WOBC Community DJs Discuss Station’s Future

Kushagra Kar Editor-in-Chief

For just over 70 years, WOBC 91.5 FM has served as a platform for students and community members alike to share the music they love with local radio listeners. While students are generally limited to a four-year career, some community members have been hosting shows for decades.

Cleveland resident and longtime WOBC host John Pais has been working with the station since fall 1988. Pais returned to the station after a brief hiatus between 2004 and 2011 and has continued to host Hard Day on the Planet from 12–2 p.m. every Thursday since then.

“Back in 1988, … [my co-host and Comunity member] John Katko and I started a show called Hard Day on the Planet,” Pais said. “We also think that it was one of the first true environmental radio programs that was out there. … As time went on, I felt like one of the things that I really, truly wanted to do all along was to have my own music show. So about a year or so after that in 1989, we were still doing Hard Day on the Planet, but I put up an application to do a country-folk and bluegrass show, and I got approved to do that. And the name of that show was Hearts and Minds.”

While Pais’ first introduction to radio was through WOBC, the station has featured longtime radio journalists as well. Karen Schaefer, currently a freelance journalist, has been in the radio industry since 1979. Schaefer worked at a radio station in Indiana for nine years before moving to Oberlin in 1988, where she joined WOBC. In 1988 she joined WCPN Cleveland in a staff job.

See WOBC, page 11 Students await their radio show timeslot in the WOBC studio lounge. Courtesy of Yana Levy

On the Record with Master Bassoonist Martin Garcia

Associate principal bassoonist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Martin Garcia. Martin Garcia, associate principal bassoon in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra since 2011, will host a master class for Oberlin College and Conservatory Students Monday, Nov. 8. Garcia, a Fulbright grant recipient from Donna, Texas, has played with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and The Knights in New York. Garcia also serves on the bassoon faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and maintains a studio of private bassoon students. Garcia has played on tour in Europe, North America, and Asia.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kathleen Kelleher Production Editor

Could you tell me a bit about your career and how you got into bassoon?

I chose the bassoon because it was unusual, and I thought that no one else would choose that funny-looking instrument. I really loved it. The bassoon is known as the clown of the orchestra in the old orchestration books, and in more recent musical history, it has been exploited for its more tragic qualities. If you think of the symphonies of Shostakovich or Tchaikovsky, there’s really an element of pathos. I found that those two sides of the same coin really fit my personality — a little bit of a clown but also prone to introspection.

When I graduated from high school, I went to study in Philadelphia with the principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bernard Garfield. It was a recording of Mr. Garfield’s that made me fall in love with the bassoon when I was 13 and convinced me that I wanted to have a career in music as a bassoonist. I was really glad and felt very lucky.

After four years in Philadelphia, I applied for the Fulbright grant to go to Vienna and study music with Milan Turković, who was another one of my heroes. It was in Vienna that I got to hear a lot of orchestras because, along with the European orchestras, most orchestras that tour in Europe go through Vienna. On average, the statistic at that time was that there were three live music events a day... It really was an embarrassment of riches. After Vienna, I came to the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music to get a master’s degree with William Winstead.

After that, I thought I might like to become a conductor for a while. I spent a little bit of time looking into that, but I had to make a living. I started freelancing as a bassoon player. But I got to a certain age where “the hustle,” if you will, got a little bit tiring. To my surprise and delight, I got a job with the Milwaukee Symphony, which was my first major job. I was there for six years. Since then, I’ve been with the Cincinnati Symphony for 10 years. My job here is associate principal bassoon.

What are your plans for the master class?

I’m always interested to hear young players and see what they’re working on and how they’re approaching music. My plan for them is the plan I have anytime I hear someone: I want to make astute observations that have immediate effects. I feel often that when I’m listening to someone, either for the first and only time or on a weekly basis, I’m almost like a doctor that writes a prescription. I look at what they’re doing and analyze what’s successful and what isn’t, and then I try to get a very clear and efficient strategy for improvement. I think that my approach is to try as much as I can to demystify the bassoon. With any double-reed instrument, there are these two pieces of cane that we string together to produce the vibrating mouthpiece that sometimes work against us, depending on the weather. It’s hard enough from that perspective because every time you open the case and go to practice, the reed is a little bit different. The work that I can do is toward clarifying the rest of it so that a student can eliminate obstacles and just do efficient work — focus on the stuff that’s important, like music making.

You teach quite a bit. Do you find personal value in teaching courses like these, for yourself as a player or a person?

Absolutely. I find it really inspiring to hear people. I think that it’s important as a performing artist to remain inspired. It becomes easy to stop going to concerts. It becomes easy to stop seeking out new pieces. Regardless of the pursuit, it’s important to have a change of scenery, to remain stimulated and seek out new things. That way we can all avoid falling into a rut. So, yes, I will say that, when you teach as much as I do, things become a good deal clearer, and it’s my aim to pass those moments of clarity on to students.

Do you have any advice for Oberlin’s aspiring classical musicians, bassoon or otherwise?

I think it would be to seek out a mastery of the craft that enables us to express ourselves and to be honest with ourselves about our shortcomings. Trust the process, because if we wait until we’re inspired to practice, the inspiration doesn’t often come as we would like it to. It’s important to have a routine where you put in the work and you’re honest with yourself and really listen to what it is you’re doing.

I remember, once, I worked for a composer named George Rochberg. He lived outside of Philadelphia, and we were assembling his archives for transport. I was there as a secretary taking notes. What I learned from him is that he would work every morning at the same hours and take a break for lunch and come back and work. Once his work was done for the day, it was done. He said that having that routine enabled his creative muscle to get accustomed to working when he needed it. Choreographer Twyla Tharp calls this “keeping the tools oiled.” When you have a regular routine, your muse knows to show up. With bassoon, so much is technically oriented when it comes to reed-making. Once you have a good reed, so much is possible. It’s just getting there and trusting the process.

Courtesy of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Continued from page 10 that facilitate making music communally since socialization was so limited and littered with caution signs — and the same basically goes for third-years.”

According to McKeon, things would have been completely different for Boxed Whine had they not had their first year to write original songs and experiment with their set.

“If COVID had hit in 2019 instead of 2020, it’s very likely we wouldn’t have been able to get situated enough to be where we’re at now,” McKeon wrote. “We had laid down a lot of groundwork in that first year of playing that made it possible for us to keep sharing and working on stuff throughout the pandemic.”

Jane Hobson, College fourth-year, solo artist, and lead vocalist for Oberlin band Jane Hobson and the Hobgoblins, agreed. During her time away from campus, all of the students in her favorite campus bands graduated and the younger groups fell apart, leaving only a few bands to revitalize the scene.

“I just feel like I see the same three or four bands in rotation,” Hobson said. “There are some jazz bands here and there, [and] people from the Conservatory, but I don’t necessarily know those bands as well. Mostly, it just feels like my band, Boxed Whine, and Hotspur Johnny all the time. It just feels like it’s gotten smaller.”

When Zanes came to Oberlin, it was this sense of band comradery that defined his participation in the music scene; he was amazed at how welcoming older students were.

“There were juniors and seniors that took an interest in us and wanted to see us learn,” Zanes said. “That just made all the difference because if it had just been us hanging around with freshmen, our experience would have been radically different. It was the older folks passing on whatever they knew that made the difference. Those interactions were defined by a kind of open-mindedness; there was no snobbery at all.”

As a first-year, McKeon remembers seeing and interacting with upperclassmen in bands. While he’s noticed a sharp contrast this year in comparison to years past, he says that Oberlin music culture isn’t fundamentally different than it used to be.

“It’s so weird because I feel like the general attitude about music, both playing it and seeing it, hasn’t really changed — just our access to and time with it has,” McKeon wrote. “Hopefully some of the younger grades are now also able to find solid footing with making and playing music here with others, because I’d love for things to get back to the way they were pre-COVID by the time I graduate in June.”

Hobson feels that upperclassmen are always inherently at an advantage because they have houses to rehearse and perform in, larger networks of student musicians, and experience playing at and organizing shows on campus. As she thinks about how to reinvigorate the house show scene, she says it’s most important to make participation in the scene less daunting.

“I think there has always been some level of intimidation,” Hobson said. “That’s always been the Oberlin music scene. We have all these amazing musicians at the Conservatory but it also feels like every College student has some level of music proficiency. Especially as a girl, it can be intimidating. It’s a pretty male-dominated music scene and I always got nervous to join because I don’t play jazz. So then you keep asking yourself, ‘Where do I fit into this?’”

McKeon remembers feeling apprehensive, too, and anxious about finding a space for himself amidst all of the campus’ other talented musicians.

“I was super cautious about engaging with music here because of the existence of the Conservatory and didn’t know what kind of music scene existed here outside of it,” McKeon wrote. “During my accepted students day, I went to the spring 2018 Coverband Showcase, and seeing the myriad of non-Conservatory students putting together such a great set of performances genuinely had a massive impact on pushing me out of that overly-cautious, imposter-syndrome-y mindset. I think the existence of this scene makes it so much easier for students to feel like their desired musical exploits aren’t just wishful thinking or bound to be unrecognized.”

Especially as the gap between upperclassmen and underclassmen bands widens, Hobson and McKeon recognize the need to reinvent Oberlin’s music tradition. College fourth-year and bassist for Boxed Whine Tim Husemoller emphasizes the importance of preserving the College’s music scene.

“This tradition brings people from all over campus together and provides a really great outlet for both performers and audience members to appreciate the creative projects people are working on,” Husemoller said. “It’s about having fun. We will definitely be providing more house shows this year and would highly encourage newer students to form bands and perform! People with houses would probably be happy to host you and we would love to hear what you’ve got. Everyone benefits when students are able to play with new groups of people and hear new performers. It helps us all to improve and feel inspired.”

OSCA Celebrates Halloweekend with Liquor Treat

Sydney Rosensaft Senior Staff Writer

For each night of Halloweekend, the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association hosted OSCAns for a festive Oberlin tradition: Liquor Treat. Tank Hall hosted their event Friday, followed by Harkness House on Saturday and Keep Cottage on Sunday. On their respective nights, students living in the co-ops brewed alcoholic and non-alcoholic concoctions to serve to their costumed guests, chatted, and danced the night away.

For College second-year Ruby Martinez, the event showcased OSCA’s broad reach across campus. In addition to seeing everyone in Keep co-op, she enjoyed seeing students from the other co-ops come together. Each of the coops has created a community within their halls, so this event was a joint celebration of their work.

“We all live together and do this thing where we all cook and take care of each other and live in cooperation,” Martinez said. “This is a chance to all get together to have fun and celebrate each other.”

College second-year Leela Miller appreciated how creative everyone got with their costumes and drinks. She believes Liquor Treat was an opportunity for everyone to express their kookiest selves.

“I loved seeing everyone dressed up in bizarre costumes and getting to try the occasionally weird, occasionally gross, occasionally delicious drinks that they made,” she said. “It was such a great opportunity for people to put their creativity on display!” OSCA’s welcoming attitude and tight-knit environment allowed Liquor Treat participants to lean into their quirkiness. In true OSCA fashion, Miller dressed up as a bulb of garlic.

“I just wanted a large, ridiculous, vegetable-shaped costume,” she said. “So that’s what I made. The muses compelled me!”

Among others, Martinez served as a “vibes watcher,” continuously checking in to make sure attendees were safe and having a good time. Through this work, Martinez realized how much everyone in a co-op values one another.

“All night, everyone was looking out for each other and taking care of each other,” she said.

Miller did not take on any specific role this past weekend, but she still felt involved in the whole process.

“We discussed all of our party policies beforehand,” she said. “We voted on how many people would be invited, how we would label and serve our drinks, and when we would start asking people to leave. We tried to plan out the night in a way that made every coop member feel comfortable, and we all cleaned up our gross, sticky hallways together the next day. Very cooperative of us!”

Martinez and Miller both say they had fantastic Halloweekends. They loved the originality and community warmth that came with Liquor Treat and appreciated the safety and comfort of knowing who they were living, eating, and dancing with. Photo by Dina Nouaime

Continued from page 10

“I was really missing a microphone; I’d done nine years in radio,” Schaefer said. “I used to take my still-nursing daughter with me to the radio station in Indiana, nurse her on the air while flipping records over, trying to make sure that the mic pot was down while she was making funny noises right under the microphone. I just realized that I could have a show again, and I thought, ‘I don’t even care what music I play; I just want to have a voice again.’”

A distinguishing factor for the station is its mix of student and community hosts, which often comes as a surprise to people unfamiliar with the station’s structure. Last spring, Chuck Ryals was elected to the role of community representative to advocate for non-student hosts and do outreach on behalf of the station. As community representative, Ryals makes sure community members get their shows on time, has weekly meetings with the WOBC board, and addresses any other community concerns.

For many, a passion for music drives their shows, but some hosts take this a step further by analyzing and talking about all of the context behind the songs they choose. Kendal at Oberlin residents Dennis and Judy Cook have hosted a show since January 2014, just five months after retiring and moving to town. Their show, Glad4Trad, airs every Wednesday at 3 p.m. and explores a variety of traditional music.

“What we do is Anglo and American traditional music and things in that tradition with a bit of mild erudition,” Dennis said. “So we talk about things that are in the songs or the history behind them. I mean, some of the songs go back to the 14th century.”

For Judy, the choice of genre is more than a passion — it’s something she has been involved with her whole life.

“I’ve always been a singer,” Judy said. “I didn’t think of it as folk songs; I just thought of it as singing. We were both active in the folklore society of greater Washington, which is where our home was before we moved here. I started professionally touring folk music — I got paid $25 once. It turned into a hobby that paid for itself. In 1998 is when I did my first tour in England and my first tour in the United States, and until 2020 I was touring every year in both countries.”

Despite all of the incredible energy and experience pouring in from the community, WOBC finds itself at an interesting point in its history, especially in light of COVID-19. According to Ryals, the station is receiving significantly fewer applications to host shows than when he first joined.

“When I first started, we used to turn away 30 to 40 applications per semester,” he said. “We filled out a 24/7 schedule like nothing, but in the last four or five years we’ve had trouble filling up a 24/7 schedule. So I don’t know why the decline is [happening]. I don’t know if there’s a lack of interest in radio now or if everybody’s listening to Spotify or iTunes on their own personal devices.”

With streaming and podcasts to contend with, finding ways to engage students with radio journalism is a difficult task. However, Schaefer offers an insight into what makes radio so different from other forms of journalism.

“Believe me, it takes four times as long to produce a radio story as it does to produce a print story,” Schaefer said. “But at the same time, it takes you to a place; it requires imagination; it requires listening and hearing; and it gives you the actual sound of human voices. Something that print journalism just can’t duplicate. So, obviously, I love radio.”

For a full schedule of WOBC shows and to listen live over the internet, visit wobc.org

The Magic of the Oberlin Observatory

The Oberlin Observatory, erected in 1929, is open to the public after sunset on the first and third Fridays of the month during the academic year. Photo by Mads Olsen Photo Editor.

Maeve Woltring

Arts & Culture Editor

Anyone who has wandered under the high ceilings of Peters Hall can attest to the building’s Hogwarts-esque mystique that so many of us secretly idealized in our search for the perfect liberal arts college. This Gothic grandeur sits in historical context; completed in 1887, Peters, which is home to world language classrooms and offices for academic services, is the fourth-oldest building on campus. The charm of the building can be attributed to a unique resource, established at a much later date in 1929, when Peters gained its observatory. Culminating in a high dome and outfitted with a wide deck, the Observatory provides a space for astronomy students, the Oberlin Astronomy Club, and the public alike to gaze through a 14-inch aperture telescope into the planetary movements visible in our corner of the Ohio sky. Below the Observatory deck sits the Taylor Planetarium which projects the 1,000 brightest stars and the planets onto a dome 4 meters in diameter.

“I have two memories at the Observatory, and both are my favorite,” said College third-year Mo Singletary. “The first time, the sky was as clear as it had been in a minute, and we got up there and it felt like we could see all of Ohio. The second time I went was recently and it was a full moon, and I looked in the telescope and saw Saturn and Jupiter and learned about how they change locations in the sky — it was so cool.”

If, like Singletary, you’re hungry for supplemental knowledge, a trip to the Observatory may result in an encounter with Observatory & Planetarium Coordinator Dave Lengyel and his powerful laser pointer. Lengyel has been working at the Observatory since 2010, but his astronomical wisdom long predates this position. He taught AP Chemistry and Astronomy at Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst, OH, for 35 years before retiring from full-time teaching. Lengyel says that in his experience, astronomy is the type of subject that all kinds of learners approach with enthusiasm.

“In fact, I instituted the astronomy program,” Lengyel said. “We wanted to put in a new elective, and I said, ‘Hey, I’d love to do astronomy.’ And it became very popular. ... I do a very similar thing here as to what I did in high school, because the Introductory Astronomy class, [ASTR] 100, is on a little bit [of a] higher level, but it’s basically the same material. ... I didn’t wanna teach fulltime anymore, but this keeps me in the game. And plus I just really love working with Oberlin students. ... The really cool thing is that most of our students in the introductory courses — and those are the ones that I interact with the most — are not science people. They’re usually Conservatory majors; they might be Oboe majors, [and] we’ve had a lot of Creative Writing majors. In every other discipline there are some that are in science, but the class is taught in such a way that it is very easy to deal with a heterogeneous group in terms of their background. You don’t have to have a strong science background to do [ASTR] 100.”

Lengyel doesn’t give the secrets of the sky to just Oberlin students; he also hosts a number of special groups, including community groups, Cub Scouts, and local second graders. He employs a variety of tools to impart his celestial knowledge during his teaching sessions.

“The laser pointer is great,” he said. “We point out things and then we have about a dozen pairs of binoculars here. Sometimes what we’ll do is we’ll point out objects, like the Andromeda galaxy, and I’ll use the pointer and then everybody brings their binoculars to where we’re pointing and then they can see the object that way; it really works out well. Then we set up telescopes; we usually have three or four that we set up on the deck.”

College third-year Sam Frank is one of those students mentioned earlier — not a “science person,” but enthralled by space nonetheless. After a single encounter with the Observatory, Frank knew he wanted to work there. COVID-19 briefly delayed Frank’s ambitions, but this semester he shot Lengyel an email. Lengyel quickly invited Frank over to his office to discuss an open position at the Observatory. Frank is still not completely sure what this job will entail, other than manipulation of “the big telescope,” but he has a rapturous image of his future holding down the deck.

“I’m definitely wearing a long cloak,” Frank said. “That’s the main thing that comes to mind; maybe a cup of hot tea, binoculars on hand just in case. I love space. Space is cool, it’s inspiring, it’s beautiful. ... We learn about ourselves while we learn about space.”

Though any astrological conversation with Lengyel is an inspiring learning opportunity in itself, there are some notable opportunities to interact with astrological phenomena over Ohio coming up in the near — and slightly distant — future.

“One of the many cool things about astronomy is there’s always something different going on in the sky — different planets at different times of the year,” Lengyel said. “We have a lunar eclipse coming up on Nov. 19 at 4 in the morning, and right here in Oberlin, April 8, 2024, we have a total solar eclipse, which is a big deal.”

The Observatory is open to the public after sunset on the first and third Fridays of the month during the academic year. You can find additional information and events on the Oberlin Events Calendar, and on the Observatory Facebook page, which Lengyel regularly updates.