The nexus of AU’s music-minded community is located on the second floor of Mary Graydon Center, in a small studio wallpapered with posters. MGC 256 is the home of WVAU, AU’s student-run radio station.
Last year, over 70 student DJs broadcast shows live on wvau.org. WVAU hosts university-wide open mic nights, brings bands to campus for the Capitol Punishment concert series and gives music-loving students the opportunity to share their passion for music in the tradition of college radio. Here are a few DJs you should look out for.
Who: Tyler Osbourne What: ToZ’s Edge Radio When: Thursday 12-2 a.m.
DJ Tyler Osbourne helms “ToZ’s Edge Radio,” a show that he promises to be WVAU’s loudest. Osbourne’s favorite genres are punk, pop-punk and hardcore, and his show features artist interviews and live, in-studio sessions.
“Punk music is about expressing yourself the way you feel like is best and not being afraid of how others will perceive you,” he said.
Osbourne credits WVAU’s success to its open-minded nature.
“WVAU primarily has a lot of an indie music following, but how accepting they have been with my punk show has been great,” he said.
When he’s not holing out in the studio this fall, Osbourne will be attending the Polar Bear Club, Fireworks, Balance and Composure, Make Do and Mend and Wilco shows, though he pledges allegiance to his home city’s concert scene.
“Philly shows are second to none,” he said.
But DJ Osbourne shows a little love to D.C., listing Kay Basement as his favorite place to see shows.
Who: Carrie Walters and Ryan Gaffney What: Batwing Hoodies When: Sunday 10-12 p.m.
The twin arts of choosing the perfect radio show name and co-host aren’t easy, and pulling off on-air humor is even harder. But DJs Carrie Walters and Ryan Gaffney succeed on all counts with “Batwing Hoodies,” a show that Gaffney describes as full of “witty banter, hyena laughter, occasional threats of violence and good music.”
“Batwing Hoodies” features indie rock of the likes of Beck and Cut Copy, and while DJ Walters prefers to play more folk and shoegaze, Gaffney defends his love of mashups.
“Someone says ‘Hey, TV on the Radio and Rihanna sound really great together’ and you want to punch them in the face, but then you listen to the ‘Wolf Like Me’/‘Umbrella’ mash-up and you start to question everything you’ve ever known to be true,” Gaffney said.
They both cite WVAU’s music-centric community as their favorite thing about the station.
“Batwing Hoodies” is a show that features an eclectic mix of music and two DJs who don’t take themselves too seriously.
“While we crack a lot of hipster jokes and our show is named after something you buy at American Apparel, we’re not elitists,” Walter said. “We play Britney Spears a lot and some classics from our high school emo years.”
Who: Kevin Kunitake What: Spaghetti Flows When: Monday 8-10 p.m.
WVAU music director Kevin Kunitake isn’t just a casual rap listener, evident to anyone who read his AmLit article last spring — an examination of hip-hop as a means to bridge gaps in education and strengthen communities. His radio show “Spaghetti Flows” shows the same dedication to hip-hop as his writing.
“I really like hip-hop because there are so many options,” Kunitake explained. “Within the genre there is soul, funk, jazz, old school, g-funk, gangsta rap … honestly, it's overwhelming … A lot of people listen to the radio to hear what's current, but I'm usually playing older hits, so it could be refreshing. I like it better this way, it sets my show apart.”
“Spaghetti Flows” regularly features Clipse, Teebs and J Dilla, mixed in with jazz, soul and electronic. Kunitake’s favorite 2011 release so far is Frank Ocean’s “Nostalgia: Ultra” tape, and you can catch him in the crowds of RJD2 and James Blake this fall, along with D.C.’s inaugural Loop Festival.
Who: Emily Lagg What: Bedtime Stories When: Friday 12-2 a.m.
DJ Emily Lagg is one of the few WVAU devotees of D.C.’s legendary punk scene. Her show “Bedtime Stories” features what Lagg describes as “mostly ’70s and ’80s punk in all its weird genres and incarnations” and pays due tribute to D.C.’s greatest musical legacy.
“I like to shine a spotlight on some of D.C.'s punk roots — it was a movement that came so organically from a group of kids whose only real resource was their enthusiasm,” Lagg said. “I think stumbling onto Bad Brains and Dischord is something like a rite of passage for a lot of kids in D.C. too.”
Lagg plays a mix of post-punk and hardcore, genres that she describes as antidotes for “a current music scene that can sometimes feel almost treacle-y twee.” Bedtime Stories isn’t just named for its late hour — each show is centered on a true story about the bands Lagg plays, “things like Black Flag stealing burritos from children for sustenance, or Jello Biafra running for mayor of San Francisco or Nick Cave crashing a party at the Australian Embassy in a glittery Elvis leisure suit,” she explained.
Lagg serves as WVAU’s Program Director, and names the enthusiasm and dedication of the station’s DJs as its greatest strength.
