Major and year?
RTF/Journalism, Senior
Which song, album, or artist initiated your love of music?
I guess it’s kind of cringy to say now, but it was probably Grimes! I listened to Art Angels for the first time when I was 15 and it blew my little mind. I remember I read that Claire Boucher recorded and produced that entire album herself and was really inspired to pick up my own MIDI keyboard that my parents bought me and start making stuff in Ableton. The whole process of trying to write and record my own songs gave me so much more appreciation for the music I listened to and just gave me a different perspective on what I liked. My brother also had (and still has) a really eclectic taste in music, so he introduced me to some interesting artists that I may not have listened to on my own at that time in my life. My whole family actually has pretty diverse tastes in music which I think is always a great way to expand the range of what you listen to!
How did you first hear about or get involved with KVRX?
When I was looking through the list of students orgs as a freshman I was definitely drawn to KVRX because of my interest in music/live productions. I’d always heard about how college radio shaped the careers of so many bands, but I imagined it being kind of a dead art form, so to realize that I could still get involved in that kind of thing was really exciting. The production aspect of putting on shows with bands appealed to me most, so I jumped onto the crew sheet for Local Live (our weekly show at KVRX, where we bring local bands to play in our studio every Sunday night to perform and be broadcast over the radio) and found a lot of friends and also discovered my interest in audio engineering!
What is your first KVRX memory?
My first KVRX memory was Local Live! I remember how friendly everyone was when I first arrived and how quickly I felt at home with the whole crew (a lot of whom I’m still friends with today.) I knew absolutely nothing about anything on my first day and now I’m running the show, which feels really crazy. Being production manager feels like such a time-honored tradition and I’m really cherishing it while it lasts, until we pass it on to the next generation of KVRX members!
Which shows have you had on KVRX?
The X-Pfeils — Spring 2019 - Fall 2019 (freeform) Audio Historia — Spring 2020 (Specialty - Covered a different genre of music and a few fun facts about its history every week)
Which KVRX staff positions have you held?
Booking Director — Spring 2020 Audio Director — Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 Production Manager — Spring 2021 to present
How has KVRX affected your interaction with music?
Obviously, I’ve been exposed to a lot of new music since joining KVRX. Like I said earlier, knowing about the production aspect of music makes you appreciate it more, but I think also knowing about the industry gives you a greater appreciation of - and more of a determination to support - smaller/local bands who might be struggling. KVRX staff members gain an insight into the challenges smaller bands face, and I think that’s part of why we naturally tend to focus on them/listen to them more. I guess KVRX has made me engage with the community aspect of music more – I think a city’s culture and its local music scene are pretty intertwined, which I hadn’t really considered before joining KVRX. Culture, to me, just seems like a shared knowledge about your local area – so having a conversation with someone and recognizing, like, at least 50% of the bands they’re talking about makes me feel like I’m more aware of/part of the surrounding culture, which, to me, is rewarding.
What's up outside of KVRX?
I’m currently working on a podcast about skateboarding/women in the skating world with some classmates from my journalism program! We’ve been going to skate parks and skate shops around Austin (including No Comply, which is a really nice skate shop next to House Park, just off Lamar). It should be released pretty soon so I’m looking forward to that! Apart from that, I’m just trying to plan for what I want to do after graduation. KVRX has given me a really solid base to build on, so whether I continue audio engineering or go into some other area of the music industry, I’m glad I can actually get to use all the experience I’ve gained these past four years in future projects. I’m also trying to suppress the existential dread of graduating but that’s another story!
What is your favorite part of KVRX?
The friends I’ve made here and all the people I’ve gotten to meet. There are a lot of different personalities in KVRX and I love being in an environment where I come across a lot of people with wildly different interests and hobbies. There are definitely some common traits that KVRX members tend to share, but in general I’d say it’s a pretty welcoming and diverse group.
What advice would you give to new DJ's?
Try to get as involved as you can! I didn’t go to as many social events during my freshman year as I should have and I do regret it a little now. Again, people in KVRX are generally pretty welcoming so don’t be scared to talk to new people.