“Not taking things too seriously” Alex Shen of Lower Grand Radio

Alex Shen is the founder and station manager of Lower Grand Radio, the Oakland-based online station he launched from a garage studio in 2014. Since then, he has grown LGR into a community-driven platform featuring diverse programming and collaborations with local artists, touring musicians, and the Oakland Public Library. Alongside running the station, Shen is a touring musician who has released several full-length albums and performed across the U.S. and internationally.

This is the latest episode of The Constellation, a new White Crate docu-series rooted in the idea that the Bay Area music scene is its own galaxy—vast, active, and sometimes hard to navigate. We’re interviewing the stars that form this constellation, giving shape, direction, and context to everything that’s happening. Over the next year, we’ll highlight twelve individuals whose work behind the scenes guides the music community and makes it easier to understand how this scene really functions.