Tag Archives: shamelessselfpromo

Get To Know WPRB's DJs: Lance Loud

Every week this summer, WPRB will highlight one its DJs in “Get To Know WPRB’s DJS.”

DJ Name: Lance Loud

Show: “Peacock Dreams” Wednesdays from 10:00PM -12:00AM.

Type Of Music Played: “Far out stuff.”

Reasons for Being a DJ: “Seemed like a good idea at the time, and apparently it was.”

Day Job: Student (and Summer Station Manager for WPRB).

Hometown: New York.

Listening To Now: Sun Araw, Alice Coltrane, Dr. John, Incredible String Band.

Favorite Summer Food: Sushi.

Currently Reading: Myths, Dreams and Mysteries by Margaret Eliade

Favorite City Visited: Tokyo.

Anything else?: “Dreams sweet.”

The Fems & Ken Katkin Rule, OK?!

Over at the Chicago Reader‘s blog, there’s a great piece about the Fems and the strange-but-true story of how WPRB DJ alum Ken Katkin may have been responsible for getting this slice of 80s-era Buffalo punk reissued on Drag City:

When I was still in high school, a long, long time ago, the only radio station I listened to regularly was WPRB, operated by students at Princeton University. I first heard a lot of great bands through the station, including some that eventually became standard-bearers–R.E.M., the Violent Femmes, the Minutemen, the Feelies, Mission of Burma–but to be honest I know I’ve forgotten the great majority. I learned about groups like the Neats and the Dream Syndicate, who didn’t quite get canonized but still mean just as much to me now as they did nearly two and a half decades ago. And I remember a handful of songs that earned a special place in the station’s rotation but were by bands that nobody really knew much about, even at the time.

Read on and if that post doesn’t have you convinced by the end that Ken Katkin is one of the greatest people to have graced the planet, well then, I don’t know what to tell ya.

The Pains of Being On The Cusp Of WPRB's Broadcast Area

It’s easier to get WPRB’s reception in NYC when you stand on a roof.

Pitchfork has an interview with The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, who have a great self-titled record on the resurrected (and stronger than ever before!) Slumberland Records. You may have heard this record on WPRB recently; last week it was #3 on our Top 30 charts.

Anyway, in today’s Pitchfork interview there’s a little WPRB namedrop that made us go “Aw shucks,” so we thought to share it with you. Yes, it’s true: we really did play a lot of Shellac back then! (But we don’t think that’s a bad thing, since they are awesome!)

KB: I don’t have a car or a radio I can listen to anymore, but growing up, my friend and I were on the very cusp of Princeton’s college radio station, we’d listen to it and try to write down everything they played. But the reception was bad, so it’d be like “And that was just a track by [static noise],” and it was such a bummer. They were so into playing Shellac all the time. And they were into assuming that you just knew who Shellac was, and even bands that weren’t Shellac they’d compare to Shellac; they’d be like, “That band was probably the best Shellac wannabe band!” [laughs] College radio at that time was super great for learning about new music.

Thanks, Kip!

Do you have a story about listening to WPRB? Ever struggle to hear us through the static? Let’s hear it in the comments!

Danger Danger Gallery Benefit 1/24

WPRB DJs Altitude Sickness and Josh will be performing this Saturday 1/24 at the Danger Danger Gallery in Philadelphia. They will be performing a unique collaborative set incorporating turntables with (Philadelphia-made) Monome interfaces .

The show is $5 and all proceeds go to support Danger Danger Gallery, which in turn is supporting an entire generation of young artists. Please come out and say hi.

Full details after the jump!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=44128148801
http://www.myspace.com/dangerdangergallery

Lineup:
Seanicus (opening set 10pm)
(live set – electro-house-techno-DnB-IDM)

Altitude Sickness and Josh
(electro vs. analog synergy set)

Altitude Sickness
(live electronics, remixing)

Josh
(dj set – hiphop, pop, rock, electro)

Details:
Start Time:Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 10:00pm
End Time:Sunday, January 25, 2009 at 2:00am
Location:
Danger Danger Gallery
5013 Baltimore Ave
Philadelphia, PA

WPRB Weighs In On The "Cold War"

When we say WPRB is “cool,” we’re talking about the temperature. In a New York Post article about the politics of the thermostat wars, Jon Solomon drops some science about our HVAC system:

Help may be on the way, though; a newer and more efficient system circulates chilled water to cool the air instead. But there are drawbacks in these buildings, as well: “My office is freezing 24/7,” says Jon Solomon, who works at Princeton radio station WPRB. “I have the room set to 90 and it is still chilly. This system works too well, in my opinion.”

Sat 7/12: WPRB at the Independent's Day Music Conference

The Philadelphia chapter of the Recording Academy holds its second annual Independent’s Day Conference on Saturday. The conference is a one-day seminar about the business of music in todays changing landscape. WPRB’s Maria T (“Her Jazz”) has been asked to speak on the radio panel.

There is a registration fee for the conference ($15 for members; $25 for non-members). Full panel details after the cut — we hope to see you there!

11:30 – 1:00 | Panel 1
RADIO “Adjust Your Dial – Radio & Today’s Market”
Moderator: Billy Zoom (XM/Satellite)

If you said “radio” fifteen years ago, you were talking about one of two things: AM or FM. But today’s music lovers can tune into everything from locally broadcast shows, to webcast stations, to satellite radio… many of which offer specialty and niche programming to fit every musical taste. On this panel, experts from commercial, noncommercial, public and satellite radio will talk about how the medium is embracing change, and how musicians can tap into the new radio market.

1. Tiffany Bacon (Urban)
2. Amy Schriefer (Public)
3. Laiya St. Claire (Hip Hop and R&B)
4. Chris D’Amico (WMMR)
5. Maria T (WPRB)

Have You Seen Ian Auzenne?

As a student-run station, one of the things that WPRB encounters is a turnover of operations during the summer. College kids — I guess they all just can’t be slacking around on campus in the summertime! Our very own Ian Auzenne (“Random Acts of Music”) is down in Lousiana, currently hosting a cable access show while he’s away from WPRB. You can check out the debut episode after the jump.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoM7IY694yA&hl=en&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00]

We're So Cool

Just a wee news item to share with y’alls: seems that Philly group Man Man were interviewed by Pitchfork today, and they had this to say about, ahem, a particular radio station:

» Favorite Radio Show

Pow Pow: Princeton 103.3 [WPRB]. I actually saw a guy in the crowd today at the show who was wearing a Princeton 103.3 shirt. I grew up listening to that station, and it has completely warped my brain forever. Young influence.

Aw, thanks guys! Happy to have warped your brain.