Personalities

Charles Parker host of 97 Underground's brand new show " Rock School " featuring the Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal around the world . With over 100,000 listeners the station has been on the air since 1982 . Based in Baltimore Md, home of the legendary Hammerjack's which was the biggest East Coast Nightclub throughout the 80's & 90's. And not only do I have my own radio show, also a Nashville recording artist with songs in the Country Breakout Chart...I currently have my own music charting on the Nashville Country charts. With current single "Love is us" sitting at #74 on the Country Breakout Chart and the video for the song in rotation on The Heartland Network (National Television) to over 60 million viewers. Awaiting adds on CMT & TCN in January 2020 and over half a million streams on Spotify Info at charlesparkermusic.com

But wait there's more! CP is also one of the top Paul Stanley impersonator's in the USA. Founding member of the Baltimore based Kiss Tribute "Cold Gin" Constantly touring the Mid Atlantic region .  Info at coldgin.com

Frank Sidor What can I say? Metal has always been in my blood. I started at twelve years old listening to my brother's music and him playing guitar. I think my first album was Anvil Hard n Heavy. Then UFO. Man you name it. That's when I started trying to play guitar, drums, and singing. I lived in Baltimore City at the time then in 1978, moved to Dundalk Maryland. In 1981 I went to middle school then to Dundalk High. I was in The Phantom's class but he didn't remember any of it. LOL. But what can I say? Metal is and always will be in my blood and now I am on 97 underground with the hard drive home. Keep your pedal to the metal.

G-Man  G-Man developed a great love of music and radio when he was about 5 or 6 years old. He started collecting 45 RPM singles and sitting in his room introducing those records while speaking into a hairbrush imitating the great voices of Baltimore radio like Johnny Dark and all the other "boss jocks" on WCAO.

He started his radio career in high school when he and his friend got permission to set up the broom closet outside of the school cafeteria as a small radio studio. They had 2 turntables and a microphone (hmmm, sounds like a great line for a song). After spending time at several local college radio stations in town, he decided to make a go of it professionally and ended up at the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland, where he met and attended classes with Karen the Metal Mistress and they have been friends ever since. It is great to finally be working along side a life long friend.

He eventually worked at several stations doing different formats until he created his own DJ business and worked in different clubs between Baltimore and Ocean City for many years. Gaining the opportunity to advance in the music field, he snagged a gig at EMI doing marketing in the Mid-Atlantic region in the late 80s, rubbing elbows with the likes of Queensryche, Vixen, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more great bands in the Capital/EMI family.

Hairball John Voted “2018 Best Regularly Scheduled Weekend Personality” by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, The Hairball John Radio Show is a one-hour weekly show that pays homage to 80’s Hair Metal from a fan’s perspective. Each week “The Past Is Back To Kick Your Ass” as host Hairball John and co-host Chris create the perfect blend of 80’s Hair Metal music, current news, and artist interviews as well as humorous banter regarding anything and everything pertaining to the Decade of Decadence.

Coming of age in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 80’s Hair Metal explosion, Hairball John brings endless experiences and memories as well as 19 years of broadcasting experience. He has established a very devoted following as well as strong relationships with both artists and record labels. To date he has conducted on-air interviews with over 400 artists including Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue/Sixx Sense Radio Show), David Coverdale (Whitesnake), and Dee Snider (Twisted Sister/House Of Hair).

Heavy Metal Han  I grew up in a Baltimore County neighborhood. Also, lived in Italy for a small portion of my childhood. Started working for bands as a teenager. In the early 1985, moved to Long Island NY with a band and then came back to Baltimore and started working in bars as a barback. Hammerjacks was the third bar I worked in and I was getting paid to see some of my favorite bands ever. I learned a bit about our DJ booth so we could have proper jams as we set up our bars. I would get pulled off the floor to DJ for a bit when one of our guys was running late. When the club got the idea to hold all ages metal shows on Sunday’s, I immediately put a bid in to do it, stating that I was the only one who had the necessary vinyl (my collection was extensive) to do it. I got that gig and also started a Metal Militia group for people to get t-shirts and priority ticket access to future shows.

From there, around 1988 I was able to get on the brand new station, 97 Underground as a DJ! My following quickly grew and I brought a friend on with me for a 4 hour show on Sunday’s, that I called the Twilight Zone! With our shenanigans, we became what I used to call, the outlaws of the Underground! Haha we kinda broke a few rules here and there but my show became #1 according to the Arbitron/Nielsen Ratings! It was a crazy little show on Sunday nights from 8pm-12am but we had the most fun and gained quite a bit of popularity despite the small circumference of faithful listeners that our tower could reach. 

Karen the Metal Mistress     Known to generations of dedicated Hard Rock listeners as “The Metal Mistress”, Karen spent her early years listening to rock radio and “Rocking Out” at local Baltimore clubs like Seagull Inn, Hammerjacks, The Rage, and Ocean City’s Back of the Rack. Karen graduated from The Broadcasting Institute of Maryland with a major in Radio Broadcasting. 

“My love for rock music put me on the path to pursue work in the music industry. I learned early on that playing an instrument wasn’t an option for me, so why not promote musicians and their music by working in radio?” 

For Karen, that realization became a dream job that played out for 18 years.  As The Metal Mistress in the making, Karen spent her formative years on the airwaves of Maryland’s Eastern Shore of Virginia & Delaware. She worked on-air until the mid-80s for Ocean City’s staple, 96 ROCK! Returning home she propelled her career by becoming the first female DJ at the legendary Hammerjacks from ’85-‘87. Adding her ear for great music to a budding Baltimore hotspot, this would soon become the world’s Hard Rock /Metal Shrine for new bands. 

“Working there was the highlight of my week!  While the crowd partied to the Metal Rock songs blaring every night from the DJ booth or by the bands on stage, we partied while we worked, and had the freedom to hangout backstage during concerts!” 

Michael Spedden is a musician, actor, and podcaster who has been performing for the better part of 40 years. He started out playing in bands and was part of the Mid Atlantic music scene back in the 80s and 90s, the most well-known band he was in was Orangeseed Parade, (which had been interviewed and had their material played on 97 Underground). In recent years he has primarily been an actor; he has appeared in theater, commercials, television, and movies. His theater credits include The Duke of Venice in Othello, The Captain in Twelfth Night, Donato in Tis Pity…; television credits include Dale on “Gotham” and various roles on ID Discovery Network such as “Murder Under the Friday Night Lights” and “Dead Reckoning”, movie credits include The Bartender in “Kimmy vs The Reverend- The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Movie” and as radio DJ Kevin Loberman in “Lachrymose Primrose”. One of the credits he is best known for is playing the Viking in the JG Wentworth 877-Cash-Now Bus Opera commercials. He also owns a Murder Mystery company called the Fowl Players of Perryville and is the host of the arts and entertainment podcast, Fowl Players Radio.

The Phantom  What is a Phantom? Most authorities say that it’s an image that appears only in the mind…an "illusion". You can be assured, however, that The Phantom is very real and has had a long radio career. First introduced to the Baltimore audience in the mid 60's on radio station WCAO the biggest AM Top 40 station in town, The Phantom's shadowy figure has bounced around to other stations only to finally come to rest at 97 Underground.com.

Better heard than seen, The Phantom brings you the finest in pure rock with his own twists on new artists each week. Log on and crank it up! Tune in to "The Phantom's Lair" Wednesday at 2 pm and Friday at 4 pm (Eastern Time) only on 97 Underground.com, Baltimore's Pure Rock.

Rachel Logan   Her love and passion for rock music, specifically hair metal and melodic rock, are what brings her show, “Rachel’s Rock Refuge” to 97 Underground.com.

A professional air talent for over 14 years, Logan has worked on-air in Atlanta, GA, with stints in Tallahassee, FL. and, most recently, in her home state of Maryland where she spent over 2 years on local Baltimore radio. Having talked to radio audiences and played the hits in multiple genres from classic rock to country, she has entertained listeners quite effectively with her style, personality, wit, and creativity.

Created, produced and hosted by Logan, “Rachel’s Rock Refuge” features the finest in melodic rock, hair metal and album-oriented rock from around the globe and when you tune in you can expect stories, humor, artist info and killer interviews! Growing up in Maryland, she remembers 97 Underground-FM in the ‘80s. It thrilled her to hear The Underground play harder-edged rock that was not played on other stations. "It's a great feeling to be part of Maryland's rock history on the station that broke all the rules!"

97 Underground.com is happy and proud to bring this 2-hour rock sensation directly to our loyal and enthusiastic rock audience. “Rachel’s Rock Refuge” airs twice weekly, Tuesdays at 2 pm and Thursdays at 4 pm (Eastern Time).