Music

Album Cover for Ranil's "Galaxia Tropical"

Along the Northern part of the Amazon River, past the Brasilian-Peruvian border, there is a small city accessible only by aircraft, boat, or boot. It was here in Iquitos, Peru, a city surrounded on all sides by lush Amazon rainforest, that a new selvatic style of cumbia was born in the early 1970s. Characterized by delightfully treble-heavy guitar melodies, galloping percussion, and lots of wah-wah pedal, this style of music – called “llullampeo,” or more commonly, “chicha” – blends classic cumbia with indigenous Andean musical elements, and a generous dose of psychedelica.

One of chicha’s most important musicians is Ranil, born Jorge Raúl Llerena Vásquez in 1935 in the city of Iquitos, Peru. Ranil grew up listening to criollo waltzes, Colombian cumbias, Brasilian carimbó, and anything else that could be picked up on the crackly signal of transistor radio. As a young adult, he worked as a…

Photo via Vice

Are you looking for the ultimate romantic gesture this Valentine’s Day? Flowers and chocolates not cutting it? Not enough time to organize a flash mob? Well, look no further! What says romance like testing your musical compatibility?

Spotify’s Blend feature hit the app in 2021 and quickly gained a reputation as the ultimate first move. Blend is a playlist compiled of songs, artists, and genres that two users have in common. A brief introduction to the playlist shows users’ compatibility score and their top song in common. Since its debut five years ago, Blend has become a prelude to romance for lovers everywhere.

As popular as the feature has become, it has been met with mixed reviews from users who say the compatibility algorithm could be more accurate.…

Photo via AwardsWatch

Making playlists: What’s your love language? 

“How can I show my love?” A question bouncing from heart to heart in any new relationship. Quality time, physical touch, affirmation, gift giving – all possible solutions, but nothing says “I love you” quite like effort.

People have been using music to show how they feel for years. Music puts exactly what you’re feeling into words. I mean, that’s why almost every song is about love… right?

We make playlists for everything now, from road trips to chasing feelings. More than background noise, music often becomes a bridge between people. We make playlists for people that we love: a song that reminds us of them, a track tied to a shared memory, a lyric that finally says what we can’t…

Photo by Georgia Mae

Mercury Girl is one of your late night DJ’s for KWVA Radio, her show, “Rock Bottom,” streams every Wednesday from midnight-2 a.m. Her taste in music falls under an Indie/Surf Rock vibe, heavily influenced by her upbringing in San Diego. 

Born in San Diego, she and her younger brother practically inhaled the surf rock music scene. California bands like The Buttertones, Mexican Slum Rats, and Chicano Batman became important pillars in her life. 

Q: “Do you think you were born in the wrong generation of music?”

Mercury Girl: “If you were to ask me that in high school I would…

1. BAD BUNNY 
Album: DeBí TIRAR MáS FOTOS
Label: Rimas

2. OLIVIA DEAN
Album: The Art Of Loving
Label: Capitol/UMG

3. DURAND JONES AND THE INDICATIONS
Album: Flowers
Label: Dead Oceans

4. MAGDALENA BAY
Album: "Human Happens" b/w "Paint Me A Picture" [Single]
Label: Mom+Pop

5. JOSEPH SCHERTZ
Album: "Weird Heart (feat. Delilah Steenberg)" [Single]
Self-Released

6. FKA TWIGS
Album: EUSEXUA Afterglow
Label: Young/Atlantic

7. ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
Album: Tranquilizer
Label: Warp

8. PINKPANTHERESS
Album:…

Photo by Niko Paroissien-Arce

Rugburn, an alternative metal band from Eugene, Ore., performed for the KWVA Sunday live session on December 7, 2025. This performance marked the band’s first time on air, but followed several house show appearances, and closely succeeded their appearance at Ghost Town Outfitters on November 21, 2025, alongside lo.quality, Toothache, and Early Morning Ramblers. The physical crowd consisted of a handful of KWVA community members for whom the band showcased several of their original, unreleased songs, along with covers from artists like Alice in Chains and Radiohead. The size of the radio listenership was impossible to gauge, but the flashing green light in the studios – indicating a listener was calling into the station – remained persistently visible from where we were sat. People wanted to talk to Rugburn! Luckily, after the treat of a show, I was able to sit down and chat with all four members of the band about their inner…

Photo via Genius

You might recognize actress and model Diana Silvers from her work in projects like “Booksmart,” “Ma,” or most recently “The Abandons” on Netflix. But now, Silvers is paving a path for herself in the folk music scene, appearing as a pop-up artist at the Newport Folk Festival last summer, and covering Joni Mitchell’s “California.” In November 2025, Silvers released her own 11-track studio album, “From Another Room,” which she detailed the creative process for in a recent press conference hosted by Universal Music Group.

Coming off of shooting the first season of “The Abandons,” and being surrounded by the commotion of Hollywood, Silvers said having time to herself was what pushed her into the studio. “I just saw this quote that André 3000 said when he was accepting [being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame], he was just saying that so many…

1. SARA DEVOE 
Album: Come Away, O Human Child!
Self-Released

2. A$AP ROCKY
Album: Don't Be Dumb
Self-Released

3. ARIMA EDERRA
Album: Heard What You Said
Album: SME

4. NIGHT TAPES
Album: portals//polarities
Label: Nettwerk

5. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Album: "Streets of Minneapolis" [Single]
Label: Columbia

6. FKA TWIGS
Album: EUSEXUA Afterglow
Label: Young/Atlantic

7. JILL SCOTT
Album: "Pressha" [Single]
Label: BIues Babe

8. PATCHWORK INC
Album: Chicago Patchwork [EP]
Label: EMPIRE

Photo from The Book of Mormon Original Broadway Cast Recording

From the creators of “Southpark,” Trey Parker and Matt Stone, comes the Tony-winning musical “The Book of Mormon.” The show ran for three nights at Eugene’s Hult Center from Jan. 2-4, 2026. Known for their sharp humor, the comedic duo wanted to satirize religion and its practices. Parker and Stone grew up in Conifer, Colorado – a city with a large Mormon population. Parker and Stone’s frequent encounters with the religion heavily influenced the show's themes. 

In an interview on the official “The Book of Mormon” YouTube channel, Parker and Stone explain that during the writing process for “Southpark”, they were already interested in creating musicals. That interest led to their first film, “Cannibal! The Musical.”  

In 2003, the duo went to watch “Avenue Q,” a…

1. A$AP ROCKY 
Album: Don't Be Dumb
Self-Released

2. SWORD II
Album: Electric Hour
Label: section1

3. QUEEN ANNE
Album: "Let's Dance" [Single]
Album: Landing

4. ALAN VEGA
Album: Alan Vega Deluxe Edition + Collision Drive
Label: Sacred Bones

5. LUCHA LUNA
Album: BRILLA BRILLA
Self-Released

6. ANCIENT CAT SOCIETY
Album: Lonely Times
Label: Splice

7. MEGADEATH
Album: Megadeath
Label: BIkIIBIk

8. THE SHA LA DAS
Album: Your Picture
Label: Diamond West

9.…