YBOT & WIDR present Music at the Library. The new "Tiny Desk" inspired series showcases WMU music artists performing in a very raw and stripped down environment

This Month brought WIDR’s rotation rack a number of different indie-pop records that are guaranteed to keep you going this semester. Our WIDR staff picked some of their favorites for an upbeat playlist full of dance grooves. 1. "Gym Birds." by Pope: This first song on our playlist is an indie rock down tempo jam. The kind of jam that you can wear a hoodie, sit somewhere, and bob your head to. 2. "In Undertow." by Alvvays: Great indie pop jam with beautiful vocals and great lyrics. This song details two lovers discussing their lost love, which becomes apparent to them that it very well is lost. This song brings a feeling a nostalgia for love and what's been lost. 3. "New Friends." by Pinegro

AJ Ghent [J-Ent] brings a sound of power and strings to the forefront of his latest album “The Neo Blues Project.” He isn’t afraid to expand his repertoire and experiment with some new sounds either; establishing him as an artist who isn’t shy and isn’t scared to try new things. Starting out strong with his rendition of "Do the Rump!," Ghent shows off the power of not only his vocals but also his guitar playing ability with some pretty sweet riffs. Now, I don't know much about music, in fact, I rarely listen music, so take what I have to say next with caution. The music didn’t move me until the end. At first, this is what I was going to write as a review. “I appreciate the guitar in this alb

DJ Simon Jefferson sat down for a over-the-phone interview with Michigan's own, The Accidentals. Growing up, what was your experience with music? When did you first drift towards the arts? Katie and I had pretty different experiences growing up with music. My parents met in Nashville. My mom was an r&b singer and my dad was a session piano player for the Grande Ole Opry. They got married and had me. I kind of grew up in a folk, bluegrass and kind of improvisational jazz. I learned violin at 11 I was in our public school program, then eventually I met Katie and my whole view on music changed entirely. A total 180. I grew up in a musical family as well. My dad is a professional classical piano

On Friday, January 12, 2018, the Gibbs House and WIDR FM co-hosted an Open Mic Night and Dessert Potluck! The historic Gibbs House is located on Parkview Ave and is home to the Gibbs House Fellowship, a program of WMU’s Office for Sustainability. In order to host the event, the Gibbs House Fellows (including me! I live there!) rearranged our living room to accommodate. We set up a “stage” in the corner (ft. WIDR’s gear and our dying fern, R.I.P. dear Fern), and chairs and couches lined the walls. By 7:15 p.m., the place was packed. The dining room tables were covered with vegan and non-vegan desserts thanks to all those who brought food. Socked feet and guitar cases filled the living room. F

YBOT & WIDR present Music at the Library. The new "Tiny Desk" inspired series showcases WMU music artists performing in a very raw and stripped down environment

Losing someone whom you love is never easy, but that is why they invented the break up song. This playlist is my attempt to create a reflection of some of the emotions I’ve been feeling in the wake of devastation. From the beginning of the schism to hard-hearted aloofness this playlist has it all, and has nothing, just like me. Overly dramatic text aside, I hope you enjoy, and don’t feel too down. 1. “Redundant” by Green Day off Nimrod This song has been in my life for a long time. As a long time fan of this group, many songs by these three have helped me in times of uncertainty. Redundant is a song that speak about the complacany that leads to relationship fall out. The inability to say an

This past week I had the opportunity to interview, in a brief exchange of email and text messages, the Michigan based rock and roll band - Mac Saturn. Below is a summary of our discussion re-organized for better understanding and flow of conversation. Can you tell me a little bit about the band and its background? “Mac Saturn is a leviticously duteronomous soul-powered rock and roll band that was born from a gastric mass in the outer reaches of a forgotten renaissance. Dripping with ooze and wild mercury, ringing out a single lonely whistle like the ghost train riding through the dawn of time and space. Writing songs for the postman delivered by railcar and white lightning”. What is each ban

Alvvays came into being during the beginning of the decade. During those years of 2011, Molly Rankin and Co. started to perform under the name Alvvays, stamping their name into Indie Pop as wunderkinds of infectious hooks, peppy lyrical styles, and ironic humor. All this and more is why I have grown so fond of this group of humans. Antisocialites is Alvvays sophomore effort, and while staying true to their sound, there is new ground discovered. It seems like this is the album meant to push them from Canadian indie home slices to a large world following. Though I will try not to pretend to know their goals, or situations, but high recording quality, scope, and fresh inspiration makes me belie

It was a cool October night, but things were heating up in downtown Ann Arbor. Lines formed around Hill Auditorium, as vagabond rockstar Mac DeMarco was set to transform the venue into his personal Shangri-La for the night. Hill Auditorium is famously known for its fantastic acoustics, and they would be on full display tonight as Mac had no behind him, just a microphone and his acoustic guitar. The excitement was palpable upon my arrival to Hill. As I walked through the doors, the auditoriums grandeur was spectacular. Gold plating wrapped around arches of lights in the ceiling, the seats, each individually ornate, covered in velvet, the organ pipes behind the stage seemingly reaching endle