If All Music Is Sound, Is All Sound Music?

 

Community Post: Interview with Tom Wilkins

Tom Wilkins has been a WDCV DJ for the past 5 years. He moved to Carlisle when he married his wife, about 28 years now. He has spent the past 15 years teaching high school with a focus on special needs education, though Tom seems adamant about retiring soon. Tom sought interest in WDCV when his daughter went off to college and joined her college’s radio station, which inspired him to follow in her footsteps. He reached out to WDCV and has been spinning albums ever since.

Initially, he chose a specific theme for each week, picking from all different styles of music. After a couple years, Tom found this extremely restrictive and felt the limits of his weekly themes when, one day, a listener called him during his radio show. The caller asked why he chose to play such mainstream music when WDCV’s mission is to play underrepresented artists. Although this caller possessed a rude attitude, his question shook Tom in multiple ways. Why did he feel the need to play music he knew people could easily listen to, when what he really wanted to play was music that intrigued and challenged him?

From that moment on, Tom began playing untraditional music. “Experimental, weird music,” as Tom put it. Some names are more recognizable, like Brian Eno, one of Tom’s favorite artists, but others are more strange to the common listener. The songs and artists he plays are typically more recent, though this genre of music has been around for a very long time. Tom describes his taste in music as “familiar enough to engage you, but unfamiliar enough to challenge you.” He wants to share the music that makes him think, the music that requires active focus rather than passive listening. He questions, “if all music is sound, is all sound music?” To Tom, all sound can be music if you open your mind to it. He spends a lot of time searching for more music to share with his listeners each week, either by reading magazines or listening to shows similar to his own, which allows him to connect with others who share his taste in music. This show is important to Tom musically, and he hopes that through listening in on his radio show, others too can learn to appreciate music that is abnormal and untraditional, yet challenging and intriguing.

                  

Listen in on Tom’s show, String Theory, on Tuesdays from 8pm to 10pm to hear Tom’s favorites! 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

“The Teacher Creature”

Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Mike Conrad

Mike Conrad is the host for Jazz on The Rocks, which airs Saturdays from noon to one. His relationship with WDCV began many years ago when he was a student at Dickinson College. Back in 1964, the station was in a different location and streamed an AM signal. During his time at Dickinson, Mike was a DJ and engineer. Once he graduated, he began teaching at Cumberland Valley High, and left his WDCV days behind for different dreams.  

Because he loved radio so much, Mike searched for more opportunities to get on air, and finally found a gig at WHYL FM, another local yet larger Cumberland Valley radio station, in which he had a four hour show every night. Eventually, Mike moved on and continued his search for a way to get on air. He worked for WIOO, an AM Carlisle station, WSBA in York, and later WKBO in Harrisburg. As Mike stated,  “these were the golden days of “top 40” radio and I was right in there rocking and rolling.” During his time as a rock jock on KBO, the station capitalized on Mike’s primary occupation and he became known as “the teacher creature,” complete with his own set of custom jingles. It was great fun for Mike, and filled his desire for radio.

      

Eventually, Mike got married and had a family.  His duties as a father and teacher necessitated leaving his on air job, but he continued to do voice-over work during this time, of which he continues today.  Because of Mike’s passion for radio, he still searched for a radio station that could fit into his schedule. Three years ago, Mike got a show on WDCV, and began producing Jazz on the Rocks from his own production studio.  Each show was and is recorded by himself, then sent into the station, where it is automatically played every Saturday. This process is very easy and flexible for Mike, and allows for him to live outside of the Carlisle area while simultaneously DJing for his very first radio station.  Although the “teacher creature” no longer rocks the airwaves, listeners to Jazz on The Rocks hear relics of those bygone days in the form of various jingles and other production elements.  Radio has always been one of Mike’s favorite passions, and he thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to DJ his hour on WDCV each week.

 

Listen to Mike’s Jazz on the Rocks, Saturday from noon to 1pm, for a special hour of Mike doing what he loves most!

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos were given to WDCV as a gift from Mike Conrad, who captured them when he was still a student. 

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!

New Artist Spotlight: The Polychromatics

This week, the WDCV music directors added a few featured artists, and we’ve decided to shine a light on one of the newest bands.

The Polychromatics are an indie rock band based in Philadelphia, and their EP is a perfect depiction of the versatility of their talents. They’re refreshingly open to experimenting with their sound. John McKenna, the guitarist of the band and featured vocalist on two songs off the EP, describes each song on the EP as an island, but I disagree. While the songs sound sonically different – in four songs they manage to play everything from folk, to garage jam band, to psychedelic – the lyrics convey a claustrophobia and existential anxiety that feels genuine and relatable to anyone in transition.  

According to the guitarist, the band’s influences go hand in hand with their favorite music, such as Pink Floyd, Ty Segall, King Crimson, Gandalf, and The Doors (some of my favorites as well). McKenna specifically said that the song that is most prominent from his youth is The End by the Doors, which led him to pursue music. He says, “When I first heard Robby Krieger’s skill on that song, I made the decision to become a guitarist.” (He also recommends we listen to the psychedelic band Wand.)

If you’re interested in listening to them, they’ll be circulating through our automation, and they’re also on Soundcloud. When I asked how they felt about how the internet affects the music business, a controversial issue, they said, “It’s giving our band the ability to reach an audience quickly [which] we might not have had the chance to do if we took the old school method…I can’t help but see the benefits of instantaneous communication on a free platform for unknown bands like ourselves.” 

If you have any questions for the band about their work, or event opportunities, you can contact them at their email, the.polychromatics@gmail.com, on twitter or on facebook.

If you have questions for the author of this article, please email logiurab@dickinson.edu or post on her facebook page

New Show: “Crossing Paths”

WDCV presents a new radio show, “Crossing Paths”, Wednesdays from 3:00- 3:30!

 

Mollie Montague, a sophomore at Dickinson College, has presented WDCV with a new show that focuses on Carlisle community members. Last year, when Mollie was a freshman, she realized she spent her whole first year focused on school and the Dickinson community, that she completely missed out on the wonderful community and residents of Carlisle. She decided to take part of the “Heart and Soul” project conducted in Carlisle last year, which opened her eyes to the wonderful lives of Carlisle residents. This inspired Mollie to create a radio talk show where she conducts interviews with Carlisle residents in order to truly connect herself with those who love Carlisle as much as she does, and to connect Carlisle with Dickinson College. We all have busy lives, but Mollie believes that just by listening to these interviews, we can all better understand the community we live in and those who live with us.

Mollie intends to bridge the gap between Carlisle and Dickinson, one interview at a time. Her show, “Crossing Paths,” airs Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:30. She hopes that everyone can lend an ear to create a more thoughtful relationship between Dickinson and the beautiful town we all live in.

scene-in-pa-carlisle-pennsylvania-7939bd79d79a36e8

 

A Very Tropical Interview w/ Thero

By Aurora Wetherill, of LightsOn w/ Aurora, Thursdays@10pm.

So, Thero is amazing. “Who is Thero?” you might ask. Well, he’s the man. He’s producing some of the most innovative and invigorating tropical house music to date. He’s the man out-doing his heros. And you definitely haven’t heard of him yet.

You might also be wondering what tropical house music is. It’s house music characterized by synthetic bongos, steel drums, and flutes, and it floats somewhere around 110 beats per minute. It essentially makes you feel like you’re lying in the shade of a palm tree sharing a cool drink with the love of your life. If you don’t like it, you probably don’t like anything lovely and you probably don’t use your vacation days either.

Thero, which is the tropical house moniker of Connecticut-born TJ Sarda, has been twisting lesser songs into full on badass sax-infused low-BPM tropical bangers for about 6 months now, although he has been producing for three years. He says he really only found his sound this past Spring, and that he was heavily influenced by tropical house innovators Kygo and Klingande. He has no formal musical training, but he has an obvious comprehension and proficiency with his material. He began producing after he saw Avicii play at Red Rocks (in CO) back in 2011– he says something just clicked, and he knew he needed to make music.

So this guy is pretty young. He only graduated from Notre Dame University this past May, with a degree in entrepreneurship. He’s got a day job as an innovation consultant at a small firm, and says that music is just his “side hustle.” I asked him if he felt like he was about to get mega-famous, and he responded with great humility: “I’m just doin what I love and people dig it. What more could you ask for?”

We talked a little about the state of music these days, and how there’s really only money in live performance. He gives all of his music away for free on his Facebook and his Soundcloud, by the way. These days, people don’t just want to see their favorite artist perform; they want to see him blow their damn minds with insane lasers and confetti and champagne showers. I asked Thero if he was ready for it, to which he responded, “if people want to see me play, I’ll play. That’s how it’ll be.” Thero is going to do Thero and he doesn’t care if the world isn’t into it. But for reference, the world is totally into it. He’s got over 800,000 plays on Soundcloud.

Thero’s two all-time favorite bands are the Dave Matthews Band and Slightly Stoopid. I asked him if he would assess himself as a “bro” and he gave me a hard “maybe.” I think he would have been an IBNM major if he had attended Dickinson. His current jam is the sweet soul song, “Coming Home,” by Leon Bridges, and he says he’s been into Filous and Snbrn lately as well. He also mentioned that he’s a dog person, which he followed up with “sorry.” He’s definitely not sorry.

I’m personally a mega-fan of this guy, and when I nerd out to him, he always responds to my messages and sometimes he sends me his works in progress. The man knows how to build rapport. Thero gained a fan for life.

I asked Thero how he keeps it tropical on frosty days like today, and he gave me some truly wise words: “Just remember to smile. People get so caught up in life. Sometimes you just need to step back and appreciate everything.” Keep it tropical, folks.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, he’s got plans for a Spring ’15 tour. You can find out more and download all of his sweet tropical beats here:

Thero’s Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter.

I highly recommend his mix of “Comes and Goes,” by Greg Lasswell, and his mix of “Mrs. Cold,” by Kings of Convenience. 

Don’t forget to follow him on twitter! @TheroMusic

Follow Aurora @rortortle

 

WDCV Interviews… Isis

Backstage before her set, Isis shared her views on Skittles and being an independent female artist with WDCV’s Tessa.

Tessa: So, Isis of Thunderheist!

Isis: Yes I am Isis of Thunderheist.

Tessa: And you like red skittles.

Isis: I like red skittles. I used to like green skittles, but I’ve changed, I’ve grown older. My tastes have changed.

Tessa: I respect those tastes. Red skittles, where it’s at.

Isis: I’m telling you, f*ck green skittles! [laughs] I’m gonna write a letter to Skittles: “YO, F*CK GREEN SKITTLES. RED POWER.” Okay, I’m done.

Tessa: No, sorting them was good, it was a nice…

Isis: I was going somewhere with that, I was! You know, if you don’t stop me now…

Tessa: I mean, that they should just make bags of red and green. They do it for M&Ms.

Isis: That’s what I’m saying, segregate the skittles. I think it’s about time, you know. Segregate these skittles! [laughs] Some of the soundbites you’re gonna get are f*cking ridiculous, oh my god. Okay.

Tessa: So you’re from.. Toronto?

Isis: I’m Nigerian. And I was born in Nigeria–Africa, it’s a continent, not a country–some people don’t know that–and I was raised in Toronto, and I’ve lived in Vancouver, sometimes Philly, and … yeah that’s about it.

Tessa: Did you go to college for music, or…?

Isis: No, I’m a college dropout, I went for a week and then I went on tour.

Tessa: Wow.

Isis: Yeah.

Tessa: And you were originally Thunderheist, were you something before that?

Isis: No, I was originally Isis, and then I met Graham through a mutual friend, and he was really into my musical stuff, my solo stuff, and then accidentally sent me a beat for this other thing he was doing. I rapped on it and he was really stoked about that. And then he was like “Do you want to be in a band with me?” and I said “Sure, why not?” And then we started Thunderheist, and that went for about three years. And then we decided to take some time apart, and now I’m going back to my solo music, which is now different from what I was doing initially. Initially when I first started as a solo artist I was doing a lot of spoken word and I got into MCing, and then a little bit of singing, but mainly MCing. And then with Thunderheist it was mainly MCing, a little bit of singing. Now I’m focusing more on singing and writing vocal stuff versus just rapping. I think I’ve mastered the rap thing.

Tessa: And you write all of your lyrics?

Isis: Yes, I write all of my lyrics, and on this–on my solo project now, I’m for the first time also producing music as well. So it’s not–so, the music I’m writing as well, and co-producing… So it’s a real collaboration, whereas with Thunderheist it was more like, you know, I rapped and Graham would make the beat for me to rap for, like, you know, Graham would make a beat and I’d rap on it. So it’s definitely more of a hands-on, full experience. I think, for women especially it’s like usually we are just a voice, we’re a face, you know, and I think it’s important for us to start exploring the other back-ends of the music industry, not just, like, you know, being the front singer, like really writing your own music. It’s really liberating. Also extremely, extremely difficult. And hats off to anybody who does that full time and is good at it, because it’s not easy. I become kind of anal, because, staring at a screen and wavelengths… Just looking at waves and cutting and pasting for hours, and like moving things around and trying to get the synth to sound an exact way, that’s why it all make sense now why Graham was the way he was.

Tessa: So, since you write all your own lyrics and everything… most of what we’ve been talking about at the radio station is what is “Jerk It” really about?

Isis: Oh, really?

Tessa: We wanna know what it’s about [laughs]. We’ve been… is it dancing?

Isis: Well, “Jerk It” is a Thunderheist song, I’m Isis! Why are you asking me about “Jerk It”? I wrote that song a long time ago. No, I’m kidding, um, “Jerk It” is… um… honestly I made it up, I made up the f*cking word, I have no idea what the f*ck it means. Um… It’s really just, for me, a song about, you know, not really caring what society tells you you’re supposed to be or you’re supposed to look like or any of that stuff, essentially shaking off any of society’s rules and really just embracing self and individualism and kind of just going for the gold, you know, and not really–and I think, especially like, a lot of times we spend too much time worrying about what other people think. I do it too, you know, we all do it. And I think that song, it was kind of like a moment for to step back and just enjoy being you and not having to apologize for it.

Tessa:  Well that’s pretty awesome, we had little bets going what it was about–

Isis: Yeah? Who’s winning?

Tessa: Well, I don’t think anyone won that one. We were–we said it was, you know, the fifties dance “the jerk”–

Isis: Really?

Tessa: There was like, a dance move like that in the fifties, um, called “the jerk” and we thought it was about that, and some people thought it was about beef jerky, and, you know, the obvious, “jerk it”…

Isis: Oh, like jerking–

Tessa: Yeah, especially with the video. But–

Isis: Oh, you know, I didn’t ask to put a cock in the video. You know, it’s just a chicken. But a male chicken, so a cock. I see the innuendo. I see it! I didn’t ask for it, it’s just happened to happen, you know, sex surrounds me, I don’t know why. [laughs]

Tessa: It was, when we found it we were like “Oh! Interesting. I’m excited for this woman to come to Dickinson!”

Isis: Are you excited just because you want to hear me play “Jerk it” or are you excited because you actually want to hear some of my solo music?

Tessa: Well, we want to hear someone who can bring it and who can have us all dancing, and we just want someone with energy and that’s what you–

Isis: That’s a good answer! That’s a nice way around the answer, too, that was good, you didn’t really–that’s good, you’re good at this! If you’re looking in the world of interviewing, you’re alright stuff. I’ve been interviewed by many people and I’ll say you’re doing a pretty good job.

Tessa: Thank you for complimenting me on my–

Isis: I also liked your jacket earlier, too.

Tessa: Wilson’s leather. They’re everywhere around here.

Isis: Really? Do you guys pay taxes here?

Tessa: Um, not on clothes in Pennsylvania.

Isis: F*CK YEAH we’re going shopping, yo. …Sorry, you can’t see, I was pointing at my bag. Pointing at the bag!

Tessa: On clothing, no tax.

Isis: That’s nice. I’m gonna buy some chaps.

Tessa: There’s a cowboy store..

Isis: Oh yeah, I’m sure there is. This is America, cowboy [laughs]. Cowboys and Indians! [laughs] Okay. So do you want to ask me anything else about my solo stuff, ’cause that’d be cool.

Tessa: Why don’t you tell us about your solo stuff?

Isis: Yeah! Well, like I said, I’m producing and writing the record. It’s not nessessarily the same Thunderheist music because again, it’s not the same people. But it’s still danceable. I think a lot of it’s introspective instead of me writing more for people and helping them find their confidence, I guess I’ve kind of gone inside and just, kind of used this as an opportunity to write about things I don’t normally tell people. I’m not really a share-my-feelings kind of person, I’m more like “let’s all get drunk and not talk about it,” so it’s a really cool opportunity then to be a bit more vulnerable. With that said, I still get the b*tches on the floor, so it’s all good. Don’t be scared guys, you know, you’ll still be able to dance to some of the songs. But I hope people will listen to the lyrics as well, and actually spend some time listening to the music and, you know, not just hoping for another “Jerk It,” cause that’s… sorry it’s not gonna happen. I might not even play “Jerk It” tonight, see? That’s how much I don’t like that song.

Tessa: You really don’t like that song.

Isis: I just… it’s just.. I love the song, it made me lots of money, you know. I think now, as somebody who’s pursuing solo music, I don’t want people thinking I’m Thunderheist, you know, I’m Isis. And I was Isis before Thunderheist and I’ll be Isis after Thunderheist. And… [knock on door] hold on a second! And, you know, I think it’s really important to not have people pigeon-hole me. Again, a lot of Thunderheist, a lot of the branding of Thunderheist was me… and I don’t want to be typecast right now, I want people to remember that as much as I am the party-starter and the girl that made sure some people got pregnant, I also am somebody who’s an artist first and foremost. And I think that’s a very important message for me to get people. I’m not, you can tell I’m not a super-serious person or anything like that, I just don’t want people thinking that every time they come to my show, they’re gonna hear “Jerk It.” You’re not going to. I literally haven’t this entire time we’ve been doing this tour. I play the other songs from Thunderheist, it’s just that that particular song is so iconic with Thunderheist, it’s so connected to Thunderheist. I really avoid going there. So again, I’m not mad at anybody who asks for it, I don’t blame them, it’s a great song, I’m glad that I was able to have that three years of awesomeness. I just, again, like I said, it’s really important for people to understand that this is not a Thunderheist show. Thunderheist is no longer playing shows, so it’s really important for people to know that it’s Isis of Thunderheist and not Thunderheist. It still can be fun.

Tessa: No, I respect your independence.

Isis: Yeah, it’s just really important for me to get that message out there, cause you know, people get sh*t f*cked up and confused. And, you know, I don’t have to choke anybody.

Tessa: So were the posters okay…?

Isis: Can we just cut that part out? I will not be assaulting any of the Dickinson College students [laughs].

Tessa: So were the posters okay? We put one of them in the box, they were fine, “Isis of Thunderheist”…?

Isis: Yeah, that’s fine, that’s totally fine. Honestly it’s just a matter of like—were you just talking at me? Honestly I didn’t even notice that, you’re good, you’re getting good at this! Um, no, it’s just, again, it’s like I said, I hate pulling the W-card but again, especially as a woman too in this industry. It’s such a boys’ club, so now as somebody who’s producing the music as well and writing the music I want people to respect me as an artist, and as somebody who’s actually bring something to the table besides a couple dirty words and fun beats, there’s—

Tessa: And shock value, right?

Isis: And shock value, you know, I’m not Gaga. You know, I definitely provide the same kind of excitement, but there’s–

Tessa: You’re not gonna come out wearing like, a seashell.

Isis: Exactly, exactly. I don’t make music for shock value. I make music because it’s what I was born to do, it’s what I’ve done pretty much all my life, and I love doing it. And I love having that experience with a crowd. When you’re in a different country, across the ocean and people know lyrics to your songs, that’s a very–it’s a high you can’t even describe, you know. And that’s why I do it. I don’t do it for the sake of just to get headlines or anything like that. It’s nice to be in the headlines. But everything I’ve ever said that’s been shocking is only because I don’t have a f*cking filter, you know, I was never born with one, and doctors are still trying to see if they can post-op, you know, figure something out. But uh, whatever. I’m stuck this way.

Tessa: Um… I would say–

Isis: Yeah, you’re like “yeah, so uhhh”

Tessa: That’s just awesome that you aren’t just gonna censor yourself or censor your feelings or put yourself into this box that, I agree with you, I feel like a lot of female artists–and thinking back to female artists that I’ve listened to throughout the years, starting with Britney Spears when I was like nine years old–the issue is all about, like shock value–

Isis: Yeah

Tessa: And then, going through other.. like Amanda Palmer, who is not like a Britney Spears or pop idol, but still, what does she do? Shock value. And I really respect you for saying “I don’t want to do the shock value route, and anything I do say is accidental.”

Isis: Well, that’s what I’m saying, it’s like, I don’t go for shock value, I’m just f*cking shocking. It’s just the… this is my life, it’s not a joke, it’s my f*cking life, that’s just who I am. You know, if I decide to blow up a couple f*cking frogs, you know, I might just f*cking do that, you know, I get the urge sometimes to kill something. [laughs] I’m kidding. No, but that’s what I’m saying, I do it just for the sake of doing it and not nessessarily for the gimmickness of it. And I think a lot of people get lost in gimmicks and that kind of… that world, that part of the industry. I think it’s important to remember the music, what happens–the feeling you get when you hear that song at the right moment, like when you’re going through a breakup or something, that one song comes on and your whole entire world opens up and everything makes sense, like that’s why I write music. For those moments. Not for… you know, not just to get laid. Although it’s really helped my sex appeal, it’s totally… if my sex appeal was stock, f*ck the recession, it hasn’t hit yet. I’m good. It’s recession-proof.

Tessa: You should write for Cosmo.

Isis: I’m telling you, man! Cosmo should call me.

Tessa: They should.

Isis: There’s definitely a column. Call it “Surprise Sex”. “Sexualation.” You know what, I’ll just make my own magazine, “Sexualation Nation.” What do you think about it?

Tessa: “By Isis”

Isis: By Isis. “The new fragrance for Isis? Sex.” [laughs] Just “Sex.”… “By Isis.” And then the commercial would be like, all like super-sultry, like a girl with brunette hair, all this silk flowing in the place, and like, on a beach or some sh*t, you know, and like a guy on a white horse, like romance novels, and it’s like “Sex, the new fragrance by Isis.” I like it guys. And it’s smells like sex.

Tessa: Would the bottle be shaped like…

Isis: I don’t know, might be.. boobs. Or just one boob. And then there’ll be the little spray thing… [laughs] GUYS. WRITE THIS DOWN! THIS F*CKING GENIUS IDEA, GUYS. GENIUS. I’ll write the f*cking mayor of this b*tch. That should do.

Tessa: I’d buy it!

Isis: I mean, yeah! That’d be awesome. “You smell cool.” I .. I should totally get an investor.

[knock on door]

Isis: Yeah hold on!

Tessa: We should probably actually get that.

WDCV Interviews… Ton Taun

Remember that time back in November when we had Ton Taun and MC Isis stop by? James sat down with the guys of Ton Taun after their set to talk about poetry class and having their songs stolen by Jeff Tweedy.

James: Hey! I’m James. I’m here with uhhh… I guess I should introduce you as FORMER DJ of DCW…

Jordan: DCW?

James: Uh, WDCV.

Jordan: WDCV 88.3, the Voice… of Dickinson College.

James: He’s got it. Jordan Capizzi, and Ton Taun, which is..

Lewis: Lewis

Doug: Doug

Mario: Mario

James: Alright. So I got a few questions for you guys. Where’d you form? Give me the backstory of Ton-Taun.

Doug: We were born in the… [laughs]

Jordan: We all went to high school together. We were formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. What was the first time we ever played, “Wake Up,” we played “Wake Up” by the Arcade Fire. And um, Lewis was not there–

Lewis: I watched you guys play though.

Jordan: You did.

Doug: The first song we played was at that.. Save Darfur thing.

Jordan: Oh!

Doug: No it wasn’t. Yes. No. It was um.. we played….

Jordan: I don’t remember.

Lewis: This Must be the Place? Talking Heads?

Doug: Nothing But Flowers? Let’s call it Nothing but Flowers.

Jordan: The first song we ever played was Nothing but Flowers by the Talking Heads. We uh, we went to high school together…

Doug: We’ve had such a long career together that, obviously we’ve forgotten [laughs]

James: What was that first song?

Jordan: And, then we got Lewis… so that was the end of that.

James: Oh. That’s pretty convenient. So, uh, what would you guys say–well actually, you just got done with the show, how’d it go?

nJordan: Um… it went great. We’re really happy. This is–we thought it went great, we had trouble to adjusting to how big the room was though, this was like the biggest place we’ve played thus far. Aside from Madison Square Garden.

James: Right.

Jordan: Those four nights–

Mario: Four nights in a row, Madison Square Garden.

Jordan: Sold out, sold out.

Mario: No opener or anything, it was all us.

James: That was your unplugged show, right? When you did the stripped-down acoustic?

Jordan: Yeah we did.

Doug: Not only did we strip down the instruments, we–

James: You guys were actually naked for that.

Jordan: Um, no microphones at all. No lights in the place either, no electricity.

James: It was during your Amish Period.

Jordan: Yeah, exactly. But uh, no, we had a great time, we really did. We really appreciated the stage and… you know..

Lewis: I had trouble with the monitor. Did everyone have trouble with their monitor? I had trouble with my monitor in the end.

James: Alright. So, what’s your Zodiac signs, fellas?

Jordan: Um… I’d say… I’m an Aquarius.

Lewis: No idea.

Doug: Whatever September is.

Mario: FIRE. Is bald eagle a zodiac sign too?

James: I think bald eagle is an acceptable answer. So what would you guys say is your biggest musical influence, like personally, not as a band.

Mario: Ask Jordan.

James: I’ll ask you first.

Mario: The Grateful Dead.

Doug: Creed.

James: Old Nickelback?

Mario: Hansen.

Jordan: You’re serious right now? Let’s go around.

Mario: Alright, we’ll all go around and say one.

Jordan: We don’t have to stand up. Um.. Wilco. Jeff Tweedy from Wilco.

Lewis: Phish.

Doug: What did you say?

Jordan: I said Wilco.

Doug: You stole mine… [turning to Mario] If I say Radiohead, will I steal yours?

Mario: Yeah.

Doug: Radiohead.

Jordan: Don’t say Radiohead.

Mario: So I’m gonna be different… Who’d you say?

Jordan: I said Wilco.

Mario: Wolf Parade!

Others: You just said that, that’s not true at all.

Mario: Oh, mine, personally?

James: Yeah yeah yeah, yours personally, not as a band, you know. Like what do you–

Mario: Phish. P-h-i-s-h. Woo!

Jordan: You’re making Phish fans look really really intelligent right now.

James: So, Jordan, you played a song that I personally workshopped in a poetry class.

Jordan: Ah, yeah.

James: I workshopped one of your songs, and you didn’t give me a writing credit.

Jordan: Oh, well I apologize! Actually, I didn’t take any of your notes.

James: Me and Mitch were pretty pissed off about it.

Jordan: I bet you were.

Doug: What song was it?

Jordan: Well, Merit O’Hare, the greatest poet in Dickinson College history, which, I’m not saying that I don’t agree with that, wrote on my paper, and I quote: “You are a crazy genius.” So, I was like, that was a very high compliment.

James: There you go.

Mario: Every other song on the album, I wrote when I was stuck in a cave. I had to write it on the cave walls. I had to sing the chord progressions to figure out what would happen next.

James: Oh, I see. Well… I don’t know, I don’t have any more questions.

Jordan: Want me to tell you about our new album? We have a new album out, it’s called Exporter, and… we all wrote it together and recorded it over the summer in Mario’s basement. It’s available on iTunes, and on cdbaby, but only digitally, right–oh, I’m sorry, it is on Amazon, but you have to pay $9, I wish you only had to pay $3–I wonder how you get the $3…

Mario: Napster.

Jordan: It’s not on Napster.

Mario: Yes it is.

Doug: You can get it on your Verizon cellphone, it’s ridiculous.

Jordan: Oh, really?

Doug: It’s on everything.

Jordan: I want a cellphone like that, that’s f*cking awesome.

Doug: How much of a d*ck would you feel like if your phone went off in a room and it was you, like, singing a song?

Jordan: I wouldn’t feel like a d*ck at all.

Doug: [sings]

Mario: Was that the first song we ever recorded?

Doug: That was the first song we ever played.

Jordan: No-

Mario: Original song we ever played.

Lewis: That was the first Ton Taun song.

Doug: First Ton Taun song recorded was “Burning Building”.

Jordan: We stayed up all night, we didn’t sleep.

Mario: Except for, um, we did record “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” Um, Wilco actually stole it from us. They now have the copyright, which is b*llshit. F*ck you Jeff Tweedy.

Jordan: I was six years old when I wrote the entire Wilco catalog.

Lewis: What song did you–Didn’t you submit one of our songs as like a poem in seventh grade?

Jordan: No.. um

Lewis: Animal III!

Jordan: I submitted all the sh*tty songs I used to write as poems in high school.

Lewis: You told me you submitted–

Jordan: It was here, it was a poetry class here, at Dickinson. I was a freshman in college.

Lewis: Ohhh.

Jordan: A lot of the songs on the first album did get workshopped in classes. I took absolutely no notes from anybody.

James: That’s fair.

Jordan: I mean, not that they weren’t good notes, but not that they were really poems either. If everyone had critiqued the chord structures and the melodies, maybe I would have changed that. But probably not.

James: Right, probably would have ignored it anyway. So if you could steal any song–

Jordan: This is a conversation I have all the time! What did I say? What was the last thing I said?

Lewis: You’re between–

Jordan: Oh yeah! I would steal “Let It Be,” so I could get all the money from “Let It Be,” and be famous and get deals, or, and it changes all the time, the first one is Gospel by the National because it’s the most beautiful song I ever heard… ever, ever written, it is the greatest piece of music that exists.

James: What about you guys, you got any songs you would steal if you could?

Lewis: Yes. Uh… It’d have to be some Phish song, I don’t know. “The Curtain With.”

Doug: Um… I would steal… “How to Speak Clearly.”

Jordan: I changed my mind, I would steal whatever this is here.

James: I believe it’s “Jerk It.”

Mario: I would steal… what would I steal…

Lewis: I would steal “May You Never” by John Martin.

Mario: What should I steal?

Doug: If you steal something, steal “My Body is a Wonderland.”

Mario: Because my body is a wonderland?

Doug: If you steal something, you have to try.

Mario: If I could steal any song… “National Anthem” by Radiohead.

Lewis: That’s like the worst Radiohead song!

James: Okay… um… oh! I understand that you guys don’t play together often, so what’s that been like, and what’s the last time you played together?

Mario: Let me get this, let me get this.

Lewis: Me and Jordan wrote something for a school project I did.

Mario: Before that, the last show we had was at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster. It was a pretty awesome show, it had a good turnout..

Doug: It was two months ago.

Mario: Yeah, two months ago. And actually… if Jordan starts to do it, because he’s lazy, very lazy…

Lewis: Yeah, he’s lazy. We just finished our second album and he still sent me like five f*cking songs.

Mario: Hold on! We’re trying to make an album, or an EP, across, you know, state lines. We’re gonna try and throw like three or four songs together, record your own part and send it to the next person. Jordan’s really lagging on that though.

Lewis: That’s such b*llshit! He’s the only one recording songs.

Mario: We should’ve recorded the MSG shows!

Jordan: That’s something we talk about all the time. It’d be nice to get a live recording, throw it up, either on iTunes or for free or something.

James: Did you guys actually end up webcasting this?

Jordan: No, because–

Mario: There’s no excuses, we just didn’t get enough interest.

Jordan: Every time we say we’re going to webcast something, we always put it off too long and forget about it–

Doug: We did do it twice– There were nine people who viewed it, and they were probably looking for something else, something Star Wars-related.

Lewis: People were talking to me about watching it.

Doug: Yeah, but they probably came to the show.

James: Speaking of Ton Taun, you obviously get the name of your band from Star Wars. It’s the beast of burden on Hoth.

Doug: Actually, it was the first words that Jordan said.

Jordan: It was. It was the first sound I made, my mom recorded it. We were watching home videos.

Lewis: Can you give me an interpretation of what it sounded like?

Jordan: It was just like…  “ton ton…”

James: Alright. So, that’s it. End of the interview. Listen in to WDCV.

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For more Ton Taun, visit myspace, facebook, or bandcamp, or check out our review of Exporter here!

WDCV Interviews… Trunks and Tales

Before his set for our Rock Against Homelessness event, Melissa got a chance to chat with Dan from Trunks and Tales about punk rock values and recent projects he’s been working on:

M: Alright, cool. So. Dan, from Trunks and Tales.

D: Yes!

M: Welcome to Dickinson College!

D: Thank you!

M: You’re welcome. Ummmm… So we have a bunch of stock interview questions for people. The first one is: What is your horoscope sign?

D: ….Leo. Yeah, Leo. August 2nd.

M: I think that’s right, I don’t even know. Secondly, what is your favorite Beatle?

D: My favorite Beatle? Like the band?

M: Yes.

D: Oh… I don’t really like the Beatles.

M: None of them.

D: I’ll go with Ringo Starr.

M: Okay, that’s fair. Um… oh! The third question is: If you had to be a deciduous tree or a coniferous tree, which would you be and why?

D: ………………………… Coniferous is a Christmas tree? I would be a coniferous tree. ‘Cause then you would live all year long, and you wouldn’t just die.

M: Well they don’t really die, they just lose their leaves.

D: They don’t really die, yeah. You wouldn’t hibernate. I’ll put it that way.

M: Yeah, yeah. They just slack off for like three months, really.

D: Yeah, ’cause I’m not a slacker. That’s why! That’ll be my answer.

M: Alright, cool! So now let’s actually talk about music and stuff. You’re basically a solo singer-songwriter, correct?

D: Sort of, yeah. I grew up listening to punk rock, and it’s really hard to find band members that are reliable and are willing to put work into stuff. So I just sort of do it myself. So it’s just me with an acoustic guitar, but it’s sort of me singing the punk rock songs that I wish I could play with a full band.

M: Yeah, I noticed that! I really want to talk influences with you, actually…

D: Okay!

M: Because… Alright. Firstly, because, have you heard of The Riot Before?

D: Yes!

M: You remind me so much of them, in a way that’s really good.

D: I think we probably come from a similar background, as far as like music-wise, just listening to… I grew up on a lot of old, not like super-punk rock kind of stuff, but a lot of what’d you call “heavy indie bands” from the 90s: like Small Brown Bike, Hot Water Music, the Casket Lottery… a bunch of old emo bands, original emo bands, like The Get Up Kids, bands like that, Mineral. So, that’s where I’m coming from, and it’s sort of just me going in that direction by myself.

M: It shows a lot though. You have a bunch of covers that you did, actually, right?

D: Yeah, yeah. My reason for doing that is that it’s sort of to pay homage to all the bands that have inspired me, and to sort of get people that–older bands that people like me don’t really realize existed or do still exist–to get people listening to other kinds of music that they might not be into.

M: Right, totally. Yeah, that’s really cool. I really liked all the covers, by the way.

D: Cool, thank you.

M: Yeah, like the Billy Bragg one. Way better than Lars Fredricksen’s, way better. I was like, “He showed that guy.” Do you play live a lot?

D: I do. I’ve been doing this for about two and a half years, and I’ve probably played in that time about two hundred and fifty shows. This is, I guess, you asked me to play this show, and I had a couple people ask me to play shows in this general time area, so I actually booked a kind of ten-day tour thing. I’m playing here today, I’m playing Bethlehem-Allentown area tonight, then… I didn’t get a show booked for the next day, but then I’m going up to Long Island, and then up into Massachussetts, then a few more days in Pennsylvania, then down to Washington DC and back up. So I play as much as I can. As time allows, because I’m also working full-time. But music’s the thing for me, so if I have to take off work, that’s not really an issue for me.

M: So, is your boss pretty okay with all that, or do you kind of have to work around it?

D: I found a good job, the kind of job that all musicians should have, where my boss will pretty much give me off any time that I ask off as long as there’s enough advance notice. I can be like “Hey, I need this day off, I’m playing a show,” and he understands that music is my first and biggest priority, so I’m really lucky.

M: That’s really cool.

D: And I have a lot of friends who play music who aren’t that lucky, so I feel very lucky to have that.

M: Who’s your favorite person or band to play a show with?

D: Um… I’ll go one for each, person and band. I have a friend named Chris, he goes by Anniversary Club. He’s originally from the Pittsburgh area but now lives in Cleveland, and he’s more of a singer-songwriter thing, but sort of more in the louder, punk rock style. He writes some great songs and he’s just a really good friend of mine, so it’s really fun to play with him. I have some other friends from Philadelphia that play in a band called Science Fair, which–I’ll be playing with them tonight. They’re actually a lot of fun to play with too, just a lot of really fun dudes and they have their hearts in the right place. They’re not in it to become rockstars or anything, they’re just there to hang out and make friends and write good music that they mean, which is cool.

M: Are you recording, or working on anything right now? I mean, you have the tour coming up–

D: Yeah, I have this little tour. Also, I’m playing a festival in Massacchussetts in May, which I’m gonna do. It’s called Mass Recovery Fest, it’s a two-day festival with a bunch of acoustic bands on Friday night and a bunch of full bands on Saturday night. So I’m gonna be doing a few days up there, hopefully, and back… and hopefully, this summer, coming out with a full-length album. And, um… just trying to play as much as possible.

I’ve recently started a record label, a little independent record label, called Kat Kat Records. It’s on facebook and bandcamp, all that nonsense. But it’s where I help put out my friends’ records. I’m doing a split cassette tape with a band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, called Captain of Compliments, and that band Science Fair I talked about from Philadelphia. And then I’m also doing a 7″ for a band from New Jersey called Aspiga, and they’re kind of a Lawrence Arms-y sound. So I’m trying to keep that going, help friends put out records, and people that I really believe in… you can tell that they really mean it when they sing, and they’re not in it to do anything crazy or get famous or anything, they’re just doing it ’cause they love the music. And they really grasp the whole DIY community feel of what punk rock should be. And I feel some of the scenes have gotten too big for themselves recently, so it’s gotten beyond that. It’s gotten to a… there’s been a “cool factor” introduced. So I’m trying to keep it so it’s a community-based thing where no one’s above anyone else, and we can all just come and hang out and play music together, and be friends. And really the music is a way to implement that community sense and a way to broadcast that to other people. The music is just the medium to get it across. So, those are the things I’m up to now.

M: That’s awesome! That’s really cool. Everyone, go check that out now. Right now. …I don’t know why I’m telling that to my recorder.

D: Yeah, katkatrecords.bandcamp.com, or facebook.com/katkatrecords. And also there’s trunksandtales.bandcamp.com, facebook.com/trunksandtales… I won’t even say the myspace because myspace is dead.

M: So dead!

WDCV Interviews… Dustin Edge

WDCV recently had the opportunity to send some questions to musician Dustin Edge, whose latest EP “Calm” has been spinning in Heavy Rotation for a while. Here’s what he had to say about grass and trees:

WDCV: What is your sign?

D: Sagittarius

WDCV: Who is your favorite Beatle?

D: John Lennon

WDCV: What’s the last thing you listened to in the car?

D: Panorama by Birds & Batteries

WDCV: How did you first get into playing music?

D: When I was in middle school in Louisville, KY I started going to lots of local underground punk rock shows, which is where I first felt the desire to create my own songs and perform them. So many amazing bands came out of that scene in the early 90s that I count myself very fortunate to have seen: Slint, Endpoint, Crain, Sunspring, the list goes on and on and on. It was a special time in Louisville music history to be sure…

WDCV: What is the songwriting process like for you? What are you most inspired to write about?

D: I usually find a chord structure and then choose words that seem appropriate. As far as what inspires me, it obviously depends on what has recently transpired in my life, how I’m feeling at that particular point in time, and what I feel called to expound upon – lately it’s been the search for truth and asking questions about the meaning of life.

WDCV: Who are your greatest musical influences?

D: There have been so many over the years, but a very short list would include Talking Heads, Neutral Milk Hotel, Prince, Peter Gabriel, Fugazi, The Magnetic Fields, Cole Porter, Uncle Tupelo, John Lennon, Brian Eno, King Crimson, Richard Buckner, Slint, Nina Simone, Modest Mouse, Steve Earle, Little Richard, Oingo Boingo, Vic Chesnutt, Freddie King, Sunspring, The Gourds, Dan Bern, Minor Threat, Sam Cooke, The Cure, Howlin’ Wolf, and George Gershwin.

WDCV: Here at WDCV we are famous for our bluegrass show (no, really), and we heard a rumor you have some bluegrass in your past. Is that rumor true? Is that something that still influences your music?

D: Oh absolutely – I love bluegrass music. In my opinion it has a lot of rhythmic similarities to punk rock, so perhaps the bands from my early Louisville days paved the way. I’d love to make a bluegrass album someday actually.

WDCV: Where is your favorite place to play live?

D: Anywhere people come to see me…

WDCV: Calm seems like it has a very different sound from your previous releases. Is there a story behind this change? How do you think your sound will evolve in the future?

D: The songs on my previous EP, By The Numbers, were primarily written on a computer – they were very rigidly structured and laden with effects. The opposite was true on Calm, which was written mostly late at night in the tiny confines of my basement apartment in New York – I guess it was a way of bringing myself into balance with the multitudinous activity of the city that surrounded me.

WDCV: Along those lines, you also have a release called “By the Numbers” with songs called “The Golden Ratio” and “Easy as Pi.” Are you, sir, a not-so-secret math nerd?

D: Well it’s true that the study of mathematics is something I’ve always been fascinated with since I was very young – I believe most musicians possess some basic connection to numeric qualities, although it must vary from person to person. Aside from the meaning we attach to emotion, I believe that there is definitely truth in numbers too…
WDCV: Do you have any big future plans for the world of music?

D: I’m going to rob all the major labels and distribute their assets evenly to every independent musician in the world.

WDCV: State your life philosophy in seven words or less.

D: Be nice. Keep learning. Don’t panic.

WDCV: Okay, Bonus Question: If you had to choose between being a deciduous tree and a coniferous tree, which would you choose and why?

D: That’s an amazing question. It would depend on many factors, but if I absolutely had to choose, I’d be deciduous. I’d be ugly in the winter, but who’s beautiful all the time, right?

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Listen to “Calm” by Dustin Edge, or visit www.dustinedge.com for more!