When summer hits Madison, the campus is quiet, as many students leave for home, work, etc. But at WSUM, many of us are still here to continue rocking. With school out, many of us have a lot of downtime, giving us the chance to have another show this semester. With that, we got a little creative. These are four special shows that you do not want to miss, highlighting eras, artists, and more that you may not hear during the school year. Not only do we have fun with it, but we hope you enjoy listening to them too!
Mastering the Art of Deduction – Mondays at 4 PM. Ever heard the expression actions speak louder than words? Surprisingly, 90% of our communication is nonverbal, yet humans only focus on the other 10%: the words we speak on a daily basis. By listening to Mastering the Art of Deduction, you can become a master at detecting people's micro expressions, body language, and the art of speed reading people. If you ever wanted to be Sherlock Holmes, this is the show for you! Tune in every Monday at 4pm with Sarah Grace Hevrdejs at WSUM 91.7 FM Madison.
Imaginary Landscapes – Wednesdays at 2 PM. Imaginary Landscapes explores classical music throughout the ages, around the world, and often hardly within what we consider “classical”. On Wednesdays from 2:00pm-4:00pm throughout the summer, Emili Earhart intends to look outside what is usually acknowledged by the conservatory, while still including masterpieces both acclaimed and forgotten by the great, Western composers. Emili usually dedicates the first third of the show to music from the past 100 years, with a tendency to lean towards minimalism and electronic music. She also uses this summer show as an opportunity to educate herself and listeners on traditional music (folk, sacred, etc.) from countries where “classical” music is not as present. Tune in this summer to hear not only the greats, but to immerse yourself in the grey-areas within classical music.
Beatlemania – Sundays at 10 AM. Every radio station needs a good Beatles show. Evan Boyd takes a look at 60's pop culture – a time when four young men revolutionized music. This show will not only be looking at old school vs. new school Beatles, but also the historical impact of the fab four. Other music to be heard are original recordings, alternative versions, and covers of their music. For example, did you know that many of the Beatles' influences came from African American women? Wake up on Sunday to learn about how the Beatles became the Beatles, how they affected the American 60's, and how their legacy remains today.
The Space Age Bachelor Pad – Wednesdays at 4 PM. Goodwill bins are always lined with easy listening records. Lawrence Welk and Les Baxter vinyl seem to perpetually toil in dollar bin purgatory. While those artists have been cast aside as dregs of modern music, something about the twinkling orchestras conjures up a perfect encapsulation of the 50s and 60s. “The Space Age Bachelor Pad” comes out of his fascination with Exotica and Lounge music. Rolands Lauzums' interests in certain genres or artists often align with their way of capturing moods or settings or even just creating a bizarre sound scape. 50s and 60s lounge/exotica/space age pop, whatever you want to call it, perfectly showcases the gleaming idealism of the post-war era. While the genre made a small resurgence in the 90s, with artists like Stereolab and Fantastic Plastic Machine drawing influence, most still don't recognize the music of Esquivel, Les Baxter or Martin Denny and that's what his show aims to accomplish. To shine a light on a very misunderstood subsection of music history.
