Forget Fall Break. INSIDE Check out the In the Bubble 2 Life section to Opinion 6 start planning Sports 8 THETHE VOICEVOICE OFOF VANDERBILTVANDERBILT SINCESINCE 18881888 Life 10 for Spring Break. TH page 13 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2006 • 118 YEAR, NO. 66 Fun & Games 14 RADIO LOCAL Tower Records closes Nashville publications honor its doors after 18 years Company liquidates after filing Vanderbilt radio station for bankruptcy this August. By Ryan Farha Press, Tower noted these problems STAFF REPORTER in its bankruptcy fi ling, saying it had been hurt by an industry- Tower Records will close its wide decline in music sales, store on West End Avenue, as the downloading of online music and nationwide retail chain liquidates competition from big-box stores. after fi ling for bankruptcy in “Do you really want to buy August. your music from where you buy Great American Group your refrigerator?” Gilliam asked. purchased the company’s assets “It’s very sad and very depressing for $134.3 million in an auction that the record store experience on Oct. 6. Eighty-nine other for college-age people is going to Tower Records stores will close go away completely.” nationwide. Sophomore Courtney Tidwell Senior Greg Roberts said that said that she does not frequent he regularly shops at the West Tower Records although it is End location because of their convenient to campus. eclectic music selection as well as “It’s nice to have something their sales. right across the street to come “I’m still in the stone age,” to if you want to buy music, but he said. “I don’t have an iPod I just don’t really go there a lot,” or anything, so I buy CDs. It’s she said. disappointing to see music stores According to Stephen Haynie, going away.” the store’s product manager, Phil Gilliam, who has worked Vanderbilt students make up as the store’s visual merchandiser about a third of the store’s since 1989, said news of the business. company’s liquidation is Th e West End location opened heartbreaking. in 1988 with separate shops for JONATHAN DIETZ / The Vanderbilt Hustler Erin Bradford, the DJ for Parallelogram, an indie and 80s music show, and JT (right) from The Stretch, a show of “archived music you can groove or rap out to” and Matt McCarroll, last year’s “We’re devastated of course, books, music and videos. It has station manager, work to produce the station’s daily broadcasts Thursday afternoon. not just for us and for our jobs, expanded considerably since and but for the fact that this shopping faced little competition until fi ve The Rage nominates WRVU for ‘Best Radio Station in Nashville.’ experience won’t be here,” he said. years ago, Gilliam said. Gilliam said he believes “It was the place to go if you By Harish Krishnamoorthi fact that people come here and do a very range of the station. Tower’s West End location off ers wanted to fi nd stuff ,” Haynie said. STAFF REPORTER good job of promoting the music industry “I think it’s wonderful,” she said. “WRVU a unique environment. Johnny Cash, Keith Urban and in general.” is an excellent station and one that I listen “It’s not as stuff y as other Trisha Yearwood have all visited WRVU, Vanderbilt’s radio station, has “For the past few years, we’ve been the to regularly. I think the fact that WRVU places; it’s not real corporate,” the West End location, and been nominated for “Best Radio Station critics’ pick in Th e Rage, but in the reader- is mostly an educational radio station and he said. “I think it has a relaxing, “many of Nashville’s ‘greatest’ in Nashville” in Th e Rage’s 2006 Music submitted poll we got third, which is pretty plays music you wouldn’t normally hear in kind of browsing atmosphere that consider Tower West End their Awards. good because we’ve been off that poll for a a Nashville radio station is great.” a lot of places don’t have.” music store,” according to the Th e station also placed third in the long time,” he said. Although WRVU has traditionally Gilliam said that Tower and company’s Web site. popular vote in the “Rock/Pop Radio Not only did the station get on the lacked a signifi cant Vanderbilt audience, other retailers have struggled Tower West End is currently Station” category of Th e Scene’s Best of ballot for “Best Radio Station” but many the awards recognize their popularity in in the face of competition from holding a going-out-of- Nashville contest. individual DJs also managed to impress the larger Nashville community. large chains and digital music. business sale, set to last eight to ■ “It’s always an honor and a privilege the critics. “When I became GM, I was thinking According to the Associated 10 weeks. to win an award like this because we Kelly Taylor, Sam Patton and Courtney of having a Vanderbilt-only station, but know how infl uential Th e Scene is in the Wilder were the critics’ pick in the “Best the types of students that Vanderbilt has Nashville community,” said Roshay Reddy, Weekend Dance Party” category for Left aren’t very interested in what we play.” WRVU’s general manager. Can Dance, their weekly dance party, and McCarroll said. “I won’t be cramming “Our DJs are great. We have indie rock Randy Fox was voted “Best Country DJ some obscure indie rock into a college covered and punk and rock and rap covered. on a Non-Country Station.” student; it just wouldn’t work. Th ere’s just Th ey come in and do a great job and I can’t “Randy Fox is one of the best DJs not much promoting in the Vanderbilt ask for anything more than that.” around with superior knowledge of music community.” After being promoted to a 10,000- all around, and when you have people like “It’s really tough because WRVU, watt station covering a 30-mile broadcast that in the station it’s something special,” unlike other media, is a very Nashville radius in 1975, WRVU was reformatted in Reddy said. radio station,” Reddy said. “I’d love to get 1995 to cover many more genres of music, “Th e DJs respond to me and we have a more people on campus listening, but if including electronica, blues and jazz. very diverse programming schedule, and the Nashville community loves what we’re “We do our best to support local artists that’s great,” he said. doing then that’s great.” and venues,” said Matt McCarroll, last Senior M.R. Rowe, a DJ with a Sunday Rowe agreed saying, “I think that it’s year’s general manager. “I think they indie rock and electronica show, said that good to have a variety of listeners, both on ■ JONATHAN DIETZ / The Vanderbilt Hustler nominated us for the work ethic and the the awards refl ect the superior quality and Vanderbilt and off .” Tower Records, located on West End Avenue across from campus, is going out of business. McTyeire Hall celebrates 25th anniversary HOMECOMING New Ludacris album debuts in number one spot Ludacris, Common and Shareefa perform at Quake By Linda Vongkhamchanh a number one artist perform a mixed signal to students: it’s all STAFF REPORTER here. I can’t remember the last right to sing about disrespecting time that that has happened.” and degrading women, but don’t Ludacris’s new album “Release Students such as junior Jerry dare act on anything that this Th erapy” recently debuted at Schools and senior Mellie artist suggests,” she said in the the top of the Billboard 200, Russo said they were excited article. and “Moneymaker,” the fi rst about Ludacris’s concert. Common, who is hailed in the single off the album, is the No. “I’m a pretty big Ludacris hip-hop world for his powerful 2 song in the country and the fan,” Schools said. “I’m excited lyrics and social consciousness, No. 1 “hot rap track.” to see him on stage, especially will open the show for Ludacris. T h e since he’s from Atlanta, my After the release of his latest A t l a n t a - hometown.” album, “Be,” Common gained based rapper “It’s Ludacris!” Russo said. a mainstream following, adding will perform “It’s going to be cool. I think it’s to his underground success. tonight with going to be better than Busta “Common is a rapper from C o m m o n Rhymes.” Chicago that we actually booked and Shareefa However, not all students are fi rst because of his popularity ADAM SETREN / The Vanderbilt Hustler LUDACRIS Cecilia Grespan, senior Leah Lewis and 2006 alumna Julissa Portillo attended a McTyeire Mixer commemorating the 25th anniversary of at the sixth in favor of Ludacris’ invitation among students,” Hodges said. Vanderbilt’s language living-learning dorm. Faculty, alumni and current residents attended a dinner featuring international food and skits. annual Commodore Quake in to perform at Vanderbilt. “He addresses diff erent social Memorial Gym. “When I found out that rap issues in his music.” STUDENT LIFE Doors will open at 7 p.m. artist Ludacris would be Young Def Jam artist for the concert, and the show performing, it seemed that a Shareefa, who is signed to Vibe dance team refl ects diversity of Vanderbilt begins at 8 p.m. Tickets, on huge discrepancy had arisen Ludacris record label, adds a Hip-hop group will perform at Commodore Quake.