In a music rut? Or want to know what’s hot in the college music world? The KWVA music blog is your solution!
The KWVA music blog is a creative space for all musically curious folks. You’ll find coverage of station and local events, album reviews, interviews with local bands, oh-so-perfectly curated playlists, the weekly charts so you know what’s cutting edge, and more music-related topics.
Clara's Review of YamaYama's Party Dog EP
KWVA DJ Clara is comin' at you today with a review of YamaYama's Party Dog EP! Scroll down to check it out.
Yama Yama gives ‘college bands’ a good rep. This group of four musicians assumed their connection over a shared appreciation of strangely compatible elements. Drummer Merlin Showalter, entering the group with nearly a too broad breadth of music articulate, bass Milo Fultz “exploring every idiom in the music world he can find”, Pianist and keyboardist Dario LaPoma perorming with salsa and funk bands alike, and saxophonist and composer Scott Mitchell ranging from free jazz to funk.
The genre of their music is in no way generic, and it fuses jazz and funk with the realm of electronics and video games. They claim to take influence from a broad spectrum of performers including Mark Guiliana, Parliamente Funkadelic, Dave Holland Group, and many others. These influences… Read More
Happy Weekend!
That's it! We're done. Week 10 is over. Throw us some finals, we can take it as long as there's the sweet promise of spring break ahead. Well, spring break, and the goodness that's coming our way this weekend:
Tonight at Cozmic, one of the freshest faces in EDM, Kayzo, will be playing a sure-to-be explosive live set. He's received nods from electronic superstars such as Krewella, Diplo, and Adventure Club, recognizing him as the artist to watch of 2014. Playing along with Kayzo tonight will be Disco Lemonade, Token, and Clamchomp. Doors at 8 pm, show starts at 9 pm.
On Saturday, March 14th, KWVA 88.1 FM and WOW Hall welcome world-renowned poet Andrea Gibson. Supported by musician Holly Miranda, Gibson will leave you speechless with her hard, fast, and beautiful spoken truths.… Read More
DJ Spotlight: DJ Petunia from The Boom Bat
DJ Petunia from The Boom Bat is probably one of the most interesting DJ's we have at KWVA. Why's that, you ask? Well first, take a look at that graphic. To find out the rest, keep scrolling.
DJ name: DJ Petunia
Show time: Tuesdays 3-4PM, Winter 2015
Show title: The Boom Bat
Hometown: Eugene, Oregon
KWVA: Tell us about your show and what types of music you spin.
DJ Petunia: Punk, post-punk, garage, shoegaze, emo, art rock, math rock. Mostly music I would want to play while I was driving somewhere.
What artists do you commonly play on the show?
Porches, Ought, The Wipers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Parquet Courts, Wire, The Feelies, Sonic Youth, and Pile.
How long have you been a DJ?
One and one half years.
… Read More
DJ G's album review of Purple's 409
This week, DJ G from The Wake Up Show! has brought you a review of Purple's debut album, 409. Scroll on to read about this energizing album.
Purple - 409
I saw her in 2003 when I was just a third grader. Her uncanny, raw energy made No Doubt’s show undoubtedly one of the best shows I’ve ever experienced. None the less, it changed the way I looked at girls too. I’ve always been musically drawn to the Gwen Stefani personas and Purple drummer-vocalist, Hanna Brewer, brings out the young boy in me again. Her soft to screeching vocals are reinforced by thundering drums that keep you on the edge of your seat through each track of the band’s debut album 409.
Purple is a Texas garage-rock trio that doesn’t hold back. There is a relentless, high energy charged by thrashing… Read More
KWVA Top 30 Chart: Week Of March 10th 2015
Top 5 Album Adds:
1. WILL BUTLER - Policy
• Debut solo album from Arcade Fire frontman
2. EVANS THE DEATH - Expect Delays
• Art rock from London teenagers. Recommended if you like (RIYL) Mourn, Palma Violets
3. PETITE NOIR - King Of Anxiety
• South African producer and singer. RIYL How To Dress Well, Block Party, TV On The Radio
4. YUMI ZOUMA - EP I And EP II
• Alternative pop. RIYL Ballet School, 80's synths and claps.
5. HOUNDSTOOTH - No News From Home
• Portland surf band. RIYL Allah-Las
Listening Forward
Week 10? Surviving? Not good enough! At KWVA, we're about thriving, not just surviving. Here's what's going on this week that will spice up your life (...yes, that was a Spice Girls reference):
Tonight, tonight! The Shondes, Hailey Wojcik, and Pancho + The Factory will be performing at The Boreal. Rolling Stone magazine describes The Shondes' music as "riot-grrrl furor, arena bombast and klezmer stomp". Wojcik is self-described as a queerfemme singer-songwriter, and Pancho + The Factory are an up-and-coming local band, spicing up Eugene with their swampy flavor. You'd be sorry to miss all 3! Show starts at 8 pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1524138641179961/
Tuesday, March 10th, is the deadline for the Make-A-Band competition at WOW Hall. The competition works as a collaboration between local musicians, and… Read More
Enjoy the weekend, Listeners!
What's good, KWVA listeners? *Waits for your response, nods emphatically and listens with great care*. That's awesome! We're stoked things are going so well with you. Here's what's good with us at the station:
Last weekend, Hungry Skinny stopped into the studio and played us a good-for-the-soul set. We couldn't keep it to ourselves, though - check out their tracks "Dirty Magazines" and "Jellybean Boogie" below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCFP8iv2c7U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uZS26IakCw
Eugene breakout superstar Mat Kearney performs tomorrow night at McDonald Theater. He's shifted from his original acoustic pop of "Nothing Left to Lose" (released nearly 10 years ago!) and launched into full-blown feel good pop with his latest album, JUST KIDS. Check out his new album to hear some solid tunes that unabashedly sing the praises of our favorite city - Eugene, Oregon.
During the week at KWVA, we… Read More
DJ Spotlight: Emma from Emma's Restaurant
For today's DJ Spotlight, we've got Emma from Emma's Restaurant! Scroll down to hear about Emma's fun, interesting aesthetic and why you're going to want to tune in from 11 am - noon on Thursdays.
DJ name: Emma
Show time and day: Thursday mornings 11 - noon, Winter 2015
Show title: Emma’s Restaurant
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
KWVA: Tell us about your show.
Emma: Like Hanson? What about southern folk songs from the 1920s? Here at Emma’s Restaurant we have it all!
Artists you commonly play on the show?
Lately I’ve been playing a lot of The Magnetic Fields and French pop music from the 1960s. Not good for my psyche but great for KWVA listeners.
How long have you been a DJ?
Since the beginning of… Read More
Review of THEESatisfaction's EarthEE
Listeners, you're in for a treat: DJ Nathan Stevens did an out-of-this-world review of THEESatisfaction's new album EarthEE
Scroll down to see why you need to check out their latest space-aged album.
Have you ever looked in science journals from the 1950s? Seen their grand predictions of what the year 2000 would be like? It’s a beautiful place; jetpacks, flying cars and free energy in cities that floated in space. As hilariously far off as they were, it’s still fun to read all this conjecture. You have to wonder what was going through these artists and writers’ heads, outside of the fact that everyone wants a jetpack. These false futures that were painted and avoided perhaps peek into an alternate universe, one where I have a jetpack.
There’s an odd wave in modern music that’s parallel to the drawings in those journals. The recent output of… Read More