Posted on September 13, 2007
WXJM, JMU’s student-run radio station, will kick off the semester with its first event of the year at TDU tonight at 7 p.m. The show will feature the bands Antlers, the Catalyst, Shapiro and Bantam Draper. But there is more to WXJM than free shows and fun people — it’s about the music.
The station’s General Manager, junior Amanda Phillips, described the station’s philosophy as a way of giving artists airtime that truly deserve it but is otherwise unavailable to them on major stations.
“It’s cool to put a lot of time and effort into something you love,” Phillips said. “If you like good music, then WXJM is the right place to go. It’s all good people with a common interest in music…and we’re fun!”
The show tonight promises to be full of energy as Phillips with the band, the Catalyst, of Richmond, attacking a sound similar to Led Zepplin and Nirvana and sporting a grunge, punk style that will satisfy any loud rock fan. The band has already toured the U.S. twice, has released records with both Robotic Empire and the Perpetual Motion Machine labels and released “Marianas Trench” within the past month.
Antlers is a new lively band from Washington, D.C., with catchy and complex music using odd time signatures and beautiful riffs. Their demo CD was just released and they will continue touring the east coast with the Cataylst following their Harrisonburg debut.
Also expect piano-pop similar to the style of Ben Folds or David Bowie from Shapiro and Bantam Draper will be delivering a heavy, grunge-pop set, so there is a little bit of something for everyone.
“Going to a WXJM show is a great way to meet different people at JMU,” Programming Director, junior Sarah Delia, said. “It’s an awesome way to be exposed to new music and see what other people are doing in the ‘burg.”
It’s also just the beginning of a very active year for WXJM. Senior Tim Skirven of WXJM’s Big Events division has already booked other artists for the station including Astronautilus, Meneguar and Valkyrie. Skirven and teammate senior Dave Frazier’s job includes working with the other parts of WXJM to coordinate events by contacting bands, working out the details of shows and completing the paperwork following it.
So, why should people attend WXJM events?
“Open your eyes, open your ears, and open your mind,” Skirven said. “You never know about something until you try it and it’s free, so you have no excuse not to come.”
That’s what WXJM is all about: opening ears, eyes and minds. In addition to entertaining the JMU campus with various shows and events, promoting independent music through the airwaves, members of the station will also be traveling to New York City in October to represent JMU at College Music Journal (CMJ), a college music festival featuring many of the bands heard on WXJM.
It’s an exciting time for music as industry changes with the advances in technology like MySpace, making the world an easy place to navigate for under-represented artists.
When asked what you can expect from the show Phillips smiled and answered, “It’s fun, you can hang out and there just may be a little bit of ridiculousness,” she said. “You never know what to expect with WXJM.”
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