October 29th, Loyola Marymount University –
Halloweekend is officially here. To get in the spooky spirit even further, KLMU Online Radio and KXLU hosted a special event, Halloween Spooktacular, in The Living Room at LMU. KLMU Online Radio’s co-directors, Peter Molaro and Lily Baehr, invited over 45 new KLMU student DJs, their friends, and the station’s director team for a festive night of pumpkin painting, screen printing, capri-suns, and a live performance from Junkstar.
KLMU, LMU’s student-only online radio station and KXLU 88.9FM’s sister station, opens their applications for new 90-minute radio shows each Fall. The process is competitive; of the 80-100 LMU students who apply, KLMU can only accommodate around 45 new student DJs each year, with the rest placed on a waiting list. I talked to the two KLMU co-directors, Lily and Peter, to learn more about KLMU’s mission and what it means to them.
Photography by Amanda Hoss
“I respect and honor [KLMU and KXLU] the same. Lily and I want to bring that message to the forefront of what the Online Station is, and breathe new life into it. If the people that come after me can feel just a little less confused, or a little less frustrated, and instead feel a little more love & care & genuine connection, then I will be happy with what we have done.”
Peter Molaro, KLMU Co-Director
To Lily, KLMU means “connecting over music and having confidence in your taste.” Lily expressed that she felt quite proud of what has already happened in this year’s KLMU community and that she loved that people are talking about music and taking adventures with the space. She said that socializing with newly starting DJs is one of her passions as a director.
KLMU helped Peter find his place on campus. Peter confesses, “I spent freshman year feeling alone and confused. Where I was at with my major and my interests did not feel right. I tried joining the radio station and it didn’t land right, that messed with me a lot. I forced myself to go to the [KLMU] mixer sophomore year and signed up for a show as a last minute decision. [There], I met people that made me feel a safety and love I hadn’t felt in a really long time.” As this year’s co-directors, Peter and Lily hope to give that sense of community to other people.
Peter explains that despite his feelings that KLMU is largely misrepresented and misunderstood as being a “junior” or “lesser” station to KXLU, Peter’s goal is to make newly starting DJ’s realize that KLMU and KXLU are counterparts that go hand in hand. Peter explains, “I respect and honor [KLMU and KXLU] the same. Lily and I want to bring that message to the forefront of what the Online Station is, and breathe new life into it. If the people that come after me can feel just a little less confused, or a little less frustrated, and instead feel a little more love & care & genuine connection, then I will be happy with what we have done.” Through overseeing the day-to-day operations of KLMU Online Radio, training new student DJs, and planning more social events, Peter and Lily aim to nurture LMU radio’s community.
As the vibrant sounds of soundcheck filled the air, the new KLMU DJ’s started to show their faces, filling the room with endless banter and taking part in a community that is all about passion and love for music.
Thomas Davies, KXLU’s General Manager, ran a screenprinting panel throughout the night, debuting KLMU’s brand-new two-headed bunny design. Dozens of DJs lined up with blank t-shirts, excited to wear the new design. Thomas says, “KLMU was my first introduction to radio. The first time I ever was in the booth for KLMU I started playing my first song, looked at the bluff and just felt like I could do so much with it. KLMU changed my life.”
Photography by Amanda Hoss
The band Junkstar, being very interactive with the crowd forming from the start, has a blend with each other that has quite the magical feeling to it. The band is made up of 4 KXLU DJs, most of who started their broadcasting journey on KLMU Online Radio. Gigi Monae, KXLU Program Director, on vocals, Sam Takano, last year’s Music Director on guitar, Mada Harper, former Production Director on drums, and Sage Rothberg, last year’s KLMU Co-Director on bass, smooth and subtle.
Sage, one of last year’s KLMU co-directors says, “KLMU makes me feel like I have a home on campus. My experience at LMU would’ve been extremely neutral [if it wasn’t for KLMU] and I genuinely believe it gives people a creative space to discuss their interests. Spooktacular was so spooky and so awesome…”
Reminding me personally of the slow and peaceful twilight-core, a cold winter night, or even the tears of a breakup, Gigi’s soft voice is moving and has a broad spectrum. From quiet and calm to punk-rock girl scream, Gigi’s performance for Spooktacular was blissful alongside Junkstar’s slowcore flow. Sam provided background adlibs that smoothly backdropped Gigi, wearing his foil hat that seems to be a costume, with the rest of the band embodying their best Halloween energy, Junkstar showed up and showed out for KLMU.
The spookiest moment was when Sam’s D string popped during the middle of Junkstar’s set. As the crowd scrambled to find a new string for Sam, Gillian Chamberlin, A KXLU DJ, quickly took the stage and told jokes — interacting with the crowd full of new DJs and asking them what they’re being for Halloween. At last, Jackson, another KXLU DJ who happened to be in the crowd, returned with a brand-new D string for Sam. After Sam’s guitar string was finally back in place, Junkstar ended their set with an energetic performance that not only made the room feel warmer, but also embodied the spooky vibes the event was based on. Overall, the event felt like a get together with friends, sharing the same passion for music and for radio.
Photography by Amanda Hoss
As a KLMU DJ that started last semester, the experience has added so much to my plate in regards to passion and even my career path. Beside the welcoming community and the awesome studio we get to use, I’ve met some of the coolest people through KLMU and have found so much new music, and my taste grows everyday. I cannot wait to do more in the community and am forever grateful to KLMU for introducing me to such a cool passion of mine.
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