On Air July 2024

ON AIR

WKCR 89.9 FM

July 2024 Vol. xxiii, No. 6

OnAir · April 2024

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WKCR 89.9 FM

Station Manager Ted Schmiedeler stationmanager@wkcr.org Program Director Georgia Dillane programming@wkcr.org Director of Operations Ben Erdmann operations@wkcr.org Student Life Director Teddy Wyche studentlife@wkcr.org Publicity Director Tanvi Krishnamurthy publicity@wkcr.org Business Manager Casey Lamb business@wkcr.org Jazz Heads Satch Peterson & Rachel Smith jazz@wkcr.org New Music Head Vivien Sweet newmusic@wkcr.org Classical Head Anika Strite classical@wkcr.org American Head McKenna Roberts american@wkcr.org In All Languages Head Alma Avgar Shohamy ial@wkcr.org Latin Head Natalie Najar latin@wkcr.org News & Arts Head Ian Pumphrey news@wkcr.org Sports Head Nathan Kim sports@wkcr.org

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Dear Listeners, July, July, oh sweet July! Your early morning rise gives us the beauty of dawn. Your noon beams squeeze sweat from our brows. Your setting rays give us the backdrop for a meal shared together and the gentle glow of your evening moon illuminates the room just enough for us to dance and sing together.

Your days are long but your hours feel short as we try to hold on to every fleeting moment as it slips through our fingers.

The summer is a special time for us here at WKCR, and July marks its peak. We are delighted as ever to be bringing the annual Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast to our airwaves on July 4, and we will also be celebrating the 88th birthday of free jazz legend Albert Ayler on July 13. Birthday broadcasts are just the start for this month, as Tanvi Krishnamurthy will be presenting a Sunday Profile on Jeff Parker.

This July issue also reflects on key moments from June both in New York and the broader musical landscape. Live music and summer are almost synonymous here in New York, and in the latter half of this guide, you will find a festival review of Governor’s Ball Music Festival and a concert review of the SummerStage show featuring Kim Gordon and the Sun Ra Arkestra. Further, Sawyer Huckabee writes a review of the highly anticipated release from Charli XCX titled BRAT, a release which some have called the album of the summer.

Much awaits in the pages ahead and much awaits on the air in the coming month. July’s beauty will not be squandered on 89.9 and we as always hope you all enjoy.

Peace and love, Ted Schmiedeler Station Manager Cover photo by Georgia Dillane.

Mailing Address

CONTACT US

2920 Broadway General Inquiries: board@wkcr.org New York, NY 10027 Listener Line: 212-854-9920 USA ©Copyright 2024 WKCR FM NYC

This Month OnAir The Alchemy of Mondays at ETA

. . . page 4

Meet a Member: Sam Seliger . . . page 7

Weekly Schedule . . . page 10

Special Broadcasts & Themed Shows . . . page 12

Show Listings for WKCR Listeners

. . . page 13

Gov Ball Festival Review . . . page 16

Kim Gordon & Sun Ra Arkestra @ SummerStage: Concert Review . . . page 18

BRAT Album Review

. . . page 21

July Events Around NYC . . . page 23

Around the Station

. . . page 24 OnAir · April 2024

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FEATURE PIECE

The Alchemy of Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy

J

by Tanvi Krishnamurthy

eff Parker’s 2022 Mondays at the Enfield its members' albums. Parker had originally Tennis Academy is his most recent album been looking for a place to DJ, but with Julio as bandleader. It is a smooth double and his business partners’ invitation, Parker LP featuring a series of long-form free began performing jazz sets at the bar. Julio improvisation performances recorded at ETA, described to me a so-called “Mount Rushmore a Highland Park neighborhood cocktail bar of ETA” made of Mayhall, producer and bassist owned by Ryan Julio, Mateo Glassman, and Paul Bryan, and, of course, Jeff Parker, who James Bygrave, and founded in 2016. each took a day of the week that they would The literary reference was what first intrigued consistently perform at ETA. The beauty of me about the album, besides my appreciation the performances of ETA flowered from the for Jeff Parker’s music. A connections Julio formed behemoth of a novel with with these three. Julio, a reputation that follows it who de facto functioned around no matter whether like a booking agent for people have read the the bar, found new artists book or not, an allusion to perform their own sets to David Foster Wallace’s or join pre-existing weekly Infinite Jest is a tantamount performances through the implication, whatever that numerous connections that implication may be. The each musician had to the bar where Parker recorded next. He didn’t require any the album obtained its sort of screening or sound name when its owners check for these musicians: rifled through a copy of if one of them knew the Infinite Jest and settled on other, that was proof Album cover for Jeff Parker's Mondays at the ETA as its namesake—not enough of their caliber. It just for the Foster Wallace Enfield Tennis Academy (eremite records 2022). was musical social network reference, but also for the theory in action, one that transportation double entendre in connection fostered a reliable, tight-knit, and undeniably with another bar they own, the Greyhound talented community of LA-based musicians (which is technically named after a drink, not who shared a passion for the specific intimacy the bus). of performance at ETA. Julio noted that, as the Ryan Julio met Jeff Parker when percussionist popularity of these performance nights at ETA Matt Mayhall introduced the two after seeing grew, he had tour managers and touring artists Julio wear a Tortoise t-shirt while bartending reaching out to him to schedule gigs, which at ETA—a clear sign that perhaps wearing your he always declined. He made it clear that the favorite band’s t-shirt can lead you to play an ethos of these performance nights at ETA was instrumental role in the production of one of centered around the natural extension of the

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The ETA IVtet: left to right, Josh Johnson (saxopone), Jeff Parker (electric guitar & pedals), Anna Butterss (bass),& Jay Bellerose (drums).

community of musicians within Highland Park’s experimental and avant-garde jazz scene.

Julio notes that Parker, specifically, took a while to solidify what his performances on Monday nights at ETA would look like.

Eventually, he landed on a seamless quartet of Jay Bellerose on drums, Anna Butterss on bass, and Josh Johnson on saxophone—a group which, Julio explained, took some time to come together, as Parker sought a band he could feel comfortable with both on and off stage. For 4-5 years, this quartet played nearly every Monday at ETA, with someone filling in where needed over the many weeks. Given that Parker’s quartet—and most of the performers at ETA— were working musicians, members would often have to be absent for some weeks in order to take on session gigs across the country or go on tour as a part of a backing band to make some money. But they’d always find their way back to this cramped stage, performing at this bar simply because it was creatively fulfilling, week after week.

Hearing from Julio about how this album came to be, he remarked on how another core element of the culture of ETA came from Bryce Gonzalez. Very similar to how Julio met the other “founding fathers” of performance

nights at ETA, Gonzalez was simply another one of those quirky regulars at ETA that Julio got to know more and more as he bartended, and who just so happened to be a skilled audio engineer and producer. As he decided to test out his new rig on the performances, Julio notes that “he went from being the guy in the corner with a shot of Fernet to the guy in a closer corner taping everything on reel-toreels.” Weekly for 3-4 years, Parker, Bellerose, Butterss, and Johnson had their Monday night performances which Julio charged $5 per person to attend and Gonzalez recorded on reel-to-reels through a complicated fourchannel bespoke mixer set-up.

The quartet mostly stuck to standards for Monday night performances for some time, but after Gonzalez had condensed his four years' worth of recordings and had Parker listen back to them, Parker had a change of heart in the vision for their performances. This was when the quartet’s performances experienced a slow transition to free improvisations, laying the foundation for the final sounds on Mondays at Enfield Tennis Academy. Julio notes that this transitional period of three weeks or so, when the band switched up their sound, alienated much of the original audience, who were accustomed to the familiarity and comfort of

OnAir · April 2024

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The interior of ETA before it closed. Photo via Eater LA.

these jazz standards. But by the fourth week, Parker’s quartet had doubled the size of their crowd, finding its niche in dedicated musicians and music fans who had a real passion for longform improvisational jazz. Julio notes that regular audience members (some of whom would turn into ETA performers) included Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes, International Anthem founder Scottie McNiece, and Northern Spy Records owner Adam Downey, to name a few.

The set-up of ETA meant that most people could barely get a glimpse of the performers on stage, but that didn’t matter. The sonic sorcery of the performance was enough fulfillment on its own. Oftentimes, the completely packed house would respond directly to the music being played on stage by dropping to pin-drop silence when required, even to the point where bartenders would stop shaking cocktails and the refrigerator would have to be turned off to quell its hum.

Julio’s words on the formation of this album confirmed to me what I already heard within its contents. This music is the amalgamation of years and years of love and passion, whether that be for free improvisation, tongue-incheek literary references, complicated audio technology, or the reliability of knowing exactly where you will be on a Monday night in Highland Park. It is brimming with a sort of intimate affection that, while felt by anyone who listens to it, is perhaps specifically reserved for this small Highland Park neighborhood bar and the regulars, who weaved a thriving

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artistic and musical community through its doors, made all the more bittersweet with the bar’s closing in December of 2023. “These guys are regulars first,” is what Julio told me about every single person he named in explaining the creation of Parker’s most recent album, and that goes for the entirety of the performances as ETA, too.

Even though ETA had to shut its doors, the legacy of this bar is still alive and well, through Parker’s album and otherwise. Members of Parker’s quartet still play together where and when they can, and more of the wealth of recordings captured by Gonzalez may see the light of day still. One such series of recordings is set to release in July under a quintet called SML on their forthcoming EP, Small, Medium, Large, featuring Mondays at Enfield Tennis Academy players Butterss and Johnson on bass and saxophone, with Jeremiah Chu on synthesizers, Gregory Uhlmann on guitar, and Booker Stardum on percussion.

From talking with Julio, my understanding of Jeff Parker’s most recent album necessarily expanded. My appreciation is now not only focused on the skill of these honed artists, but the myriad of intentional and unintentional occurrences that needed to fall into place for the alchemy of their performance to come together, be recorded, and finally be released.

The album is an embodiment, codification, and representation of a community of musicians and artists who found a space to generate some of the most intimate yet engaging performances one could find in Los Angeles through a naturally extending and evolving system of relationships. It is people finding connections within and through one another, and creating something beautiful from it.

This article was written based on an interview conducted with Ryan Julio, bar-owner of ETA. This piece is a companion to Tanvi Krishnamurthy's June 30th, 2024 Sunday Profile of Jeff Parker.

MEET A MEMBER

Interview with Sam Seliger

by Ale Díaz-Pizarro

W

hy don’t we start by introducing yourself and telling me what your roles were at WKCR? Sure. I'm Sam Seliger. I've graduated now, but when I was a student, I was the American Department Head, 2020–2021. Then, I was Program Director until February 2023, and then I was Librarian and Archivist until April or May of this year.

Out of all of the positions you've held, what has been your favorite one? How has your KCR experience been colored by these roles?

Well, those are two pretty different questions.

It's hard to pick a favorite. I think they were all different, and my experience of each position was definitely shaped by the other things that I was doing and everything else that was happening at the station at the time. So, when I was American Head, I had a lot of freedom to just sort of do whatever I wanted, because the real need was just live programming. Can we do programming? Can we do as much of it as we can? And, you know, there were really no hurdles. Honestly, there was really not enough bureaucratic infrastructure at the station at that point in time, so there was definitely some trial and error there. There's a lot of things that, because I only had the position for five or six months, I wish I could have done better, but it was an important learning experience.

And then, being Program Director was very different, as was being Librarian. In retrospect, I think I enjoyed all of them a lot. Although at different points in time, Program Director felt very, very stressful, it was also very rewarding, and I learned a lot. And I'm proud of the things that the station accomplished, and knowing

that what I did as Program Director helped set a tone, or sort of make those future things possible.

What are you proudest of at KCR? It's really hard to pick a single thing that I'm proudest of. There’s a couple different ways of thinking about it. As a programmer—which is at the heart of everything—there's a couple shows that I'm most proud of. There's a sort of free/spiritual jazz show on Martin Luther King Jr. Day that I did earlier this year that I was really proud of because I put in a lot more preparation than I normally do for an Out to Lunch. I was really hoping I could make an open-ended experience that was relatively powerful, and in doing the show, I definitely felt that. Another one would be a Tuesday’s Just as Bad show on T-Bone Walker that I did a couple years ago. That was just a good show to do, and it was one of those where I really just got to play a lot of good music, but also make something out of it rather than just playing it. I'm sure there's a number of other regular shows without a specific theme that should be up there.

I'll go on a little digression here, but: I find it really interesting that I asked you what you were proudest of at KCR, and you immediately went to your shows as a programmer rather than big institutional actions. You mentioned programming is at the heart of everything for you, and that makes me wonder why you joined WKCR. I will say that I did have other kinds of answers!

But it’s still telling that in my favorite things— with what I'm most proud of—programming

OnAir · April 2024

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the pandemic, which was a point when things were going quite badly. So I think the station’s become a lot more stable, though it's really easy for us to overlook the positive changes that have happened, and how smoothly—by and large—everything runs now. I think that some of the station’s priorities have changed, but not that much; I think we just found a new manifestation of an older thing that the station’s had for a long time. The station's always actually been quite pluralist, and I do think that's still the case. You might not be able to map the administrative organization of the station the same way it did 20 or 30 years ago, but if you were to show up at the station and look for your spiritual jazz people, your bebop people, or your modernist American classical people, you're still going to easily find camps like that.

Art by Tanvi Krishnamurthy.

comes first. This is an answer that I don't love giving, but I [ joined KCR] because my dad did it. I’d always grown up hearing about my dad's experience [as a WKCR host], but I’m not even sure if my dad realized quite how much it colored my experiences of growing up and listening to music and becoming very serious about it. My path to KCR was a little bit different than his, but the awareness of a space on campus with this kind of culture was part of what brought me to Columbia in the first place. As soon as I found out that KCR was an option, I knew that I wanted to do it.

Obviously, the station looks super different from when your dad was working here. But what are some changes you’ve seen at the station from when you joined all the way to now?

I think it's changed less than people on the inside might expect. There wasn't much of a before for me in the first place because I joined during

8 OnAir · July 2024

What kind of person do you think you are?

You mentioned, you know, your modern American classical, your spiritual jazz…

I guess, among the cliques, I definitely fall into the free jazz, or post-fusion jazz [group]. We all have our different ways of going about the shows, but that certainly feels like one family of programming. I don't think there's really like an early blues clique at the station. There have been at different points, but it's probably for the better that it’s not a clique—[it’s not a] sensibility that needs to be resuscitated.

Why not?

It’s one that's always been just for a certain type of white guy who really prioritizes their kind of obscure knowledge over everything else.

I love that kind of music as much as anyone, but I want to stay pretty far away from that kind of tendency because it has its hostility in common with that old-school-white-guy-injazz tendency, that “this is only for people who know everything,” and prioritization of the most obscure.

So you don't think that's what WKCR is about.

No, I don't think it is.

So what is KCR about to you?

It’s about a lot of different things. Again, it's pluralist; it's hard to put into words. I feel like there are things that unify most of what we do— I'm not sure there's one thing that unifies all we do, but there's a handful of tendencies that make us unique. One thing you could say KCR is about is doing professional radio at a college radio station, a kind of professional radio that does still exist—we sometimes forget it does— but doesn't hold the level of importance that it once did in media. We don't think about what we do in the way that “college radio” (as an entity, a tradition, a genre) does. That kind of approach—the college radio approach of “well, I don't really know what I'm doing, but here's some songs that I like”—is probably the thing that would most unify the station, in its opposition.

We've talked about where KCR is now vs. where and why you started. What's next for you, now that you've graduated and won't be at KCR as a student programmer anymore?

Right now I am at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, doing an internship in the Archives Center. This is my first time working in an archive designed specifically for external researchers, and it requires a lot of boring, bureaucratic work.

There’s still a lot of interesting stuff—the Ellington papers are awesome, I'm getting my hands on those all the time. But once that's done, I'm not sure. I've been applying to jobs, hoping to do something in archives.

As we get into the end here, what has KCR given you? How are you a different person because you were at KCR? You know, it's interesting: I almost feel like it was such a totalizing experience that I am completely unaware of it. I have absolutely no idea how to answer that question, and I know it's not because it didn't do anything. It's certainly not that—I spent so much time there.

But being out in the world, I can definitely feel some of the WKCR things with me, especially

in this specific professional world that I'm trying to make my way into. KCR shaped my framework: what I do, and who I am.

I can try to phrase that in a more easily answerable way, or a little differently. What are you going to miss the most about WKCR? I'm going to miss being on the air. Oh, I can still do shows remotely, but I never loved doing it. I will be keeping an eye out for other opportunities in independent or community radio, but it might be a little hard, honestly, to find a place where you can be taken seriously and reach an audience of similar size or larger.

With most other independent radio stations in the US, you won't get that: being on the air and the fact that you're on the air playing physical media. And there’s also the fact that both you and the listeners are coming with a specific set of expectations shaped by the history of the institution. It's definitely a little bit of pressure, sometimes a lot, but it's a special thing. People listen to you in a special way, and you get to program with that awareness. That's really something. And you know, of course, I’ll really miss this actual community of people at the station, although that's not something you lose—I'm still a part of it. It doesn't go away.

I'll miss immediate, personal access and the physical being there, for sure. But that's not something that's gone.

During his time at WKCR, Sam was the long-time recurring host of the pre-war blues show Tuesday's Just as Bad, airing every week from 11:30pm on Tuesday evenings to 1:00am on Wednesday mornings.

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5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNE

Jazz ‘til Dawn (cont’d)

Daybreak

Field Trip

8:00 am 9:00 am

Amazing Grace

Monday Morningside

Bird F

10:00 am 11:00 am

Cereal Music

The Moonshine Show

12:00 pm 1:00 pm The Tennessee Border Show

Out to Lunch

2:00 pm

Sin Fro

3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm

Sunday Profiles

Afternoon New Music

6:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:00 pm 9:00 pm 10:00 pm 11:00 pm 12:00 am 1:00 am 2:00 am

Raag Aur Taal News + Arts Programming Live Constructions Back in the USSR The Celtic Show

Free Samples Caribe Latino Urbano Latinx

News + Arts P Honky Tonkin’

Nueva C

Tuesday’s Just as Bad

Som do

Night Train

Transfigur

Coordinated Universal Time

3:00 am 4:00 am

Jazz Alte

Phil Lives

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Transfigured Night

ESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Transfigured Night (cont’d)

k Express

Sounds of Asia

5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am 8:00 am

Flight

9:00 am

Now's The Time Eastern Standard Time Early Music

10:00 am 11:00 am 12:00 pm

Across 110th Street

Out to Lunch

onteras

2:00 pm

Something Inside of Me

Bach Hour

Programming

Canción

o Brasil

red Night

Hobo’s Lullaby

Middle Eastern Influences

Sonidos Colombianos

Saturday Night at the Opera 11:00 pm 12:00 am

The Mambo Machine

Transfigured Night

8:00 pm

10:00 pm

Notes From Underground Offbeat

7:00 pm

9:00 pm

Workaround The African Show

5:00 pm 6:00 pm

Traditions in Swing

ernatives

3:00 pm 4:00 pm

Afternoon Classical

Extended Technique

1:00 pm

El Sonido de la Calle

1:00 am 2:00 am 3:00 am 4:00 am

Jazz ‘til Dawn

OnAir · April 2024 11

Special Broadcasts SPECIAL BROADCASTS

Louis Armstrong Thursday, July 4th, all day

As is WKCR tradition, we will celebrate the ceremonial birthday of the great Louis Armstrong.

What better way to spend your Fourth of July, than with 24 hours of Satchmo!

Albert Ayler

Saturday, July 13th, all day

In celebration of a composer and musician with an expansive and highly influential repertoire (and back by popular demand...), WKCR pays homage to the great Albert Ayler with 24 hours of his music on July 13th.

THEMED SHOWS

SUNDAY PROFILES Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM

Sonny Clark

July 7th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Maki Nientao

Brian Eno

July 14th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Ted Schmiedeler

TBD

July 21st, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Sid Gribetz

Labeled: Timeless Records July 28th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM

Hosts: J Cohn & Steve Mandel

FREE SAMPLES

Mondays 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Host: Ted Schmiedeler

It Was Written - Nas

July 1st, 9:00-10:00 PM Delayed from last month due to protest coverage pre-emption.

E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs-N-Harmony July 8th, 9:00-10:00 PM

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FREE SAMPLES (CONT'D) Mondays 9:00 PM-10:00 PM Host: Ted Schmiedeler

The Cactus Album - 3rd Bass July 15th, 9:00-10:00 PM

Hard to Earn - Gang Starr July 22nd, 9:00-10:00 PM

SCARING THE HOES - JPEGMafia & Danny Brown July 29th, 9:00-10:00 PM

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE OPERA Saturdays 9:00 PM-12:30 AM

Host: Ale Díaz-Pizarro (remote from Mexico City)

The Barber of Seville (Rossini)

Teodorian · Ianculescu · Herlea · Gabor Chorus & Orchestra of the Romanian Opera of Bucharest, dir. Mihai Brediceanu (Vox 1960-61) &

Stabat Mater (Rossini)

RIAS-Kammerchor · Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, dir. Marcus Creed (Harmonia Mundi 1999) July 6th, 9:00 PM-12:30 AM

Saul (Handel)

RIAS-Kammerchor · Concerto Köln, cond. René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi 2005) July 20th, 9:00 PM-12:00 AM

Faust (Gounod)

Studer · Leech · Van Dam · Hampson Choeur de l'Armée Française · Choeur et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, dir. Michael Plasson (EMI 1991) July 27th, 9:00 PM-12:30 AM

24 HOURS WITH TED "WALKMAN" SCHMIEDELER Sunday, July 14th Host: Ted Schmiedeler

On Sunday, July 14th, Station Manager (and marathon runner) Ted Schmiedeler will attempt a real feat of endurance by remaining on the air for 24 hours, and live-programming all of the shows that day. Tune in at any point to cheer Ted on as he goes where no WKCR programmer has (voluntarily) gone before!

Please note that this will not affect the schedule: regularly-scheduled programming remains the same, but all shows will be hosted by Ted for this day only.

Show Listings

JAZZ

Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am Out to Lunch, weekdays 12-3pm Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm The core of our jazz offerings, these three programs span the entire range of recorded jazz: everything from New Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, modal, free, and avant-garde. Hosts rotate daily, offering an exciting variety of approaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles.

Birdflight, Tues.-Thurs. 8:20-9:30am Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, one of the world’s leading jazz historians, who hosted this daily forum for the music of Charlie Parker for about 40 years.

Now's The Time*, Fri. 8:20-9:30am The newest show from WKCR Jazz is dedicated to jazz as a living art form, providing a weekly space to listen to the young and current musicians pushing the genre forward.

Traditions in Swing, Sat. 6-9pm Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, this awardwinning Saturday night staple presents focused thematic programs on jazz up until about World War II. Schaap presents the music, much of it incredibly rare, from the best sound source, which is often the original 78 issue.

Phil Lives*, Mon. 3-5am Archival broadcasts of longform programs from late NEA Jazz Master Phil Schaap.

CLASSICAL Cereal Music, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30am-12pm An entirely open-ended classical show to start your weekdays. Tune in to hear the most eclectic mix of classical music on the New York airwaves!

The Early Music Show, Fri. 9:30am-12pm Dedicated primarily to European medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music, all from before 1800 (±50 years).

Extended Technique*, Wed. & Thurs. 3-6pm WKCR’s first interdepartmental show (in the New Music and Classical departments) dedicated to contemporary classical music. You’ll hear everything from 12-tone and minimalist compositions to film and video game scores, and all things in between.

Afternoon Classical, Fri. 3-6pm.

Similar to Cereal Music, most of Afternoon Classical has no restrictions on what type of classical music to play.

The last hour of the show, however, is dedicated fully to the music of JS Bach.

Saturday Night at the Opera, Sat. 9pm-12:30am.

One of NYC’s longest running opera shows, Saturday Night at the Opera is a 3.5 hour show that allows operas to be played in their entirety, with room for commentary, descriptions, and some history.

NEW MUSIC Afternoon New Music, Mon. & Tues. 3-6pm Our daytime new music program features a wide variety of music that challenges boundaries and subverts categorizations. Shows include everything from seminal new music compositions to the most challenging of obscure deep cuts and new releases.

Transfigured Night, Tues./Thurs./Sat. 1-5am Our overnight explorations into the world of new music, Transfigured Night rewards our late night listeners with a wide range of sounds and experimental music.

Workaround*, Fri. 9-10pm WKCR presents live DJ sets from Columbia students and local artists.

Live Constructions, Sun. 10-11pm This weekly program features a live in-studio performance or a performance pre-recorded specially for the show.

AMERICAN Honky Tonkin’, Tues. 10-11pm One of WKCR’s longest-running American music programs, Honky Tonkin’ lands in the harder side of Country music. Emphasizing the greatest voices in the genre, Honky Tonkin’ is a country music dance party every Tuesday night.

Tuesday’s Just as Bad, Tues. 11pm - Wed. 1am Tuesday’s Just as bad explores the world of blues prior to World War II. Shows weave their way through the first decades of recorded music history and turn to the postwar years in the final half hour. * Indicates show was created after January 2022

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LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS Night Train, Wed. 1-5am All aboard! One of our two overnight programs in the American department, Night Train rolls through the postwar R&B and soul tradition, from the genre’s emergence in the 1940’s and 50’s through the funk revolution in the 1970’s. Shows often feature extended live recordings and concerts.

Offbeat, Fri. 1-5am Offbeat is committed to broadcasting undiscovered new hip hop music. Shows typically focus on exposing underplayed or up-and-coming new artists, including experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio.

Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s.

Something Inside of Me, Sat. 2-4pm Something Inside of Me is WKCR’s Saturday afternoon blues show, focusing mostly on the electric and post-war styles.

Hobo’s Lullaby, Sat. 4-6pm Rooted in the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, Hobo’s Lullaby airs American folk and traditional music styles from the early 20th century through the present day.

From old staples like Leadbelly, Elizabeth Cotton, and Woody Guthrie to contemporary stalwarts like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and lesser known artists, domestic traditions are alive and well on Hobo’s Lullaby.

Notes from the Underground, Sun. 12:30-2am Notes from the Underground showcases contemporary hip hop and rap music with an emphasis on emerging and experimental artists. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guestcuration.

Amazing Grace, Sun. 8-10am Greeting listeners on Sunday morning, Amazing Grace shares with listeners the world of the African-American gospel tradition.

The Moonshine Show, Sun. 10am-12pm On the air for nearly 60 years, The Moonshine Show showcases the American Bluegrass tradition, from the earliest roots in vernacular string-band music, through * indicates show was created after January 2022

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the genre’s pioneers in the 1940s and 50s and advancements in the 60s and 70s, through the leading innovators and stars of today.

The Tennessee Border Show, Sun. 12-2pm One third of WKCR’s country music programming, along with Honky Tonkin’ and the Bluegrass Moonshine Show, Tennessee Border highlights the singer-songwriter tradition, from Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda Williams.

LATIN Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am Caribe Latino is a music program that features the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take center stage throughout the program.

Urbano Latinx, Tues. 12-1am A weekly Latin show airing contemporary sounds from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Urbano Latinx features mixes of salsa, merengue, Latin punk rock, and more.

Sin Fronteras*, Wed. 12-3pm Falling in the space of Out to Lunch on Wednesday afternoons, Sin Fronteras explores the tremendous Latin Jazz tradition.

Nueva Canción, Wed. 10-11pm Nueva Canción is an exploration of protest music created throughout Latin America during the 60s and 70s and its numerous other manifestations throughout other countries and time periods.

Som do Brasil, Wed. 11pm - Thurs. 1am From samba and bossa nova to MPB, hear the numerous and enchanting sounds and rhythms of Brazil.

Sonidos Colombianos, Fri. 10-11pm Sonidos Colombianos presents music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only cumbia, but also the guitar-based bambuco from the Andean region, the harp llanero music from the Eastern Plains, the marimba-infused currulao from the Pacific Region, and the accordiondriven vallenato of the North Atlantic Coast.

LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS The Mambo Machine, Fri. 11pm - Sat. 2am The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show in New York City. The program presently plays a wide spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old into an exciting, danceable mix.

El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hiphop and dance music.

IN ALL LANGUAGES The Celtic Show, Mon. 12-1am Music from across the island of Ireland throughout the era of recorded music, particularly focusing on traditional folk and vernacular music forms.

Coordinated Universal Time, Mon. 1-3am Coordinated Universal Time brings our listeners the latest cut of music from anywhere in the world, especially highlighting music that does not get attention in America.

Our programming tries to bring the hottest and the most recent tunes to WKCR’s airwaves.

The African Show, Thurs. 10pm-12am The longest running African music radio show in the United States, the African Show brings you a variety of music from the entire continent of Africa.

Middle Eastern Influences, Fri. 12-1am During the hour-long show, Middle Eastern Influences features a wide range of beautiful tracks from regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and even, at times, South Asia.

Sounds of Asia, Sat. 6-8am Rechristened from Sounds of China, Sounds of Asia explores the recorded musical traditions and innovations of Asia and the Pacific islands.

Eastern Standard Time, Sat. 8am-12pm One of New York’s most popular Reggae programs, Eastern Standard Time takes listeners through Saturday morning from 8 am to noon with the hypnotic sounds of Reggae and Jamaican dance music.

Field Trip, Sun. 6-8am Field Trip focuses on the music and practice of field recordings: music recorded outside of a studio. Tune in and you may catch field recordings that were recorded fifty years ago, others that were experimented with by your favorite Afternoon New Music artist, or even those documented in New York City by WKCR itself.

Raag Aur Taal, Sun. 7-9pm Raag Aur Taal explores the sounds and rich cultural heritage of South Asia. The term “Raag Aur Taal” roughly translates to “melody and rhythm,” indicating the classical nature of this program.

Back in the USSR, Sun. 11pm-12am Back in the USSR features music from across the former Soviet Union and soviet states across Eastern Europe and East and Central Asia, from the mid-20th century through the present.

NEWS & ARTS Monday Morningside*, Mon. 8:30-9:30am Monday Morningside is WKCR’s morning news broadcast to kick off the week, featuring news segments on events around Morningside Heights and upper Manhattan.

If you’re not an early bird, all episodes are available as podcasts on Spotify!

Free Samples*, Mon. 9-10pm Explores landmark hip hop albums and their place in history and music at large by playing a selection of songs and breaking them down into the samples that make them up—meaning this show often crosses over with other genres, such as jazz, soul, and funk.

SUNDAY PROFILES Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm* A WKCR staple, programmers use five hours to showcase longform profiles of pioneering artists. While the primary focus remains on jazz music, we also feature other styles and traditions from across WKCR’s different programming departments.

* indicates show was created after January 2022

OnAir · April 2024 15

CONCERT REVIEW

I

Concert Review: Gov Ball 2024

by Natalie Najar

n the second week of June, the D and 7 train grew ever so familiar as I commuted to the Governors Ball festival grounds at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. On the festival’s website, the Governors Ball is described as “New York’s biggest party” and “the ultimate kick-off to summer in the city,” additionally boasting “60+ of the world’s best artists across 3 stages.” I remember 12-year-old me being so envious that my older sister got to go to Randall’s Island (Gov Ball’s former venue) and see era-defining artists like OutKast, Vampire Weekend, and The Strokes. That didn’t mean I was dissatisfied with who I got, though.

Compared to 2014, Gov Ball 2024 is more diverse, with Latin artists like Rauw Alejandro and Peso Pluma headlining alongside familiar faces like The Killers. However, when I chatted with people I met throughout the day, one name loomed above the rest: R&B virtuoso SZA, whose catchy beats and effortlessly relatable lyrics united the crowd before her. For On Air, as I highlight my favorite artists and describe some fascinating interactions with other festival-goers, I hope to underline why music festivals are so special for those attending them.

One of the first artists I saw at the festival was

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Doechii, an unapologetic and brilliant artist from Tampa, FL who sings, raps, and dances.

I had seen her before at the 2023 edition of Columbia University’s Bacchanal music festival, but this felt like the first time all over again, with past hits like “Persuasive” and “What It Is” shining brighter than before. It was also clear how well Doechii worked a crowd. She shouted “You say ‘alter,’ I’ll say ‘ego!’” as she launched into a recent single, the pulsating and defiant “Alter Ego.” During Doechii’s set, I made barricade friends: two sisters named Mary and Muna who flew all the way from Arizona to see SZA. I had heard of people going by themselves to concerts and making friends easily, yet I’d Photo by Natalie Najar. never anticipate it would happen to me. As a sociology major, I found it interesting to see a barricade culture develop right before my eyes. We would hold our spots for each other by spreading our legs so we could go to the bathroom; we had little trouble making friends with the security personnel who handed us water bottles, checked in on us, and stayed for some conversation.

The first performer for my second day at Gov Ball was Elyanna, a Palestinian-Chilean singer, performing a seamless blend of Arabic music,

pop, and R&B. She made history by being the first performer to sing a full set in Arabic at Coachella, and it was amazing to see her bring her talents to the New York stage.

Alongside her enchanting vocals, Elyanna emphasized her Palestinian heritage, singing one of her newest songs “Olive Branch,” which is a prayer for peace in Gaza. I could see how much her fans—many of them wearing keffiyehs—resonated with her powerful message. During a break, I stopped by the stage where Peso Pluma was performing. I saw an audience teeming with Mexican flags and vaquero outfits, another stunning example of his ability to promote international pride.

Chappell Roan, a rising pop sensation I have become quite a fan of, also made a mark with statements about America. Dressed in drag as the Statue of Liberty and holding a comically oversized joint, she gave an energetic performance of her irreverent yet reflective pop catalog for one of the biggest crowds of the day. Later in her set, she teared up as she called for “freedom in trans rights… freedom in women’s rights… [and] freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories.”

When I caught up with my new friends from Arizona on my second day, I was delighted to see they had made even more friends: there was

Mary from the city, Paris from Louisiana, and Alexia from Mississippi. Packed like sardines at the barricade, we were a microcosm of the diverse crowd of people who just couldn’t wait to see SZA, Gov Ball’s final headliner.

A massive force in contemporary R&B, SZA has set herself apart with a vulnerable, casuallypoetic songwriting style and a voice that conveys a multitude Photo by Natalie Najar. of emotions. Even more than her 2022 record SOS, 2017’s Ctrl has been a near-anddear album to me, and I may even argue it has made me the person I am today. Seeing SZA live was everything and more. The sociology major in me especially appreciated how I was able to talk to complete strangers (such as an older woman with her husband, who sang every word of the song “Supermodel”) purely because of our love of the music we were listening to.

It certainly made my entire Gov Ball Photo by Natalie Najar. experience worth the hustle and bustle of barricading.

For this being my first festival, I’ll start by saying I get it. I get why people save up all their money for concerts and festivals, living and working for the music that gives them so much joy. I hope to continue over-analyzing the music community and what it means to be a live music connoisseur.

OnAir · April 2024 17

CONCERT REVIEW

Radical Transformations: Kim Gordon and the Sun Ra Arkestra at SummerStage

O

by McKenna Roberts

n a sweltering Thursday afternoon in transported each of us in the audience into a Manhattan, my friends and I mounted realm unknown: cosmic and playful, chaos our Citi Bikes and headed through Central and magic. The shimmering outfits of each Park to the infamous SummerStage. Because of member of the Arkestra were mesmerizing in my overly ambitious perception of my athletic their own right, but watching the group settle ability, combined with flocks of runners and into rhythm—and subsequently unearth that cyclists in the park on a perfect summer day, rhythm—was nothing short of transcendental. we arrived just after Saluson Malone 1—the As this was my first time seeing the Arkestra experimental project live, I was enamored of Jasper Marsalis— by the entirety of the exited the stage. I production: from the was joined by at least foam hammer being nine other WKCR used to strike the programmers in keyboard to various the crowd, which members of the can undoubtedly Arkestra laying down be attributed to our their instruments to love and admiration dance, every element for Sun Ra and the of the show was maestro, Marshall innovative and, stated Allen. plainly, cool.

The energy in the Once Marshall Allen crowd was palpable, Marshall Allen and the Sun Ra Arkestra at SummerStage. and the rest of the Sun Photo by Natalie Najar. Ra Arkestra exited the particularly because there was a collective understanding that we stage (somewhat prematurely), we took a seat would be bearing witness to a repeating (and on the lawns in anticipation of Kim Gordon rewriting) of history. On July 4, 1992, in this and her band. Following the Sun Ra Arkestra’s very corner of Central Park, Sun Ra and his performance, I was left with a conflicting pair Arkestra opened for Sonic Youth, of which of feelings: in awe of the cosmic legends who Kim Gordon (this evening’s headliner) was a carry on Sun Ra’s legacy while continuing founding member until the band’s disbanding to innovate and become anew, and—given in 2011, following Gordon’s divorce from her Marshall Allen’s recent celebration of his 100th co-founder, Thurston Moore. Now, Gordon, an birthday—a melancholic question of whether I accomplished experimental artist in her own would see this same group perform again in my right, was set to take the stage. lifetime. The moment felt fleeting; however, Just after 7 p.m., as the June sun began to set the brevity of the performance seemed to behind the trees, Marshall Allen and the rest represent something Sun Ra himself had of the Sun Ra Arkestra took the stage. They mused upon during his earthly lifetime: life’s

18 OnAir · July 2024

elements contain such brevity only here on earth. Luckily for listeners like myself, each member of the Sun Ra Arkestra is operating on an intergalactic plane.

Finally, as the sun finally set below the horizon of the bleachers, the effortlessly cool Kim Gordon and her band took the stage.

She performed songs solely from her second solo album The Collective, which was released in March of 2024, and as a first-time listener of the record, I was struck by how much of a departure it was from her discography with Sonic Youth. The album can primarily be classified as an experimental trap with industrial influences, but what most entranced me hearing this album live was Gordon’s lyrical prowess. Tackling themes of masculinity and the digital age, Gordon is provocative and blunt. Throughout most of her performance, I felt as though I was at a spoken word poetry reading in a dream state. While, at first, her set appeared to be seemingly disjointed from the celestial Sun Ra Arkestra’s prior performance, the less I attempted to analyze the two in isolation from each other, the more I understood the magic and magnitude of their

Photo by Natalie Najar.

respective performances.

Though Sonic Youth drew influences from all over the musical spectrum, Thurston Moore stated explicitly that Sun Ra served as a major pillar of inspiration for avant-garde rock in the 1980s and 90s. The legacy of Sun Ra and his Arkestra’s ability to influence free and liberatory musical performance and practice across genres speaks not only to the transcendental quality of Sun Ra’s discography, but also to the dissemination of artistic liberation that Sun Ra and his Arkestra continue to provide and inspire today. As pioneers of Afrofuturism and free jazz, it is no surprise that the Sun Ra Arkestra continues to ignite a rejection of musical tradition and exploitation in the music industry, as well as serving as a reminder of the radical, transformative power of reinvention.

In an article published in the New York Times detailing Gordon’s navigation of a new era of her solo career (one detached from the legacy of Sonic Youth and her ex-husband), the critic Lindsay Zoladz writes that “Gordon has proved in this past decade is that her art, her life, her cool—if she’ll forgive the word—has never

OnAir · April 2024 19

Kim Gordon and her band at SummerStage 2024. Photo by Natalie Najar.

been contingent upon anyone else.” For many women in the music industry, their commercial success is seemingly contingent on their ability to become anew, to reinvent themselves time and time again to prevent becoming stale, undesirable, and tired products of an industry that once adored them. For Gordon, however, reinvention represents something more: a shedding of all that she was once previously tied to and, more importantly, of the superficial boundaries of genre and artistry. The Sun Ra Arkestra undoubtedly continues the legacy of boundary-pushing and dissolving, allowing generations of artists to follow suit.

Overall, the Sun Ra Arkestra and Kim Gordon double-header at SummerStage this year was both reminiscent of legacies past and a reminder of the unpredictability of the future. Experiencing both performances in tandem was a testament to the radical nature of liberating artists from the confines of legacy. But the legacy of Sun Ra and his

20 OnAir · July 2024

Arkestra’s influence on the experimental rock and post-punk projects of the 80s and 90s is far from over: while Gordon’s live performance and recent releases exhibit a shedding of her former career, it is clear that she remains influenced by the Sun Ra Arkestra’s fearless pursuit of transformation.

SummerStage at Central Park continues throughout the rest of the summer. For a list of free performances in the series recommended by WKCR for the month of July, check out the July events on page 23.

ALBUM REVIEW

Brat Album Review and Charli’s Shift in Pop Iconography

by Sawyer Huckabee

W

ithin the first two minutes of Charli XCX's sixth studio album BRAT comes a blunt but iconic line—“I don’t f*****g care what you think.” At her Brooklyn Paramount concert on June 11th, thousands of people in the audience shouted this line back at her. The irreverence of this concert, which was Charli’s first live performance of the entire album, reiterated a central question: can the public accept a “brat” instead of a “pop darling”? Based on the past few weeks of public and critical reception, the answer seems to be yes. BRAT has been celebrated by critics, receiving a score of 8.6/10 from Pitchfork and a “metascore” of 95/100 on Metacritic, which compiles critical reception from various sources. Charli’s fanbase, fiending for new music since 2022’s more pop-friendly CRASH, has been just as receptive.

Despite a clear dance-pop sound, BRAT also brings back the experimentation of the Cambridge singer’s 2017 mixtapes, her daring self-titled album Charli, and her COVID-era LP How I’m Feeling Now. BRAT is a cluster of interconnected genres, moving from synthy

pop bass to house music with ease. Producers A.G. Cook and EASYFUN also add a definite ‘hyperpop’ influence to the album, although Charli does not completely lean into the glitchy, sometimes unwelcoming element of the genre on BRAT . On the contrary, Charli and crew have constructed BRAT as a welcoming album. In the initial announcements, Charli implied the album was constructed as a “club” record. Such a genre choice allows people to dance without necessarily being invested in the lyrical content. That is true for BRAT —the songs are agreeable and danceable on the surface, even without sacrificing lyrical depth.

The album first calls for this experience on the BRAT's album cover. opener “360.” This may be the most tame song on the album sonically, where Charli releases her bratty inhibitions and lyrically praises herself on a relatively minimalist electropop beat. The second song, “Club Classics,” celebrates a canon of experimental pop, in which Charli proclaims she wants to dance to herself, A.G. Cook, and the late producer SOPHIE when she goes to the club.

“Sympathy is a Knife” is an immediate and

OnAir · April 2024 21

aggressively clashy introduction—the first two tracks already released as singles—that forces the listener to lean into the power of the bassline and just dance. “I might say something stupid,” however, is a sonic curveball—a much sadder song that leans into a different timbre, away from dance-pop and more into a computerized singer-songwriter ballad.

The listener may question the placement of this song, but it’s quickly left in the dust as the record moves to “Talk talk,” a brilliantly catchy house song—maybe even ‘dumb’ in its constant repetition of “talk talk” throughout the chorus. On the recent Critics Corner, a News & Arts program at WKCR, we discussed a contradiction between the ingenuity of her dance songs in its exaggeration of pop motifs.

It was only when we considered the rest of the album and the juxtaposition between dance and sad songs that Charli employs that we found our answer.

The album often switches between a series of do-nothing-but-dance tracks and a few songs—including “So I” and “I think about it all the time”—that might be considered impossible to dance to due to their depressing contents. The songs describe, respectively, her regret after her friend SOPHIE's death and her contemplation of having children. However, once you listen to the album a few times, you’ll realize that beneath the light surface, the timbre of the album rarely deviates from a depressing note. You might be dancing to Charli's suicidal thoughts on “Sympathy is a knife,” wishing she had never chosen the life of fame on “Rewind,” or how she believes her genetic line is doomed on “Apple”. Suddenly, the bratty, self-aggrandizing experience of “360” and “Von dutch” and the party-at-allcosts hedonism of “365” and “b2b” make much more sense. Charli details her life in some of her most vulnerable lyrics, glossed over by the glimmering sheer of dance-pop.

The life experienced on the surface of BRAT is impossibly unreal, a self-sabotaging, dissing, selfish, and overindulgent party. “Girl, so confusing” details Charli’s relationship with Lorde, where she admits “Sometimes I think

22 OnAir · July 2024

you might hate me/Sometimes I think I might hate you.” Lorde responds on a remix with her own troubles with friendship, but shows how much she cares about Charli. This digs under the surface of BRAT to reveal a cathartic externalization of Charli’s troubles and an attempt to fix them.

Much like its minimalist green cover, BRAT forces misunderstanding. At the cover’s announcement, Charli was criticized on social media for both the putrid green choice of color and the boring display—only a typographically simple version of the album name. Once the album came out, the cover came around again, only to be nearly universally praised. Listening to BRAT necessitates a similar experience.

Despite the experience of seemingly mindless pop, Charli has constructed an album brilliant for subverting and forcing this mindlessness upon her audience. Her Brooklyn Paramount concert proved that point: the venue quickly became a sea of brilliantly designed hedonism, a carnival of endless proportions, even as Charli spilled her guts on stage. Her performance was enrapturing, causing the room to overflow with incomparable energy.

She paused at some points, even tearing up while singing the sadder portions of the album, until going straight back to dancing.

When “365” comes around, reappropriating the sonic motifs of “360,” Charli cannot care what her audience thinks. In the pursuit to party despite all conditions, despite even a depressing soundtrack, we may be just as mindless as her.

July Events Around NYC WKCR's Favorites of City Parks Foundation SummerStage Madison Cunningham / La Lom / John-Robert Corrente: Beatriz Mira & Tiago Barrerios SummerStage, Central Park, July 1, 6:00pm-10:00 Grammy-winning singer Madison Cunningham brings folk music to the park. (FREE)

Proyecto Uno / Milly Quezada / DJ Miguelito & Excarlet Molina SummerStage, Central Park, July 21, 7:00pm-10:00pm Come see a night of Dominican music from some of the best in the city. (FREE)

Ezra Collective / Celeste / Da Chick DJ SummerStage, Central Park, July 7, 6:00pm-10:00pm The genre-bending Ezra Collective will showcase their fusion of afrobeat, reggae, hip hop, jazz, and soul in this event run in association with the Blue Note Jazz Festival.

(FREE)

Arooj Aftab / Sid Sriram / Emel / DJ Rekha Coney Island Ampitheater, July 24, 6:00pm-10:00pm See the first ever Pakistani Grammy winner (Arooj Aftab) perform alongside other talents on what is sure to be a memorable evening. (FREE)

Federation Sound 25th Anniversary Ft. Sister Nancy / Tanto Metro & Devonte / Tifa / Mr. Lexx / Red Fox & Screechy Dan / Iotosh & Friends Coney Island Ampitheater, July 7, 5:00pm-9:00pm Don’t miss this fantastic display of Jamaican dancehall, reggae, and roots music. (FREE) LAMC and Latin Grammy 25th Anniversary: Fonseca / Israel Fernandez/ Bruses / DJ Gia Fu SummerStage, Central Park, July 10, 7:00pm-10:00pm In celebration of the 25 years of the Latin Alternative Music Conference and Latin Grammy, a selection of Latin music will be performed. (FREE) Works & Process: It’s Showtime NYC! / Maimouna Keita African Dance Company / Kash Gaines’s Caged Birds Von King Park, Brooklyn, July 11, 6:00pm-9:00pm It’s Showtime NYC! is a company of dancers with a history of performing on New York’s streets and subways and their talent will be on full display on this blockbuster evening.

(FREE) Sounds of Detroit: Celebrating 50 Years of J Dilla Ft. The Pharcyde / Slum Village / Breakbeat Lou / Rich Medina Von King Park, Brooklyn, July 12, 6:00pm-9:00pm In honor of the legendary hip hop producer J Dilla, groups who used his beats including the critically acclaimed The Pharcyde and Dilla’s own group Slum Village will perform.

(FREE) Mike’s Young World IV: Earl Sweatshirt / Skaiwater / Stacy Epps / Stahhr / Myaap / Sideshow / MIKE Von King Park, Brooklyn, July 13, 4:00pm-9:00pm Some of this best underground hip hop will be on display at this annual festival hosted by rapper MIKE. (FREE) DJ Rekha’s Basement Bhangra Beyond: Priya Ragu / DJ Rekha / Ami Dang / Lady Pista + Guests Flushing Meadows Corona Park, July 20, 5:00pm9:00pm Queens’ DJ Rekha brings their legendary Basement Bhangra party above ground in this performance. (FREE)

Catalan Sounds on Tour: Sidonie / Balkan Paradise Orchestra / Lau Noah / DJ Turmix SummerStage, Central Park, July 28 6:00pm-10:00pm A vibrant showcase of Catalonian music. (FREE) Common & Pete Rock Von King Park, Brooklyn, July 14, 5:00pm-9:00pm Legendary rapper Common teams up with legendary New York producer Pete Rock for a performance (FREE) Bastille Day: Iam / Magic System / The Avener / Laurie Darmon / Femi the Scorpion SummerStage, Central Park, July 14, 5:30pm-10:00pm In honor of Bastille Day, see a bevy of performances from some of France’s best. (FREE)

Other Events Barry Harris Institute of Jazz “The Stone” in the Glassbox Theater, 55 W. 13th Street, New York, NY, 10011 Includes a harmony for piano and guitar class, a vocal class, and an improv class!

12th Annual “Jazz Under the Stars” Concert Series Englewood Public Library, July 11, July 18, July 25; 7:30-10pm Bring a chair or blanket for a whimsical outdoor night of jazz! (FREE) Johnny Mambo and Friends featuring Don Sonero Al Quiñones Playground, the Bronx, July 13, 5:00pm-6:00pm Bronx native Johnny Mambo brings his salsa music to the park for all to hear! (FREE!)

OnAir · April 2024 23

Ian Pumphrey, News & Arts Head Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters (1973)

Ella Presiado, programmer Donald Byrd, Electric Byrd (1969)

Rachel Smith, Jazz Head Sun Ra, Atlantis (Reissue, 1973)

24 OnAir · July 2024

Casey Lamb, Business Manager The Ahmad Jamal Trio, The Awakening (1970) The Elvin Jones-McCoy Tiner Quintet, Peace & Love (1982)

AROUND T

What is yo funky jazz a Kyle Murray, host of Eastern Bloc Party Igor Bril Jazz Ensemble, Orkestr Priehal (1980) Himiko Kikuchi, FLYING BEAGLE (1987)

THE STATION

Tanvi Krishnamurthy, Publicity Director The Billy Cobham-George Duke Band, "Live" On Tour in Europe (1976) Sonny Rollins, Sunny Days, Starry Nights (1984) Sun Ra, Reflections in Blue (1986)

our favorite album cover?

Leon Zhou ('24), programmer: Max Roach & Archie Shepp, Force (1976)

Melisa Nehrozoglu, programmer Lenny White, Venusian Summer (1975)

Satch Peterson, Jazz Head Weather Report, Black Market (1976) Herbie Hancock, Mr. Hands (1980)

OnAir · April 2024 25

Eva Elizabeth Arroyo, programmer Funkadelic, Free Your Mind...

And Your Ass Will Follow (1970)

Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Librarian, host of Saturday Night at the Opera Miles Davis, Bitches Brew (1976)

26 OnAir · July 2024

Sam Seliger ('24), former Program Director Bobbi Humphrey, Fancy Dancer (1975) Herbie Mann, Push Push (1971) Sounds of Liberation, Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) (2018) Alice Coltrane & Carlos Santana, Illuminations (1974) World Saxophone Quartet, Steppin' with the World Saxophone Quartet (1979) Return to Forever, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1986)

SUPPORT WKCR TOP 5 REASONS TO DONATE TO WKCR 1. You’d be helping a student-run, listener-funded, and volunteer-based radio station continue to bring you the absolute best in what radio has to offer. Music, arts, news, and sports— we’ve got the works!

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3. WKCR donations are tax-deductible (so make sure you donate before tax season). For more info on that, or anything else business-related, email business@wkcr.org 4. Being “the Original FM,” our equipment is getting a bit old. Thanks to your 2023 donations, we were able to retire Buzz, the hamster that ran the wheel powering us. But our new hamster, Roach, needs to start saving for retirement... and can you blame him?

5. Isn’t OnAir cool? Without proper funding, projects like this can’t come to fruition and, if they do, don’t make it very long. Donate to allow the little OnAir minions to stay in the job (we are all OnAir minions).

HOW TO DONATE TO WKCR IN 4 STEPS

BY MAIL Step 1: Locate your nearest checkbook

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Did you know you can make recurring donations to WKCR when you donate online?

Just indicate your frequency preferences on the giving portal when prompted!

OnAir · April 2024 27

Sp e c i a l t ha n ks to Ben Erdmann, Ben Rothman, Casey Lamb, Ella Presiado, Eva Elizabeth Arroyo, Georgia Dillane, Ian Pumphrey, Kyle Murray, Leon Zhou, Melisa Nehrozoglu, Michael Onwutalu, Natalie Najar, Rachel Smith, Ryan Julio, Sam Seliger, Satchel Peterson, Saw yer Huckabee, Tanvi Krishnamur thy, & Ted Schmiedeler.

28 OnAir · July 2024

WKCR 89.9 FM

2920 Broadway New York, NY 10027

O n Ai r 's e d i to r i a l b oa rd i s Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Isabelle Fishbein, & McKenna Rober ts.