Get ready everyone – it’s Fall Concert time! Tickets are available NOW for Pink Sweat$ and mxmtoon, who will be on campus Friday, Oct. 27. We’re so excited for you all to see the work WDCV and MOB have been putting in to this!
Tickets available now on University Tickets!
Jam Space members of “Green Tangerine” playing at Open Mic [Emilio Gurany (’25), Owen Degenhard (’25), Nate Valleau (’25), & Matt Turk (’23)]!
Allan Farfan Canales (’23) rapping his self-produced music
WDCV is all about promoting local, underrepresented music and art, Open Mic was the perfect opportunity to bring that to the community! Some of the performers shared original pieces with the audience. Musicians Zuzu Black (’25), Allan Farfan Canales (’23), and Benjamin Fox (’26) all played original songs and the crowd loved their creations! Pia Mancini (’25) also read an original poem, and her passionate reading really resonated with the audience.
Venus Bhatt (’24) and Swarnim Bade Shrestha (’26) sang “Take Me To Church” by Hozier
We’re in the process of getting some of our performers’ original works into our Heavy Rotation, look out for their stuff on the air! And a special thank you to our Technical Production Manager, Vivika Garrett, for setting up and managing the tech stuff for the entire event.
Benjamin Fox (’26) performed an original song
Last night, CMC Nashville, TN. put on an awesome show! The organization is a ‘study abroad’ program that teaches students for a semester all the details of putting on a show: set up, technical production, choreography, songwriting, etc. Their final exam is going on tour around the U.S., and one of their stops this year was Dickinson!
Each performance featured a lead singer, guitarist, bassist, backup singers, keyboardist, and drummer; and some acts included trumpets and trombones. Every part of each of the dozen acts were completely original and created by the students themselves.
The concert had all different genres: punk, pop, indie, metal, rap, and others! There was something for everyone to enjoy. The students put on amazing performances and our DJs and the audience loved it. We hope to see them again next year (or even next semester…).
CMC Nashville & WDCV Exec
On Friday April 5th, Philly-based hip-hop group Hardwork Movement took the stage in Allison Community Room. Founded by two Dickinson alumni Dwight Dunston ’10 and Jeremy Keys ’11, this concert was a celebrated homecoming. With four rappers, a flutist, pianist, bassist, drummer, and trumpeter, the band’s energy immediately infected the crowd. Audience members leaned against the stage as Keys, Dunston, and the rest of the group bounced and danced through their set. Keys had a specialty for leaning up into the audience, zoning in on listener, and speaking his verses to an individual. When the music would build, the band would crouch with the tension. When the beat finally dropped, they’d all splash around the stage, infectiously dancing and singing. Dunston had multiple costume changes, sporting a denim onesie, socks and sandals, and of course Dickinson merchandise. The crowd’s favorite of course was when he grabbed our over-sized WDCV canvas poster and wrapped it around himself like a cape. Whoever sang the next verse had the honor of wrapping the sign around themselves, all the while grooving with the upbeat music. Throughout the one hour set, Hardwork Movement presented the crowd with their best songs, including freestyles in spoken verse and instrumentals.
When the set finally wrapped up, every audience member went home with an extra bump in their step. Hardwork Movement brought to Dickinson light and energy, passion and power. WDCV thanks the band for coming through, and the audience members who made it such a fun experience!
Find Hardwork Movement on spotify!
Written by Julia Ormond ’19
The amazing and talented Sidney Gish will have a concert on Dickinson’s campus, February 16th at 8pm in the Allison Community Room.
This semester, WDCV and MOB have partnered to bring a few wonderful concerts to Dickinson, so our blog will be providing articles spotlighting the artists so you can become familiar with them before they perform. First up is 21 year old singer-songwriter-producer Sidney Gish. Gish attends Northeastern University. Her latest album, No Dogs Allowed, was released on New Year’s Eve 2017 but really started to get traction this year thanks to word of mouth on Twitter, great reviews (5/5 from the Guardian, 7.7/10 on Pitchfork), and high profile shows with Mitski, Petal, and Camp Cope.
I first heard Ms. Gish’s music because of the aforementioned Pitchfork review and was immediately hooked by “Sin Triangle”. There rest of the album is just as great. Instead of merely accompanying herself on acoustic guitar as most young singer-songwriters are content to do, Gish uses samples, offbeat percussion, jazzy electric guitar playing, midi instruments, and a healthy dose of effects to add extra flavor to her songs. Her lyrics are relatable and cleverly filled with allusions and word play. “Sin Triangle” alone references Romeo and Juliet, Japan’s foreign policy, sine functions, and the Bible. “Persephone” plays with the common mispronunciation of the Greek goddess of vegetation “I’ve called Persephone by the name of purse-a-phone”.
As a live performer, Gish utilizes a looping pedal which repeats sounds so that a single performer can command a more detailed sound. I saw her open for Mitski over the summer and she was wonderful. She even wore a cowboy hat in celebration of Mitski’s classic Be The Cowboy. I am looking forward to seeing her live again and you should be too.
Her concert is Saturday, February 16th at 8pm in the Allison Community Room. WDCV and MOB are very excited for this performance and we hope to see you there!
Review by Jonah, you can tune into his show Playing It By Ear on Wednesday’s from 10-11pm
Persephone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGmJ6FOiECs
Sin Triangle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EFKJbyFkgo
AJR has been known for many single hits, such as the most recent “Weak” and “Sober Up”. AJR is a band composed of three brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Met, who write and produce all of their songs in their own living room. They are a known band, but they still have the personal touch and small-scale concert environment.
AJR had only recently entered my radar of music. After hearing their hit “Sober Up,” I immediately started listening to all their other top hits and albums. So when my friends said there was a nearby AJR concert, I knew I had to go. They mostly played songs from their new album, The Click, and other older hits like “Pretender” and “I’m Ready”.
One of my favorite songs they played was Sober Up, because I love the chill beat and combination of acoustics and violin. The concert was very upbeat and AJR worked to really engage the audience. They performed a lively and entertaining show, including lots of dancing and lighting special effects.
Another great part of the concert was when they played a remix of The Office theme song and the crowd really enjoyed it. The energy throughout the concert was awesome as fans sang along to every song.
Seeing AJR live definitely made me like their music so much more, and the concert was an overall amazing, high-energy experience.
By: Victoria Dionisos ‘22
On December 7th, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, Mumford & Sons performed for about two hours of sheer enjoyment. Even from their opening act (Maggie Rogers, a ridiculously talented emerging artist in the indie music scene reviewed by another DJ– read about her here!), I knew this was going to be an unforgettable experience.
Even though my love for this group has fluctuated over the years as they release each new album (it takes me a while to adjust to the changes in style), I’ve been a pretty big fan from the get-go. Honestly, my fondness for their usage of the banjo knows no bounds, and its absence in their later work hit me pretty hard. The titular album of this particular tour, Delta, also took a bit of getting used to. The banjo was still lacking, but the chill, sweeping orchestral nature of the tracks won me over.
They did a fantastic job of mixing high-energy jams with slower-tempo tunes, and the combination of their new music with fan favorites helped me understand why the mood of their newest album was made to feel so different. It’s calmer and flowing, and songs like “Picture You” and “The Wild” were a perfect fit among staples like “I Will Wait” and “Little Lion Man”. Regardless, the rhythm and soul behind each and every song was infectious, and any audience member could clearly see the group’s joy and energy throughout the entire performance. They were just enjoying themselves, and that made it all the better to watch. Even though I was up in the nosebleeds, I felt connected to the action below.
They gave it all they had and came across as so humble. The crowd around me was extremely responsive too, and we managed to make them laugh through some lyrics a couple of times. It kind of reminds you that they’re human, not just celebrities.
I was already a fan of the group before this concert, but I have an entirely new appreciation for all of the hard work that goes into their performances, and their genuine talent amazed me. Each band member played multiple instruments throughout the show, with lead singer Marcus Mumford actually playing the drums at one point while he was singing (an impressive feat).
I can’t stop listening to their albums now, and each song brings back the wonderful memories of that night. Everything sounds different, but in a good way, and I find myself smiling after almost every track. Seeing them perform these songs live has brought a new dimension to them that I hadn’t heard before.
But the best part? Getting to see someone absolutely shredding on a banjo.
By Nina Spoelker ’21
Community Post: Interview with community DJ Ken Shultes
Ken Shultes, a Dickinson alum and the man responsible for reaching Dickinson’s carbon neutral goal, brings his work with him to his radio show each week. Ken’s Sustainability Jam Hour focuses on current climate change issues, and emphasizes the actions we can perform to help our environment. He believes that music is a useful tool to explain these current events in a fun, interesting way.
Ken graduated Dickinson College in 1989, and has lived in the Carlisle area almost ever 
since. For 18 years, Ken managed facilities here at Dickinson, but in the past three years he has been the Associate Vice President for Sustainability and Facilities Management. He is in charge of directing the college to reach its 2020 goal of carbon neutrality, in which the college will reduce 25% of its emission due to heating and cooling buildings, along with other actions. This is a huge responsibility, and requires the action of every student, faculty, and staff member. Therefore, Ken uses his radio show as a means to remind people of their responsibility to our environment and Dickinson’s climate conscious pledge.
Climate change and global warming are heavy subjects, so Ken hopes to make it a fun and approachable conversation through his choice of music. Three years ago, when the Sustainability Jam Hour first started, Ken maintained a small list of songs that he thought connected to sustainability, climate change, and nature. But as time went on, he found a multitude of songs that reflected what he believes in. By now, he can argue for almost any song’s connection to sustainability; it’s quite impressive. Although each song relates to climate change in some way, genres differ immensely throughout Ken’s show. His show features a little bit of everything, like classic rock, alternative, show tunes, kid’s music, and indie pop, although he admits he has not been convinced enough to play much heavy metal. Ken has three children who inspire his music tastes and open his mind to songs he previously did not consider seriously. After playing a couple songs, Ken spends a few minutes talking and reflecting upon what he believes these songs connect to, whether that be a certain action we should all be taking, such as turning off lights when we’re not using them, or current events that will affect our ability to properly reduce our impact upon the earth. Ken sprinkles in important, educational facts along with his music, creating a fun show that has an crucial purpose and a strong effect on its listeners.
Ken is appreciative of his time here at WDCV, as it is a creative release in the middle of his work day. He finds the Sustainability Jam Hour to challenge his ability to talk about climate change in a fun way, to make it an approachable subject for his listeners. He welcomes music as a tool to further this conversation. These days, any song he hears automatically tests him to find a connection to climate change, and he hopes his listeners can develop an ear for sustainability as well!
Listen to Ken’s show, Sustainability Jam Hour, on Mondays from 10 am to 11 am, and learn how you can reduce your impact upon the earth!
If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!
Community Post: Interview with community DJ Greg Bear
Throughout our discussion of Greg Bear’s WDCV show, the word “freedom” came up quite often, as Greg finds that it perfectly describes his experience with the station over the past two and half years. He and his wife and daughter moved to the Carlisle area from Philadelphia over ten years ago, and though he still misses the bustle of the city, his radio show here at WDCV, entitled Alloy: A Mixture of Jazz and Progressive Music, has become one of his favorite endeavors unique to Carlisle.
When he is not hosting Alloy, Greg is a graphic and web designer, and he finds that his day job and his radio show both provide different yet deep creative fulfillment. The show’s name encompasses Greg’s love for jazz and his growing appreciation for more experimental kinds of music that don’t traditionally fall in the jazz genre. As a result, Alloy features a wide range of music, from current releases to perennial classics. After finding the initial song that sparks his inspiration for a playlist, Greg carefully curates the rest of the show around this song’s theme, which differs each week. This theme could be a word or a phrase, and after the show, Greg puts out a newsletter describing the through-line of how the songs connect to one another, while directing listeners to Alloy’s website where he posts all of the music from each show. Occasionally, Greg will also release podcasts featuring conversations with artists whose music he has featured on the show. These podcast conversations provide Greg, and his listeners, insight into each artist’s creative process.
Each week Alloy offers a diverse mix of music and sounds. After almost three years at WDCV, Greg thinks he has gradually come closer to finding and articulating his tastes and his voice, though he admits he is still searching. One artist regularly featured on Alloy is guitarist Bill Frisell, whose music has expanded Greg’s understanding and appreciation of jazz and experimental music, as well as the limitless potential of the guitar as a solo and collaborative instrument. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno are also popular name the resurface in his shows, though Greg notes that his playlists are driven more by music that resonates with him than specific artists. His music tastes have changed drastically over the years due to the opportunity WDCV has given him to search out new artists and discover genres he wouldn’t have originally sought out. Greg views this special platform to share music as one of the best parts of college radio and one of the best aspects of his experience with Alloy. The show has allowed him to explore all dimensions of the music world and discover new ways of interfacing with his favorite genres while highlighting new music and providing him a bit of freedom in each week’s playlist.
Listen to Greg’s show Alloy, Tuesdays from 9 am to 11 am.
Check out his website at http://www.alloypm.com/
If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!
Community Post: Interview with community DJ Davis Tracy
When he was young, Davis Tracy yearned for a family TV, but he got a radio instead. This gift sparked a passion for radio that has lived on throughout his entire lifetime thus far. He would listen to a multitude of stations, from popular music to radio theater. This passion stuck with him throughout his schooling, time in the army, professional career, and to this day Davis spends two hours every Monday morning playing bluegrass CDs for his loyal listeners.
Davis started his show, Bluegrass @ Dickinson, in the 80s, when vinyl was still popular. 
Over time, Davis has switched to CDs, though he questions what he’ll do when those go out of style as well. Because of the popularity and age of his show, Davis has connected with many bluegrass artists and labels who send him bluegrass music. This way, Davis finds new voices, sounds, and twists on his favorite genre each week. This relationship also allows Davis to curate larger bluegrass events, such as Bluegrass on the Grass, a Carlisle community event that occurs every summer on the Dickinson campus. Inspired by the fun he found in playing with his own band, Country Bob and the BBQ Boys, and help from other bluegrass lovers, Davis introduced Carlisle to a bluegrass festival that is now one of the town’s most popular community events. Davis of course wanted to show people how lovable bluegrass is, but also had the intention of depicting Dickinson as an approachable and desirable place to visit. The town had other popular music festivals in the past, but they mostly focused on orchestral music, a genre that Davis believes to be less accessible. Bluegrass, on the other hand, is easy to dance along to, and brings joy to many listeners, and Davis himself.
Before Davis’s WDCV career started, he served as a United States Army Officer in the early 70s, and participated in many Outward Bound wilderness classes, in which he learned survival skills and the ability to get along and work with others who were different than him. Davis then went back to school and earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. He worked at Dickinson College as a counselor in the Wellness Center for 29 years, and as a faculty advisor for WDCV for over 10 years, where he made many improvements for the station and the students involved. In 2010, Davis retired, and has since worked part time at Franco Psychological Associates in Carlisle in addition to continuing his WDCV radio show. He starts his day around 5 am every day, occasionally accompanied by his beautiful labradoodle, Freddie, who loves to snuggle up next to anyone he takes a liking to, which is most everyone.
Davis has always loved music and been invested in it.He played tenor guitar in high school just because no one else was playing it, but discovered his love for guitar at Lehigh University. Davis never did participate in college radio when he was attending Lehigh, but he met his “radio mentor,” Paul Campbell, while attending the University of Tennessee. From this experience, Davis learned to appreciate bluegrass more, as well as the importance of college radio. He finds that college students have a refreshing on-air presence that commercial radio voices don’t possess. Davis loves to hear the progression and growth of student DJs, whether that be their professionality on air or their music tastes that first developed in high school. This student connection is what Davis misses the most about advising WDCV, though he is grateful he still has the opportunity to share his music with his listeners, and enjoys listening to student and community DJ shows alike. Davis is loved here at WDCV because of how much he has done for the station, and how committed he still is!
Listen to Davis’s show, Bluegrass @ Dickinson, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, from 8 am to 10 am!
If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu. Thanks for reading!
