WVAU.org

Ross the DJ

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:38:59 +0000

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WVAU Goes on Spring Break and Gets BUCK WILD

General Manager — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:52:15 +0000

Hopefully our virulent staff of DJs will take a long needed break from academics and the strenuous world of radio disc jockeying this upcoming week.

Whether they’re learning new lyrics to ELO songs (DJ Alex Rudolph), re-watching “Da Hip Hop Witch” (DJ Allie Porambo), or working on their golf swing (DJ Adam Birka White), our DJs will be living large all over the country.

We’ll return to air Monday March 15th fully refreshed and ready to pump out “das jams”.

Welcome to the Brand Spankin New Website!

General Manager — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:48:59 +0000

Without further ado, welcome to the website! We are extremely pleased that DJs and listeners alike can access this state of the art depository of fun and information. Built from the ground up by super-genius Ross Nover, the site boasts many gorgeous additions that the entire WVAU family can be proud of. Thanks for your patience, we hope you’ll agree that this was worth the wait.

- WVAU Exec Board

Recap of Open Mic Night

General Manager — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:33:00 +0000

For real though, I am sooo hoping that “Final Fridays” will catch on. Am I holding on to an ideal that simply won’t pan out? We’ll have to see as the semester goes on…

Anywho- this past Friday evening was a blessed and eclectic mix of performers who caused mixed emotions in the Batelle Atrium. The musical talent ranged from the one-man noise stylings of AU Administrator Keith Bryner to the soul crushing metal riffs of AU trio, Primal Void. On the lighter side, the ever popular Jordan Brown played two ditties, followed by friends Kendall Jackson, Kyoko Takenaka, and Dara Hirsch. Laurel Halsey was wonderful on the piano, and there was certainly no lack of Blink 182 covers (courtesy of DJ Bradley Barbour of “Gold Soundz”) (“I’m feelin’ It!”).

The highlight of the evening was almost certainly the rising star of the Open Mic scene, “Jesus and the Kennedys”. With the furious bass slappings of Mike Krohoboth and the insidious bangs to the drum by DJ Jeremy Pollock of “Family Friendly Fun-tivities”, JADK brought their A game. They’ve even upgraded with two additional members, one of which is DJ Chris Alires of “Mix and Mash”, who weaves his alien synthesizer seamlessly into the sonic canon of the bone-storming landscape. Truly a band to watch for!

Our next Open Mic will take place Friday, March 26th, 8-10 pm in the Batelle Atrium!

Joanna Newsom “Have One On Me” (Drag City)

General Manager — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:44:31 +0000

For an artist whose full-length releases have to now numbered just two, Joanna Newsom is an artist of improbable range. Any attempt to reconcile her 2004 debut, the sparse and whimsical Milk-Eyed Mender, with 2006’s Van Dyke Parks-orchestrated follow-up, Ys, would be an exercise in futility. They could just as well have come from different times, or different worlds, but they’re undeniably the work of a singular talent. With her latest outing, Have One On Me, clocking in at over two hours and featuring its equal measure of solo harp and piano, and ensembles of every size, one could picture this as a loose-fitting collection of B-sides, a best-of album, a retrospective of a career that started with her bedroom recordings, Walnut Whales (2002), and ended with Ys. But saying this album is a mixture of her two previous records feels almost too easy. It doesn’t so much find Newsom in between the temper that channeled MEM and Ys, as beyond it; it is undeniably a progression. But by comparison to this record Ys can feel leaden, a plea to hold your breath through to its end. Have One On Me, with its varied mood and careful pacing, allows the listener to breathe, to feel its distinct parts in motion instead of all at once. It can be claimed that Ys packs as many ideas, as much songwriting, almost undoubtedly as many notes as Have One On Me but at half the length. This, here, is the work of a matured Newsom, an artist who in the last four years has somewhere found the patience and the insight to let her boundless vision unfold at a manageable pace. As I heard a friend remark the other day, no matter your taste, it’s almost impossible to walk away from this record without thinking to yourself, “this girl is not kidding.”

RIYL: Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Björk, Marissa Nadler, Bat For Lashes, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Devendra Banhart, Bill Callahan

Recommended Tracks: 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.3, 3.6

- Guest Writer Rafik Salama

The Cult of Jason Anderson

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:58:39 +0000

Here’s the way nearly every concert you’ve ever been to has gone- It’s Great to Be Here, setlist, banter, encore, Goodnight. It’s a tried-and-true method, which is what makes it all the more shocking when Jason Anderson gets up to play. The first thing you notice is that there’s zero setup time- he doesn’t need a mic, a glass of water, a moment to compose himself. The second thing you notice is that he’s asked you and everyone else to form a giant circle around him. Not a crowd, not even a semi-circle watching him. Just a circle where everyone is really, really close to each other, because the places Jason Anderson plays usually aren’t very big.

Then he starts to sing. He never really does melody- his voice seems to fluctuate between a joyous uprising and a calm tone of concern. He doesn’t sing songs so much as pour out emotion over the everyday facts of life- leaving your hometown, flirting with a girl, losing someone to cancer. He doesn’t want to hyperbolize or filter any of it- better to let it roar out of his skinny Brooklyn-via-New Hampshire frame like a lion fleeing a game reserve for the Sahara. The emotions of his songs don’t hit because of some esoteric reference or clever turn of phrase- they get to you because they are absolutely, one hundred percent sincere, probably more honest then you’ve been with yourself.

The third thing you notice about a Jason Anderson concert is that you’re singing nearly as much as Jason Anderson. He’s smart enough enough to realize the universal nature of songs- they may about about things as specific as having a dream about Fugazi or July 4, 2004, but he brings a commonality out in all of them. He’s also humble enough to get what a universal song really is- one that can, and should, be sung by everyone. He’ll ask you, as one member of a sudden collective to another, to take over a harmony or a verse. It’s hard to say no, simply because it sounds like so much fun. Before you know it, the entire room is singing melodies while Jason simply plays guitar to back you all up.

In fact, calling Jason Anderson a singer seems oddly inappropriate. A singer sings songs at you, telling you the lyrics and giving you the story. To better describe Anderson, you’ve got to reach for a word whose coldness belies what he really is- facilitator. He facilitates an experience so fragile, so communal, so beautiful, that it can only really exist for one night at a time. There’s an immediacy to a Jason Anderson concert, a feeling that you won’t experience a night like this again for a long time, or at least until he comes into town again. He does his best to transmit this feeling of unity, this feeling of joyous living, like a disciple speaking to the hungry. And the crazy thing is that he’s able to do it, all through voice and guitar. Jason Anderson concerts don’t last forever, but life feels a lot happier when you’re there.
-David Grossman

Gil Scott Heron “I’m New Here” (XL Records)

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 23:53:41 +0000

The legendary political rap pioneer from the 1970s and 80s is back with his first album in 16 years. You may recognize his glorious voice from hits like “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” or features on underground hip hop records of the post-2000s, such as Blackalicious’ Blazing Arrow. But one too many crack-cocaine sentences can take a toll on a man. So along came the head of XL, Richard Russell, wanting to resurrect the career of one of music’s lost giants. And resurrect a career he did. This record is short, just under 30 minutes in length, but not a minute is wasted. The short poetic talking interludes were chosen for a reason and are not filler as is too common on hip hop records these days. And have we talked about how amazing the production is? Although the familiar lush jazz funk backdrops from Gil’s classics of the 70s are not on here, Mr. Russell has brought the legend into the ’10s with a blast of fresh air. I’m New Here is a stripped-down affair filled with rumbling bass drums, hand claps, electronic fuzz and blips, and even some simple acoustic guitar. Despite these incredible soundscapes, the real icing on the cake is Gil’s voice, reverberating with that urgency heard on his early records. The legend is back and hopefully here to stay for a long time to come!

RIYL: Langston Hughes, Dr. Cornell West, Bill Withers

Recommended: 10, 2, 3, 6, 13

- Ethan Meick, Digital Ass MD