UC Davis houses the second largest record collection on the West Coast at KDVS, the local radio station on campus. This year KDVS, the independent radio station that broadcasts from the basement in lower Freeborn Hall on campus on channel 90.3 FM, plans to be better than ever.
The station is run by community members and students from UC Davis and even some from Sacramento State. It is a collaborative effort that continues to grow and evolve from all the people who join.
“We operate as an educational radio station, so our number one goal, at least on campus, is to educate people on how to be a part of the media,” said Neil Ruud, general manager of KDVS. “We really value independent media and community-oriented media that comes from the ground up rather than the top down.
KDVS has a few different types of events and projects that they produce. They have their regular radio shows which staff members put on and other long term shows.
“More than the shows that already exist and are really good, I actually most look forward to the new faces at KDVS and the new ideas and diversity that come with them. I like fall a lot for that reason because it’s a breath of fresh air and new input, new ideas,” Ruud said.
To start a new show, DJs must volunteer for a quarter to learn the ropes and become familiar with the equipment they use. Hosts are encouraged to use the extensive music collection to make their show as interesting and entertaining as possible.
One show that has been going on for decades is Live in Studio A. It is on from 11 p.m. to midnight on Thursdays. The show has been passed down for decades since the ’70s and ’80s.
Live in Studio A features a different band or artist every week and they get the hour to showcase their talent. Bands of all levels, genres and locations have been featured on the show.
“We get really interesting people in there, everything from punk to bluegrass, to jazz, classical and spoken word,” said Karen Carchidi, event coordinator for Live in Studio A. “I try and get everybody that I can in the show. People from all over the world have been on the show. I try and pick the out the ones that I think are going to be compelling and make for interesting shows.”
Each band that performs in Live in Studio A gets a copy of their show from the professional recording engineer who does the sound for the shows. Additionally, the shows are posted on YouTube.
KDVS also produces a quarterly magazine called KDVIATIONS. They publish artwork, articles about music, shows, art, theater, etc. Writers, photographers, and artists can submit work. A list of radio shows and live shows for the quarter are also shown in the magazine.
“We’re trying to do creative things with KDVIATIONS and get creative articles in it,” said Nick Nordlinger, publicity co-director of KDVS.
In addition to radio shows, KDVS also puts on live shows. Davis has always had a large music scene, however, it shifted to Sacramento in the late ’90s, early 2000s. Now it is coming back to Davis and KDVS is helping to bring it back.
“It’s an exciting time for music in Sacramento-Davis area; there are a lot of great bands coming around,” Nordlinger said. “The local music scene that KDVS fosters is something that’s always changing; it’s a really good system and a really good scene.
Another exciting project for KDVS is that their record label is really taking off and producing albums. They will be releasing an underground hip hop compilation of Sacramento artists.
“The general theme for this year would be to open it up to more students and getting more people interested in KDVS,” said Alex Surber, publicity co-director of KDVS. “Variety is the spice of radio – if we have someone who wants to play the kind of music that doesn’t really get represented, that’s always welcome. A lot more of the shows are probably listenable to the average person on campus. They are not quite as odd as they used to be.”
List of Upcoming radio shows:
Noise Loves Audio, Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m.; host: Anne Halo.
The Triplofonic Sounds of the Hacienda Sunrise, Tuesday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.; host: Lady Kay.
Mahou Shoujo, Wednesday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.: host Dr. Kelp.
Upcoming Live in Studio A shows:
Unwoman, Oct. 6: Unwoman (aka. Erica Mulkey) is a San Francisco based cellist-singer-composer-producer.
Rose Windows, Oct.13: A band from Seattle; it calls its genre post mortem swamp swimming psychedelic bearers of doom.
Force of Habit, Nov. 3: It is a rock/metal band from Dixon and are always ready to rock.
Saint John and the Revelations, Nov. 17: It is a folk rock/indie band from Venice, Calif.
PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
