Why WBRU should be your alternative
No, we won’t play Train no matter how many times you ask us
Have you ever stopped to think that some of your classmates are local celebrities? Sure, they haven’t starred in a blockbuster film or been involved in a sex scandal, but they definitely rule the music scene here in Lil’ Rhody.
If you’ve never heard of it before, WBRU (95.5) is a commercial radio station located right on Brown’s campus, created by and run by Brown students.
Fun fact: Kurt Cobain‘s last radio interview was on WBRU.
WBRU’s station located on 88 Benevolent St.
I spoke with two student DJs to learn more about the station and the general music scene at Brown. Here’s what they had to say:
Name, year, and concentration?
Derek: Derek Mesman–Hallman, 2016, Math (puma, not apma)
Gabrielle: Gabrielle Hick, 2016, English (Non-fiction Writing) and Art History
Which shift do you do?
Derek: Currently I DJ the “retro lunch” (a musical blast from the alternative past). In the past I’ve also done the “Afternoon BRU” (afternoon drive time) and the “BRU breakfast” (morning drive time).
Gabrielle: I’ve done several shifts before! I used to do Exposure and Home Bru’d, but due to time constraints I’m currently the Intern Director.
Who is your favorite band/artist? Who is your favorite artist that BRU plays?
Derek: My favorite? Spoon! Favorite that BRU plays? Also Spoon!
Gabrielle: Oh God, that’s hard to answer… I’m a big fan of The Tallest Man on Earth. My favorite thing that BRU plays is Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon, mostly because I can sing and dance to it when I’m by myself in the booth. I can’t complain about Mumford and Sons besides the new album… where’s the banjo?
What got you interested in DJing?
Derek: I grew up in a driving town, so I spent a lot of time listening to the radio. I really enjoyed the connection you can feel through live radio with someone you’ve never met, and I had a sort of pipe dream that maybe one day I could work as a radio DJ. Little did I know I would have that exact opportunity when I came to Brown!
Gabrielle: When I was a pre-frosh, I spent an unhealthy amount of time researching extracurriculars and just generally writing down the ones I was interested in. I didn’t realize it was a commercial station at first… I brought a friend along with me to the initial info session because I was really intimidated. Even though that friend didn’t end up doing it, I found out the station is WAY MORE legit than I thought it would be!
Those CD’s tho! Just think about all the awesome music you could be listening to if you were streaming right now…
How have you seen Brown’s music taste evolve over the time you’ve been DJing?
Derek: It’s an interesting question that gets at one of the funny things about the station – although we’re run by Brown students, the overwhelming majority of our listeners are not Brown students, but everyday New Englanders. So I actually probably have a better handle on the musical tastes of say, 18-35 year olds from Pawtucket, than Brown students. Speaking anecdotally, Brown students are less into dubstep than when I entered 3 years ago. But that’s mostly just a product of the times. Oh, and I don’t have to hear “Gangnam Style” every 2 days like my first-year fall.
Gabrielle: When I was a freshman (2012) it was very much the deadmau5/EDM/dubstep craze, although I don’t know how popular that is now… but people like tropical house at parties. It’s definitely a big shift from the kind of heavy, almost grunginess of dubstep. It feels like people want a new style (a.k.a. Justin Bieber’s new album)… at any party you’ll hear Ignition (Remix) and other staples that remain on people’s rep, but for the most part it’s kind of the instrumental dubstep that’s changed. Even so, no one’s ever gonna stop liking Beyonce.
What are the most popular current tracks?
Derek: Lots of our younger listeners (16-22ish) are super into the new Twenty One Pilots album right now. Overall, “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon has been steadily popular for a long while.
The broadcast room, or as we call it, the booth– this is where the magic happens.
What are your favorite moments from DJing?
Derek: Getting to interview Joywave and having one of them admit on-air that they owned a high-quality life-size model of Link’s “master sword” from the Legend of Zelda video game series.
Gabrielle: The best moments have been when there are lots of people in the booth and you’re just talking and getting to know each other… the senior overnight is a very drunken fun time mostly because your responsibilities are very lax. Interviewing bands is fun too, but they’re usually really high and you end up dumping a lot of audio from going on air! I think the best part of BRU is that you get to do whatever you want to do and you can be as involved as you want to be. It’s also nice because you get to interact with a lot of professionals, and since Brown can tend to be a bubble, it’s really refreshing to interact with people who don’t live in the immediate area. You get to learn about and from different people which is so important.
WBRU is a very special place full of very special people, and the best part is: you can stream online! BRU has all kinds of different shows including: BRU Breakfast, Retro Lunch, Afternoon Bru, Exposure, and 360 (Sunday only)!
So check out WBRU and support your local radio (and fellow Brunonians)– you could walk away with a pair of free tickets to a show, or simply discover awesome, new music!