Keeping it Metal

Photo Credit: Eric Bryan

    Main host, Eric Bryan, playing bass at The Nugget.

     When Eric Bryan and Meme Mejia met for the first time in their freshmen dorms, neither envisioned broadcasting a metal show on the campus radio station together. In fact, Meme had hardly listened to the genre before meeting Eric. But now, after five years of diving deeper into this marginalized category of music. Mejia and Brian channel the intensity, passion and honesty that is inherant in the metal scene into their radio show, "The Catharsis".

     Metal has a very particular connotation for the average person. Loud, abrasive and to most, not worth a second listen. Although Mejia and Bryan aren't out to change people's views of the music, they do hope that their exposure of metal through KBeach will open up some ears and possibly some minds.

"Most people's notions of metalare totally inaccurate," Bryan said. "I just try to present knowledge, try to present equality and in the hour that I have, talk about the music that I love."

"If they don't like the things that I like, I'm not out to change anyone's mind," Mejia said. "But if they're open to it, I'll be here ready to talk to them about it.

     Bryan, who also writes for Bulldozer Magazine, a metal outlet based out of Los Angeles also works as  a pre-school teacher outside of attending school at CSULB. His passion for the music that he lives is evident in the way that he pours himself into his show and his carefully selected playlists for their weekly show.

     The duo have interveiwed members of metal royalty in the forms of Megadeth and Motorhead as well as many other smaller acts that play locally. Aside from the music, though, Mejia and Bryan also tackle relevant social issues between the shredding riffs that they broadcast over their hour on air.

"Yeah, we're a heavy metal show," Bryan said. "But we also tackle issues in and around the campus. We broadcast with an angry ear to the community and offer a lot of social commentary."

     In trying to expose the campus to a more in depth persepective and selection of heavy metal, Mejia and Bryan are thoughtful in their selections of music. They play the heavy hitters like Metallica, but also try to give airplay to those bands that maybe didn't get their deserved time in the rotation during their eras. They strive to give a "thoughtful and entertaining introduction to the genre" for anyone that is willing to listen.

     As far as what the two enjoy most about their work at KBeach, Bryan somes it up in one thought:

"Have you ever had the feeling like I have no mouth and I need to scream?", Bryan asked. "This show is that mouth."