WLOY Loyola Radio

The Menzingers (Tom May) Interview

November 5th, 2019 by WLOY Staff

On Halloween, General Manager Tara Howell, had the chance to sit down with Tom May, guitarist and singer in the Philly band, The Menzingers. The Menzingers were playing in St. Louis that night, where the CBI NSEMC college radio conference was held. Small world that a band from Philly and a person from Baltimore just happened to end up in St. Louis at the time!

You can listen to the interview down below – where Tara and Tom talk about her love of The Menzingers, the release of their album Hello Exile, references in their music, and much more. You can see The Menzingers locally on their Hello Exile Tour at the Black Cat in DC on Wednesday December 4th.

Tara takes up the story: I feel like at this point if you know anything about me, you know that my favorite band is The Menzingers. It seems like I am always wearing a Menzingers shirt, or talking about them for whatever reason. My story with The Menzingers is a long one, but I wouldn’t have discovered then without college radio.

I discovered The Menzingers during my first semester at Loyola and WLOY, and I slowly started loving them more and more. In October of 2015, I saw them on the tour they did with mewithoutYou, and the love was officially sealed. I had never seen a band with such raw energy – a sentiment that I still agree with today.

Many years, and 19 shows later, I accidentally ended up in the same city as the band. On Halloween, I was in St. Louis for a college radio conference, and The Menzingers were coming through as a part of their Hello Exile Tour. I’d like to call it the universe working in my favor because it really was a coincidence, but with how much I love the band, the people in my life tend to think otherwise. Not only did I get to see a Menzingers show for the 20th time, but I also had the chance to sit down with Tom for an interview before the show. You can check out the interview here. It was something I had been dreaming of for a very long time, and I am very grateful that it finally happened!

Tags: band interview, interview
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Review: I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – 1981 Extended Play

November 4th, 2019 by WLOY Staff

By: Aly Martinez

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – 1981 Extended Play

Release: November 8, 2018

Rate: 9/10

RIYL: Ricky Montgomery, The Honeysticks, half·alive

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME also known as iDKHOW is an American indie pop duo that features Dallon Weekes and Ryan Seaman that was formed in 2016. Dallon Weekes is a former member of the popular band Panic! At The Disco, and he worked with Seaman before in the band The Brobecks. Weekes and Seaman had a unique vision to create a band that people would have to discover on their own, by only performing at small venues they built a devout fanbase.

If I were to describe this album, I would say it is fun and futuristic. It has incredible upbeat vibes and makes you want to get up and dance. My personal favorite is Do It All the Time, this is a song that you would listen to walking through the streets feeling like you can take on anything. I truly think this is a band we have to keep an eye on.

Tags: album, album review, Music, music review, new album, new music, new release, review
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Review: elbow – Giants of All Sizes

November 2nd, 2019 by WLOY Staff

By: Aly Martinez

elbow – Giants of All Size

Release: October 11, 2019

Rate: 8.5/10

RIYL: Doves, I Am Kloot, Turin Brakes

elbow is a band that is based in England. They came together as a band in the ’90s when they were all in college and have since then created 8 studio albums and have received several awards for their music. They caught national attention with their debut EP in 1998. They have become staples in the UK rock scene since their creation.

When they recorded this album, some songs were done live in the studio and others in individual studios so they could all form their sound. It is an interesting dynamic that both appreciate teamwork and individualism. They can be described as a mellow rock sound mixed with some more hardcore sounds flowing in and out of the songs. The rock feels mixed with powerful and sometimes angry lyrics can be very capturing to the audience. One of my favorite songs is called “Empire” which has a somewhat upbeat sound mixed with slow and dragged out vocals. I recommend this to our listeners.

Tags: album, album review, Music, music review, new album, new music, new release
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Renaissance Celebrates Fifty Years

November 1st, 2019 by The Professor

Annie Haslam captures a moment of magic for posterity

by Radio RockonTour host Timothy Tilghman

Renaissance is experiencing its own renaissance. The storied band has reached a milestone of five decades as a recording and touring unit. Joining Renaissance on stage as a guest musician was Jim McCarty original founding member and longstanding drummer with The Yardbirds. The Saturday, October 12, 2019 concert was recorded as a live performance presentation on BluRay, DVD and CD to be released next year.

Renaissance in 2019 are Annie Haslam on vocals, musical director Rave Tesar on keyboards, Mark Lambert on guitar, Geoffrey Langley also on keyboards, Frank Pagano on drums, and Leo Traversa on bass. Renaissance was accompanied on stage by the Renaissance Chamber Orchestra, ten musicians handpicked by the band for their individual musicianship. Read the rest of this entry »

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Rocky Horror Picture Show in the College Center 10/31

October 30th, 2019 by WLOY Staff

It’s spooky season! And you know what that means…WLOY will be having our annual screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s a cult-classic, it’s a sci-fi, it’s a comedy, and it’s musical…all about a haunted house, a couple of lovers, a transvestite scientist, rock n roll, and lots of glitter. If that sounds like something you could get into, come by the third floor common area of the College Center this Thursday and bring your friends! And if you come in costume, you may be in for some awesome merch and concert ticket prizes! So put it in your calendar now: this Thursday, 3rd floor common area, 8-10pm, Rocky Horror Picture Show, costumes, prizes, and fun. Don’t miss out. We hope to see you there! As always this event is FREE!

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Toronzo Cannon Interview 10/29/19

October 29th, 2019 by The Professor

Toronzo Cannon is coming to the area in a rare appearance at The Soundry in Columbia, MD on Saturday November 2nd. Since he has a full-time job driving a Chicago city bus, he only tours in weekend bursts and vacation days, making it a rare treat to get him in the area. Touring now on his excellent new release The Preacher, The Politician or The Pimp (Alligator Records), Toronzo is raising the bar again with a great live show and killer guitar work. We first met at the Lancaster Roots and Blues in 2016 (interview here) and he blew me away with the energy he put into a live show. Ahead of this weeks show Toronzo was able to squeeze in a quick interview on his lunch break! It’s well worth the trip to Columbia to check him out live and see why he’s in such high demand worldwide! [audio:https://wloy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/WLOY_INT_Toronzo_Cannon_102919.mp3]

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Open House at WLOY Station 10/24

October 22nd, 2019 by WLOY Staff

This Thursday from 7-9pm, WLOY will be hosting an open house at our station. This will be an opportunity for you and all your friends to come get a tour of our station, look through our extensive music library, ask questions, and find out more about what we do and how you can get involved! We’ll have a live DJ throughout the night who will be helping visitors get on the air and record their very own station promo and there’ll even be some cool prizes for you to take home. Swing by the station, located at Bellarmine Hall, on Thursday between 7 and 9pm for music, fun, and prizes! Everyone is welcome. See you there!

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Open Mic Night at Starbucks 10/17

October 15th, 2019 by WLOY Staff

This Thursday from 8-10pm at Starbucks, WLOY will be hosting one of our many beloved Open Mic nights. This will be a great opportunity for you and/or your friends to show off some talents or even just to blow off some steam. Anything is fair game for Open Mic: from original songs, to covers, to poetry, to rants, to comedy, and everything in between! We welcome everyone and anyone to come to Open Mic Night, regardless of skill level, experience, or background; so come on out, bring your friends, get weird, and have yourself a great time! See you Thursday!

PS- CAB will also be there with cider, donuts, and pumpkin painting, so don’t miss out on that!

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5 Best Study Spots in Baltimore

October 8th, 2019 by WLOY Staff

Are you a college student in Baltimore? Do you ever wish you had that perfect off-campus spot to do your work but you just don’t know where to go? I feel you. And this one’s for you.

1. Sophomore Coffee

Sophomore Coffee, to me, is one of the best study spots in Baltimore. It’s located right around the Barclay neighborhood, just a seven minute walk away from Baltimore’s famous Graffiti Alley. Sophomore Coffee is essentially hidden, situated just underground, and it definitely has that quaint, hole-in-the-wall kind of feel. It’s super small and quiet–perfect for focusing on homework–and definitely very aesthetically pleasing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: coffee, coffeeshops, college, homework, school, studying, tourism
Posted in Explore Baltimore, Featured, Food Fridays, News, Tourism Tuesdays, Wacky Wednesdays | No Comments »

Autarchii Live at Starbucks 10/10

October 7th, 2019 by The Professor

Reggae artist Autarchii will be joining WLOY and the Caribbean Students Union on Thursday 10/10 from 8-10pm to help raise money for Bahamian relief. Join us for great music, raffles and to donate in support of World Central Kitchen and their massive food relief efforts in the Bahamas.