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This e ditio n of Wireless co mes at a very dy na mic poi nt i n U92’s history. Face d wit h t he ever c ha n gi n g l a n ds c a p e of c oll e g e r a di o, o n e t hi n g h as r e m ai n e d str o n g; o ur l o v e f or art, s p e ci fi c all y m usi c. It is t h at a doratio n t hat has drive n us to s pe n d hours of hard work to bri n g you a dee per look at t he worl d of music we live in. Whether it be in the words you rea d here or the progra m ming you hear on the air waves, our goal is to put a s potlight on u p-an d-co ming artists, co m munity ne ws an d collegiate s p orts. I a m c o nti n u all y i m pr ess e d b y t h e l e v el of p assi o n t h at all of o ur st a ff h as f or t h es e t hi n gs, a n d it’s t h at s a m e p assi o n t h at bri n gs y o u t his e diti o n of Wir el ess. I n a d diti o n I’ d li k e t o s p e ci fi c all y t h a n k s o m e of the peo ple who made this possi ble: Our ne w Broadcast Advisor Alex Wieders piel, who’s given me so m uc h g o o d a dvice t he ma ny ti mes I’ve aske d for it. Krass, w h o hel pe d or ga nize a lar ge part of t he zi ne and in general had the most enthusias m and passion for it. Sarah Da wn Cooper, who edited the previ - o us e diti o n of Wir el ess t h at I dr e w a l ar g e p orti o n of m y i ns pir ati o n fr o m. A n d fi n all y, D arl e n e J o h ns o n aka G o d E m press of t he U92-verse, for bei n g suc h a keysto ne to t he statio n. A bove all else ho wever, t his Zine wouldn’t be possi ble for our ever-enthusiastic listening co m munity. Fro m those who leave 91.7 F M per ma ne ntly tu ne d i n o n t heir ra dios to t hose t hat call i n re quests every week, eac h a n d every o ne plays a h u g e r ol e i n w h at w e d o. I n a n er a w h er e b ei n g a n artist is es p e ci all y di ffi c ult, y o ur i nt er est i n t h e m usi c we s hare ca n not be u n derstate d. It’s i m porta nt to u n dersta n d t hat we all play a role i n s u p porti n g s mall - er, local, or more esoteric acts. That s u p port ca n co me i n t he for m of atte n di n g s ho ws or b uyi n g recor ds of c o urse, b ut it als o c o mes t hro u g h t he liste ni n g a n d s hari n g of lesser hear d voices. As l o n g as t h ose li k e y o urs elf ar e ar o u n d t o list e n, w e will c o nti n u e t o pr o vi d e a pl atf or m f or t h es e artists. O n b e h alf of all t he sta ff here at U92, we ho pe you e njoy pa gi n g t hrou g h t his e ditio n of Wireless, a n d as al ways: kee p it locked at U92 F M.

Sincerely, WirelessEditor, Victor JPerez III

Mai n C o ntri b ut ors: Joseph Bella my, Haleigh Casto, Krass Krash, Jade Montesano, Ash Randt, Vi ct or P er e z, M a x w ell S h a v er s, J a k e Stil e s Art & Photography: Krass Krash ( DI Y Poster, Prayers For Dead Fish, The Brouhaha Intervie ws), P a yt o n Ott er m a n Editing, Layout & Graphic Design: Vi ct or P er e z, M a x w ell S h a v er s ( S p ort s St aff Li st), Kr a s s Krash ( The Brouhaha Intervie ws)

THE VIE WS AND OPINI ONS EXPRESSED IN WIRELESS ARE TH OSE OF THE WRITERS, INTERVIE WERS AND INTERVIE WEES. THEY D O N OT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OFFI - CIAL P OLICY OR OPINI ONS OF W WVU-F M OR ITS STAFF, OR WEST VIR GINIA UNIVERSI - TY, ITS STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, OR AD MINISTRATI ON, N OR SH OULD THEY BE C ON - STRUCTED T O D O S O. ANY AND ALL C ONTENT IS N OT INTENDED T O MALI GN ANY RELI - GI ON, ETHNIC GR OUP, CLUB, OR GANIZATI ON, C O MPANY, INDIVIDUAL OR ANY ONE OR A N Y T HI N G. TRACK REVIEW: PAPER PLANES BY M.I.A BY JOSEPH BELLAMY Pa per Planes is han ds do wn one of the best po p son gs of the 2000s in a deca de fille d with great po p son gs. It's to u g h to k n o w w here to start wit h t his bite-size d be he m ot h of a s o n g s o t his revie w will lar gely be i n parts.

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For a Bill board Clear- Channel a p prove d song peaking at nu m ber 4, Pa per Planes is sur prisingly detaile d musical- ly. The confi dent, si m ple guitar sta bs an d psyche delic backline synths intro ducin g the son g serve as an excellent b as e f or t h e s o n g fr o m b e gi n ni n g t o e n d. T h e n, a r o ari n g g uit ar li n e, c o urt es y of T h e Cl as h's " Str ai g ht t o H ell" co mes in with support fro m si mple dru ms and finger-snap percussion. This the mo ment where the song, musi- c all y, el e v at es t o s o m et hi n g els e e ntir el y. W hil e T h e Cl as h's " Str ai g ht t o H ell" is a f airl y st a n d ar d a n d n o n-i m pr es- sive ne w wave song, M.I. A. uses the sa m ple fro m the intro song to create an at mos phere akin to a My Bloody Valentine or Slo wdive son g, so methin g really not done before or even after in hi p-ho p, disre gardin g the atte mpts of underground/niche artists such as Dälek and Shabazz Palaces. But even they didn't manage to transition the instru mentation and mood shoegaze possesses into such a succinct and fun pop song.

A n d t hat's n ot eve n getti n g t o t he ic o nic c h or us. T he c hil dre n's c h oir a n d gritty s o u n d e ffects c o ul d've easily b e e n a j arri n g gi m mi c k. B ut aft er j ust a f e w c ar ef ul list e ns, it f e els li k e a n i n e vit a bl e a n d i nt e gr al p art of t h e s o n g. J ust t hi n k if i nst e a d, t h e l yri cs w er e " All I w a n n a d o is s h o ot y o u d o w n a n d t a k e y o ur m o n e y. It w o ul d b e f ar l ess c at c h y a n d f u n. Pl us, t h e s o u n d e ff e cts ar e n ot o nl y f or f u n b ut als o t o pl a nt i m a g es a n d i d e as i n y o ur mi n d. At t his p oi nt, e v er y r a p p er o n t h e r a di o is t al ki n g a b o ut h o w t h e y'll kill y o u. T h e y t al k a b o ut t h es e s u bj e cts wit h t h e i nte nt of a har d i ma ge. B ut rarely, i n t he ra p per's te di o us p ost uri n g, d o we get a ny act ual s h o wcases of t his da n gero us lifestyle. B ut o n Pa per Pla nes, t hey s h o w a n d d o n't tell.

B ut w e still h a v e t o g et t o M.I. A.'s v o c als a n d t h e y d o n't dis a p p oi nt. I n t his s o n g, s h e si n g-r a ps pl e as a nt, y et o ff- kil- ter vocal melo dies. The ca de nce is a sort of i m perfect c har m not ofte n see n i n po p music a n d a perfect fit for t he irre g ular i nstr u me ntal 2

Pro ba bly t he m ost dece ptive part of t his s o n g is t he lyrics. Take n for gra nte d a n d o ut- of-co ntext, Pa per Pla nes lyrics ca n strike as avera ge or s hall o w. H o wever, f urt her a nalysis will reveal q uite t he o p p osite, as Pa per Pla nes is a satirical political co m me ntary, tackli n g to pics suc h as racis m, xe no p ho bia, me dia portrayal, socio-eco no mic pr ej u di c e, a n d a nti- gl o b aliz ati o n.

It's i m p ort a nt t o u n d erst a n d t h at M.I. A. is pl a yi n g a c h ar a ct er h er e, n ot h ers elf. M or e s p e ci fi c all y, s h e is pl a yi n g a fictional character that fulfills the co m mon preju dices that a conservative me dia outlet such as Fox Ne ws or Breit bart has on i m mi grants. Even no w, the me dia ten ds to generalize i m mi grants as nihilistic he donists. Murder- ers, ra pists, me naces. To t hese o utlets, i m mi gra nt's m ott o is e ffectively t he c h or us. " All I wa n na d o is * ba n g* * bang* * bang* an d *ka-chink* I take your money". An d that's exactly what this song highlights. A thug doing terri ble t hi n gs for n o reas o na ble p ur p ose ot her t ha n t he t hrill of t he ri de. H o wever, w hat t his s o n g als o hi g hli g hts is the lu dicrous nature that such a min dset exists en masse, an d the fear- mongering of conservative me dia o utl ets, cr e ati n g a w ar d e v oi d of r e as o n or di al o g u e. T h e pr o of of t h e pr e vi o us is a bit tri c k y t o u n a ni m o usl y prove, h o wever, t here are t wo s o urces t hat s u p p ort my p oi nt. T he first is t he lyrical s o urce material of t he sa m ple, "Strai g ht t o Hell." Like i n " Pa per Pla nes", J oe Str u m mer als o plays a c haracter. That character being a native- born A merican with a staunch anti-i m migrant posi- tion. With lyrics such as " Hey chico we got a messa ge for ya / Va mos Va mos muchacho / Fro m Al pha bet City all the way A to Z / Dea d dea d," an d "There ai n't n o n e e d f or y a / T h er e ai n't n o n e e d f or y a / G o str ai g ht t o h ell b o y / G o str ai g ht t o h ell b o y," [ 1] t h e h ostil e n at ur e of t h e c h ar a ct er is ma de a bun dantly clear. Pa per Planes can e ffectively be seen as what this afore mentioned character envisions i m mi- gr a nts as. H o w e v er, t his c o n cl usi o n si m pl y is n't l o gi c al, considering increasing i m migration rates and decreas- i n g cri m es r at es [ 2][ 3].

And this is what my second exa mple high- li g hts, t h e m usi c vi d e o of " P a p er Pl a n es." K e e pi n g i n mi n d t h e vi ol e nt a n d h ostil e n at ur e of t h e l yri cs, t h e vi d e o is a p arti c ul ar o d dity. Des pite t he s o n g talki n g a b o ut shooting you and taking your money, t h er e's n o vi ol e n c e or t h eft i n t his vi d e o. T h e cl os est t hi n g M.I. A. g ets t o h ostilit y i n t er ms of a cti o n is t o f or m a fi n g er g u n. S h e h as a l e giti- m at e j o b a n d is g e n er all y s e e n h a vi n g f u n wit hi n l e g al m e a ns. M.I. A. is n ot at all a d v ers e t o h e a v y vi ole nce, as her "B or n Free" vi de o wo ul d later prove [ 4]. B ut t h e vi d e o is str a n g el y b arr e n of a n yt hi n g h ostil e. N or m all y, wit h l yri cs s u c h as t h es e, o n e w o ul d tr y t o m at c h t h e m o o d of t h e l yri cs wit h t h e vi d e o. Yet, t h e l yri cs a n d vi d e o of " P a p er Pl a n es" c o ntr a di ct e a c h ot h er h e a vil y. T his is m u c h li k e t h e contradiction bet ween xenophobic media portrayal a n d a ct u al r e alit y.

W hil e s o m e r e a di n g m a y h a v e t h e vi e w t h at I' m o v er a n al yzi n g, t his is n't si m pl y c o mi n g fr o m n o w h er e. M.I. A. h as al w a ys b e e n p oliti c all y o uts p o k e n a n d h as ex presse d her vie ws bot h i n her music a n d her i nter- vie ws. To say t hat " Pa per Pla nes" is si m ply a ga n gster's anthe m would be odd of her, stranger than any of my theories on the song 3

O v er all, if t his s o n g is n ot t h e b est s o n g of t h e 2 0 0 0s, it is certai nly i n t he t o p 5. T hr o u g h t he s o n g's tr uly u ni q ue i nstr u me ntati o n, c har mi n g vocals, a n d clever p olitics, "Pa per Pla nes" is a 3- mi n ute aca de mic t hesis t hat is at t he sa me ti me, an accessi ble and do wn-to-earth joy.

[1]: htt p:// w w w.azlyrics.co m/lyrics/clas h/strai g htto hell. ht ml [2]: http:// w w w. migrationpolicy.org/progra ms/data-hub/us-i m migration-trends [3]: http:// w w w.nationalrevie w.co m/corner/427758/careful-panic-vi- olent-cri me-and-gun-cri me-are-both-dropping-charles-c- w-cooke [4]: htt ps://youtu. be/Ie Mv Ulx Xyz8 NEWS STAFF BIOS Every weekday our dedicated ne ws staff brings you breaking ne ws live on air. Here’s a cl oser l o ok at t he ne wscasters t hat have w orke d fr o m t he fall of 2018 t o t he S pri n g of 2019.

@t h e s h yl a d e n e @ al _ t h e _ o n e @ s h y y yl a a @ al b er n ar di 8 _ a n d _ o nl y or

Shyla Parsons Al Bernardi Broadcast Journalism Broadcast Journalism Where you spend most of your ti me?: Where you spend most of your ti me?: R o wi n g o n t h e ri v er, or i n m y b e d Gary’s Co mics Drea m Feedback guest: Drea m Feedback guest: Lynsey Addario C h u c k Di x o n, M ar v W olf m a n, D a n Di di o, Worst intervie w you have ever had to or C. B. C e b ul s ki d o ?: What brought you here?: T h e o n e s t h at c a n c el l a st mi n ut e a n d r ui n I li k e r a di o a n d I w a nt t o p ur s u e it pr of e s- m y w h ol e s c h e d ul e si o n all y If y o u c o ul d li v e i n a n y y e ar, w h at If y o u c o ul d li v e i n a n y y e ar, w h at w o ul d it b e ?: w o ul d it b e ?: T h e pr e s e nt, I li k e t e c h n ol o g y i n t o d a y’ s 1984 w orl d t o o m u c h You get one weapon to survive. What You get one weapon to survive. What and Why?: and Why?: I nfi nit y G a u ntl et I g u e s s. I li k e c o m pl et el y The po wer to read everyone’s minds overpo wered weapons

@t h e h ail st or m @ h al e yt si m o n _

Haley Taylor Simon Journalism ** N ot e t h at a n y f a ct s or o pi n- Where you spend most of your ti me?: i o n s i n t h e s e bi o s w er e writt e n P hill y b y t h e st aff m e m b er s t h e m- Drea m Feedback guest: M e e k Mill s el v e s a n d e dit e d t o b e f a mil y What brought you here?: fri e n dl y b y t h e e dit or. T h er e ar e M y p a s si o n f or r a di o al s o m or e w o n d erf ul p e o pl e n ot If y o u c o ul d li v e i n a n y y e ar, w h at o n t hi s li st t h at eit h er c h o s e n ot w o ul d it b e ?: t o b e i n cl u d e d or di d n’t s u b mit 2 0 0 0 f or e v a I C O NI C. Naomi infor mation** W h at d o y o u u s u all y pl u g at t h e e n d of Haleigh’s Cat a c a st ?: My na me You get one weapon to survive. What and Why?: Kno wing what everyone’s fears are @ Gilli a n @ n ot h al c a st o _ M ari e Pr of e s si o n al @ Gilllli a n _ _ : @ h al c ast o @ h al c a st o

Haleigh Gillian Brooks Journalism & English Broadcast Journalism Where you spend most of your ti me?: Where you spend most of your ti me?: H er e at t h e st ati o n or m y h all D o w nt o w n Pitt s b ur g h Drea m Feedback guest: Drea m Feedback guest: For mer President Barack Oba ma W alt Di s n e y What brought you here?: What brought you here?: Eri c Mi n or Eri c Mi n or r e c o m m e n d e d j oi ni n g t h e st aff Worst intervie w you have ever had to for experience! d o ?: Worst intervie w you have ever had to Mouth Noise Frat Boy d o ?: Do we actually have staff meetings?: T h e p e o pl e w h o s a y t h e y’r e i nt er e st e d W h at ar e st aff m e eti n g s ? t h e n st o p r e s p o n di n g. T h e. W or st. You get one weapon to survive. What If y o u c o ul d li v e i n a n y y e ar, w h at and Why?: w o ul d it b e ?: M y c at N a o mi. S h e c o ul d wr e c k s o m e I’ m a bi g s u c k er f or 8 0 s m u si c, s o a n y att a c k er s if n e e d b e. y e ar fr o m t h e 8 0 s!

w w w. cl air e o. bl o g @ d ai v a _ d a ul y s @ _ cl air e @ s c u b a d ai v a _ ell a

Claire O’Neil Daiva Daulys Broadcast Journalism Forensics now, Where you spend most of your ti me?: hopefully Nursing later The movies or my ho meto wn; Ca meron, Where you spend most of your ti me?: W V D o w nt o w n Pitt s b ur g h Drea m Feedback guest: Drea m Feedback guest: Beto O’ Rourke or Greta Ger wig D’ y o u t hi n k I c o ul d g et G o d t o m a k e a What brought you here?: guest appearance? Eri c Mi n or r e c o m m e n d e d it! What brought you here?: If y o u c o ul d li v e i n a n y y e ar, w h at F at e. w o ul d it b e ?: If y o u c o ul d li v e i n a n y y e ar, w h at 1969 w o ul d it b e ?: You get one weapon to survive. What I’ d l o v e t o li v e i n t h e R o ari n g T w e nti e s! and Why?: You get one weapon to survive. What A b o w a n d arr o w j u st b e c a u s e I u s e d t o and Why?: b e a p art of a n ar c h er y cl u b. ( T h e o nl y The Sonic Scre wdriver. Works on practi- w e a p o n I t e c h ni c all y k n o w h o w t o u s e) c all y e v er yt hi n g. E x c e pt w o o d.

REALR E A L EMO E M OORE BY ASH RANDT EXPLORING MICROGENRES: DIGITAL HARDCORE BY VICTOR PEREZ It ca n be ar g ue d t hat we are c urre ntly livi n g i n t he era m ost accessi ble for electro nic m usic. A nyo ne wit h access t o a c o m p ut er h as a n i n cr e di bl y wi d e s el e cti o n of fr e e a n d p ai d di git al a u di o w or kst ati o ns, al o n gsi d e a pl et h or a of ot her music pro ductio n tools. Wit h t his has co me a n ex plosion of hard-to-cate gorize music that transcen ds tr a diti o n al g e nr es.

Wit h all t h at b ei n g s ai d, It’s n ot e n o u g h t o j ust s a y a n artist pro duces “electronic” music. Even su b genres like techno an d jungle have loose definitions that are often su bverted by mas- t ers of t h e cr aft. N o n et h el ess, m usi c f a ns a n d p u n dits i nsist o n creati n g very s pecific cate g orizati o ns, a n d electro nic m usic is ofte n broke n d o w n i nto w hat is esse ntially micro ge nres. I n t his s c e n ari o w e’ll b e l o o ki n g s p e ci fi c all y at Di git al H ar d c or e.

The ter m di gital hardcore was coi ne d i n t he 1992 b y Al e c E m pir e of At ari Te e n a g e Ri ot, t h e pi o- n e er of t h e g e nr e. H e w e nt o n t o f or m t h e la bel Di gital Har dcore Recor ds, w hic h s pecial- ize d i n artists of t he ge nre. U nf ort u nately t he sce ne rea mai ns s mall, muc h like ot her elec- tronic microgenres such as witch house or vapor wave.

S o w hat exactly is Di gital Har dc ore? For t he m ost p art, it c a n b e c o nsi d er e d a f usi o n of m a n y di ffere nt ge nres: tec h no, noise, dr u m a n d bass, break beat a n d har dcore pu nk. The e n d result is m usi c t h at is es p e ci all y f ast, a br asi v e a n d a n gr y. O c c asi o n all y it will m a k e us e of “tr a diti o n al” p u n k i nstr u me nts s uc h as electric g uitars , al o n gsi de synthesizers and dru m machines. L yri c all y, t h er e is n’t as cl e ar of a t h e m e i n t h e g e nr e. Fr o m a hist ori c al p oi nt of vi e w, b a n ds s u c h as Al e c E m pir e us e d m a n y l eft- wi n g or a n ar c hist i d e als i n t h eir l yri cs. W hil e o c c asi o n all y t h es e will c o m e u p i n ot h er artist’s m usi c, it’s c ert ai nl y a l ess pr o mi n e nt f e at ur e of t h e g e nr e. D es pit e losi n g t he t he me t he ge nre use d to have, t he vocals are still ty pically screa me d a n d s houte d, with a po werful manic energy un matched in other electronic genres.

Even thou gh I have a fairly hi gh interest in electronic music, the genre mana ge d to fly un der my ra dar. T hat is, u ntil t he ba n d Mac hi ne Girl br o u g ht t his style t o my atte nti o n wit h t heir release ... Because I' m Young Arrogant and Hate Everything You Stand For (t heir 2018 release T h e U gl y Art als o m a d e o ur t o p 9 2 list). Si n c e t h e m, I’ v e c o m e t o fi n d t h at f e w artists pr o d u c e t h e very s pecific style t hat was p o p ularize d by Di gital Har dcore Recor ds t hese days. It lives o n t hr o u g h its i n fl u e n c e a b o v e all els e.

Digital Hardcore Sampler D o n’t k n o w w here t o start wit h di gital har dc ore? Liste n t o t his pl a ylist fill e d wit h st a pl e cr e at ors of t h e g e nr e, as w ell as artists h e a vil y i n fl u e n c e d b y it.

At ari T e e n a g e Ri ot // I nt o t h e D e at h Al e c E m pir e // T e ar It O ut M a c hi n e Girl // T hi s I s Y o ur F a c e o n D o g s C o a kir a // M y S o ci o p at h Girlfri e n d Fi v e St ar H ot el // P ar all el D e s ert s 犬 殺 -I N U K O R O- // M U D A _ M U- D A M _ D A M P ert ur b at or // T ai nt e d E m pir e D e at h S p ell s // c h o k e o n o n e a n ot h er G o st // G arr ut h D e at h Gri p s // T ur n e d Off D eli Girl s // R e al S c u m Hi d e s Al e c E m pir e, M er z b o w // T h e D e str o y er a n d M er z b o w C hri st o p h D e B a b al o n // W at er S o ni c S u bj u n ki e s // N e v er Tr u st A Pr ett y F a c e

ON SOPHIE, AVANT-CLUB & QUEERNESS BY JADE MONTESANO Co mbining abrasive, experi mental club sounds with the gla mor and gloss of pop music, the Scottis h- bor n, L A- base d musicia n S o p hie (stylize d as S OP HIE) is o ne of t he first tra ns ge n der artists to break t hro u g h t he barriers of t he p o p i n d ustry. Havi n g ca u g ht t he atte nti o n of maj or artists such as La dy Gaga, Ma donna, Charli XC X, an d Vince Sta ples, So phie has ma de a na me for h ers elf fr o m t h e i nsi d e. Pri or t o t h e r el e as e of h er Gr a m m y n o mi n at e d d e b ut al b u m “ Oil of E v er y Pearl’s U n-I nsi des” i n 2018, S o p hie pri marily pro d uce d for ot her artists w hile maki n g s maller e x p eri m e nt al p o p si n gl es o n t h e si d e. Ta ki n g a s o ni c al l eft t ur n, h er d e b ut di v e d d e e p i nt o a niche & ex peri mental su bgenre of electronic music.

S o p hie is o ne of a gro wi n g n u m ber of artists creati n g “ava nt-cl u b” (aka deco nstr ucte d cl u b). T his ‘s u b- ge nre of a s u b- ge nre’ is j ust as gritty a n d excl usive as it may see m; m usic t hat d oes n’t q uite fit i n a tra diti o nal cl u b setti n g, b ut j ust perfect f or t he u n der gr o u n d sce ne. I w o ul d c haracterize it as glit c h y, i n d ustri al, hi g h i m p a ct, e d g y cl u b m usi c. T o c o ntr ast wit h E D M, it is far more ex peri mental and has a m uc h m ore dysto pia n to ne to it. As I h a v e f o u n d i n m y w or k of s e ar c hi n g f or n e w m usi c, t his s u b- g e nr e is als o o v er w h el mi n gl y q u e er. M a n y of t h e t o p avant-clu b perfor mers are q ueer a n d, partic ular- ly, tra ns ge n der or n o n- bi n ar y.

S o p hi e is j ust o n e of ma ny q ueer artists maki n g t his s p e ci fi c t y p e of m usi c, though she is the most popu- lar a n d t he first t o reac h t he mainstrea m. Because of her person- alit y a n d p o p ul arit y, S o p hi e might soon beco me one of t h e m ost w ell k n o w n trans gen der fi gures. Tra ns visi bility is i m p orta nt beca use very fe w tra ns ge n der artists, m usicia ns a n d actors are give n ti me i n t he s potli g ht, des pite t heir tale nts. At t he e n d of 2018, GL A A D re porte d t hat t he nu m ber of tra ns ge n der c haracters o n T V ha d i ncrease d by 9 fro m t he previ o us year, to a total of 26. W hile t his n u m b er is i n e vit a bl y s m all er t h a n t h e t ot al n u m b er of tr a ns m usi ci a ns, it s h o ws h o w f e w trans re presentations most A mericans are ex posed to.

M usi c is a n e x c ell e nt w a y t o i n cr e as e visi bilit y, as a m e di a t h at ess e nti all y all o ws f or f ull fr e e d o m of directi o n as well as a certai n de gree of privacy. M usicia ns ge nerally have t he c h oice to s h o w only what they choose of their personal lives. So phie’s so phisticate d soun d desi gn an d pro duc- tio n skills have bro u g ht her notoriety fro m t he u p per ec helo n of po p stars. This is a n u p war d trend that sho ws no signs of slo wing do wn. As more transgender artists make waves in music, others will be ins pire d by the m an d do the sa me. Fro m the pers pective of the su bgenre of deconstructed clu b, So phie is pushing a niche genre into the mainstrea m and broadening listen- ers’ h oriz o ns.

1.1. PonyboyPonyboy SOPHIESOPHIE 2.2. DistributionDistribution ofof CareCare LoticLotic 3.3. SelfSelf DefenseDefense 7.7. OpenOpen MyMy EyesEyes ArcaArca RavennaRavenna Golden,Golden, DorianDorian ElectraElectra 4.4. DramaDrama 8.8. FaceshoppingFaceshopping Angel-HoAngel-Ho SOPHIESOPHIE 5.5. MSRYMSRY 9.9. FrontFront LoadLoad ShygirlShygirl ArcaArca 6.6. I’llI’ll NeverNever BB 10.10. BulletproofBulletproof SegaSega BodegaBodega LoticLotic 11.11. FlipFlip UU CoucouCoucou Chloe,Chloe, SegaSega BodegaBodega 12.12. BulletBullet ChainedChained ArcaArca

Never Meant E m o of all ki n d s, ol d a n d n e w. How did you all meet?: Me [Chris] THE BROUHAHA and Rob come from Fairmont, and we’ve been playing music together for a INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS while. A year ago we all just found Written by Jake Stiles each other in Morgantown and it slowly Photography by Krass Krash came together, jamming more and more, so we decided to become a band. It NaturalNatural RatRat turns out, after bullshitting around that Rob and I [Max] have the same dad, and after that it was kinda like destiny.

TonyTony FromFrom BowlingBowling

April 12th, 2019 was the final show at the Brockway Brouhaha, a his- toric venue located in the cat infest - ed neighborhood of South Park, the BroBro heart of the Morgantown counter-cul - brobro / @brobrowv ture. With a legendary lineup, and some perfect early spring weather, the Is there a story behind the denizens of Morgantown’s underground name?: When I [Elliott] started the congregated on Brockway Ave. band, it was sort-of like a break-off Tony from bowling of an older band.The guitarist left @tonyfrombowling and it was just me and my brother, so we thought we’d just do drum and bass Is there a story behind the and call it BroBro. Then he moved to name?: So me [Chris] and Rob worked Costa Rica, and Max jumped in. with someone in fairmont, this guy’s name was Tony and he worked with us at Who are some artists you take a this bowling alley arcade. Tony was an lot of inspiration from?: I [Max] asshole, and the name “Tony From Bowl - think we each have our own influences. ing” kinda started as a joke, but ev - I take my drumming style from classic eryone ended up liking it. driving rock and grunge. The second I Who are some artists you take a heard Mastodon I thought “Oh wow I lot of inspiration from?: Abba! Defi - need to copy as much of this as I pos - nitely Captain & Tennille, King Giz - sibly can”. I [Elliott] draw from a zard and the Lizard Wizard, and pretty lot of different things, fall of Troy, much anything Ty Segall is involved Dillinger, I really love the complexi - with. ty and energy, but a lot of times it’s too much for most people, so I dial it How would you describe your sound back and mix it with some punk sounds. to someone who’s unfamiliar with the band?: I would say garage rock; be - How would you describe your sound cause it encompasses a lot of differ - to someone who’s unfamiliar with the ent sounds, it’s pretty heavy, and band?: We have been calling it alter - good music to drink to. native punk, prog punk, math punk. How did you all meet?: We actual - NaturalNatural RatRat onon stagestage ly met through U92, An iconic meeting of musical minds from all different perspectives and influences. We kept running into each other through the metal show and started talking about dillinger, and were like “oh shit.” BroBroBroBro

We have a lot of mutual friends, and saw each other at 123 Pleasant street. I used to play solo under my name Kelsey Cannon, and I was asked to open a show for some friends of mine, ros - well kid, at 123. I turned to brian, and asked if he would play the drums. Natural Rat About a week later he asked if I would @naturalratband be interested in having two other people play keys and bass. It was Is there a story behind the really all thanks to Brian, he put us name?: It came to me [Kelsey] while I together. was watching Indiana Jones and the last Crusade. It stems from a specific Who are some artists you take a scene, there were all these rats on a lot of inspiration from?: Obviously hill and I was wondering where they there’s a ton of musicians that we came from, or if they were like natu - love and inspire our music, not di - ral rats from the environment. rectly I guess. There’s a lot of col - laboration between all of us, and we How would you describe your sound derive a lot of influence from each to someone who’s unfamiliar with the other. band?: Space, dream pop, indie, kinda Torrents doom-y torrentswv / @torrentsband How did you all meet?: Actually I think I met Brian right around the Is there a story behind the time I moved to Morgantown, which is name?: I [Mike] was a river guide, so now going on 6 years I think? it kinda links into the whole water scene, like raging water, not like NaturalNatural RatRat stealing music.

Who are some artists you take a lot of inspiration from?: I’m mostly inspired by my friends and other bands that we’ve played with, and people that I know who I’ve learned things from. But then y’know there’splenty of bands, Baroness, Queens of the Stone Age, things of that nature. We all have different influences, some overlap and some don’t. highschool. We basically all partied TorrentsTorrents together, we spent a lot of time in houses gettin’ messed up together as kids. We all went to house shows and - played in different bands and loved it, and this sort of just came to - gether. It’s almost been 5 years now. WaxWax BrainBrain

How did you all meet?: Last year Brandon moved back from New Orleans, he was playing with some black metal bands down there, and I just gotten off 2 years of touring with horseburn - er and some other bands. We all kinda just got together and it clicked, there was chemistry. Indistinct Wax Brain waxbrain/ @wax_brain Chattering @indistinct_chattering Is there a story behind the name?: It’s a stoner metal concept Is there a story behind the ”this is your brain on drugs” and all name?: Have you ever watched TV with that. Most stoner bands focus on the subtitles on? It’s usually indis - flower. So we took that and basically tinct chatter, I’ve [Jake] only actu - instead of being based on herb, it’s ally seen it once. oil. Who are some artists you take a Who are some artists you take a lot of inspiration from?: I’m super lot of inspiration from?: It’s differ - into late 80’s early 90’s alternative ent for everybody, John writes most of stuff. Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, the music. Red Fang had a huge part of and Joy Division. it, but when it comes down to it, the biggest thing is trying to achieve a How would you describe your sound sound that’s not just stoner, or to someone who’s unfamiliar with the stoner rock. band?: I like to call us an emo reviv - al band, it’s hard to say. Imagine if How would you describe your sound Smashing Pumpkins did a country song. to someone who’s unfamiliar with the band?: Stoner doom, with a little bit How did you all meet?: Me [Cody] of southern thrown in, and we have a and Ben have known each other since lot of throwback thrash stuff going elementary school, like 6th grade I on, and John shreds on the guitar. think? Jake and I [Name] have been That’s probably the most pragmatic way buddies for a while. I knew he played to describe it, I'd say. It’s a really guitar and I play drums. We were jam - hard thing to pin down. ming on my porch when Cody and Ben came up to us and asked if we wanted How did you all meet?: We met in to come play and hang out, and it was highschool. We basically all partied actually our old drummer’s last prac - together, we spent a lot of time in tice so it really worked out. By Payton Otterman THE 2018 TOP 92 LIST While 2018 was an excellent year for music, some albums deserve special attention. The top 92 list contains the best music releases of the year as voted by our DJs.

Yves Tumor King Dude Beach House Julia Holter Daughters Safe in the Music to Make 7 Aviary You Won’t Get Hands of Love War To What You Want

The Garden Koenji Hyakkei Anna von SOPHIE Parquet Courts Mirror Might Dhorimviskha Hausswolff OIL OF EVERY Wide Awake! Steal Your Dead Magic PEARL'S UN-IN- Charm SIDES

11. Boygenius – Boygenius 52. Kero Kero Bonito – Time ‘n’ Place 12. Current 93 – The Light is Leaving Us All 53. Jon Hopkins - Singularity 13. Mitski – Be the Cowboy 54. Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer 14. Jpegmafia – Veteran 55. Mid-air Thief - Crumbling 15. Sectioned - Annihilated 56. Vennart - To Cure a Blizzard Upon a Plastic Sea 16. Pinegrove – Sky Light 57. The Body – I Have Fought Against It, But I Can’t 17. Low – Double Negative Any Longer 18. MGMT – Little Dark Age 58. Machine Girl – The Ugly Art 19. Car Seat Headrest – Twin Fantasy 59. Haru Nemuri – Haru to Shura 20. Hookworms - Microshift 60. Johnny Jewel – Themes for Televison 21. Frankie Cosmos - Vessel 61. Laura Jane Grace – Bought to Rot 22. Rubble Bucket – Rubble Bucket 62. Yes – Fly from Here – Return Trip 23. The Weeknd – My Dear Melancholy 63. Nils Frahm – All Melody 24. Enjoy – Small Car, Big Wheels 64. Thou - Magus 25. Puce Mary – The Drought 65. Shakey Graves – Can’t Wake Up 26. Iglooghost – Clear Tamei/Steel Mogu EP 66. US Girls – In A Poem Unlimited 27. Forth Wanderers – Forth Wanderers 67. Olafur Arnalds – re:member 28. Villagers – The Art of Pretending to Swim 68. Imperial Triumphant – Vile Luxury 29. Death Grips – Year of the Snitch 69. Let’s Eat Grandma – I’m All Ears 30. Guerilla Toss – Twisted Crystal 70. Jack Stauber – Hilo 31. Emma Ruth Rundle – On Dark Horses 71. Park Jiha – Philos 32. Hop Along – Bark Your Head Off, Dog 72. Johnny Payne – Johnny EP 33. Laura Palmer’s Death Parade – Among Us All 73. Superorganism - Superorganism 34. Young Fathers – Cocoa Sugar 74. Kilo Kish – Mothe 35. Various Artists – Uneven Paths: Deviant Pop from 75. Roy Montgomery – Suffuse Europe 1980-1991 76. Chris Carter – CCCL: Volume 1 36. Kikagaku Moyo – Masana Temples 77. Palm – Rock Island 37. Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How You Really Feel 78. Oneohtrix Point Never – Age Of 38. Minami Deutsch – With Dim Light 79. Playboi Carti – Die Lit 39. Camp Cope – How to Socialize and Make Friends 80. Laurel Halo - Raw Silk Uncut Wood 40. Gus Dapperton – You Think You’re a Comic! 81. Amnesia Scanner - Another Life 41. Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance 82. The Necks - Body 42. Qual – The Ultimate Climax 83. Gazelle Twin - Pastoral 43. Denzel Curry – Ta13oo 84. Lonker See - One Eye Sees Red 44. Against All Logic – 2012-2017 85. Gabor Lazar - Unfold 45. Wooden Shjips - V 86. Tim Hecker - Konoyo 46. Son Lux – Brighter Wounds 87. Reinier Van Houdt - Igitur Carbon Copies 47. Richard Devine – Sort/Lave 88. Actress/London Contemporary Orchestra - LAGEOS 48. Gost – Possessor 89. Jung An Tagen - Agent Im Objekt 49. Melody’s Echo Chamber – Bon Voyage 90. Ichiko Aoba - qp 50. Them Are Us Too - Amends 91. Black Milk - Fever 51. Busdriver – Electricity is on Our Side 92. Body/Head - The Switch ~ DD JJ S T A F F BIOS ~ Want to learn more about the D J s that have been playing you t u n e s fr o m t h e f all of 2 0 1 8 t o t he S pri n g of 2 0 1 9 ? L o o k n o f urt her ! ** N ot e t h at a n y fa ct s or o pi ni o n s i n t h e s e bi o s w er e writt e n b y t h e D J s t h e m s el v e s a n d e dit e d t o b e fa mil y fri e n dl y b y t h e e dit or . There are also more wonder ful D J s n ot o n t hi s li st t h at eit h er c h o s e n ot t o b e i n cl u d e d or di d n ’t s u b mit i n for m ati o n **

s tr. k k i @de g ot h 6 6 6 B e ac h ����� t @ Artists S tation L i b rarian & D .I.Y. Director Cr a s s, Ki n g D u d e, T h e G ar d e n, M aj or: Photography T h e C ur e, D e at h Gri p s, C hri sti a n S p e ci alt y S h o w of c h oi c e: D.I.Y. D e at h, M D C, J o y Di vi si o n Descri be y o urself i n o ne w or d: Goth-punnx What's so mething you wish you were better at: Doing my homework :( S K A ?: ▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄ If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the face ?: No way I’d probably have a huge crush on myself

i @ v pl o c k e d t @ v pl o c k e d Artists Victor Bj ör k, B e a c h H o u s e, D e at h Gri p s, S w e et Tri p, Cl ar k, Y v e s T u m or, Assistant Program Director Ikonika, Peggy Gou, Mat mos M aj or: C o m p ut er S ci e n c e Specialty Sho w of choice: L o w O r bi t Descri be y o urself i n o ne w or d: I can only be described as “ D J T hi c c N a st y t h e D e ni m D a d d y a k a S t ati o n P a pi a k a R ig ht H a n d t o t h e G o d E mperess o f t h e U 9 2- iv ers e , et c ” W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: I l o v e d t u ni n g i n t o L o w O r bit , a n d w a nt e d t o k e e p it ali v e If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the face ?: Absolutely Vic Nasty

i @joeandthethotti Joseph t @joeandthethotti Artists Music Director C urre nt 93, Kay o D ot, Sc ott W al k er, St er e ol a b, D a vi d S yl vi a n, T h e C h a m el e o n s, Maj or: Philosophy Throbbing Gristle Specialty Sho w of choice: The Underexposed W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: I k n o w m or e m u si c t h a n a n y ot h er bi c h at W V U W h at' s s o m et hi n g y o u wi s h y o u w er e b ett er at: I wi s h I h a d b ett er att e nti o n s p a n S K A ?: H ell n o If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the face?: Invariably yes

i @j a k e t @j a k e k e s. til es Artists _ Artists Jake s Q ueen, Mac De marco, R e me mber S p orts, Car Seat Hea drest, w e e z er, D e at h Gri p s T h e F r o nt S tation S q uatter Botto m s M aj or: C o m m u ni c ati o n s Specialty Sho w of choice: N o li mit s W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: I b e c a m e i n v ol v e d wit h r a di o i n hi g h s c h o ol a n d fell i n l o v e . I ’d li k e t o p ur s u e t hi s for a s l o n g a s p o s si bl e b e for e I n e e d t o g et a ~ r e al jo b ~ If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the face ?: Of course , b ut o nl y t o a s s ert m y d o mi n a n c e a s J a k e # 1. A s s o o n a s J a k e # 2 u n d er st a n d s t h at h e i s t o o p er at e u n d er m y juri s di cti o n , w e ’ll t o ur t h e c o nti n e nt al U nit e d S t at e s i n m y 2 0 0 5 S u b ar u o ut b a c k p ulli n g sca ms alon g t h e w a y . P er fe ct J a k k e sit u ati o n . k p ayton. maguir P ayton i @ p ayt o n_ ott A rtists t @ D i s k J o c k e y Fleet wood Mac, Depeche Mode, Ki n g D u d e, E m m a R ut h R u n dl e, M aj or: I’ m a p u bli c r el ati o n s m a jor wit h a� H ol e, B e a c h H o u s e, L a ur a mi n or i n m u si c i n d u str y.� P al m er ’s D e at h P ar a d e, H ol e Specialty Sho w of choice: N o L i mit � D e s cri b e y o ur s elf i n o n e w or d: I nt er e sti n g, b ut o nl y b e c a u s e I d o d u m b bit c h t hi n g s � W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: I ori gi n all y joi n e d b e c a u s e of m y l o v e m u si c, h o w e v er, it’ s al s o m a d e m e r e ali z e t h at I w a nt t o h a v e a c ar e er i n r a di o.� S K A ?: I c a n’t b eli e v e I h a v e t o a n s w er t hi s q u e sti o n … it’ s n ot m y f a v orit e, b ut I al s o d o n’t h at e it. t @t h e. m er m ai d s.i n. m a ye t @ m er m ai d s _i n _ m a ” Artists e m a ki n git a ni m e Q u e e n, F all O ut B o y, H o zi er, T e ar s Maggie f or F e ar, T h e D o or s, Bi ki ni Kill, A B B A, St. Vi n c e ny Beyond the Binary Director M aj or: E n gli s h a n d T h e atr e wit h a n a o e i n cr e ati v e writi n gy Specialty Sho w of choice: B e y o n d t h e B i n ar y. W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: I g e n er all y l o v e t h e c o n c e pt of D J- i n g a n d m a ki n g pl a yli st s ( al s o t hi s st ati o n i s t h e o nl y r e a s o n w h y I c a m e t o W V U , l m a ox S K A ?: H* ck yeah bru ( If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the f a c e ?: I w o ul d h *c k e n d e c k m y s elf i n t h e f a c e, t b h ▄

jito monte J a d e Artists � @ mo J a d e S O P HI E , Str e etli g ht Assistant M u sic & L o w O r b it Director M a nif e st o, A ni m al C oll e cti v e, M a x C o o p er, J o n Major: Co mputer Scienc s Hopkins S p e ci alt y S h o w of c h oi c e: l o w or bit. i d m or i d ~ W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: V i c N asty recruited me and pro mised me fortune and world d o mi n ati o n, b ut all i g ot w a s a c o ol t -s hirt. i o nl y st a y e d b e c a u s e I li k e b ei n g a n e d g y t e e n.. W h at 's s o m ething you wish you were better at: being a studen � S K A ?: m y all -ti m e f a v orit e b a n d i s Str e etli g ht M a nif e st o a n d o n e of m y f a v orit e i youtubers ju st m a k e s s k a c o v er s, if a s k a b a n d w a s pl a yi n g n e ar b y i’ d d efi nit el y g o J u m a n j i a n d i hi g hl y r e s p e ct s k a c ult ur e, b ut n o, i d o n’t li k e s k a E d Artist D J f o r T i m e W a r p , B l i n d A lley , T he Beatles J a z z , ( A l t R o u t e s , R e g g a e , Classical i n p a s t i M aj or: N / A P rofessor / P s y c h ol o gi st W V t Specialty Sho w of choice: T i m e W ar s Descri be y o urself i n o ne w or d: A rti sti s W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2: A c ci d e ntl y: I n r e s p o n s e t o a n e m ail t o K i m H arrison so me 1 2 -1 3 y e ar s a g o. I n ot e d t h at I h a d li st e n e d t o U 9 2 si n c e it w e nt o n air a n d if k e b o o 4 F a c anyone was needed to D J t h e bl u e s, r o c k, et c. I’ d b e h a p p y t o l e ar n. S h e s ai d h a v e e a d I 1 is d a n d “ Y o u’r e o n air n e x t S u n d a y. ” P r ett y s c ar y. fri e n d s

i @k_catflinget Kate i @k_shatflinged h mu on far mersonly Classical & Lo Fidelity Director Artists t h e Di stri ct s, B o n I v er, Ki n g M aj or: M D S ( art hi st or y, p hil o s o p h y,y Kr ul e r eli gi o u s st u di e sd S pecialty S h o w of c h oice: ClassicaU Descri be y o urself i n o ne w or d: tiren W hy I j oi ne d U92: My brother worked here, and he al ways talked about ho w gr e at of a n o p p ort u nit y it w a s. If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the f a c e ?: I o n c e r e a d a n arti cl e t h at s ai d w e w o ul d n’t r e c o g ni z e if w e e v er s a w a K 8 cl o n e of o ur s el v e s, s o i m m a tr u st s ci e n c e o n t hi s o n e a n d s a y n i i @capn madt Madeleine Artists @capn madzi Al e x G, Ki n g Kr ul e, Bl o o d Or a n g e, No Limits & Musical Passport K O R N D A W G, Nancy Sinatra, J o y c e M a n or, T h e Cl a s h, Director. Chewer of Big Red. cupcak Ke, Joy Again, Kesha, pre-ye Kanye West M aj or: P oliti c al S ci e n c U S p e ci alt y S h o w of c h oi c e: n o li mit s a n d ur b a n di n en Describe yourself in one word: yeeha S K A ?: only third wave ski If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the Madness f a c e ?: i u s u all y t a k e a p a cifi sti c a p pr o a c h t o w ar d s gr e eti n g p e o pl e

� @ d _ h Artists D a v i d a n s el m a n Ki n g Gi z z ar d & T h e L iz ar d Wi z ar d, R u n t h e J e w el s, D e at h Gri p s, Oteboke Bea v er, Ki k aj a k u M o y x I literall y j ust poorl y D J a n d n e v er show u . M aj or: HII M (I don ’t k n o w w h at it st a n d s f or ( Specialty Sho w of choice: I li k e n o li mit s b e c a u s e I can play whatever I w a nt a n d noone can stop m▄ Descri be y o urself i n o ne w or d: W e e � F a v orit e C atf a ct: D i d y o u k n o w c at ’s c a n m e dit at � W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2 : I h a d a fri e n d t h at w a s i n it , a n d h e s ai d it w a s s u p er f u n .� W h at 's so mething you wish you were better at: N ot spending mone � J o s h Reggae Director , watches people Artists Ki n g Kr ul e, C o n n a n M o c k a si n, r u i n their reputatio n y Connan and The Mockasins, M aj or: G e ol o g íd Dunkin Bro wne, Cotton Jones S p e ci alt y S h o w of c h oi c e: St u di o 9 t Descri be y o urself i n o ne w or d: C haaaaaaae W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2 : T h e girl w h o w a s pr o m oti n g it w a s c ut e a n d s e e m e d c o o t W h at 's so mething you wish you were better at: C o o ki n ” S K A ?: E h h h .e If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the J ush K u s h face ?: N o y d S W- 4 2 3 5- 3 5 5 2- 4 7 1 8 Artists C a m p C o p e, K e s h a, all t h e N ar ut o A s h o p e ni n g s, i a m l e g all y r e q uir e d t o put Say Anything, Hatsune Miku Pushes the feminist emo agendy

S h e p Artists W hit e girl u k el el e c o v er s of tr a p songs, people who upload F ort nite-t he me d par o dies of J a z z D i r e c tor & U ndera c h i e v e r c urre nt To p- 4 0 hit s t o Y o u T u b e, M aj or: M u si c In d u str i B utt h ole S urfers S o ci al m e di a ?: I’ m o n T witt er b ut e v er y ot h er s o ci al m e di a w e b sit e i s f or c h o d e s . I’ v e gi v e n u p a n y a ct u al att e m pt at a n y f or m of s u b st a nti al h u m a n r el ati o n s hi p s o I c a n d e v ot e m y e ntir e lif e t o t h e B rand ™ k Specialty Sho w of choice: T hey don ’t l et m e d o N o L i mit s c u z m y s et w o ul d b e t o o po werful and arcane for hu man ears so I d o t h e ja z z/ f u n k s h o w s a l ot i n st e a d t W h y I j oi n e d U 9 2 : F r e e pri nti n i n u t z If you sa w yourself on the street would you want to punch yourself in the face? D e e S n u t I’ d gi v e m y s elf a bi g ol ’ ki s s o n t h e li p

Page Of Naomi Basically, it’s just Hal’s cat A LOOK INTO NEOFOLK FEATURING CURRENT 93 BY JOSEPH BELLAMY Folk m usic has a defi niti o n w hic h is relatively clear as to w hat it refere nces b ut w h ose se nse is ri d de n wit h u ncer- t ai nt y. E n c y cl o p e di a Brit a n ni c a d e fi n es f ol k m usi c as “t y p e of tr a diti o n al a n d g e n er all y r ur al m usi c t h at ori gi n all y w as p ass e d d o w n t hr o u g h f a mili es a n d ot h er s m all s o ci al gr o u ps. T y pi c all y, f ol k m usi c li v es i n or al tr a diti o n; it is lear ne d t hr o u g h heari n g rat her t ha n rea di n g. It is f u ncti o nal i n t he se nse t hat it is ass ociate d wit h ot her activi- ti es.” T his b ei n g es p o us e d, it is p o n d er o us as t o w h et h er a n e w gr o u p of f ol k artists, t y pi c all y u n d er t h e u m br ell a of t h e “ n e of ol k” g e nr e, c a n b e c o nsi d er e d t o f all u n d er t his d e fi niti o n as w ell. It is c ert ai nl y r ur al i n t er ms of t h eir soun dsca pes, but tra ditional is a de bata ble ter m as the prefix “neo” i m plies. The ban ds un der the neofolk genre n ot o nly use a wi der variety of i nstr u me nts t ha n is sta n dar d for t he folk ge nre, b ut t hese di gressi o ns ty pically g o to wards ex peri mental in dustrial music. This is a very unco m mon co m bination, but further analysis reveals their c o n g e al m e nt is n’t e x a ctl y ill o gi c al, as I will e x pl ai n l at er. F ol k al w a ys h el d a pri d e i n e x pr essi n g t h e w orl d ar o u n d us a n d its m otifs. H o w e v er, wit h t h e a d v e nt of m o d er nit y, it s e e ms ill- e q ui p p e d t o gr as p o ur w orl d i n its e ntir et y. It may ex press a niche, so me aesthetic which is in the margins of consciousness. But unfortunately, the custo ms a n d c ult ur e of f ol k l ar g el y f ails t o c at c h t h e att e nti o n of m a n t o d a y. A s ol uti o n t o t his pr o bl e m d o es n ot s e e m t o b e cl os e i n si g ht, as es c a pist p o p m usi c h as e n c o m p ass e d us. H o w e v er, I f e el as t h e a ns w er mi g ht b e i n i n d ustri al m usi c.

T h e r e as o ns f or t his ar e m a nif ol d, o n e of t h e o bvious ones being that in dustrial is more mo d- er nize d t ha n tra diti o nal f olk. Its i nstr u me nts c orre- spond far more to what we would see in our every- d a y lif e t h a n tr a diti o n al f ol k. T his, of c o urs e, m e a ns t h at in dustrial is much more e qui p pe d aesthetically to ex press our mo der n a ge. Another reason is that in dustrial has more si mil ar ai ms t o f ol k m usi c t h a n is first r e c o g niz e d. Q u ot e d fr o m t he I n d ustrial Rec or ds St ory, it rea ds: “ O ur Rec or ds are a c o m bi n ati o n of fil es o n o ur r el ati o ns hi p wit h t h e w orl d an d a Ne ws pa per without censorshi p.” I n this quote, we can see rese m blances of folk music in ho w through their c ult ure, t hey trie d t o access a n a ut he ntic relati o n wit h t heir e nviro n me nt. B ot h are tryi n g to be true to t he m- selves, co ntrary to t he i n d ustrialize d a n d co m mercial- ize d e nviro n me nt arou n d t he m. This is not to say t hat they are one in the sa me, ( Although so me might debate t h at i n t er ms of s e m a nti cs) as f ol k m usi c oft e n s er v es as a f u n cti o n of s o ci al c o h esi o n w hil e i n d ustri al m usi c te n ds t o be averse t o a nyt hi n g of t he s ort, preferri n g t o break conventions. Ho wever, the ends of the t wo genres are nearly the sa me, even though the means may not b e.

W e c a n n o w s e e h o w f ol k a n d i n d ustri al r e c o n cil e together without being jarring or gi m micky. The r es ult is a r el ati v el y n e w g e nr e, n e of ol k. W hile n ot exactly mai nstrea m (a n d per ha ps it’s better t hat way, as its ass ociati o ns wit h co ntroversial fi g ures a n d sy m bols woul d cause an u proar if it was brou ght to the pu blic consciousness), its niche pro duces a plethora of i nteresti n g a n d merit ori o us artists t hat mi g ht serve as a n i nteresti n g c orrelate t o t he weir d a ge we live i n. T he n e of ol k b a n d I a m g oi n g t o f o c us o n i n t his arti cl e is C urr e nt 9 3, f or I a m t h e m ost f a mili ar wit h t h e m, alt h o u g h I may t o uc h u p o n ot her artists i n t he process.

Curre nt 93 are a very literary ba n d. Yo u ca n see t his t hro u g h t heir i nfl ue nces a n d all usi o ns: T h o mas Li g otti; T he T h u n d er, P erf e ct Mi n d; Willi a m Bl a k e; T h e Cl o u d of U n k n o wi n g; T h e Bi bl e; et c. Of c o urs e, a l ot of n e of ol k b a n ds are literary, b ut never i n s uc h a n existe ntial fas hi o n T here’s al ways a se nse of dra g ge d o ut des perati o n wit hi n Current 93’s music, an elongated passion whose many vagaries and nuances are revealed as ti me goes on, much like a mo der nist novel. Nevert heless, t he ba n d s houl d not be i nter prete d as a mere au ditory tra nslatio n of t he for mat, for this strea m- of-consciousness style is mixe d with a reverence for religion not co m mon of the mo dern- ist s e ct. T h at is, w hil e C urr e nt 9 3 mi g ht j u m p fr o m f e eli n g t o f e eli n g, w h at r e m ai ns c o nst a nt is a v est e d a n d u niro nic i nterest i n G nosticis m, mysticis m, occultis m; a n d bot h pa ga n a n d ort ho dox reli gio ns. Nevert heless, t his d oes n ot mea n t heir p ortrayal is rose-col ore d. I n partic ular, t he s o n g “Patri passia n” s h o ws Jes us s u fferi n g a n ali e n at e d et er n al a g o n y, t h e m ass es i g n or a nt t o his s u ff eri n g. T his is c ert ai nl y a f ar- cr y fr o m t h e all-l o vi n g, all- po werf ul, all-k no wi n g G o d t hat is ofte n a dvocate d i n me gac h urc hes. Curre nt 93 dis play all t he existe ntial qua n daries, a moral actio ns, a n d feeli n gs of ho peless ness a n d dou bt t hat ofte n co me wit h reli gious livi n g. For i nst a n c e, oft e n t h eir al b u ms will e nt ert ai n i d e as of ni hilis m b ut c a n n e v er f ull y c o m mit t o t h e m. A n d t his is a p p ar- ent, as the lyricis m of Current 93 is e m be d de d with so much e motional wei ght an d cohesion that it can’t be mea ni n gless. N ot hi n g t hat is es p o use d is trivial, eve n t he co nce pt of n ot hi n g ness is fille d wit h mea ni n g relative t o its m ysti cis m.

A n ot h er n ot a bl e f e at ur e of C urr e nt 9 3 is t h eir histri o ni cs. W h e n y o u t hi n k of w h at histri o ni cs e nt ails, it w o ul d see m quite contrary to their religious ai ms. Religions have al ways a dvocate d a relatively su b due d an d hu m ble lif est yl e, b ei n g p olit e, pi o us, a n d m or all y pri n ci pl e d. C urr e nt 9 3 s pits i n t h e f a c e of t his lif est yl e a n d d o es it wit h provocative lyrics, distur bin g i ma gery, an d over blo wn vocal delivery. This corres pon ds with their gri m mer p ortr a y al of r eli gi o us li vi n g, t h eir att e nti o n t o t h e f a ct ors w hi c h c ult ur al C hristi a ns i g n or e f or t h e s a k e of s o ci al c o h esi o n. If t h e y w er e t o bri n g li g ht of t his, it is o nl y r el ati v e t o t h e m u c h bi g g er j o y t h at a w aits t h e m. N o s u c h thing exists in Current 93’s music, making the beco ming of joy a m biguous an d ever so distant. Given this much more di fficult situatio n, it’s not har d to i ma gi ne ho w o ne’s e motio ns coul d be more overt.

W hil e I’ v e t al k e d a l ot a b o ut C urr e nt 9 3 a n d t h eir r el ati o ns hi p wit h r eli gi o n, t h eir m erit i n m y vi e w is f ar l ar g er t h a n t h e s u bj e ct. I n p arti c ul ar, t h eir i n d ustri al i n fl u e n c es. All t h e af or e m e nti o n e d d es cri pti o ns I h a v e gi v e n f or Curre nt 93 co ul d q uite easily be d o ne by a re g ular folk artist. B ut t he n we re gress to t he sa me pro ble m I have disc usse d i n t he first para gra p h, na mely, its alie nati o n fro m t he c urre nt zeit geist. H o wever, t he m usic asce n ds past t his pro ble m i n a very novel way. The i n dustrial ele me nts work as a n u n dercurre nt to t he more tra ditio nal f ol k m usi c; it is li k e a b e ast w h os e pr es e n c e a n d t hr e at l e v el is al w a ys k n o w n, b ut its r at e of att a c k s e e mi n gl y ra n do m. This orga nizatio n I feel allo ws Curre nt 93’s music to hit muc h closer to ho me t ha n t he avera ge folk ba n d, because it has traces of modernization which are menacing and confusing. This for mulation avoids so me of the more a wk ward and superficial mixtures of modern pop music and conte mporary folk that is often trendy no wa- days. This for m ulatio n is a d mitte dly o nly base d o n t he m usic alo ne, so t here’s less to go o n co m pare d to t he l yri cs, es p e ci all y f or s u c h a l yri c- h e a v y b a n d. N e v ert h el ess, I f e el as if t his is a c orr e ct d es cri pti o n f or a b a n d

More than any other folk band, Current 93, through their music, have ex pressed the menace of modernity taking o v er p e o pl e a n d t h eir w a y of lif e. I n d e e d, t h e pr o bl e m of C urr e nt 9 3 is n ot m er el y of t h e s u p er n at ur al ess e n c e, it is a str u g gl e t o a p pr o pri at e f ol k m usi c i nt o m o d er n lif e. It is t h e t e a m w or k of tr a diti o n al f ol k a n d e x p eri m e nt al i n d ustrial t o ex press a n existe ntial state t hat neit her of t he m were f ully e q ui p pe d t o ha n dle o n t heir o w n. It is m usic w h ose partic ular sce nari os we may be alie n to b ut nevert heless ca pt ure a very fa miliar se nse. All of t hese reasons and more are why Current 93 are one of my favorite bands and why I believe neofolk is a most pro mising g e nr e. PrayersPrayers For For Dead Dead Fis Fis h: h: PP a a n n D D aiji aiji n n g g -- Pl Pl a a t t e e of of O O r r d d e e r r GenocideGenocide Organ Organ -- Autodefensa Autodefensa TT h h r r o o b b bi bi n n g g G G ri ri s s tl tl e e -- T T h h e e W W o o rl rl d d ii s s a a W W a a r r Fil Fil m m TheThe Body Body -- An An Urn Urn PP uce uce Mary Mary -- Dissolve Dissolve ArcaArca -- Si Si n n ner ner PharPhar makon makon -- Nakedness Nakedness ofof Need Need AgeAge Coi Coi n n -- Vesey Vesey DiDi s s Fi Fi g g -- U U S S ai ai d d U U We We re re THE UNDEREXPOSED

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