Tellingly billed as “The Underground Sound of Emerson College,” WECB’s online stream doesn’t have the range of WERS. However, what the station lacks in radio signals, it more than makes up in variety. This semester’s slate of shows boasts an impressive range of programs within the realm of indie rock and pop, making it the place to hear that one band you swear you knew before everyone else on campus—a sentiment at Emerson are drawn to.
The Futurist Sound Manifesto- Sundays 8-10 PM
This show, hosted by Emerson juniors Luca Piacentini, Colin Faherty, Tania Rios, and Adam Kaplan, looks to bring some experimental sounds to its Sunday night block. The show essentially revolves around several different genres of what can loosely be described as experimental rock including noise rock, avant-garde compositions, and even early electronic music experimentation. The show brings together these seemingly divergent tunes through a specific underlying aesthetic.
“For a long time now in music there’s been a notion of striving for a quote-unquote ‘future sound’ that sort of breaks modern musical conventions,” said Kaplan. “That’s kind of like our tagline, and we try to pick artists that fit into that notion of striving for that sound.”
The foursome previously collaborated on a WECB show called “Mind Detergent” in the fall of 2012. That show, while encompassing some of the sounds they play on “The Futurist Sound Manifesto,” had more of a focus on dream-pop and shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus and Mary Chain as opposed to the broader experimental tag they’re sticking to this time around.
Shade- Tuesdays 8-10 PM
“Shade,” hosted by sophomores Dondré Taylor-Stewart and Jeff McHale, deals in all things chill. The show uses chillwave artists like Washed Out as an entry point toward a whole host of different genres. So long as it gives off good vibes, they will play it. The intention behind Shade is to showcase how many different kinds of music can fall under the “chill” umbrella, regardless of its chosen classification. The catch behind the show, however, lies in the name.
“The reason we called the show ‘Shade’ is, each week, the show gets based off the genre we’re highlighting,” said Taylor-Stewart. “So, each show gets a different color or shade, and at the beginning of the show we announce what the shade is going to be for the week.” Take, for instance, the first week of programming. Taylor-Stewart and McHale dubbed it “Blue Fluidity” and proceeded to play music indicative of the ocean.
In line with the chosen aesthetic of the show, Taylor-Stewart and McHale encourage listeners to tune in however they please, whether they use it as background music amongst friends or as the playlist to the night’s round of homework.
That ’90s Show- Sundays 12-2 PM
Hosted by Emerson juniors Louis Roe and Jenny Hannigan, “That ’90s Show,” unsurprisingly, has a sharp focus on ’90s culture and music. Without sticking to any specific genres, Roe and Hannigan play a collaborative selection of the best music the revered 1990s had to offer, from Pearl Jam to Cat Power and back again. The show isn’t all grunge and alternative rock, though. The two also try to break down exactly what makes the ’90s such a nostalgic era.
“We pick a different ’90s thing to discuss each week, usually something cultural,” said Hannigan. “Last week, we talked about Play-Doh for like 15 minutes, you know, the history of it. We usually just try to pick one aspect of ’90s nostalgia to discuss.”
This is the third go-around for “That ’90s Show,” as Hannigan put the show together back in the fall of 2011, and then was joined by Roe for another round in Spring 2012, largely under the same format.