NATE

1996 was the first time Nate did radio, for a college station in San Luis Obispo, California. “Started out on the graveyard shift, 1-4am,” he said in a recent interview from his Wailua home. “Very indie rock, what they used to call ‘little a’ alternative. I think I once got talked to about playing David Bowie,” he said. “But it was new to me.”

Nate hosted big band jazz, shoegazer rock, and spoken word programs during his time at KCPR, a genre mishmash he says reflects his current playlist philosophy. “In the 90s, rock was still on the radio, but it was pretty segmented. Alternative was mutually exclusive with anything pop. But you gotta mix the subversive with the versive. It’s Nirvana AND Led Zeppelin.”

In the aughts, Nate tried his hand at the New York City radio game. “My roommates in Washington Heights had a pirate station set-up in the living room. The show was a success, but there was simply no way to calculate the numbers.”

Fall 2010: Nate begins his decades-spanning stint for KKCR, Kauai Community Radio. “Over the years, I’ve worked with King Zor, Grateful Phreddy, Sterling–really a lot of the big ones,” he said. “Also Stevee Dee.” His show Late to the Party has attracted almost double the listenership than NYC.

Nate has also taught (“Mr. Pontious”) at Kauai High since 2013. He produces the English Learner student-run radio station, KRAD, which streams at: krad.airtime.pro

With more than 20 years of radio experience, Nate is over the moon to join the SHAKA team. “This place actually taught me a lot about classic rock. Oh yeah!”

You can find Nate on Bluesky at: @nate-pontious.bsky.social