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."

K-Jazz celebrates Jazz appreciation month

     Jazz, considered to be one of America's few true art forms, will have its history on display this month as KJazz celebrates the tenth anniversary of Jazz Appreciation Month.
    The initiative to inform and teach the foundations of this music was originated by The Smithsonian Institute in an effort to keep alive one of America's past times. Their goal is to "draw public attention to the glories of jazz as both a historical and living treasure."
     The station will play music from legendary acts like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitgerald thougout the month of April in an effort to better educate the public of the roots of the music. Weekly spotlihgts on jazz stalwarts are planned to be showcased by the Living Legends as well.
     In an effort to get listeners involved and to raise money to keep jazz music on the airwaves, KJazz has a special promotion this month. Anyone who donates $40 or more during the month of April will recieve a Jazz Appreciation Month poster that depicts Mary Lou Williams, a legendary jazz pianist who played with the likes of Duke Ellington and Andy Kirk.

     In addition to the poster, people who pledge $40 or more will also be entered into a sweepstakes with the chance to win a weeklong jazz getaway in Fiji to see the International Jazz and Blues Festival which willl take place May 12-15. In addition to a four-day music pass to the festival, the winner will recieve a five night stay at the luxurious Sofitel Fiji on the island of Danaru.

Yeah, there's an App for that

                                                          Photo Credit: iTunes app store

K-Beach Global Radio, the campus station is now part of the countless entities that are floating around Apple's app store. With the introduction of the K-Beach application to both the smart phone and android markets, the student voice of Cal State Long Beach can now be heard virtually anywhere.
The station, which is internet based, has lifted many of the limitations that were previously tied to its computer based medium. With the implementation of the K-Beach application, the number of students as well as the frequency with which they tune in has been greatly increased.
“Many of our students are on the freeways a great part of their day, traveling between school, work, internships and social activities,” said K-Beach General Manager John Trapper. “It’s great to know they can tune in, hear a favorite song and then find out that the parking structure will be closed for the day, or that there’s a free event in the USU or Theatre Department that evening. Or, of course, that The Beach won its latest athletic competition!”
K-Beach's wide array of shows offer a little something for everyone to tune into during those arduous trips to school while stuck in traffic. Talk shows like "Mornings on the Beach" hosted by Danny Lemos and "Drinking Buddies", co-hosted by Chris Adams and Jerry Brandt, provide the talk radio fix for the am junkies. The station also offers a musical pallet ranging from indie rock to hip hop to satisfy the eclectic tastes that reside on our campus.
The app has many features, including live streaming of every K-Beach radio show, the ability to message or call the station directly from the app and links to both the Facebook and Twitter pages for the station. Listeners are also afforded the ability to seek out highlights from previous days in case they missed their favorite show. 
"I like listening to the K-Beach app when I'm between classes," said Daraious Bhot, a fifth-year senior."They have a good mix of music and every hour offers something different. I'm into it."
The app is compatible with the iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices as well as an array of android devices that employ the 3G and 4G technologies.

Testing, Testing...

   
     Tired of Pandora playing bands that have no business on your selected channel? Run out of albums to listen to on our iPod? California State University Long Beach offers two alternatives with Kbeach Global Radio and KJazz, two radio stations broadcast here on campus.

     KBeach is the home of student generated content, ranging from morning talk shows focused on news and campus events to niche shows that focus on particular genres of music, sports or politics. Boasting over 45 different shows that air seven days a week, Kbeach truly is the student voice. With the implementation of an application available for both smart phones and android platforms, the amount of listeners has taken off.

     "Right now we're getting our greatest listener-ship from the iPhone and android," said John Trapper, Adviser for Student Media and acting General Manager of Kbeach. "We've got a lot of people in the community listening and a lot of people with the apps now are listening on their commutes."

     Kbeach, which is broadcast from the first floor of the University Student Union, has truly lived up to their name in reaching a global audience. Although it is a campus radio station, its internet platform has allowed listeners from across the globe to tune in. The site boasts over a million hits per year to go along with an increase in listeners since the inception of the app.

"People google music and Kbeach pops up," Trapper said."We have listeners in Europe, Africa...I constantly get emails in foreign languages and from different countries saying "thank you for the music."

Kbeach Radio Staff with advisor John Trapper in the studio at the USU.

Photo Credit: CSULB official website

     Although not it's not a student run station, Kjazz is still part of the campus with it being broadcast just outside the Liberal Art's buildings. Students can actually relax on the benches in front of the station and enjoy the smooth sounds of jazz as it's broadcast from hidden speakers in the planter area ajacent to the seats.

     Kjazz 88.1 FM, which utilizes an HD signal, has the capability to broadcast outide the realm of the internet. This feature will soon be added to Kbeach after they finalize plans to share the signal with Kjazz which will afford Kbeach the same opportunity to reach listeners outside of their current formats.

     The station is significantly older than the student run Kbeach, broadcasting since 1981, Kjazz works in conjunction with Global Jazz Inc. to provide the campus with a rich blend of new and classic jazz artists on a round the clock basis.