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WVAU Loves…GIVERS

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...

Interview with Da Circle

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...

WVAU Loves…Jandek

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...

WVAU Loves…tUnE-yArDs

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...

Sam Beam and His Burly Beard Are Back

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...

Flex Mathews & The Unknown on D’N’A

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...

Pharoah Sanders and the Circle of Life

In the early 1960‰'s jazz scene, freedom reigned, and it was good. The birthing pains of the free jazz movement had ceased, leaving a rich placenta for musicians to feast upon. Emerging from this feast with bloodstained lips of magic came a young tenor saxophonist...

An Open Letter To James Murphy

I have never met you, James Murphy. And I won‰'t ever be lucky enough to cross paths with you. I‰'m not reviewing or analyzing or criticizing anything in this ‰ÛÒ I‰'m just sharing. Since you‰'re not ever going to read this piece (THAT would be embarrassing), let this...

Grinderman grinds it up at The 9:30 Club

Grinderman, Nick Cave‰'s relatively new collaboration with three of his Bad Seeds bandmates, played their noisy blues at the 9:30 Club last Tuesday. The band was born when Cave decided to write music on a guitar rather than his preferred piano. He discovered that he...

WVAU Loves‰ Brian Eno‰’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports

I‰'ll begin with a brief warning. You will probably not have fun listening to Brian Eno‰'s Ambient 1: Music for Airports. This is not dancing music. This is not driving-down-the-highway music. This is not makeover montage music. Some people wouldn‰'t even consider the...