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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

WVFI Radiothon Preview

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Dominique DeMoe


On the second floor of LaFortune Student Center, there is a lime green hallway. In that lime green hallway, there is a radio station. And in that radio station, there will be 10 hours of interviews this weekend.

WVFI’s fourth annual Radiothon will take place Sunday from noon until 10 p.m. DJs at the station will interview over 25 bands, artists, campus talent, dank meme makers and internet trolls amongst the station’s 8,800 vinyl records, 33 pizza boxes and four microphones.

The ten-hour-long event will fundraise for La Casa de Amistad, a local organization and community center for Hispanic youth and adults from the Michiana community. Proceeds from donations from Radiothon will be donated to fund summer programming and college visits for teenagers at La Casa. Those who donate will also be entered to win prizes, including gift certificates to Chicory Cafe and Papa John’s, tickets to a show at Ignition Music Garage and merchandise and gift cards for Vegetable Buddies, a local music venue.

The program boasts an impressive lineup of interviewees. Meredith Graves, who fronts the band Perfect Pussy, will be on air – in 2014, Scene dubbed her band’s song “Interference Fits” the best song of the year for Graves’ soul-baring, brutally personal lyricism. Sadie Dupuis, the eclectic and talented front for Speedy Ortiz and the solo force behind Sad13, will also participate. In November of last year, she released “Slugger,” her first solo album under the Sad13 stage name. Scene gave it a glowing review for its inclusive, powerful statements about self-acceptance and its “sparkly” vibes. The list of exciting featured bands and artists continues: high-profile Saxophonist Colin Stentson, The Frights, The Walters, Bowerbirds, Ringo Deathstar, Tennis, Xiu Xiu, Darlingside and Las Rosas will all participate in the event.

Some interviewees hail from campus itself. The show will host a few Notre Dame student musicians, both past and present. Members of bands Twiga and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists will join in – both bands have members who are alumni of the University. The station will also interview current freshman student Brianna Connor, who goes by the stage nation Ladibree. Ladibree has performed in WVFI’s studio before and also was interviewed by Scene earlier this semester. The station will also host Felix Rabito, another Notre Dame student whose song “Anna, Muse” on Spotify currently has nearly 200,000 listens.

On the less musical side of things, the station will also host Becca Blais, the current student body president, as well as what they’re terming “Michiana’s Hottest Meme-Makers” ­– that is, the kids who run the ND meme page, Caylee Mahon and Pat Myron, and Wei Cao, a Notre Dame student whose short video of Father Jenkins spiraling into the stratosphere feat. techno music has garnered 1.3 thousand likes in the Facebook group. Speaking of memes: Ken M, online persona of self-decribed professional Internet troll Kenneth McCarthy, will also share his thoughts and experiences in the world of memes. (Editor’s note: Cao served as the multimedia editor  for The Observer during the 2016-2017 school year.)

WVFI's Radiothon will also feature an interview with Kevin Lozano, in response to Lozano's February article in Pitchfork, "Does College Radio Even Matter Anymore?" The conversation promises to be fruitful, timely and fascinating.