Friday, January 16, 2009
Hot Goss College Radio Is Better: How to Listen to WRVU
Posted by Emily Bartlett Hines on Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 7:55 AM
Vanderbilt's college radio station, WRVU 91.1, has been entertaining listeners since the early 1950s. This December, it was rocked by scandal. (Well, sort of--stern emails were sent because someone posted a pornographic image as the desktop background on the station's computer. It wasn't me, and I didn't even get to see it.) But it has weathered the storm, and recently posted its new spring schedule, which went into effect yesterday.
If you're going to listen to any radio, I will opine that this is the station to be paying attention to. The DJs include some of Nashville's most interesting and dedicated music fans (many of them are community members, not undergraduates), so it's a great way to learn about different genres of music. (You can also learn about issues of interest in your community, and, for some reason, the plight of Floridian manatees.)
But the weekly schedule includes a total of 96 different shows, playing everything from Persian music to political chat. And since show times change in the spring, fall, and summer, it can be difficult to keep track of the shows you want to listen to, especially if you're not on the Vandy semester schedule. It's best to start paying attention now.
Below, a (very) few suggestions to get you started.
--The D-Funk, Fridays 8 to 10 p.m. Grimey's music expert Doyle Davis plays "deep-dish down and dirty funk that makes you wanna get nasty and greasy."
-- Music City USA, Wednesdays 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays. "Cowboy Anton," a grad student in the Spanish department, shares his passion for classic country music from the past eight or so decades. Along with his co-host, Cowgirl Erin, he conducts his show with an air of old-fashioned professionalism that's all too rare in today's world of mumbly indie-rock DJs.
--Connect the Dots, Thursdays 2 to 3 p.m. Preston Garland plays a well-chosen, unpredictable selection of rock that ranges from newer indie to older stuff like Hank Williams and The Kinks.
-- Nashville Jumps, Fridays 8 to 10 a.m. Classics and obscurities of '50s and '60s rhythm and blues, played by the charming Pete Wilson.<
Every semester a handful of new DJs go on the air. One of their new shows could be an instant classic --the D-Funk of the future, if you will--so here are my picks for two to watch, based solely on names.
-- Night Goat, Saturdays 2 to 3 a.m. You and your friends have been out partying all night, and now you need to hang out at someone's house and unwind... talk things over... maybe even smoke some fine tobacco products. You need a DJ who knows how you feel. Perhaps this faintly sinister-sounding show will provide.
-- The Fagan Bi-Hour, Fridays 7 to 8 p.m. Questions: Is this show hosted by the wily con artist in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist? If so, what, exactly, is "bi" about the 60 minutes he will be spending on the air? Anyhow, claims to be one of the few "garage/psychedelic" shows on the station, so worth checking out.
If there's a WRVU show that you particularly enjoy, tell us about it below!
Comments (14)
Showing 1-14 of 14
Chris (and Greg) Crofton's "Best of Bread" is great!! Stream of conscience, hilarious, weird, consuming, wrong...a little bit Mule, a little bit John Denver!!!
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Tobin - you have to train on a current show for a semester, program some CDs, pass both a written and practical test, and then you can apply for your own show. This semester is actually the perfect time to train, because if you become a DJ in the summer, your odds of getting a show will be much greater with most of the students gone.
You can email the training director to find out about being assigned to a show - wrvutd@gmail.com.
Also, The Curse of the Drinking Class rocks my world - and it should be on right now! Fridays 11-noon.
tobin,
e-mail grant at wrvutd@gmail.com about becoming a trainee and he'll get you an application and let you know when the trainee meeting is.
you'll be assigned to a DJ and come in for an hour each week
when you pass the midterm, final, and hands on tests and program the minimum requirements you'll probably get a summer show. it sounds like a hassle, but it's actually pretty easy stuff. and you might have a chance at getting a decent timeslot because most students leave for the summer.
is that picture the impetus behind the ((jewish)) wet hot american summer dj that needed a bath?
We Own This Town Radio debuts this Sunday night from 11:00 'til Midnight. More info at weownthistown.net.
Gracie the Bluegrass Show anyone? I realize it's no longer George the Bluegrass Show, but it's still on the air and still good.
I rolled over Preston Garland once in a field just south of Franklin.
Oh, and I think Janet is cute. She's my favorite.
- Hay Bale
I, the "charming" host of Nashville Jumps, am charmed by Emily's and Anna's show The Curse of the Drinking Class. I love the grimy punk obscurities--and the classics, too, such as the Stooges' "Fun House," which they played today.
And let's not forget the Hipbilly Jamboree! I'm a hanger-on on that show, but I have absolutely nothing to do with its administration or quality, so I feel free to say that it's great.
nashville mixtapes is moving from friday nights 7-8pm to sunday nights 7-8pm.
keep listening to and supporting the best radio station in the world.
www.nashvillemixtapes.com
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