Good afternoon, listeners!
Here at WVKR, we truly dig and are eternally grateful for our incredible DJs that show the world what it means to be independent radio. Unfortunately, as the years have passed, it has only been natural that great DJs from both the community and the student body have come and gone from the air on 91.3 FM. That is why we have decided to highlight those DJs who have given there all over the years and, sadly, have decided to move on after this spring. With that, I give you WVKR’s new public awareness campaign: Hear ’em While They’re Hot. Every week, we will sit down with the DJs who have made WVKR tick/tock and hear their stories from over the years.
For our first segment, we sat down with Jay Lancaster ’15 and Nick Olsen ’15 (AKA DJs ET Barnum & Martian Lawrence), who have recently re-branded themselves on WVKR as “The Ultimate Rock Brothers,” airing on Tuesdays from 10-11pm. Here is what they had to say.
WVKR: Thanks for meeting with us, Rock Brothers! Could you tell us a little bit about the show and your history at WVKR?
Nick: Collagen Rock, formerly known as Raw Eggs, formerly known as Telephasic Workshop, has transcended into its final and purest form as The Ultimate Rock Brothers.
Jay: We landed an IDM show our first semester, freshman year. It was called Telephasic Workshop and it started at 6am on Wednesday mornings. We were tired and had no idea what we were doing, but it was a lot of fun. You form a dedication to things when you have to get up at an ungodly hour for them! Our listeners also carried us through at the beginning.
Nick: There was this guy who would call in to our show like every week freshman year when we were playing electronic music from 6-8 am and request this eleven minute classic rock song “Sharon” by David Bromberg. A couple times we just played it, because if this guy who really wanted to hear David Bromberg was willing to listen to two hours of Autechre every week he really just deserved our gratitude.
Jay: That’s what it’s all about. The following year we switched to a more natural fit for our tastes, noise rock/indie rock. We’ve been doing that ever since, and at a much more normal time for college kids (10pm). Nick and I went on to serve on executive staff, both working as music directors at some point. Suffice to say we both learned a good deal about the independent music industry through that experience – some of it good, some of it bad. It was at least cool to serve as tastemakers for a brief point in time. I even got to hit up CMJ and SXSW in my tenure, the former of which I blogged about in-depth on this here website.
WVKR: Sweet! So, next big question, what are some of your favorite foods?
Jay: Fettuccine Alfredo. Shouts out to having a chef-dad.
Nick: Pizza, Candy, and Hamburgers.
WVKR: What is some of your favorite music right now?
Nick: The 100+ old tracks Aphex Twin dropped on Soundcloud the other week. Also this British noise/drone/psych thing called Skullflower, accurately described by a WVKR DJ CD review of yesteryear as something that “would give Hendrix a bad trip.”
Jay: “Get on… the right side of history” by Counter Intuits, an awesome four track cassette demo from a band featuring Ron House and a dude from Times New Viking. Infectious indie-punk ear worms for everyday life. Wish it was a less scarce release so more people could experience the greatness. Track this document down by any means necessary.
WVKR: What are some words that you two live by?
Jay: “dat u.”
Nick: “Every band is just a worse version of Motörhead.”
WVKR: Could not agree more. Anything else you two would like to add?
Jay: WVKR has been a constant in my college experience that I will never forget. Indie radio is cool and important and deeply satisfying to participate in, whether you’re a DJ or just tuning into the weirdness for a few. Keep it going.
Nick: My Place – the most punk rock friendly pizza joint in town.
WVKR: See you there, boys!
Peace, Love, & Independent Radio,
J(ack/ohn)
Program Director ’14-’15