You can find all the playlists here.

By Mat Payne

When I walk around campus people notice me. I’m not being arrogant but the social demographics of Wake Forest make being one of the few guys who sports a moustache, shorter shorts, deep v’s an easily identifiable set of traits. However when I got to Austin on Tuesday afternoon for South By South West, I was just one of thousands.

You could call it hipster mecca, you could call it a transient-temporary community or you could call it one of the defining moments in music and youth culture of the year. Regardless of what you want to call it, it’s an experience that’s incomparable to anything that happens culturally for the rest of the year.

I’m not going to try and even attempt to say that I’ve got any sort of inside knowledge about what’s going to fall in and out of fashion based on my experiences at SXSW, however I do know what I liked and really, that’s what matters right? Right?

Bands

There’s no joking when it comes to the sheer volume (number and audible levels…see what I did there) of Artists performing at the festival this year. However there are some highlights that I feel like I would be doing a disservice to if I didn’t mention.

Wavves
Before Wavves even took stage I was stoked on the show. Mr. Motha Fuckin ExQuire had set the stage, working the audience into a musical frenzy, the patio was alive and people were becoming visibly more and more excited to see the California based surf-punk trio.
Wavves took stage with lead singer, Nathan Williams dazedly noodling around on his guitar and answering audience questions, mainly how to pronounce the bands name – Waves- the second v is silent.

There are whirlwind sets and then there are whirlwind sets, and this was both. The band went through their best songs from the 2011 “Life Sux” ep as well as their 2010 full-length “ King of the Beach” with a notable performance of “Green Eyes” which Williams dedicated to his girlfriend.

From start to finish, Wavves commanded the stage in a way that was reminiscent of the 90’s pop-punk snottiness that would seem more in the vein of Blink 182 than in a band praised by Pitchfork.

Titus Andronicus
Jersey boys through and through, Titus Andronicus came on strong and kept going without much hesitation.

The band opened the set with a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town,” and then proceeded to preview a number of tracks from the band’s upcoming full-length, featuring an amazing version of “Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape with the Flood of Detritus” which you can hear below.

The show ended with Stickles and crew giving the crowd what they’d been demanding since the start of the show- “ A More Perfect Union.”

It’s undeniable that these guys have worked tirelessly in the past few months to get ready for the studio but it should be interesting to see the way the bands dynamics change with the departure of Amy Klein from the group.

[Note: Wake Radio's 2011 Fall Concert hosted Titus Andronicus. A video can be found here.]

Delta Spirit
I’ve been following this band for a number of years but never really got into them to the extent that I now believe they deserve.

Not only does this band encompass everything that’s right about the state of indie-pop/rock at this moment in musical history, but they’re doing it with a style and finesse that’s incomparable.

Since hearing them, I’ve had “California” stuck in my head and have probably listened to it at least 5 times a day since.

Other cool things

- Merge Showcase – M. Ward & The Love Language.
- Say Anything – I’ve been waiting to see this band for nearly 6 years. It was time.
- Nicholas Jaar – I don’t even like electronic music but this guy does it right and deserves all the recognition possible.
- Bruce Springsteen mid speech outbursts – Sometimes The Boss just couldn’t say it… so he sang it, including a short version of The Animals “ We’ve Gotta Get Out of This Place.”
- MTVu Woodies – Fun. was fun and Santigold has the stage presence to rival James Brown. Not to mention seeing Pauly D from Jersey Shore.
- Food Trucks – Kimchi fries are the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted in my life.

Like all good things, SXSW had to end, but remember, what happens there will have a lasting impact on the state of music and alternative culture for the reset of the year.

*All photos taken by Mat Payne

Wake Radio announces its annual Raptor Awareness Week, taking place April 15th-20th. Every year, 30% of deaths are caused by cardiovascular disease. But the number of raptor-related incidents extends far beyond this percentage.

Wake Radio aims to shed light on the pervasive dangers of raptors, collaborating to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health. Stay tuned for an event-filled week of raptor.

Sunday, 15th: Wake Radio general staff meeting & information session.

Pick up a green ribbon to let others know your concerns. Raptor pamphlets will not be distributed, cookies will be, however. 6:30pm. Benson 409.

Monday, 16th: Screening of “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story” (1993).

7:30pm. Wake Radio house.

Tuesday, 17th: Create raptor t-shirts to spread awareness!

White v-neck recommended as shirt of choice to bring. Fabric paint & camaraderie provided. 7pm. Wake Radio station.

Wednesday, 18th: Impending raptor doom also calls for last hurrahs. Join us at Ziggy’s as we present Adventure Club in collaboration with Sigma Chi and Student Government. Our own resident DJ, Spurge Carter will be opening. More details can be found here and here. Tickets may be purchased here.

Thursday, 19th: Wake Radio infiltrates the Pit to serve raptor information on a plate for all unaware citizens.

DJ Dale Ruffin will be spinning some tunes. Highly sought Wake Radio merchandise will be available for sale (tanks, mugs, koozies). 5-7pm. The Pit.

Friday, 20th: Wake Radio throws a party.

This has been a Wake Radio public service announcement.

One Day Without Shoes

Join Wake Radio in a nation-wide event as we go barefoot on April 10th, 2012. Wake Forest campus will have a symbolic lap on Hearn Plaza to raise awareness for children all around the world who lack adequate footwear. More information & the Facebook event can be found here.



We hope you to see you there!

By Lauren Mahomes

As a senior and business manager of Wake Radio, I initially found it difficult to discover my role at South by Southwest. Being a native Texan, I grew up hearing about this amazing conference and had always wanted to go, but now that I’ve actually arrived – what is my relevance? What unique experience can I gain from this trip? I soon found that the answers to these questions were easily answered by the extensive festival programming.

Even bigger than the festival itself was the opportunity to return to my home state and capital. Just landing in the airport was a huge sigh of relief knowing that I was returning to familiar grounds. Austin is such a vibrant and youthful city, it’s difficult to imagine the conference exiting anywhere else. Musicians and tourists from all around the world flock to this festival mecca to become a part of the culture that Austin exudes on a daily basis. There truly is no other place on earth quite like it: it’s a center for both politics and the arts, conservatism and liberalism, convention and non-convention. The culture of SXSW could truly only exist in a dynamic at Austin – the crossroads.

Music and Advertising

With the breadth of the festival programming, I found myself flocking to all of the different panels about advertising and music. These panels explored several different viewpoints of the marriage between these two industries. Some examined the perspective of the artists and how they can leverage the free tools of the internet to extend their reach, build their audience, and eventually monetize the process to sustain their career. Others discussed the roles of the distributors (most akin to Wake Radio) and their ability to heighten the music experience for the audience whether that be through livecasted content available on YouTube or using social media platforms to isolate the audience by interest.

Perhaps my favorite panel was entitled “Advertising is the New Radio”, which brought together music licensing companies and marketing executives to talk about how consumers are recognizing and discovering new music on the advertisements they hear and expanding their music libraries based on those selections. By working with marketing agencies and music supervisors, new artists can expose their music in advertisements that reach way more people than hearing it on the radio.

This also got me thinking about television shows like Glee and how it’s been such a gateway for artists like Fun.. While the traditional audience of Glee may never had reached out to hear their hit song “We Are Young” on their own, they were able to hear it through the Glee reprisal, but still go out on iTunes to purchase the real version.

I found all of this to be extremely fascinating. It not only broke ceilings for possible career opportunities for me, but also got me thinking about different distribution models Wake Radio can try on campus to expose the campus to the type of music we play without having to acknowledge it as anything extraordinarily different from what they’re already listening to. I think the expansion of our campus DJ service and co-sponsorships are definitely putting us more in that direction.

Here’s a video used in the panel to illustrate how advertising can be a listener platform for artists: (featuring Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars)

Speaking of fun…

I had a bit of that too. It was great to go see different artists in a myriad of venues that each had its own distinct personality. I got to relive childhood memories and see new artists as well. It was an excellent experience that revived the spirit of Wake Radio within me.

By Dale Ruffin

Heeellllooooo Austin!!!

SXSW was amazing this year! I got to see a number of shows and met up with my promoter Jessica! She was really cool and got me into the first hip-hop show I attended at the festival, where I got to see Oddisee and Dan the Automator perform!!!

Oddisee @ Red Eyed Fly

Friday was a really big day for me, and was by far the most impactful for me. Early that morning I went to a interview between Steve Stout and Nas. Needless to say Nas is one of the most well-known rappers to ever touch a microphone, but I also found out that he ghost wrote for another well-known Actor/Rapper (rhymes with Bill Fifth)! He also shared his views on the state of hip-hop, and the growing trend of one album artist and their saturation of the market.

While his views were extremely interesting and engrossing, what made the event for me was the attendance of Pete Rock and DJ Premier, the two godfathers of 90’s hip-hop! I was lucky enough to meet the both of them and receive their autographs. I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day, and there was nothing that could bring me down!

That night, I tried to see Kooley High perform at the Barbarella, but it was 21+ so I was denied at the door. Although I was miffed about not being able to see my fellow North Carolinians perform, an hour later I stumbled upon the Chiddy Bang concert that was being hosted by the Doritos Corporation! The concert was really well done and high energy throughout and XV, one of my favorite rappers, showed up and did a song with the group. After I saw XV I went into complete fan mode, and waited a half hour outside for him to leave the venue, and got his autograph as well!!!

SXSW was awesome, and it really gave me new insight into both the business side of the music world and the importance of networking. Without Wake Radio I would have never been able to experience anything like this, nor would I have been able to meet my two idols! #SWAG

Wake Radio is thrilled to announce its Spring Concert in collaboration with Sigma Chi and Student Government. Adventure Club are a dubstep/clubstep DJ duo who hail from Canada. The concert will benefit the Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem.

Adventure Club @ Ziggy’s
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012.
Benefits Brenner Children’s Hospital.
Doors 8pm.

Tickets and more information can be found here.

See you there!

By Jaci Maffetore

So after my second time on a plane literally ever, we landed in the warm arms of lovely Austin, TX. As soon as I stopped being half deaf from the ear popping and altitude changes, I got really, really stoked. And with good reason. The next few days were extremely informative and mostly just really fun.

Panels!

I attended 2 standout panels at SXSW, one about creating a scene and one about tumblr (if you know me at all you know how much I love tumblr. If you don’t know me… well… now you know.

Both were quite insightful and in my opinion extremely applicable to radio.

At the creating a scene panel we gained insight on how a venue can make bands more comfortable so that artists will want to work with you in the future. Although Wake Radio is an entity and not a venue, a lot of the information provided was definitely applicable to us, especially as our desire to bring artists to campus for concerts, interviews, and in-studios is only growing.

The tumblr panel completely changed the way I think about tumblr as a social media website and gave me a lot of insight into its power as a networking and community building tool. And of course gave me even more reasons to love tumblr. Plus… you guys…they gave me a tote bag.

Shows! Oh the Shows!

So our second evening in Austin I was super stoked to see Fun. at this place called the warehouse. They were, in fact, one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing. To my dismay however, the warehouse was, in fact, just… a warehouse. The place looked like it had been gutted specifically for this festival and needless to say the wiring was a bit wonky and the individuals running sound never got their stuff figured out. Fun. came on over an hour late, fuming with anger, and played us 4 acoustic songs that were quite lovely but the experience was overall disappointing…

UNTIL! The next day! All was made well when I discovered that Fun. would be playing at the MTVu Woodies festival. I got to see them after all, outdoors on a beautiful Austin afternoon.

You guys, I was heeere!

Another completely unforgettable show I had the pleasure of attending was Andrew Bird outdoors at a venue called Stubbs. The entire show was captured by NPR, and the audio for the show can be found here. He played songs both new and old and there was smoke and a spinning phonograph, really it was great.

Other acts I had the privilege to see included Delta Spirit, Dan Andriano (I have a huge boner for Alk3 you guys), M. Ward, The Love Language, We Walked the Moon, and a brief set from Santigold. I would go on about all of these acts but then this post would be unpleasantly long for sure.

Random things that I loved!

- Free stuff. You guys, I got so much free stuff. Four tote bags, $50 of giftcards, a hilarious photo with the lovely Mr. Mat Payne, a really nice SXSW glass, an America bandana.. I hit the free stuff jackpot for real.
- I love food. I got so much delicious vegan food from trucks in Texas I’m surprised I didn’t put on any weight. Falafel, (severely altered) kimchi fries, vegan sausages and hotdogs… If you have never experienced the glory of a food truck, put it on your bucket list. Nao.
- Another thing: weird ass (often drunk) people. The second day we were in Austin we were followed around for a few blocks by a traveling polka band. No really. It happened. Here’s proof:

- There was also an enormous protest in the middle of the road, a very interesting and very inebriated man NAMED Austin, and people dressed in outfits that even the most avant-garde would raise an eyebrow to. People are so fascinating.

Needless to say, if I were given the opportunity to go back to SXSW, I would in a heartbeat.

Campus Bound

South by Southwest: The Wake Radio team takes Austin by storm.

By Laura J. Chin

To sum four days at one of the nation’s premiere broadcast conferences is near impossible to describe, but I’ll do my best. With this year as Wake Radio’s first trip to South by Southwest, there was a lot to be learned and a lot to be experienced. We have returned energized and ready, eager to keep Wake Radio as one of the most present student organizations on campus.

Well, where do I begin?

Information & Adventure.

Trade Show. Throughout SXSW Music, an all-day trade show gave us the opportunity to chat up emerging companies to see what new platforms were coming into the industry – ranging from iPhone/Android app development startup kits to tools “beaming” music/photo/video to any device on the same network. After making our way through hundreds of vendors and collecting tons of free swag (my Glomper shirt is adorable), the team has come back with contacts to follow up with all across the field. We cannot wait to see who will be the next Foursquare and we’ll most certainly be ready to integrate it with Wake Radio.

Bruce Springsteen, Keynote Speaker. As a student, as a leader, and as a musician, Springsteen’s address struck an intimate chord with my heart. #NJpride

“Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well inside of your heart and head at all times. If it doesn’t drive you crazy, it will make you strong.”

Shows Shows Shows.

Tycho, Pitchfork showcase @ Mohawk. As a long time fan of Scott Hansen’s work, I was thrilled when he announced his new album Dive last year, even more when he played 6 shows at SXSW. His blog (http://blog.iso50.com/) is a beautiful compilation of artistry in various mediums. Hansen’s talent was undeniably present with his captivating sounds and complementary visual designs.

Youth Lagoon, IFC Crossroads House. Twenty-two year old Trevor Powers killed it at IFC. It was a delight to see him perform his album The Year of Hibernation, which unmistakably made my “Best of 2011″. I also made Lauren Mahomes a fan!

Nicolas Jaar, Pitchfork showcase @ Central Presbyterian Church. Hauntingly beautiful, it’s hard to believe Nicolas Jaar’s music stems from yet another twenty-two year old. A late night, lights-out performance was chilling inside a church. I was feeling a little saintly in my pew.

M. Ward, Hospitality, Eleanor Friedberger, The Love Language, & more; Merge Records showcase @ Frank.

Mini-highlights.

Pedicab ride. With most of the streets closed down for pedestrian traffic, downtown Austin was crawling with pedicabs. At one point we gave in and took two pedicabs uptown to catch Andrew Bird and Eve 6. Fun fact: our biker said he averages about 65 miles per day during SXSW, and 100+ during Austin City Limits.

Favorite food truck: Chi’Lantro. I’m no newcomer to the food truck industry, but when a truck markets itself as a Korean & Mexican fusion, two of my most enjoyed food groups – you have my attention. I was most impressed with their handling of tofu as it’s difficult to find a tastefully marinated curd dish where it sits in the middle of neither overpowered by sauce nor bland past the outside skin. And what better to spotlight than their renowned kimchi fries. Here’s the description via their website:

“Caramelized Kimchi, a mound of sizzling Korean BBQ, chopped grilled onions, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, magic sauce, sriracha and sesame seeds. All set on top of a pile of crispy French fries.”

You’re drooling, right? Here’s a photo courtesy of Chi’Lantro:

We may have been repeat customers.