Host: Nightlight w/ DJ Stellar Luna (Every other Friday, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. PST)
Instagram: @amycoche
Tell me about the role that music plays in your life and why it’s important to you.
My parents had a love of music that they passed on to me in many ways. I remember falling asleep to Enya’s Shepherd Moons as a toddler, listening to The Cranberries and The Judds on cassette in my mom’s truck, and Erasure and Tears for Fears in dad’s car. I remember how deeply sad my dad was the day Frank Sinatra died. I also had an early love of radio DJs–I wanted so badly to be a cool radio DJ like Minnie Driver in the film Grosse Pointe Blank. While I don’t play any instruments or make any music myself, it’s something I enjoy and greatly enjoy sharing with others. I can’t fully explain it–it moves me very deeply, it’s something that I’ve always felt an incredible connection to, and it’s a way I connect to others.
How did you discover Freeform Portland and why did you decide to volunteer with us?
I was working at Laurelhurst Theater in 2015, and a friend of my coworker came in and was talking to us about this station they were trying to start with a group of friends. I loved the idea of local, independent radio and had a lot of free time, so I threw myself into helping out. I started fundraising for Freeform Portland in 2015, mostly by helping to coordinate live shows, the highlight of which was probably a Screaming Females show at Foggy Notion (RIP) on N Lombard St. I began my show when the station launched in April 2016. I took a break from 2020-2024, and began hosting a show again in January 2025.
Tell me about your show.
Nightlight is meant to be exactly that: a little light in the darkness. It’s always a bit melancholy but never despairing. It’s a little whimsical, a little dreamy, and a little spooky. I often end up leaning towards post-punk, 80s music, synth pop, indie, neo-psych, and often play music from the UK, France, north Africa, south Asia and Latin America.
Finish this sentence: “Freeform Portland is…”
At first, my answer would have been that Freeform Portland is community. It came into my life at the perfect moment and I found such a strong community through it. However, lately another thing comes to mind: Freeform Portland is human. In the face of AI and algorithms and constantly curated content, it’s so completely human. It’s so weird, esoteric and analog–AI could never!
Three songs you’re digging right now?
Can you share a favorite musical memory?
I was 15 years-old at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO with my family and my best friend from high school. One night we went and laid down in the middle of the basketball court and listened to the song Dare You to Move by Switchfoot (lol), sharing a set of headphones, each of us with one ear. We looked up at a bajillion stars and just…had a moment. Even though that song is not one I necessarily love anymore, the words and music created the perfect moment with such a feeling that solidified our friendship for life.
Some favorite live music memories are seeing the band W.H.Lung at Barboza in Seattle with about twelve other people, and seeing LCD Soundsystem at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, and crying so hard during ”Oh Baby” that I thought I was going to throw up.
Tell me about some musical artists that inspire you.
This is such a tough question, but honestly one that comes to mind right now is Chappell Roan. She’s just full send: great voice, awesome artistic vision, and her songs are so fun. I’d love to see her live…
Kristin Michael Hayter is another. I saw her perform live as Lingua Ignota, and it was perhaps the most raw performance I’ve ever seen. It was brutal, but beautiful–she puts her whole self into her performances. She also continues to evolve and make music in such new and innovative ways.
If you could create your own personal concert, including artists who have passed, who would be some of the headliners and why?
Oh man, there are so many, but one that comes to mind immediately: The Knife did an audiovisual tour of their album Silent Shout back around 2008 or so, and I’d give anything to go back in time and experience that in person.I also am obsessed with the French production company Cercle. They do really intimate concerts in amazing locations, and I’d give anything to have been at either of these two shows: One, two.
Why is Freeform Portland, community radio important to you? To your community?
Local, low power, independent, freeform radio gives a voice to members of your immediate community in a way that is truly unlike anything else. It’s relatively unfiltered, hyper-local, and there’s a fairly low barrier to entry. Again, it’s escaping the algorithm. There is a unique human element to it, a true randomness. You may find something you never would have otherwise! Hell, dj zen_hound got me on a bagpipe kick this year. Definitely did see that one coming…
What is a genre/artist/record that some might be surprised to find in your collection?
Some people may be surprised to learn that, for better or worse, I really enjoy Taylor Swift, so much so that I flew to Vienna to see the Eras Tour in 2024.
Given everything happening in the world today, what’s one song you turn to for comfort or inspiration?
I haven’t listened to this one as much lately, but in 2025 at some point I was listening to Mr. B’s show Stranger Than Fiction and he played the song Revolution by Heartless Bastards. I hadn’t heard it before, and it was just so perfect in that moment. I remember that at the time it was exactly what I needed to hear.
Tips for aspiring DJs?
This is the place to do it, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Be yourself, play whatever you want, don’t be embarrassed. Someone out there is going to LOVE what you are doing.
