Sample Spring 2017 by KWUR 90.3 fm

sample kwur 90.3 fm spring 2017

Looking past La La Land: The Best Film Soundtracks of 2016-17 by Jack Zuckerman

While La La Land’s music may have stolen the show for many, 2016 has been one of the strongest years in recent memory for movie soundtracks. Movies both inside and out of the Oscar race boasted creative, heartbreaking, and swelling scores that pushed stories and visuals to emotional heights. Here are some of the best and most original soundtracks of the past year: Arrival: Soundtrack by Jóhan Jóhannssan Arrival is an atypical sci-fi movie and has a soundtrack to match. For all of the gloomy ambiguity and contemplation in the film, Jóhan Jóhannssan provides brooding compositions that add to the discomfort. Mixing deep, bass-heavy string sections, looped vocal samples, and primal-sounding drumbeats, Arrival’s score carries the characters throughout their journey to make sense of the aliens who communicate with them. So, in a sense, as the characters struggle to decipher the messages from the aliens, we struggle to decipher the sounds of the film. Hell of High Water: Soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis Any soundtrack helmed by Nick Cave is worth paying attention to, but his and Warren Ellis’s compositions for Hell or High Water are especially appropriate for

the feel and setting of this film. A gritty bank-robbery drama set in the heart of Texas, the film’s score breathes a dark, country-influenced mood into the plot. One listen to the rumbling drums, sparse piano keys, and singing violin leads lets the audience know exactly what type of movie they’re in for. Moonlight: Soundtrack by Nicholas Britell The biggest innovation in Moonlight’s soundtrack is the incorporation of chopped-and-screwed style pieces that appear in throughout the film. The slowed down, subtle compositions give the film a drugged-out vibe that is key to the movie’s overall feeling. For as chaotic as the film is, Moonlight’s soundtrack remains soothing and beautiful, and provides the storyline a strong emotional center. Silence An overlooked member last year’s Oscar race, Silence has a soundtrack unlike any other in recent memory. Many moments of the soundtrack feature little more than panicked whispers, buzzing cicadas, or crashing waves. Alongside minor key string compositions, these elements help viewers and listeners feel as if they’re stranded in the wilderness like the main characters.

he carries a knife

by Madison Kaplan

he carries the knife because nobody taught him that vulnerability is not just for the vulnerable. he carries the knife and he uses the knife to make people vulnerable to make them bleed he craves their screams. he is not trying to make them hurt he is trying to make himself feel something, anything, to prove he can. he carries the knife that cuts people’s skin because nothing cuts his heart. he wants to be angry but he can’t do that either. learning about everything he can’t do drove him to the knife drives him to force his eyes to watch for the moment the knife makes people just like him— unable. he craves the grief but he carries the knife.

Annabel Lassally

Roots

by Madison Kaplan

Dearest Darwin, I’m caught in a moment, Ensnared because if I show that, I will become a nomad. Wandering the forest, Wondering at its certainty The trees calamity and organized chaos. Each root shooting out into different directions, Direct and deliberate no matter the look of it to The indifferent mind. Opening my eyes Not liking what I find Closing each again can I ever pretend The roots don’t intersect? Do I want to forget deliberate indifference? Yes, But I won’t. Because hummingbirds try to pierce the pride of bees and birds For a chance to cure Darwin’s merciless curse: A Search For The Fittest. Letting a mussel hidden by ribs decide my thoughts, Liberate my skin from a feeling saying —I won’t win—deserves a chapter, Mr. Charles D., Just like the hummingbird’s unintentional opposition to bees. So let’s call an assembly and deliberate Over my decision to instigate An obligation to unlock the gate Leading to understanding, forgiveness, and acceptance of Our mistakes. Because Darwin we still marvel at your classification But It seems to have divided a nation that seems to have forgotten about It’s roots.

Dylan Kiefer

My Favorite Metal Albums by Gabe Clark

1. Burning Witch – Crippled Lucifer

7. Asphyx – Last One On Earth

2. Rippikoulu – Musta Seramonia

8. Eyehategod – Take As Needed

3. Burzum – Filosofem

For Pain

4. Sadus – Illusions

9. Rotting Christ – Thy Mighty Contract

5. Sleep – Dopesmoker

10. Demolition Hammer – Epidemic of

6. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath

Violence

10 Honorable Mentions: Melvins – Lysol Grief – Dismal Spectral Voice – Necrotic Doom

Vanna Vu

Finches

by Madison Kaplan

I marvel at finches For finding fixes To life without Google Telling them exactly what it is Finches should do. Imagine you Find yourself on an island With no ancestors, only instinct, to guide through The season’s and Darwin’s unspoken guide to Natural Selection. Can you really pretend you wouldn’t Freak the fuck out? But after all the freaking I imagine there would be a lot of comfort in seeking Exactly what it is you’re freaking here for. No Google to guide you Only your mind to sort through The tumultuous options for you to spend your life. And maybe we would do better Splattered across an archipelago. There would be no asking Where should I go? Only going To and Fro, Depending upon Nature’s Will that day. So if given the option I think I would pack a back and stay there for a while.

A Love Letter to Hayao Miyazaki

by Hannah Richter

I had hoped your bones wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve blossomed by now and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d turn into a field so I could lie in you for months watch the stars fall from you like sweat, watch dragons carry moons across your forehead Give me more of those still nights awash with violins that time you kissed my palm and whispered that you could fly and you were going to teach the whole world how one day How the dragonflies glittered as we stood in the middle of the empty highway barefoot, shifting, still in pajamas dawn cracking open most ancient hatching an ending on the horizon This was your favorite part a moment of light a castle splitting the heavens apart a pause in breath silence from the orchestra So you never once bought me flowers because they grew everywhere you touched me especially my soul

Sophie Attie

Places Where New Things Might be Found

By Andy Lewis

I entered and left Sunday May 23rd on a Greyhound bus, arriving in Indianapolis at 10 AM after four hours of listening to Pet Sounds on repeat and meeting the boy next to me who-despite being around the same age as myself--was living a very different, Greyhound filled life. I had gotten tickets to see Brian Wilson for my birthday all the way back in October. This show, at the Murat Theatre in Old National Centre, was part of Brian’s final tour of Pet Sounds, the Beach Boys’ legendary 1966 album that he wrote and primarily performed. The tour started in honor of the album’s 50th anniversary, but was extended all they way into 2017. I spent the day walking around the city alone, writing a research paper in the public library, eating food, becoming a target for bird feces, and waiting anxiously. After sitting around the venue aimlessly, I finally got in line and entered. The first thing that struck me was the sort of people attending this concert. About 1/3 of the audience were fellow, young pretentious music nerds like myself. Clad in button down shirts or King Crimson and Television tees, you could see these individuals, groups, and couples dotting the audience. We were there to see Pet Sounds, the

beautiful album that was so important to the evolution of music and our listening. The other members of the audience, made up of elderly couples and families, were there for The Beach Boys. When I say the Beach Boys I mean the “Surfin’ USA”, “I Get Around”, “Surfer Girl”, “Little Deuce Coupe” Beach Boys. Now I love these songs and that era of the band, but Brian Wilson is not necessarily the man to deliver that material. Sure, he wrote and sang most of it, but at the age of 74, after years of musical, mental, and medical experimentation and strife, he isn’t going to give you the rockin’ rendition of “Fun, Fun, Fun” that your heart desires. The first set of the concert catered to this audience. The band--made up of fellow founding Beach Boy Al Jardine, longtime Beach Boys’ guitarist Blondie Chaplin, and a huge group of other musicians-was really playing well, but it seemed Brian wasn’t all that involved, rarely singing lead and not contributing much musically. It was still really fun, just not the show I was looking forward too. I got the show I had waited so long for in the second set, when Brian and the band performed Pet Sounds in its entirety. The large group, with auxiliary percussion, brass, and so many other

instruments, was really able to capture the album. Brian also sang over this in a beautiful way, with all of his energy. You could tell when he was getting tired. He often had to skip or simplify certain phrases to keep going, but it was still all so heartfelt and powerful. I particularly remember his performance of “I’m Waiting For The Day” which he sang without any assistance from other vocalists. It all really felt special. Brian exited during the album’s last track--“Caroline, No”--and, after a complete introduction of the band, the group began their encore of “Good Vibrations.” It was a hit, and even the oldest of audience members were standing up in their seats clapping along. Being written during the Pet Sounds era, but also being such a recognizable and famous song, it satisfied both audiences thoroughly, and, after a beautiful solo rendition by Brian of his song “Love and Mercy,” everyone left the theater satisfied. After spending some time in a 24 hour Steak n’ Shake and sleeping a bit during the bus ride back, I entered St. Louis as the sun was rising. I, of course, had Pet Sounds playing, and was able to reflect on just how great of an experience that show and day had been. I had a long day ahead of me

with classes, homework, and a show at Foam, but I was very happen to have spent Sunday May 23rd, 2016 in my own little Pet Sounds world.

Jeffrey Blackman

When Nothing Gold Stays

by Lizzie Kehoe I stare at the sun for so long It leaves an imprint upon my eyes Giving a golden hue to all I see. This must be what it feels like to live in a dream.

Nonsense Story

by Elijah Armstrong

Q. Who are the two men under the black-red sky? A. The lovers Kɔw Bē and Mèw Bē. Q. Why are they giants? A. Because they were weaned on the milk of the Twelve Celestial Dragons. Q. Who was their father? A. The Vɔw Emperor, who dug the Wyvern’s Delta. Q. Why is there no obelisk on the hill? A. Because Kɔw Bē tore it out. Q. Why do their teeth fit together? A. To form a wall against the barbarians. Q. Have they ever eaten human flesh? A. Yes, but only that of Ourang-Outangs. Q. Why are they translucent? A. Because they are ghosts. Q. Why? A. Kɔw Bē killed himself; Mèw Bē burned in the Moon. Q. How many live in the Moon?

A. A city as great as Center. Q. How long did they live? A. From one to another blink of God’s eyes. Q. Why do they look so similar? A. Because they are identical twins. Q. Where is their placenta buried? A. In the Wyvern’s Delta. Q. What would Mew Bē say of the 8% salt tax? A. He loved the miners of salt; he would defy it. Q. Could Kɔw Bē play a catgut zither? A. No, but he could play a lyre of tortoiseshell, or a didgeridoo of dragonbone. Q. When I dress in the robes of a courtesan, do I please the two lovers? A. A courtesan has no robes: dress like a baron, or a calligrapher, or an imperial statistician.

Morgan Anker

Father John Misty

by Dugan Marieb

Artist Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) recently released his third album, Pure Comedy under his Father John Misty pseudonym. The album overall is a reflection of Tillman’s world view, featuring diatribes against the current entertainment system and people’s willingness to be controlled by greater forces in society. This is not my favorite album of Tillman’s, but it is revealing as he lays out general observations he has made about modern society as if he was an old man looking back on his life (as seen in Ballad of the Dying Man). Tillman treats some of the album as almost a philosophy lesson for those of us who have not woken up yet to his perception of reality. Songs like Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution, a critique of human caused climate change, push past the ideology of his predominantly liberal audience. He chases a nonanthropocentric worldview where he claims the earth will survive us, but we may not survive or our new state of being will be an undesirable one. One of the most controversial lines of the album, and one of my favorites, is in the song Total Entertainment Forever where he begins: “Bedding Taylor Swift / Every night inside the Oculus Rift”. While offensive to some, Tillman goes after the idea that these advances in technology

and entertainment will lead to anything but human vice and pornography. It is in these moments that Tillman finds his appeal to so many listeners as he calls out basic conventions in modern society for their misguided and absurd nature. He attempts to dissect what drives the problems in the world, arguing against them, but ultimately never delivering an answer to those root issues. It is also in these same moments of societal introspection where Tillman/Misty can come off as incredibly pretentious as his worldview rises above everyone else’s. Tillman seems somewhat self-aware of this, but persists in getting his message across to anyone who will listen. Although the album tails off in the end towards quieter and arguably more forgettable songs, Tillman still adheres to his absurdist viewpoint and delivers an album on the whole that dives deeper than most artists would dare. I enjoyed this album a lot, and although I might not pick many of the songs out as favorites, the experience of listening to the album from beginning to end was great.

Merry Sun

Gold Rush

by Hannah Richter

The year is 1849 & I’m seasick at the stern The East—a distant lover now I left her Atlantic blue and dressed while she was sleeping scrawled an aubade on a torn paper napkin addled dreams of gold corrupt the salt air & the flies waltz drunkenly about the cargo I clutch my pickaxe to my chest and whisper something foolish about Ithaca one day I confuse the sun with a gold nugget & run madly about the deck with a pan trying to sift through the sky high fever & high noon California is nothing but an emptied box of horizon The year is 2017 & I’m seasick at this keyboard thinking that the walls of the world must be littered with poems if only my pickaxe was sharper— and what if I came so far inland only to collapse with a lap full of bankrupt metaphors about the sun

Cory Hilis

The year 1849 & queasy aft the East â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a distant lover now Left the Atlantic and blue dress while she slept on a napkin scrawled an aubade of torn paper rotten gold dreams corrupt the salt air & flies drunk Waltz over load I clutch my pick at my chest and whisper something silly about Ithaca one day I confused the Sun with a nugget of gold run madly about & deck with a pan trying to sift through the high sky fever & high noon California is nothing but a box emptied of horizont The year is 2017 I am sick with this keyboard & thinking that the walls of the world should be full of poems if only my pick was sharper â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and if so far I came inside Only to collapse with the lap full of metaphors into bankruptcy on the Sun

What does KWUR stand for? Killer Whales: Ugly Rotters Kramer Was Utterly Remarkable Kind Waitress, Undertake Revolution Kings Will Unearth Romania Kneel When Urgently Respectful Kicking Wolves Usually Regrettable Kerning With Unparalleled Rongness Kampus-Wide Urethral Radio by Thom Ellison

Morgan Anker

Tyler Brandt

Pacific

by Hannah Richter

the light on your face was orange in the jaws of a cliffside summer all rock and edges, the mauve reliefs hint shipwrecked wine bottles on stone floor pinot seeping through the fissures of our jade-trimmed dreams, our greenish gardens that we always forgot to waterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; you had lichen growing on the north side of you the red morning i wept at the vacant seagull nest. deep blue sundays gather here upon the edge of autumn tawny grasses, creased leather and other things that smelled like the endless yellow of your great plains. you always referred to them in the possessive tense of burnt sienna. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a nice night for sailing, i say, but we both know it was much too violet and quietly violent like the sea before a storm like the sea before a blue curtain like the sea before a blue moon.

Year of Renovation: KWUR 2017

by Landon Bennett

Last year was a year of revival for KWUR. We restored our online streaming (all hail wideorbit and Mixlr), we reestablished logging, and most of all brought back credibility to the station. We created momentum with our stellar landing of Anderson .Paak for our KWUR week headliner, leaving tons of positives for this year. 2017 was a year of improvements and innovations, building on the success we had last year. First came the new, automated scheduling and crediting system (all hail our supreme web overlord glu, you will be missed). Now future generations of KWUR will have expedient scheduling and great feedback on their crediting. We revamped exec positions, which allowed for things to run far more smoothly than before. Prod Cord killed it, turning stack sessions and KWUR Sucks Shows into not only a nearweekly staple, but also a way to give KWUR real visibility in the St. Louis music community. We updated training for new DJ’s, making our tests and training process relevant to the new era of KWUR. We were able to land the biggest SU bid we’d ever appealed for, allowing us to have another stellar KWUR week, featuring great acts that brought hundreds of people. We renovated the mainstream policy, making it more clear and also more relevant to the digital music era we’ve

entered. We even caught our Holy Text, the KWUR Bible, up to speed with all of the changes the station has seen in the recent past. We finally caught KWUR up to the times, and carried momentum of a great year all the way through, hopefully to be built upon by the GM Gabe era of KWUR. Thank you to all the DJ’s, all the artists that interacted with us, all of exec (the most motivated exec group we’ve had in recent years) and especially Jerik, for making 2017 such a great year for KWUR. See you next year, Landon

Isabella Levethan

Intimacy

by Dana Citrin

Being alone, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found, is most enjoyable when the space between your fingers feels best unoccupied, and a touch below the neck or above the thigh alarms the senses. I tried to remember the days I spent with you. I reached into the most obsolete corners of my mind only to find hazy illusions, nothing, but the recollection that something turned, fast or slow, and then you craved another, one I simply could not bear. With each day you became more fixated on the taste, until (cooties stripped away) one afternoon, you were consumed by its form, your remains left to compost the rotting membrane.

Morgan Anker

A Few of My Favorite Music Moments From SP17

by Jack Elliott-Higgens

- Sleepeasies set opening for Coping Skills at our January KWUR Sucks show. Jake and Gram took sparse bedroom pop and made it into a ripping psychedelic mess and “Swinghunter” is still my favorite song. - Eef Barzelay telling me tour stories from his Clem Snide days as we waited to air his stack session. He played all unreleased music so he doesn’t want it on the internet but it’s amazing and I can let you hear it if you ask. - Planned Parenthood Benefit gig as a whole – so many new faces at a show, so many good bands. And baby Violet making new friends with her big purple ear protection. - IAN SWEET and Peaer coming in for stack sessions in quick succession and having a great time and being real nice people - Palberta stack session, that fucking ripped - All the Chair Enthusiasts shows that so many kind friends came to (some of you basically every time, you know who you are, you know I love you) - Sharing a show with Jeff Blackman and having the interplay between his experimental and my indie rock bullshit - Listening to “Bobby” in Andy’s car in Madison while he went to talk to high school friends and we weren’t allowed to come - All of Chairs’ Midwest international tour really – I could do that forever

Jeffrey Blackman

Miles of Oxygen In Between by Lizzie Kehoe

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m close enough to touch the fading sunset Though it slips just from the tips of my fingers My neighborâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head slowly falls upon my shoulder his world weightless like the clouds Other worlds travel beneath us Existing, breathing, living, surviving Unaware of those journeying above, drowning in the golden nugget sky The same destination in mind, by different means

Isabella Levethan

I Love What Constitutes Continuity

by Madison Kaplam

I love what constitutes continuity, Like, That this morning a parasitic passenger Boarder my neck making my head Un-rise-able to the road ahead Of me. Or, Like, That this afternoon an advantageous adventuress Landed on my chest lifting my eyes Making my imagination inexplicable To the friends Beside me.

Zoe Finkelstein

Old Doors

By Thom Ellison

When the station moved, we took the old doors with us and hung them from our ceiling so you can’t walk through them anymore. They look too heavy to be floating up there like chandeliers in the grungiest ballroom of all time, and when I first sat under them I worried they might fall. I like reading the notes on the doors but one cartoon stands out to me. It’s a homeless man with a sign bearing a classic message: “Keep your coins, I want change.” I don’t know when that was drawn on there so maybe I’m just projecting, but it makes me think of a time when that phrase didn’t seem so trite, like just a stock phrase that rich people like to imagine poor people saying. A time before the internet when someone could have just come up with the slogan on their own and really meant it. (I mean they probably didn’t, but they could have.) Now it looks cheesy and trite next to all our postmodern scribblings of formless animals, shapes, and penises. The Harvey Media Center told us we can’t draw on our new door. Some alumni stopped by the other day and wrote their show name on the wall. We happened to be in there and they told us about the golden ages of the

‘90s: visits from Shellac and SleaterKinney, shows with coffee and beer in the Gargoyle, and my god, people listening on the strange frontier of FM! When they talked about how cramped and smelly and unusable the old station was, they seemed fondly reminiscent. I pointed out the doors to them but they didn’t care. They’d been through them a hundred times before.

A Mini Diary Series of SXSW by Nick Machak

*Disclaimer: this series is going to be a bit ramble-y because I’m a little late for submitting this and a bit pressed for time :). Wednesday, March 15th, 2017 James Drueckhammer and I arrived to Austin, TX around 2 pm and headed right over to Space 24 Twenty for the Urban Outfitters showcase. It is a cool, little outdoors venue right next to UT campus. To no surprise, there was free beer at this venue, much like a lot of places at SXSW. Unfortunately, we were only able to catch a little bit of Savoy Motel’s set when suddenly I checked my email inbox. James and I saw that Dave was going to be performing at The Fader Fort in East Austin, so we ordered a Fasten (No Uber or Lyft in Austin) and headed right over there. Turns out the whole trip was an utter waste of time. After being directed to one place after the other, we found out that we needed to be “invited” to this event. It had to have been the first year that the Fader Fort showcase was invite-only because the past ones have always been free (granted, they’re usually the most attended). After that little fiasco, we then

had to wait in a line to get wristbands for the JanSports Bonire Sessions showcase at Cheer Up Charlie’s, where Lil Yachty, Noname, Tei Shi, Ian Sweet, and No Win were playing at night. The line was quite long (to no surprise, since this was a free opportunity to see Lil Yachty and Noname). After we got our wristbands, we took the bus back to Space 24 Twenty where James’ car was and then drove to our Airbnb in Southeast Austin. Our Airbnb was a lot better than we expected. The bottom floor had a couple couches in a living room and a kitchen, and upstairs were two bedrooms. There was also an outdoor patio. We split the Airbnb with a band called Leggy from Cincinnati, OH, a band called Twist from Toronto, ON, and Twist’s tour manager, Matt. Leggy had their own bedroom, James and I split a bedroom, and Twist plus the tour manager slept downstairs in the living room. It was a little cramped with 9 people in a 2 bedroom, 1.5 bath apartment, but it made the trip very fun to be with a bunch of great people. After we got settled in our Airbnb, Matt, James, and I took a Fasten to Waterloo Records to see Nick Grant. We ended

walked to downtown Austin because we

up not watching that much of his set

though and instead perused the records store a little bit, which was very cool. After that set, Matt split off from us, and James and I went and got dinner and then went to Cheer Up Charlie’s for the JanSports Bonfire Sessions. To our surprise, the line went all the way around the corner of the venue and down the street. Apparently, the security guards were being really bad at managing the lines because there were two lines—one for people who hadn’t already RSVP’d and one for people who had. We went into where we thought was the end of the RSVP’d already line, but turns out it was just a break in the line because the folks behind us were too busy socializing. They got a little mad at us for cutting but we all joked about it later on. Either way, we made it into the showcase without any problem and got some free LONE STAR (amazing Texan beer)!!!! We were very surprised to see Nardwuar at the showcase, and James and I got a picture with him. We also chatted a bit with Jay Som and Gabe, the founder of the Cymbal app. Ian Sweet and Noname had fantastic sets, but we were a little underwhelmed with Tei Shi and No Win. However, Lil

The moshing was great, and it was such an intimate setting for it to happen. It was great getting splashed with the ice, ice, ice water after every beat drop, and I also fist-bumped Kodie Shane, who was on stage with him. There was also a point in the show where he commanded the crowd to create hole in the center and for one brave person to stand in the middle of it. When the beat dropped, we all rushed the guy in the middle, and general chaos ensued after that. It was such a great time, and a real workout too. This was a great end to our first day at SXSW.

Yachty completely turned up the crowd.

coffee and had a Shake Shack tent.

Thursday, March 16th, 2017 When we woke up, Matt, James, and I took a Fasten to Cheer Up Charlie’s to see LVL UP at the BrooklynVegan showcase. LVL UP was fantastic. I wish I had gotten there earlier to see the whole set, but I was able to at least catch a few of my favorite songs. After this, we walked across I-35 to the French Legation Museum for the Pitchfork Day Parties. Pitchfork had rented out the entire outside area surrounding the museum for their day showcases, and they served free iced

While there, we jammed out to Priests, PWR BTTM, Kweku Collins, Vagabon, Jamila Woods, Jay Som, and a little of Noname again. The highlight was definitely Jamila Woods. Her voice was HEAVN-ly (lol, get it? ;) ). After this, we went back to downtown and went into Barracuda to see Allison Crutchfield & The Fizz. We also caught a bit of Mothers’ set while we there. After this, we took the bus to a UT Austin co-op where the That’s What She Said SXSW showcase was happening. Here, we saw Potty Mouth, which was fantastic. Afterwards, we got dinner and headed to Space 24 Twenty to see D.R.A.M. D.R.A.M. was amazing, and he even brought out Trae Tha Truth to stand on stage with him. Next, James and I took a Fasten back to downtown, where we met up with Alex Berger—a KWUR alum from the Class of 2016. The line at Stereogum showcase was way too long, so we went back to Barracuda, where we saw Duran Jones & The Indications, Cherry Glazerr, Khraungbin, Japanese Breakfast, and Jamila Woods again! The highlight for me there was definitely Cherry Glazerr. They were so loud that they caused one of the monitors to smoke up, which I thought was awesome. James, however, didn’t enjoy Cherry Glazerr that much because he didn’t like their on-stage banter. After this, James and I met up with Jon Vuylsteke (KWUR alum from the Class

of 2016) and his girlfriend Yuji Kim (Class of 2015). They had just seen Sam Gellaitry at Kingdom and were still a little starry-eyed from his performance. We chilled on the streets of downtown Austin and ate from food trucks well until around 4 a.m. Friday, March 17th, 2017 The next day, Matt, James, and I went to French Legation Museum again to see Girlpool at the second day of Pitchfork Day Parties. Unfortunately, we got there a little late and missed most of Girlpool. We stuck around and saw Frankie Rose, NE-HI, Anna Meredith, and Zaytoven. The highlight for us was definitely Zaytoven, a bigname hip hop producer from Atlanta. He DJ’d a lot of hits that he produced and co-produced, everything from “Icy” by Gucci Mane feat. Jeezy & Boo to “Versace” by Migos. He definitely had the crowd moving and dancing. Afterwards, Matt split off from us, and James and I walked to the Stereogum showcase to see Saba and Kelela. I was completely blown away by Kelela’s performance. She is so beautiful, and her voice was so good that it gave me chills. Afterwards, we walked back to the French Legation Museum to catch Kodie Shane. Unfortunately, Jidenna was on the Yellow Stage while Kodie was getting ready on the Blue Stage. He had gone over his allotted time, so not

that many people showed up for Kodie’s set. Nonetheless, she was still fantastic and energetic. Next, I split up from James and met up with Leggy at Todd’s Mansion in South Austin for the PostTrash BBQ showcase. We caught Stove’s and Casper Skulls’ sets before James eventually joined us at Todd’s Mansion. He came just in time for Leggy’s set at the BBQ. Then, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya had a set, which was stunningly beautiful. Next, Leggy, Matt, James, and I went in Leggy’s tour van to a bar next to UT campus where T-Rextasy, White Reaper, Peaer, and Snail Mail were playing. James and I chatted with Peter from Peaer for a bit because we had caught him at the KWUR studio the weekend before SXSW, where they did a stack session. Also, T-Rextasy is good friends with Leggy, and they’ve actually toured together. So, Matt, Leggy, T-Rextasy, Peaer, and I went to a UT co-op where Burger Records was hosting a pool party. There, we caught a bit of Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs’ set. Saturday, March 18th, 2017 On Saturday, James and I went to downtown to meet up at Barracuda with Alex Berger again, Laurel Morris (a KWUR alum from the Class of 2014), and Ceci Murray (a KWUR alum from the Class of 2013). There, we caught Dream Wife, The Britanys, and NE-HI again. Dream Wife was absolutely

fantastic. They were loud, in-your-face, but also intensely beautiful, a mustsee if you have the chance! Next, we walked to Cheer Up Charlie’s to see Merchandise, Big Thief, and Cherry Glazerr. I personally really enjoyed Big Thief’s set there because their music always manages to catch me in my feelings, so I was especially emotional when I saw them live. Next, James and I split off from the KWUR alums and took the bus to UT Austin campus area. The line for The Internet at Space 24 Twenty was really long, and I was a little sick of crowds at this point, so I ventured off to the Zeta Psi fraternity house where the West Campus showcase was being held, while James stuck in line. It was way less crowded there, and I got to catch Kississippi, Aficionado, Oso Oso, and Prince Daddy & The Hyena play. After that, James and I got dinner and went back to our Airbnb because we had an early morning drive-out the next day. SXSW was easily one of the best musical experiences of my life. Where else can you see approximately 53 different sets within 4 days all for free, with free food and beer at select locations?? It was a musical paradise, and I strongly suggest that future KWUR kids go for spring break because it usually lines up around the same time. Make sure you go to the free, unofficial shows however.

Tasha Recoder

New Scratches

Lizzie Kehoe

I haven’t played the record you gave me in nine months. I’m afraid the girl I was when I danced to it in my room will come knocking assuming arguing wondering— where I’ve gone Who I’ve met and why I’ve changed. I’m not ashamed of her but sometimes I forget Who she was. I forget what she did with two free hours in the afternoon or the worries that kept her staring at the ceiling past midnight, past counting and calculating the hours already wasted awake. I forget why we’re not the same. I don’t want to play the record because what if it scratches? What if it it’s been damaged by the humidity, the synthetic sleeve, the feeling of being trapped by dirty covers, underneath the sheets Stained with melted kisses and graphite memories. What if it doesn’t sound the same; But what if she is?

10 Best Hip-Hop Albums of All Time by James Drueckhammer

1. GZA: Liquid Swords 2. Jay-Z: Reasonable Doubt 3. Cannibal Ox: The Cold Vein 4. OutKast: ATLiens 5. Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold us Back 6. Makaveli: The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory 7. Nas: It Was Written 8. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp A Butterfly 9. Gang Starr: Moment of Truth 10. Kanye West: Late Registration

Morgan Anker

10 and 2 by Lizzie Kehoe

He took it with him on a Sunday. It was warm, humid. Not quite sunny, but not cloudy, either. It was quiet his cerulean eyes loud enough to fill the silence and the void that had long been begging for company. He took it because he thought he was lonely, and maybe having it in the passenger seat to sing with to admire was the only solution in his rear view. But he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t adjust the mirrors or see the drivers eager to get off the freeway and back to their oak-lined cul-de-sacs. Or the ones with permits, Fresh off the press and still warm in their leather wallets, Idealizing what it might feel like to drive, But forgetting about the frustration in a car at 5. He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t adjust them, or check his blind spot, But he took the wheel anyway. And she got lost.

Sienna Ruiz

One Year Later

by Dana Citrin

still. On most nights your name stalks its way into my head in a parade of thumping letters and phrases uninvited, knowing fully, (because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard it said) I shouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve raised my barricades, sealed tight my windows, and diffused the premise with pesticide. Yet I leave the door open for the chance that on some splendid night your name will materialize, a warm body crawling into bed, gathered around me in the pockets of cotton sheets. One year later, again.

Tripping Over a Clothesline

By Alexandria Moore

I spilled emerald green ink on my cashmere sweater and hung it up to dry last Sunday. There are fireflies hanging from the clothesline now there are fireflies underneath my skin. I’m waiting for you to shift your gaze and let the kaleidoscope pieces fall back into shape: shards of brown sea glass that I’ve picked up and collected in my red plastic bucket. Are there still lilacs under your tongue? I speak with a pearl under mine. A stonewashed denim jacket hangs from a hook starched and stiff, holding its shape but nothing else is holding its shape. “The sky is breathing” you say, pointing upwards. I don’t see the breathing, but everything is purple now like a purple dragon, breathing, even though I know we’re only looking at the clouds.

Dear Prof. Mike Brown—The Man Who Killed Pluto by Hannah Richter

Pluto, hung up in deep space where nothing breathes not even the silence as it tries with heavy hands to crack apart the ice floes, while blue months cascade into a basin of blue years. The stars don’t say much, flash their arms in bright arcs across a sky where wonder is a renewable resource. Pluto sends love letters to Jupiter— stripped of a return address, may never read her cursive tercets. Slow wedding to sorrow, empty gallery of ice sculptures, camped on the bank of vacant sky Music can only travel so far before it encounters a black hole. Songs don’t belong to drifting relics of a threadbare grandeur. Cleft left in every spinning mobile above every baby’s crib long telephone wires can’t stretch across a galaxy, though Pluto leaves slow voicemails for the sun— forgotten poems woven of snow and dark Pluto only has these two metaphors at its disposal Translations of textbooks have since omitted the name. After Neptune there is a profound nothing, void of spectators, only specters break bread in this corner of the galaxy. Pluto ceased casting out letters and instead keeps them on a shelf in Ice Floe Sector 486, pages creased, soft from being folded and unfolded so many times. When planets lose their thrones, it is noiseless— Anonymous rock inscribes the myth of itself on its own moon. Telescopes witness this waxing vandalism. Ink distilled from shade, from the shadows of planets with names heavy enough to arrest light.

St. Louis Lament

by Thom Ellison

I live in St. Louis but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got fallen arches I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet found the Big Bend in my soles. I tried to drive out to a couple of marches But the streets were all full of potholes.

What I am Left With by Sienna Ruiz

The only thing marking the year is my long hair and the pile of paper scraps in my desk drawer. I don’t have an internship, or hell, even a major, but my pockets are spilling with paper that should have been recycled a long time ago. I have nothing big to show that most days I can leave my room now that I don’t hide away from the sound of my voice or my reflection in the mirror. When I go home for the summer and talk to my friends about the things we’ve done I will likely stay silent – not with shame, but with pride in my small collection whose meaning no one else could understand.

Sienna Ruiz

Designed by Isabella Levethan for KWUR 90.3 FM in the spring of 2017. Type is set in Lyon Text Semibold and Univers Roman.