The musical duo who calls themselves Weird Skyence (pronounced Weird Science) is comprised of two natives from Toledo Ohio the musical mastermind and producer Jozay SpaceKawboy and the vocalist Chrispi the InFallible. Blending their talents and synthesizing their sounds into a funk, reggae, and hip-hop mashup that truly is one of a kind and unique in its nature. The duo first came together through a mutual friend in 2016 after a combined decade of experience in the music and art industry. After meeting and vibing on some tracks together they began their journey together as Weird Skyence. The tandem takes influences from the likes of Bob Marley, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell just to name a few. In 2018 the group released its first studio album “Planet HERB” and is currently working on the follow-up album “Planet DREAD”. Their performance during this weeks basement show brought a fun, energetic, and positive energy to the WIDR studio as they shared their story and some tracks of their debut project. You can find their projects on any and all major streaming platform or at weirdskyence.org Favorite Tracks: HBOF (Half Baked On A Friday), Rodeo

Nick Barone, lead singer of the Michigan made band Mac Saturn, debuts his first solo full length LP: All the Places I’ve Never Been, a project that blends soulful acoustics with heartfelt lyricism that reads as poetry. The LP consists of ten tracks and was released in January 2019 and was recorded and produced by one of Barones best friends Ian Puzdrowski (Vincie D). The release date fitting the theme of the new year and the album as one of the consistent themes in this project is personal refinement and new experiences. Barone has a way of making the simple complex and the complex simple with his vocal variations and instrumentals which make the album intriguing throughout. The project takes you on a dark, honest, and vulnerable journey narrated with raw vocals and soothing acoustic guitar. A record that should be listened from start to finish, enjoyed in entirety, and then revisited for reinterpretation. In my opinion it listens best during the morning or evening hours, but nevertheless, if this is just the beginning of Barone’s solo career I’m enthralled with what’s to come next. After writing this I had the pleasure of having a brief conversation with Barone and asked him what he had to say on the album. His answer was this, “It’s the most vulnerable I’ve ever been writing songs. Because of that, I’m even more grateful for all of the love and support the record has received. It captured a time in my life that I’m glad to be able to go back and visit when need be. A reminder to show yourself a little grace and forgiveness every once in a while”. Track Listing: All The Places I’ve Never Been, Julien, In Monochrome, Streets of Barcelona, Just Be Simple, Shades, The Ides Of March, Racecar Drive (6am in Atlanta), Rose Colored Rear View Mirror Favorite Tracks: In Monochrome, Streets of Barcelona, The Ides Of March, Rose Colored Rear View Mirror

The 12th annual Kalamashoegazer took place Saturday Nov. 10. The event hosted a variety of Shoegaze and Dream Pop bands from across the country including Ringo Deathstarr, Spring House, Tears Run Rings, Seashine, Brief Candles, Tambourina, Soft Science and Airiel. All of these acts showcased their deep and intricate soundscapes as they performed at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe. The entire event was organized by April Zimont, who doubles as the lead vocalist for Tambourina. “This was my 12th year of putting together the fest,” Zimont said. “When I started it in 2007, it was my dream to see Shoegaze and Dream Pop bands and fans of the genre all traveling from all over the United States to meet and play in my hometown of Kalamazoo.” As of late, that dream has been realized for Zimont, as she has watched the fan base grow as the festival keeps coming back. “In the last few years, we have expanded far beyond the Midwest and people are coming here from the east coast, west coast, and even further,” Zimont said. “We had people who came from as far as Quebec, Canada this year. And a few years ago we had a band come from Italy, so we’ve even expanded outside of the U.S.. My goal has always been to bring the right people together and have a big party with all of the bands we mutually love.” The highlight of the evening for Zimont was seeing the fans rush the front row of performing act Ringo’s last song. “Everyone started pulling the balloons and everything down until we all got kicked off stage,” Zimont said. “A real rock n’ roll moment.” Jeremy Wrenn, guitarist and vocalist of the Chicago-based band Airiel, felt great to be back at the festival. “It’s the scene that celebrates itself, after all,” Wrenn said. “Nice big crowd. I was worried about my singing since I had been sick all week. We didn’t get to see all of the bands play, unfortunately. It’s always nice to play that event as we always have lots of friends there. The organizers have a true passion for putting on the event and it just gets better and better each year.” In addition, the fan interaction Wrenn goets to have at Kalamashoegaze continued to be a high point. “I usually sell our merch myself as a way to connect with fans and it’s always great to meet new people each time,” said Wrenn. “(The fans are) friendly, and utterly deserving of more attention and money.” Wrenn was also pleased to see support not just from fans, but from the music industry as well. “I was very surprised that the founders of Clairecords were in attendance. Not only was Shelflife there, our current label and members of Tears Run Rings, but so was the label that released the Winks and Kisses EPs. It’s becoming a regular thing to see the DJs from DKFM and that’s always a good thing,” Wrenn said. Laura Mazzucco, bassist and vocalist of the band Tears Run Rings, was eager to get to perform at the festival for the first time. “While we don’t have anything to compare it to since this was our first Kalamashoegazer, it was definitely everything we had hoped it would be! It wasn’t just a show; it was like a huge party with a bunch of close friends, even though we didn’t even really know everyone. It didn’t matter because our common love of the music just pulled everyone together,” Mazzucco said. Getting to represent the genre they know and love gave Mazzuco a reason to do right by her fans. “This was a really special event for us,” Mazzuco said. “We pretty much planned our whole year around it and spent so much time preparing for it. I think in terms of actually playing it, we were most looking forward to hopefully making some of our fans happy with a live performance, which many people have asked for over the years. This seemed to be the perfect venue for that.” Mazzuco hopes that the festival helped fans cope with the sometimes-treacherous world around them, and that the melodies helped connect them with one and other. “I feel a real camaraderie exists between Shoegaze fans. Our world is a pretty scary place and I think most of us really rely on music to cope and to find brightness amidst the darkness. It isn’t just something we listen to in passing - there’s a deep connection with the sounds and the melodies and I think that then translates to the scene as a whole,” said Mazzucco.

Bringers is a duo from Chicago Illinois who create experimental ambient pieces with singing and spoken word. The duo, comprised of Mary and Paul Cardona, played a captivating set at Satellite Records on October 13th. “We started playing together 5 years ago actually as a folk band. I was doing ukulele and Mary was playing melodica and bells,” said Paul. “We were writing folk rock songs. Then we got a keyboard and another keyboard and then we got a sampler and it just started evolving.” Mary, who is relatively new to the music world, finds inspiration in areas outside of traditional musical influences. “For me it’s doing more non-traditional things like working in poetry or spoken word. It’s putting all the separate things that we like together into one thing,” said Mary. “I think in some ways being traditionally trained can be a limitation. If you don’t have that limitation you can have that freedom to do weirder stuff.” Bringers’ writing process is both collaborative and individual, with both members adding their own pieces to the finished product. “I think we tend to write in pieces. Paul will write something and then I’ll add something to it and then once we start playing it live we’ll work it out and maybe change it a little bit,” said Mary. Bringers future plans include releasing a music video, dropping their debut album and continuing to tour.

Brother Son is an alternative rock band hailing from Detroit that writes fun tunes with some jazzy chords and southern flare. Currently on the second leg of their tour, the band played a house show on Wednesday Sept. 19 in Kalamazoo. The quartet is comprised of bassist Jimmy Walkup, keyboardist Drew Gijsbers, drummer Chris Pecorelli, and guitarist/vocalist Frank Harrington. In an interview, Harrington,explained how the band was formed. “My first job was at Westborn Market and my first day was Chris’ first day,” Harrington said. “That’s how me and Chris met. Chris found out that I wrote a little music and he heard that I needed some drums. So Chris had a place to practice and played drums and we started it from there.” Eventually they recruited friends Drew and Jimmy and recorded their debut album “Young & Pretty,” but the writing process hasn’t stopped there, as Brother Son says that they have a new album finished. “It’s all recorded. It’s ten songs plus an interlude and hopefully it should be out by the end of 2018,” Harrington said. A great deal of this new material was performed this past Wednesday. The band is finishing up their tour with shows in East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit then plan on lying low for a while in preparation for the release of their new album.

Featuring an unorthodox instrumental setup of a drum and cello duo that takes influences from punk, grunge and other styles of rock music, Lung is challenging the definition of what a punk band can be. In an interview after a show at Satellite Records on Oct. 23, drummer Daisy Caplan talked about how the duo was formed out of the remnants of a former musical project. “We met because we were in another band together. That band broke up so we started doing this. Also we’re friends,” said Caplan. To cellist and vocalist Kate Wakefield, their unique style is born out of practice sessions and a passion for several different musical genres, leading them to incorporate many different sounds. “I’ve played cello on and off my whole life and I listen to a very wide variety of music,” said Wakefield. “I’m into punk metal and rock but I also really like folk, indie and classical.” To Wakefield, their unique style is born out of practice sessions and a passion for several different musical genres, leading them to incorporate many different sounds. “We have lots of different ways of going about it. Most of our material comes out of just like being in a practice room,” said Wakefield. “Daisy will play some drums and it will inspire me to come up with different chords and we’ll just jam on different ideas. We write pretty quickly together so we’ll just like come up with a song even if it’s mediocre. It might not go anywhere but we just like to write really quickly and write a lot.” For both musicians, this process proves to be highly prolific, resulting in many songs that ultimately didn’t make the cut of their album’s final release. “It’s a quantity thing then we sift through it and figure out what’s good and what’s not,” said Caplan. “The last record we did we brought everything in. We recorded like 25 songs. Not that the ones we didn’t use were bad. They just didn’t fit with the rest of the record. I’m a fan of getting everything on the table then figuring out what goes together and what doesn’t because it’s hard to tell until it’s recorded.” Lung plans on heading back to the studio soon to release another album and continuing to tour.

Spirits Having Fun is an experimental music project that takes influences from progressive rock and post-punk and implements improvisational techniques found in genres like free jazz to create colorful performances with lots of personality. Based out of Chicago, the band is comprised of Drummer Phil Sudderberg, Guitarist Andrew Clinkman, Bassist Jesse Heasly and Guitarist and Vocalist Katie McShane. With two of the members living in New York, the band has learned to go months at a time without meeting up. But this doesn’t stop them from touring, writing and recording. In an interview after their performance at Satellite Records on September 21st, Andrew Clinkman described the improvisational elements of their sets. “I think an important part of it is being able to remain open to coming up with fun tricks and musical jokes that we can play on each other,” said Clinkman. “Things that can make it fresh all the time and kind of surprise each other with things and never having everything so set that it’s the same every night.” The band has recently come together again to do a run of shows along with some writing. “Our friends, Guerilla Toss, were going on tour currently and they were playing in Cleveland and it seemed like a good opportunity to grab a midwest show, hook up with them, hangout, play a fun show and put a couple other dates together and try to workshop as much new music as we can in the process,” Clinkman said. The band also has touring plans for the future to promote their upcoming record. “Just look out for our full length because that’s going to be the next big thing. Once that’s on it’s way out into the world we’re going to be touring that record,” McShane said. “So hopefully we can come to Kalamazoo and play at the college. That would be really fun.” The new album is expected to be released Fall of 2019.

WIDR recently had the amazing opportunity to travel across the country to a music festival in Washington state known as Sasquatch! Music Festival. This experience was even more surreal than we could’ve imagined. Not only were there incredible views, amazing people, and great food, but of course the music was kick a**!!! Being the music lover I am (and I’m sure most of us are), I’ve been to a few well known festivals across the country, but I have got to say from personal experience, this festival takes the cake. All three days were filled with action packed adventure, traveling from each sasquatch inspired stage to the next. I remember this trip as if it were a dream, almost too good to be true. The lineup consisted of a plethora of popular artists ranging from electronic to indie to funk- there was a little bit of everything that everyone could enjoy, no matter what their taste. Bon Iver was one of the headlining artists of this festival. He played lots of songs, new and old, mostly being off of his album 22, A Million. The way he has managed to combine acoustic sounds with electronic sounds is truly awe-inspiring. His performance had me in tears. The beautiful harmonies and melodies echoed throughout the gorge and instilled a feeling of love and beauty in the hearts of all of those around. Modest Mouse was another performance I will truly never forget. Their set was incredible. I specifically recall them playing the song "World at Large" off of their album Good News for People Who Love Bad News. I had never truly listened to the song before, but in that moment I listened to the words and it touched me. During that specific song, there was also an instrumentation break that they don’t normally take, that was accompanied by numerous orchestral instruments. During this segment of the song, fireworks began shooting off. Truly a magical moment. I also cried at this performance (lol). Of course Bon Iver and Modest Mouse were not the only two wonderful bands. Some of my favorite artists new and old included: Spoon, Explosions in the Sky, Thunercat, Noname, Hippo Campus, Noname, (Sandy) Alex G, What So Not, Grizzly Bear, and dozens more. Sasquatch! Music Festival was truly an experience I will never forget. The combonation of music and scenery were truly magial. I urge each and every one of you to at some point in your life make it to the Gorge Amphitheatre for Sasquatch! Music festival, because it will seriously be something you will cherish forever.

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

Most people would ask, “What does a small white girl from the suburbs know about rap?”. It is a fair question. Well, not only am I a “rap connoisseur” in my free time, but I have my own rap and hip hop radio show, “Acidic Beats with DJ Bert Flowers”. There are many secret hidden gems on Youtube, Soundcloud, and Spotify. It is hard to go out of your way to find new music in this day. Most people default to well-known artists just for the convenience in their daily lives. The hustle and bustle of daily life makes us boring. Let me tell you about some cool sh*t that I found scrolling through Spotify when I was supposed to be paying attention in class. If you “love” rap music, here are three artists you should put onto your playlist. Jonwayne Jonathan Wayne is a 28 year old rapper out of California. Jon started his career after attending Low End Theory, a Los Angeles hip hop club, in 2009. Later dropping his instrumental album Bowser in 2001. Since then, he has released 14 albums and EPs with countless singles. He uses heavy harsh melodies to draw in audiences. His low mellow flow captures the attention from all walks of life. Recommended tracks: 1. These Words Are Everything off of Rap Album Two. This album was released in 2017. It featured 12 tracks, approximately 44 minutes in length. 2. Wanka is a single that was released in 2016. This single also comes with a radio edit, instrumental, and an acapella version. Jack Larsen Coming off of his first EP release, Jack Larsen tells you his coming-of-age story in Push-Ups. Jack Larsen is a 21 year old artist that mixes R&B with Indie pop. He is known to be compared to the boyband Brockhampton with his work with Kevin Abstract. He has said to have written Push-Ups because he would be, “anxious to wake up each day not knowing what the f*ck I was doing. I remained rooted in my past because it felt comfortable, and I had no drive to grow and flourish. I finally hit reality in the late summer of that year and decided I needed to get sh*t done”. Recommended tracks: Prom and Flower which can be found on the album Push-Ups. Nickelus F Formerly known to the public as “Drake’s Friend” and “Nick Fury”, Nickelus F released an album in 2018 called STUCK. Growing up in Germany and all across the US in various places he would often rap battle on BET’s 106 & Park Freestyle Fridays. He would make trips to New York every week until he was featured on Complex, a music news outlet. Now, he works with B level rappers at a collective in Virginia. Recommended tracks: Regula Degula / Got Em off of the album Triflin’, which was released in 2015 and it featured 14 songs. Sleazie Wonder off of his newest album STUCK that was released on May 11. It has 14 bangers and worth a whole album listen.

May has been a month full of unpredictable rain and shine, let's see what June has to bring while we reminisce on some of last month's favorites!! You can listen here! 1. "Green & Gold-solo" by Lianna La Havas From her sophomore album Blood, Lianna La Havas wrote this song to really try and connect with her ancestral roots. Referring to green and gold continuously throughout the song is her relating the colors to the greek flag, which is where her origins are from. 2. "Clay Pigeons" by Michael Cera Not only is he an actor, but he also has remade this classic song beautifully on his 2014 album release of True That. This tune makes me want to go to a serene country landscape and escape! Very calming song to listen to on a long car ride. 3. "Where I'm From" by Diable Planets From their 1993 album Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space), Diagble planets released "Where I'm From". This song delivers a nice hip-hop beat all about being proud of where you come from! 4. "Appletree" by Erykah Badu This song is the third single released from Erykah Badu's albumBaduism. In it she describes her wisdom and knowledge as gifts, comparing them to fruit. If someone doesn't appreciate the fruit she offers them, she's basically saying they aren't worth her time. 5. "Lying Has to Stop" by Soft Hair This song is a catchy physcadelic sounding tune. The title describes the song's meaning. Describing a girl who refuses to stop lying despite the fact that it's ruining the couples relationship. 6. "Scott Street" by Phoebe Bridgers In my opinion, Phoebe Bridgers describes the song best saying: “I guess ‘Scott Street’ is about being really lonely. Sometimes I want to cop out and say it’s about a lot of different things, but really it’s all there. It’s just a diary.” 7. "Easy" by Son Lux This song is the fourth track off of Son Lux's 2013 Album 'Lanterns'. This song is all about moving on. Ironically why they are saying easy, as if it is easy to move on. Kind of a negative song, but so catchy. 8. "Gimme All Your Love" by Alabama Shakes From their 2015 Album Release of 'Sound and Color', Alabama Shakes provides us with many hit songs. This being one of lesser popular songs off of the album. However, that in no way makes it any less good. The song has a rock gospel feel to it and has a catchy rhythm.

Summer is almost here! You know what that means...Festival Season is on the way!! So get in gear with some of the top tunes for one of our favorite festivals of the year...Sasquatch! Check out our playlist here! 1. "Suicide Saturday" by Hippo Campus From their 2015 album Beautiful Creatures, Hippo Campus released this sad yet upbeat song. Suicide Saturday works to capture the isolation of teen hood which becomes more and more evident with each listen. Lead singer Nathan Stocker describes it best saying: “[Suicide Saturday] was sorta birthed from this idea of finding a balance with society and with yourself. Having to commit a social suicide, in a sense, in order to regain composure with being who you are and maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself” 2. "Diddy Bop" by Noname From Noname's 2016 'Telefone' release, she gives us her new hit single Diddy Bop. After looking further into it, this song was named after a dance move called the diddy bop which was made famous by rapper P. Diddy. Ultimately, this song takes us back to Noname's childhood memories, mistakes, and joyous times. 3. "On My Own" by Whitney This song comes from Whitney's 2016 album 'Light Upon the Lake'. It turns out, "On my own" started as a writing exercise performed between the lead singer and lead guitarist of the band. This song wasn't expected to be anything other than a project, but is now a hit song on their album! 4. "Them Changes" by Thundercat In his 2017 Album Release "Drunk", Thundercat came out with this widely known song "Them Changes". This is a groovy song all about heartbreak </3 5. "Night on the Sun" by Modest Mouse "Night on the Sun" is not only a song name, but an EP title for this alternative rock band. The album Night on the Sun was first released in 1999 as a Japan-only album. It was released once again in 2000 into the UK and US via a separate EP called Everywhere and Their Nasty Parlour Tricks. 6. "745" by Vince Staples This track is a super funky beat that was made by the famous Detroit producer, Jimmy Edgar. The lyrics reference an early 2000's BMW 7-series model that Vince has some sort of proclivity to. 7. "For Emma" by Bon Iver From his 2008 Album, For Emma Forever Ago, Bon Iver (otherwise known as Justin Vernon) delivers this beautiful tune. The album as a whole is very sad and nostalgic sounding. In this specific song "For Emma" he writes the lyrics as a conversation being had between two people. Assuming from the songs title these two people are none other than himself, and Emma. Pure genius. 8. "If Not For You" by Shakey Graves "If Not For You" is the 10th track on the album And The War Came. It is said that this song is often performed on Shakey Grave's live sets, so if you're going to Sasquatch! you might be in luck to hear this song performed live!!

WIDR gave me a place to be myself. I came to WIDR as a Freshman. I didn't know anything about radio, or the "DIY" scene, and I didn't know anyone. Being a director at WIDR for the last year has taught me so much about myself, and has been one of the hardest most frustrating, most fun, interesting, challenging, and exciting job I’ve ever had. There’s nothing like it. Now the time has come to pass the torch, but I can't leave without saying goodbye. So much of what I have accomplished and learned in the last year at WIDR is thanks to my fellow directors. Annie, Tony, Jeff, Evan, Andrew and Josh. We have all become such great friends. I am forever thankful to have gone through this experience with all of you. In our last week I asked the Directors about their experiences with WIDR. Here's what they said... Tony What does it feel like knowing you’re leaving WIDR? Refreshing because I’ve been here for so long, and slightly frustrating. What was your favorite moment at WIDR? Finding out that the university wouldn’t let me do the block party. It taught me a crucial lesson in life. I’ll carry that with me forever. It taught me to accept failure look past failure work hard and appreciate my mentality in things. In your last week here, reflecting back, what was the best thing about working at WIDR? My friends. I love the people I work with. I’ve never not enjoyed working here because of the people that work here and the culture that we try to have. What have you learned from working at WIDR? This job taught me that if you want something for yourself you have to do it yourself. It taught me the value of my time and my self worth and self worth from my own perspective. What do you hope to leave behind? The start of WIDR submitting into competitions and proving to itself that it can be better than it is. Annie What does it feel like knowing you’re leaving WIDR? It’s very bittersweet. I know what WIDR has prepared me for, but I’m still sad to leave. What was your favorite moment at WIDR? It’s a toss up between Audiotree, and the silly string fights that we got in. In your last week here, reflecting back, what was the best thing about working at WIDR? Being able to connect and meet with all of the people that I’ve met. What have you learned from working at WIDR? A lot. Never take yourself too seriously. What do you hope to leave behind? I hope to leave a lot of things. If there’s one thing it would be that I gave the station a little bit more folk music. Jeff What does it feel like knowing you’re leaving WIDR? I’m gonna be sad about losing some of the friends I’ve made but also a little bit of a relief too. What was your favorite moment at WIDR? Being in the car on the way to NYC playing DND and listening to Harry Potter. Or after the first show that I got to work sound on. In your last week here, reflecting back, what was the best thing about working at WIDR? The people. What have you learned from working at WIDR? The mob will never understand. What do you hope to leave behind? A beautiful body. Josh How do you feel after working here for a semester? JOSH: I feel really good about my time here so far. I’ve accomplished some stuff but feel like I have a lot more work to do and am so excited to keep working here for the next couple of years. It’ll be interesting with a new batch of people but I feel like it’ll be fun because I feel like I grew close with you guys and I get to do that with a whole new set of people. It doesn’t even feel like work anymore What was your favorite moment at WIDR? Definitely going to NYC. Before we went on the trip I didn’t really know what to feel about it, but it was such a blast! I met people there that I still talk to. And I saw how much our work could possibly pay off and how much praise we could get for doing a good job. It was also just really cool. That was not only the most fun but also the couple of days that I most grew overall as a person. What's been the best thing about working at WIDR so far? The people. From the other directors to the DJs, they’re just such cool people who work here and are involved at WIDR. It makes coming into work so easy What have you learned from working at WIDR? I definitely think I’m more organized now. I’ve learned the importance of communicating with people. Stuff I already knew but this really put a spotlight on it. Also I think I’ve learned a bit about teaching others and found ways to describe things so that people really understand. I think it’s helped me in that aspect too. Being able to teach or convey how something works in an understandable and digestible way What’re your plans for improving widr over the next year As the program director I really want to get it to be that each show has its own personality so that every time you tune to WIDR it’s not just different music, but a whole new vibe and that whoever is on is owning it. And I hope that the listeners have a good response to it. Over all I want to do more nominations for awards because I think we could really make WIDR more of a nationally highlighted station. I didn’t realize what we had before going to IBS. Now I see how able we are to really make the station something that is at the top level in the entire country in terms of collegiate radio. That’s what I want to work towards. Andrew What does it feel like knowing you’re leaving WIDR? I’m sad to leave the job. It was, for a college student, a dream job. I’m upset that I really enjoyed this job and am not able to keep it. What was your favorite moment at WIDR? The first time we did battle of the bands. It was really stressful but I liked the challenge of it. It was nice to be handed a problem that big and being told you need to solve this In your last week here, reflecting back, what was the best thing about working at WIDR? Being able to do what I loved on a daily basis with people that I not only respected as coworkers but really liked as friends What have you learned from working at WIDR? The short list would be communication, how to be an effective manager. What do you hope to leave behind? To give something to my successor that allows them to only worry about making things sound better and work better. Evan What does it feel like after leaving WIDR? it's very weird, for years so much of my free time outside of class was spent either working at WIDR or prepping my show that week and now I've stepped back from that and finished school. I do miss it, but it's been nice exploring other hobbies in my life. What was your favorite moment at WIDR? CMJ in New York a couple years back. It was a week of going to talks and shows with the WIDR crew where we met a ton of other likeminded college radio folks out there. That trip helped me realize the idea of working in the music industry wasn't as far fetched as a lot of people say it is. Reflecting back, what was the best thing about working at WIDR? Having friends call into my radio show was always really endearing. On the other side of the same coin though, having an unknown listener call in to compliment the show is even better. They cared enough to call a stranger on the phone and tell them they like their music taste. What have you learned from working at WIDR? Like I mentioned before, the idea that working in radio (or even entertainment in general) is totally doable. What do you hope to leave behind? A faint smell of garlic in the Program Director's office

You can listen to!! Check out what we've been listening to at WIDR here!! 1. "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" by Tame Impala Tame Impala's Album 'Lonerism' released in 2012 has no shortage of Psych-rock jams. This song being one of the fan favorites off of the album. This song's lyrics describe a relationship where it "feels like they only go backwards". Basically describing a relationship that he's putting a lot of effort into, but it doesn't ever pay off, and the connection is never made. Overall, a very relatable song and a catchy, psychedelic tune! 2. "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin This song is definitely widely known and very popular! I can give it no justice in reviewing it!! But, if you haven't heard this song (or band), you are definitely missing out!! 3. "Proud" by Alex (Sandy) G. In his newest album 'Rocket' released in 2017, Alex G strays away from his original sound that he portrays in his first album 'DSU', and acquires a new folk sound. I personally didn't listen to his folkier sounding stuff until recently. I gotta say it isn't too shabby!! 4. "Talk Me Out of It" by Pope From his 2017 album "True Talent Champion", Pope delivers this not so widely known treasure. Definitely a headbanger if I've ever heard one. If you've never listened to Pope, you should check them out! This album is one of my all time favorites. 5. "Kids" by Current Joys Current Joys released this hit single in 2016. I've always been a huge fan of the lyrics within this song. Artist Nick Rattigan describes the feelings of being a kid; being innocent at heart and wanting to explore the world. As the song goes on he starts to describe the feelings of someone much older and much more burnt out. He gives the following advice to kids: "don't listen to your brain, and follow your dreams". I love this song and it inspires me to follow my dreams!! (as cheesy as that may sound lol) 6. "Ballad of the Dying Man" by Father John Misty In his 2017 album 'Pure Comedy', Father John Misty brings us this song. The song lyrics are about a man commentating on his own life and his importance to the world. Once he dies he mourns the fact that the world has lost such a brilliant mind. The indie genre of this song is accompanied by somewhat of a gospel influence with the background vocals that come in toward the end of the song. 7. "Down the Line" by Beach Fossils This song comes to us off of beach fossils 2017 release of 'Somersault'. Dustin Payseur tells us that this song was coming straight from his heart and where he was struggling at the time in his life. He just channelled what he was feeling and wrote it down. The end product being this dreamy sounding song with sad lyrics.

When and where did the band originate? What is each band members role in the creation process? We (Brian and Jane) met at Albion College - Jane studied Music & French while Brian studied Mass Media Marketing. The creation process takes different turns every time that we create, but generally one will come up with a song start and the other will jump in and help finish off the song. We've also worked with MSORD (Kalamazoo, MI), Matthew Milowe (Kalamazoo, MI) and Anna Schmidt (Kalamazoo, MI) to create a couple tracks that will be on the album in 2019. The creative process knows no bounds! How did FINKEL get its name? It's a family name. We started as Less Is More and toured that name for 3 years. After we changed direction, sonically and creatively, we needed something that was more representative of our current head space. Jane and I got married in September of 2017 and she decided she wanted to take my last name. By going as FINKEL we can continue to be Spencer's and FINKEL's. It works great! Band names are hard. Who or what influences your style, and how do you categorize yourself as a band? Sonically, we categorize ourselves as soul/pop. Visually, we categorize ourselves as Futuristic Urban Milan. When filling out a press release, we describe our sound further as LCD Soundsystem shakes hands with an r&b version of Alt-J. We're both very big into art and fashion. Creating the bands aesthetic, we wanted the fashion element to have value, just like our music and visual art, as it's an extension of ourselves. How has your music evolved from the beginning of the band to where it is now? Rollercoaster ride, man. Buckle up. We started as a cover band on Mackinac Island, playing 3 hour cover gigs 4 times a week on top of 50 hrs spent in the food-service industry. After saving up enough money, we recorded our first EP and toured the country as an indie/folk duo - but it was really weird and more like a folk/opera. Take a standard song structure, ball it up in your hand, put it in your mouth, chew it up, and spit it out - that's what we played all over the country. After that, we moved to Kalamazoo to rebrand and redevelop our sound. With help from our friends mentioned above and our producer Bill Skibbe (Key Club Recording), we pivoted into the soul/pop sound that you hear now. Can you elaborate on how you approach the writing and creation process? What's it typically like? We became big fans of writing workshops over the last 2 years. We've done several different iterations of these workshops. All of them involve collaboration and isolation within the creative process. Sometimes we give ourselves limitations (keys, tempos, instrumentation, etc.) and then we'll pass it along to another member of the band. Sometimes we write songs together. Right now, we're doing something involving how we see the world every day. I don't want to give away too much because it's influencing our album in 2019, but it's weird and fun. Where is the best place to find and stream your music? Our first single will be released on May 11th and will be paired with an animated music video by Turku, Finland's finest, Sanni Lahtinen. You can catch it literally everywhere. The song is called, w / o. What is something most people don't know about the band that they should? We really love food. We want to open up a food truck that serves biscuit pizza when we're in our 60's (at least right now - that could change). On the road, we usually ask people from their respective areas what the best food to try in their city is. If you tell us, we will go. What is in store in the near or long-term future for FINKEL? We moved to Los Angeles, California in early 2018. We're releasing 3 singles over the course of this year, all with animated music videos. We'll be involved in creating music & art tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. Also, that food truck thing mentioned above. Any final thoughts you'd like to share? It takes a village to pursue art (obviously not always the most lucrative endeavor). We want to thank our village for being so strong, recruiting other people to be a part of this crazy village, and for continuing to follow the fun, wherever the fun may go. Come say hi at a show sometime this year. w/o || FINKEL