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeff Slakey
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    267
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 KMAS Radio
  • Show Website
    KMAS Radio