Team

Nate is the guy at concerts that you never want to stand behind. He’s tall. He’s VERY tall. Starting out as an intern in the production department circa 2009, Nate has quickly become the go to guy for nearly everything. Can’t figure out a computer problem? Call Nate. Need help running the board? Call Nate. New to operating the studio equipment? Call Nate. Theory is that since he’s an Eagle Scout, he can and will accomplish anything. Nate has a deep love for alternative music and is also a metalhead, which means there basically isn’t a concert he wouldn’t go to and he has an opinion on any band you can throw at him. Nate is one half of Radio Nowhere (Saturdays, 6pm - midnight), which highlights his quick wit and his creative humor. Literally him and Adam are basically the Batman and Robin of comedy. Nate keeps things light and chill both on and off the air, making him one of the easiest people to get along with. When Nate isn’t mercilessly mocking Adam, you can hear him listening to Oasis, Pearl Jam, The Foo Fighters, and Soundgarden. When Nate isn’t mercilessly mocking Adam, you can hear him listening to Oasis, Pearl Jam, The Foo Fighters, and Soundgarden.

Adam has all the qualities of being a cool dad without being a dad: loves cats, awesome beard, and probably knows more music from the 1950s-1970s than your actual dad. Little toddler Adam used to spend his days playing DJ with his parents’ records and it ultimately landed him an internship with The Alternative Station in 2009. After only being at the station for a year, Adam left to go “be a real adult”. After eight long years of adulting, Adam has come back to us to live the rock n roll dream. Outside of the studio, Adam is a devout Cleveland baseball fan and a social justice advocate. Being quite the social butterfly, Adam ends up being a ray of sunshine in the room. However all of his money goes to purchasing LPs and CDs; adding to his collection of 3,100+ pieces of physical media. Adam is the other half of Radio Nowhere (Saturdays, 6pm - midnight) and frequently the butt of Nate’s jokes. Thankfully instead of being bitter, he counters Nate’s remarks with equally snarky jokes. When tuning into Adam on weekends, you can expect to learn more about any song he plays. From album information to weird fun facts, Adam has got you covered. Basically, listening to him weekly helps you crush your friends in trivia. You’re welcome. Surrounded by his four cats and sipping whiskey, Adam likes to listen to The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, Prince, and the Talking Heads.

It’s pretty safe to say that Brian Phillips’ voice may be the only thing placating your morning road rage. This half Canadian found himself working in Seattle radio during the peak of their music scene. Then the station got sold...and changed format...to a country station. After weighing his options and deciding that he could not pull off cowboy boots, Brian headed for the Midwest in 1994. Oddly enough, he still found that many of those around him were wearing cowboy boots. Amongst other Midwestern discoveries like everyone saying “ope” and worshipping Ranch dressing, he quickly found what he called “one of the few remaining great beacons of radio”: CD102.5. Every morning Brian comes in with coffee in hand so you can hear artist interviews, trending topics, and new music discoveries all while you’re stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. After 20+ years in Columbus, he has become part of the Alternative Station’s foundation and the Columbus Crew’s number one fan. When his dog, Penny, isn’t chewing through the studio cables, Brian likes to play tunes from The Replacements, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Nirvana.

After drifting through college for several years not really knowing what she wanted to do, Laura Lee interned at a radio station in NYC and unintentionally stumbled into her career in broadcasting. 20 years and 8 states later, Laura finds herself calling Columbus, home. As a diehard hockey fan, you’ll always find her at a Columbus Blue Jackets game. Laura’s hobbies include nature photography, gardening, collecting 90’s Marvel trading cards and playing MMORPG’s.

“I’m just trying to be as punk rock as Tom Butler.” - Grayson Kelly, 2019 Grayson may never be as punk rock as Tom Butler, but at least he works at CD102.5 with Tom Butler. A CD102.5 listener since his childhood in Granville, Grayson was inspired by his favorite DJs to pursue his love of radio at Ohio State. He quickly started running the online college radio station, AROUSE OSU, and caught the ears of CD102.5. Grayson’s dream came true in late 2018 when he came on as a weekend DJ. Since, Brian Phillips has dubbed him “the most handsome man in radio”, but as he’ll tell you is the most important accolade, Tom calls him “buddy”. His passion may be sharing music with you on the radio, but Grayson’s life extends to other fields. Among other hobbies, he loves the Blue Jackets, professional cycling, trivia, and virtual air traffic control. When not listening to CD102.5, Grayson can usually be found jamming to Parquet Courts, The Worn Flints, Jack White, Zoo Trippin’, or the late great Charles Bradley.

Tom Butler is grumpy. That’s about it. However, if you can make him laugh, he suddenly becomes this jovial, animated skater dude who will talk your ear off about an underground band you have never heard of. Under the mentorship of the legendary Andyman, Tom quickly moved up from intern to overnight host and is now our favorite evening DJ. Known around Columbus as the local music guru, Tom keeps the CD102.5 airwaves fresh with talent grown right here in the Capital City. His love for local music came from jamming in bands for over thirty years. Amongst his many musical talents, Tom also has the ability to subsist on nothing but pizza and Pepsi (which is pretty amazing, honestly). Tom also regularly tears up the streets of Columbus on his skateboard. So if you are walking outside The Big Room Bar see a bearded man dressed in all black looking angry and riding a skateboard...yep...that’s Tom Butler. When not watching “cat TV”, Tom enjoys loudly playing My Bloody Valentine, New Order, Joy Division, and the Black Keys at obscure hours of the night.