Jason Kramer

Host of 'The Lab'

Jason Kramer is no stranger to a bit of danger, late nights and high stress jobs. The Lab (Sundays, 3-6am) host is a former ambulance medic (he was on the streets during the LA riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake!) and worked for the LA County Coroner’s office.

“That’s probably why I can do the late night stuff – I’m used to staying up for 24 hours straight, no problem,” said Jason.

But really, nothing excites him more than good music. Jason started off as a KCRW volunteer and has been on air for nearly a decade. Jason takes the reins of The Lab at least once a month for a unique musical adventure.

“I don’t ever pre-plan my show – I’ll bring in maybe 100-200 CDs and use whatever is in the library. As the show is going on, songs pop in my head and I just grab them.”

His career in music goes a little further back, starting off with a stint working for SoCal favorites Sublime and their label Skunk Records. He also has worked with the manager for the band Weapon of Choice, and started off in radio as a call screener at KLOS in the early 90’s. In 1994, he moved on to Fox Sports TV as their full-time music coordinator and continues to work in music supervision under his company name Liquid Courage music. Presently, he is the creative music supervisor for Groove Addicts, a music agency in Los Angeles, and has worked on projects for Microsoft and Direct TV, among others.

Jason, whose music collection started when he was given copies of Magical Mystery Tour and Exodus at age eight, is also sharing his music knowledge with local high school students. He is a mentor for the Hamilton High Music Academy in a program through Fox Music and the Grammy Foundation, helping students learn more about the many roads that lead to a life in music. Luckily, Jason found the road to KCRW!