Blogs

In the past century, recorded music has thinned from cylinders to shellac 78s; vinyl LPs to cassette tapes; and now, from CDs to .mp3s. Like a print journalist dreads the death of the newspaper, I worry about what effect the disappearance of physical music may have on...

Just because you’re chatting on your radio show doesn’t mean you need to kill your momentum with dead air. Former WVAU DJ Zarek Chase gave us a few tips on using background music effectively. “Adding in backing music while you talk is a pretty easy...

One of our beloved veteran DJs, Ethan Meick, made a fantastic WVAU tribute mix on 8tracks. Check it out below, and stay tuned for plenty more 8tracks mixes on the website, made by featured DJs.

Pity the fate of disco. Though its influences can still be heard springing up in pop songs like Lady Gaga‰'s “Alejandro‰” and indie rock dance tunes from bands like !!! and Hot Chip, the name “disco‰” will always be associated with the worst of the seventies ‰ÛÒ ugly...

With the final day of the festival finally upon us, my friends and I did our best to savor the final shows. Smith Westerns kicked off the day with an enjoyable set that featured Dye It Blonde favorites “Weekend‰” and “All Die Young.‰” Singer Cullen Omori succinctly...

On Friday, after a long afternoon of waiting in ridiculous lines (for water, a charge for my phone, and Jack White‰'s Third Man Rolling Record store), I was ready to finally hear some music. Friday was the first day that Bonnaroo‰'s main stage, known as the What...

Cameron Meindl, one of our DJs, was lucky enough to attend this year’s Bonnaroo, and recaps four days of New Orleans funk, My Morning Jacket-fueled glowstick fights, Nathan Williams’ Aerosmith cover, and more unforgettable music. A first time festivalgoer,...

Adam Glickman and Kaitie O’Hare of Yikes on Mics! got to sit down with Mike Grubbs, the lead singer and pianist of the band Wakey!Wakey!. You can listen to their interview below! Mike Grubbs Interview by WVAUOnline If you want to learn more about Wakey!Wakey!,...

Running out of ideas for tunes to listen whilst studying for your countless exams and writing your endless papers? Please allow me to offer some guidance. Often I‰'ll be in the middle of jamming to my favorite song du jour, and I‰'ll unknowingly type the lyrics in my...

Former WVAU General Manager Lindsay Zoladz wrote a terrific piece in the Washington City Paper yesterday in defense of college radio stations. Of course, it's in WVAU's self-interest to support any article that supports us, especially one by a distinguished alum....

I already wrote about the brilliance of Merrill Garbus and her project tUnE-yArDs prior to her new release w h o k i l l, a masterfully constructed conglomeration of genres all anchored by Garbus‰'s powerful vocals and deft ukulele playing. On w h o k i l l, all of...

Anyone familiar with Dischord Records and DC music in general should know the name Q And Not U.åÊ They‰'re a band that existed during the late 90s and early 2000s, mixing punk rock with synthesizers and dance grooves.åÊ Recently, Chris Richards from Q And Not U spoke...

In a side alley next to the 9:30 Club WVAU DJs Dan Raby and Faith Masi met up with the members of the band Dom (Dom, Cosmo, Eric and Bobby K.) to chat before the band opened for The Go! Team. Dom shared their thoughts as well as their Old Grand-dad Whiskey. WVAU: So...

Two weeks ago in my last article I pondered why so many people seem to listen to bad music. I hypothesized that the reason behind the popularity of incredibly simple music was connected to people‰'s childhood. I deduced that some people did not grow up situated...

Daft Punk played at James Murphy‰'s house for the last time Saturday night, April 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. To the dismay of fans, Murphy, frontman of the indie-electro-dance-punk-etc. ensemble, announced Feb. 5 that LCD Soundsystem would play their...

Are they brothers? Yes. Are they both named Jeff? No. Is at least one named Jeff? Again, no, but besides their catchy yet confusing moniker, JEFF the Brotherhood is an up-and-coming name in indie music that you are sure to be hearing more of soon. They‰'ve played SXSW...

This article was supposed to be about the new Fleet Foxes album. But after listening to exclusively Helplessness Blues for two days or so, all I could think about was Paul Simon. Simon‰'s influence is palpable on Helplessness Blues, in its lyrics full of existential...

The occurrence is common enough. A person types in some band they heard about into Pandora, turn down the volume on their headphones, and now has some vague background noise as something else occupies their mind. Very often the music is very simple, docile music that...

The Joy Formidable played a fantastic show this past Friday, March 25, at the Black Cat, one of several stops on their North American tour after playing at SXSW in Austin. Rave reviews were given after their numerous SXSW 2011 shows, and their DC performance should...

Like to dance but can‰'t stand to listen to another second of Ke$ha? The Black Cat has solved your problem. The U Street club holds dance nights with themes including, but certainly not limited to: ‰80s, ‰90s, britpop, vintage hip hop, funky house, indie, electro and...

They‰'re part Motorhead; part psychedelic, ‰70s rock; and part indie-electro clash. They‰'ve opened for Nine Inch Nails on tour and collaborated with drone masters Sunn O))). Are you confused yet? Well, the band‰'s name is Boris, and they‰'re one of the coolest...

Find the nearest person to you. Ask them to clap their hands and set a tempo. Now, try to clap your hands on a different tempo. Go on, try. I‰'ll wait‰Û_. You probably couldn‰'t do it. It‰'s a nearly impossible feat. If you were able to, though, then you may possess...

At the heart of folk music lies the tradition of oral history. Folk singers express the hardships and sorrows common to every age ‰ÛÒ war, hunger, civil rights ‰ÛÒ through music crafted to be handed down to the next generation. Young musicians, ready to contribute to...

Anyone that has ever made a playlist or mixtape of 90s music probably put some Radiohead on it. I‰'m even willing to make a bet that the song included was either their classic, alternative anthem “Creep,‰” or possibly the equally quintessential track “Karma Police.‰”...

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the perfect band to check out as the seasons change from dreary, chilly and grey winter to cheery, sunny and bright spring: GIVERS. Hailing from Lafayette, Louisiana, this genuine band with only one self-titled, self-produced EP to...

Last week, I got to talk with the rap group Da Circle. The New York based duo, Fatz and Slim, have played in the background for a while, but have just released their debut album, 360 Deal. In connection with the Rebel Army collective, which includes Immortal Technique...

In the faraway land of Houston lives a man known to the world only as Jandek. Over a span of thirty-three years he has released sixty albums, but his identity remains a mystery. Once in a very great while, he emerges from his cave of obscurity to perform live and...

We‰'ve all seen those Blackberry commercials. The “Love What You Do‰” campaign consists of thirty-second spots blatantly calculated for the 18-to-34 crowd, featuring twenty-somethings doing unique young person activities with the help of their fancy new phones. Come...

Like so many other current Sam Beam admirers, I first discovered Iron & Wine through The Postal Service‰'s cover of “Such Great Heights.‰” Now, almost a decade after Beam‰'s first and only truly solo full-length album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, Iron & Wine...

Last Thursday, guests Flex Mathews and The Unknown came on D’N‘A to talk about their past, present and future in the hip hop world. The duo are rappers based in DC, dominating the local scene with their strong stage presence and complex lyrics. Flex...