Tag: featured

Digging with DJ Joe George

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Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Joe George

Joe George’s music taste is as eclectic as his DJing experiences. Joe’s WDCV radio show Dig! features Alternative Rock, Industrial, Punk, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, and more. He prefers not to define his tastes other than describing it as “just good music.” The show’s name reflects his concept of digging through the multitudes of new music produced every day. A large part of Joe’s weekly show focuses on new these new releases, but he notes that artists from his youth, such as The Beatles, Roxy Music, and David Bowie have shaped and influenced how he hears newer music today.

Joe is a Dickinson alum, class of 1989, and was involved with WDCV all four years as a DJ, Music Director, and Program Director. His experiences in college bolstered his love for music, and gave him the perfect opportunity to share his eclectic tastes with anyone listening, both on and off campus. He also worked as a DJ in local nightclubs until 2013.

Outside of WDCV, Joe has been in retail banking for 17 years.  He and his wife also write a bi-weekly art column for The Sentinel newspaper, in which they explore the fruitful art scene within and around central Pennsylvania.

                                           

Joe continues to DJ professionally for special events, including receptions, fund raisers, parties, and even Dickinson class reunions. Joe prides himself as being very good at judging the atmosphere of the event, and can pick music that will entertain any crowd. Different venues demand certain sounds, specific artists, and genres; Joe enjoys creating “soundscapes” that please his customers and make the event memorable.

When it comes to his Tuesday morning WDCV show, Joe shares music he finds to be exhilarating and thoughtful. Therefore, Joe’s two hour show on WDCV is a creative release for him, in which he combines new and old tracks. And while he has spent the prior week carefully curating his program he still mixes live on the air. He believes college radio is something special, a unique kind of sharing platform in which every listener walks away with a slightly, if not completely, changed perception of music. To Joe college radio is a place to explore. During his WDCV show, Joe hopes to make his listeners feel something, whether that be satisfaction or confusion.

He enjoys when listeners call in to talk about his music tastes and playlist choices, and finds real satisfaction from sharing his love of music with all WDCV listeners.

 

 

Listen to Joe George’s Dig! on Tuesdays, 6am to 8am, and be sure call in to let him know what you think!

 

 

 

 

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

The Blues According to Danny

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    Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Danny Dicker

Danny may posses a quiet personality, but he speaks through the music he plays here at WDCV. Danny does his research on his music, knows the many covers of his most favorite songs, and could tell you the background story of most blues songs and their singers. His show name, The Crossroads, echoes a Robert Johnson song with the same name. The blues artist inspired not only Danny’s show name, but also his love for blues and rock. During his one hour show, Danny plays both old and new songs that have charmed him with their unique sound. He attempts to create a diverse collection for his listeners by connecting some jazz songs to his favorite blues artists and using music to talk about the                                                                                   unique time period in which we live today.

Danny has only been a DJ for two years, but has already found a home here at WDCV. He moved to Carlisle about seven years ago with his father, and works in the Dickinson catering business throughout the day. He enjoys seeing live music, though he admits it’s been hard to support that passion as he gets older and must work more. To make up for this, Danny plays his own favorite music with his guitar. During the past four years, his talent has grown by playing great blues and rock songs, most commonly by The Black Keys, one of his favorite bands. He could talk forever about this band, their differing sounds throughout their albums, their seemingly soon-to-be break up, and that one chance he almost had to see them live. It is his love for this band and others alike that bring out his true personality, one wrapped tightly around bluesy guitar riffs and a steady rhythm.

                             

His favorite artists range from Mac DeMarco to BB King, from The Beatles to Isaac Hayes. Danny’s favorite backstory of a blues song is the history of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground.” A mixtape containing this song was shot into space for other life forms to find, as a representation of what our music sounds like, to convey human emotion.  Danny explained how this song was chosen to express the feeling of loneliness, and it only makes sense that it should be floating in space by itself until other life forms eventually find it. These backstories that Danny discovers bolster his love for music. They are unique, and present a special imagination to each song that he cannot find in any other genre. It only makes sense that Danny is so excited each week when he arrives at the WDCV station for his show, because it gives him chance to share this beautiful genre with all of his listeners.

 

 

Tune in to Danny’s show, The Crossroads, Thursdays from 10pm to 11pm, to hear a taste of the blues!

 

 

 

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

Love For Sinatra

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Community Post: Interview with Community DJ Deeg Shank

Dolores “Deeg” Shank is the perfect example of a music lover who is committed to the appreciation and exploration of what she loves most. She grew up outside of Philly and at a young age of 12, she discovered Frank Sinatra on a John Denver TV special. Once she witnessed Frank’s charisma and smile, and heard his stylish sing, she was taken. Flash forward to sophomore year of high school, when Deeg would listen to her favorite radio station constantly, which sponsored a four hour show dedicated solely to the lovely creations of Mr. Sinatra. This radio show inspired Deeg to create her own Sinatra show when she arrived at Dickinson College as a freshman.

She loved being a WDCV DJ throughout her time as a student, and missed the opportunity to be on air once she graduated and moved on. But after twenty-three years without WDCV in her life, Deeg returned, and of course continued her Spotlight on Sinatra show, just like she had done as a student. Deeg taught high school for many years, but has now retired from that and taken on dancing. Deeg’s spare time is filled with ballroom dancing, belly dancing, swimming, cooking at the local pool as well as substitute teaching at Big Spring High School during the school year. It is through activities like this that Deeg is introduced to much of the music she listens to outside of Frank. She is very open to ballroom music and Top 40, and in fact recently attended a Justin Bieber concert that was mostly enjoyable. Over the years she has also seen a variety of other artists, including John Denver, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffet, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Buble, and The Rolling Stones, while she laments never having seen Michael Jackson and George Michael.

                                  

Her love for Frank has taken Deeg on quite a journey throughout her life. She saw him in concert 12 times throughout his life, one of which he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Additionally, Deeg has met two of Frank’s children, been to his favorite restaurant in New York City multiple times, and has become well known in the Frank Sinatra community due to her full back tattoo devoted purely to Frank. Deeg receives compliments on this creation from those who both love Frank and just barely know about him. She decided to get this tattoo as an homage to Frank, the one artist who has inspired her throughout her whole life. Deeg’s love for Frank stems from his originality and musical expression throughout his years as a famous singer. She admires the way in which he lived his life completely by his own standards, and no one else’s. In Deeg’s opinion, he is a great man, who deserves the recognition she hopes to bring him through her show.

Deeg only plays songs by Frank Sinatra, but she loves playing covers of his songs to spice up her show and bring new voices to her listeners. Her favorite albums by Frank include “Nice and Easy,” an album filled with slow ballads, “Trilogy,” recorded in 1979 when Frank was 63 years old, and a couple Bossa Nova albums created back when Frank collaborated with Antonio Carlos Jobim. Deeg has been sending Frank Sinatra’s music into the air waves for years now, and finds joy in the fact that someone, somewhere will hear his music and smile. This has been proven to her when a listener called in one evening to thank Deeg for playing such great music while they were stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire. Because of Deeg’s radio show, that experience wasn’t as awful as expected. Moments like those prove to Deeg that her music, her love for Frank, and her dedication to WDCV are a positive force in this world. 

 

Listen to Deeg’s show, , from , for an insight into Frank Sinatra’s best creations.  

Listen to Deeg’s show, Spotlight on Sinatra, Mondays from 6pm to 8pm, for an insight into Frank Sinatra’s best creations.  

 

 

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

If All Music Is Sound, Is All Sound Music?

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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”

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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!

Student Podcasts to be Aired

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It’s finals week at Dickinson College, and that means final essays, exams, and projects are to finally be finished!

This week, WDCV will be airing a series of podcasts from one of Dickinson’s courses, Lusomusics, a cross-listed class in both music and Portuguese studies. This course focuses on music influenced and created by the Portuguese, as well as Cape Verdeans, Brazilians, Angolans, and many other citizens of past Portuguese colonies. The podcasts present and examine four subjects that these students have learned about throughout the semester, which include Tropicalia, Bossa Nova, Coladeira, and the artist Jose Alfonso. Along with musical examples, these students explore the historical context of their music, as well as the varying instrumentation and social significance. If you are interested in world music, or want to expand your musical ear, these podcasts are perfect for you!

Tune in on Monday, May 8th, at noon to hear all about it!

Listen live by tuning your radio to 88.3 fm, or stream us at wdcvfm.com!

 

New Artist Spotlight: The Polychromatics

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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. 

Rap Songs of the Month

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Rap songs of the month:

With new albums in the past month from A Tribe Called Quest, Childish Gambino, Smoke Dza, Post Malone, J. Cole, Meek Mill, Ab-Soul, and Anderson.Paak (NxWorries), there is a whole lot of good music floating around that you can find easily through iTunes, Soundcloud, or Spotify. The songs below aren’t necessarily all from the last month, but all the new music made it easy to pick favorites. Below are my top 10 picks for songs that I’ve been jamming to for the past month or so.

 

 

Song: Suede

Artist: NxWorries

Album: Yes Lawd!

Off of NxWorries first full LP, singer Anderson.Paak and producer Knxwledge come together to put out a funky 19 song album including this jazzy gem. Coupled with a live studio session video, Suede has a simple but perfect beat for Paak to go off on talking about all the girls that are after him since his success from his second album, Malibu. Paak never really has a problem getting funky and this song definitely brings it along with the heat of his funny and slick-like-suede lyrics.

 

 

Song: Monday

Artist: EARTHGANG feat. Mac Miller

Album: Torba

Another banging piano-derived beat comes through to give us such a chill cruising song for those driving far away for break. EARTHGANG brings conscious rap to another level rapping about revolutions of the Earth, world hunger, and getting kicked out of Canada. Matched with a good feature from the new side of Mac Miller, we hear about his come up into the game. The song will have you nodding your head by the end, believe it.

 

 

Song: Deja vu

Artist: J. Cole

Album: 4 Your Eyez Only

Despite the controversy about whether or not this was originally Cole’s beat or Bryson Tiller’s on his song Exchange, the beat is that rainy day fire that we’ve all wanted, despite having already heard it. Cole raps about a girl who seems to have her head on wrong and talks about wanting her to give guys with real dreams a chance. Cole’s lyricism is on point and gets very into his feelings. Might not be the song you want to play at a party, but definitely get some good headphones and let it bang.

 

 

Song: Redbone

Artist: Childish Gambino

Album: “Awaken, My Love!”

Gambino’s new album was expected to be funky every single we heard what the first single sounded like and this song is no exception. Regardless of what you expected, Childish Gambino uses incredible vocals over funky guitar and bass lines to create such a catchy vibe. In the song he reminds this girl to “stay woke” for all of the guys who are creeping around. Gambino never ceases to impress and has unleashed a whole new side of his incredible talent on Redbone.

 

 

Song: 100

Artist: The Game feat. Drake

Album: The Documentary 2

One of the only songs that I’ve heard recently where the artist hasn’t used Drake during the intro to get people hyped, The Game puts in work lyrically before putting Drake on the catchy chorus. The two keep it 100 throughout this banger talking about all of the fakes in LA and how their lives would be different if they weren’t famous. Take a listen or two because either way this will be on repeat in your house or party.

 

 

Song: Dis Generation

Artist: A Tribe Called Quest

Album: We got it from Here…Thank You 4 Your service

With their first album since I was two years old, ATCQ comes hard filling in each other’s rhymes, keeping the vibe light and not letting up over an addicting guitar riff of a beat. The crew uses lyrics from the deceased member Phife Dawg (R.I.P.) and talks about the new generation of hip-hop. Not unlike any other song on the album, the song brings complex lyrics over chill beats for an overall must hear.

 

 

Song: 4r Da Squaw

Artist: Isaiah Rashad

Album: The Sun’s Tirade

On the first full song on the album, the young T.D.E. star goes off on a funky, sleepy beat full of chimes and synth claps. Talking about his new rise to fame, Rashad talks about how he goes with the flow with just a dollar and a tour stop on his mind. The swagger in his flow and his lyricism both shine, leading to a great opening for a pretty great album.

 

 

Song: 1000 Xans (ft. theMIND)

Artist: Mick Jenkins

Album: The Healing Component

Right off the bat this heavy glitch/screech beat takes you in as you feel drowned by vibe. “I mean a buzz can last a light-year” is the kind of vibe Mick is on with his album The Healing Component (THC) and goes from the mention of anxiety to social commentary about Reagan and his interference in the market for crack cocaine. Super deep and super soulful, Mick’s entire album will hit you hard and make you take a second listen.

 

 

Song: Nights

Artist: Frank Ocean

Album: blond

Again, the slow paced sleepy beat actually goes in and brought together with a twangy distorted guitar, Frank Ocean has the perfect base for his sing-song voice. Although not rap, Frank Ocean goes from RnB to some spoken word and really brings out good vibes in both totally different section of his one track. “Every night f****s every day up, every day patches the night up” sings Frank Ocean on his stand out track for his 2016 album. Even without the Grammy nomination, Frank Ocean has one of the tracks of the year on his hands.

 

 

Song: Wanna Know Remix (ft. Drake)

Artist: Dave

Album: (single)

To be released on Drake’s album ‘More Life’ in early 2017, Wanna Know is pretty much his song about his new success and those who didn’t predict it like he did. Paired with the chorus from English rapper Dave, Drake has this international vibe he’s been trying to get with for a while now. The beat, made by one of Dave’s producer’s, completely stands out to the point where you would have thought a famous, rich rapper like Drake would come up with something similar. A great single already that is supposed to be on the album, Wanna Know should be on your playlist until the album comes out.

 

 

Grumpus Visits the Whistlestop Bookshop

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On November 16th, Grumpus, a Dickinson alum, visited the Whistlestop Bookshop in Carlisle as a stop on his November Tour. It was an intimate setting for a very enjoyable and personal concert. WDCV live streamed Grumpus and his opening act, Alex Dillon. Listen and check them out!

 

Follow Grumpus on Instagram and like him on Facebook!

Instagram: @grahamofgrumpus

Facebook: Grumpus

 

New Show: “Crossing Paths”

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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.

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