Rebkah Tesfamariam ’18

DJ of the Week: Ben Haile ’15

How did you first get involved in WBOR?I heard about WBOR early on and coming to Bowdoin I knew I wanted to get involved and have my own show. After that, I was hooked. I have been involved with the show since my first semester freshman year at Bowdoin. Why did you name the show Bowdoin Blues?I was influenced by the House of Blues radio hour, which is the XM show that Dan Aykroyd runs. I wanted to do a show like that, and they both happened to start with “B.” Are you involved in other music endeavors here?I am a double major in music and German so I do a lot of music at Bowdoin. I try to keep my show and my music classes separate. My show is the Bowdoin Blues and I focus more on blues, jazz, rock and roll and soul, which is pretty separate from my a cappella group and the chamber choir. Do you play music based on the preferences of your listeners or your own tastes?I go with my own gut mostly. I have gotten requests two or three times, in which case I just had to go running around searching for the song they wanted to hear in order to play it. That turned out well. I hope they were happy! Has Bowdoin Blues been a one-man show from the start?It has always been just me. I like having callers and I am glad someone is listening. If you are listening, I hope you enjoy it. If you could only listen to one song on loop, what would it be?John Cage’s “4’33”.” It is just complete silence, so it would not get too repetitive. Which musician would you want to be for a day?Questlove. He earns so much respect yet always stays true to his own artistic sense. I could learn a lot from how he works. What have been some of your favorite music experiences at or around Bowdoin?The power of the Roomful of Teeth concert last semester was life-changing, and I enjoyed sharing a few words with The Antlers and Surfer Blood when they played here a few years back. But as a Meddiebempster, nothing beats our seventy-fifth reunion during my sophomore year. Meddies from the past seven decades came on stage to sing our standards together. I felt a part of something uniquely timeless.
Since you are in your senior year, what is the future of Bowdoin Blues?I am actually staying here for one more semester, so Bowdoin Blues is going to keep on rocking. It is cheesy, I know. What message do you hope to send to your listeners?I mostly want to expose other people to this kind of music. Most of what I play ends up coming from the new shelf of the jazz and blues section. I end up playing a lot of local blues artists and jazz artists who are somewhat off the beaten path, someone people may not have heard about. If people are listening, I just say be open to those local or lesser known acts and know that I would rather give them the spotlight because they are just as good as something more mainstream.
Tune in to Bowdoin Blues with Haile every Monday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on WBOR 91.1 FM or stream the show online at wbor.org.
To suggest a DJ for DJ of the Week, email Arts & Entertainment Editor Emily Weyrauch at eweyrauc@bowdoin.edu.

DJ of the Week: Molly ’15 and Emma ’18 Stevens

How did you first get involved with WBOR?Molly Stevens: I wanted to join since I was a prospective student. I ended up coming to Bowdoin and one of the first things I joined was WBOR. When Emma came I begged her to have a show with me.Emma Stevens: She even wrote on her Bowdoin application that she wanted to be a DJ. Tell me about your show, Sister Act.ES: Well, Molly and I have very different taste in music. Mine is better, obviously.MS: Not really.ES: Molly listens to these obscure bands that everybody tries to “out-hipster” each other with and I tend to like pop and country. We thought of the idea for Sister Act on our way up to school together at the beginning of this year. We decided that we could each play a couple of songs as we were coming up but whenever Molly would choose, I would complain about her song choice. Our parents thought it was funny and suggested we start a radio show. Who are your musical heroes?ES: Taylor Swift.MS: Somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Brian Transeau. I feel like there are some things that we can agree on, though…like Neil Young. Don’t tell me that doesn’t get you sentimental. What kind of music do you listen to in your spare time?ES: I listen to country and pop mainly. And Disney. I love Disney. Maybe I should have a Disney radio show.MS: I think you’d run out of material eventually. If you do, just play the Tarzan soundtrack over and over again. I tend to listen to more electronica, more indie rock. Older stuff basically, more classic rock. If you had to pick one genre of music to listen to for the rest of your life, what would it be?MS: That’s hard. I’d have to say indie rock. It’s such a broad genre and it doesn’t really have a definition. If I want to get my dancing on I could listen to Hot Chip but if I want to sit and wallow and feel things, I could listen to Sigur Ros or Josh Ritter. They’re all in the same section of the record store, but they all have completely different sounds.ES: I would say R&B. When do you listen to music? When you’re working out. R&B has that rap and hip hop component that you can definitely run to but if you want to get your feels on you could definitely sit and listen to some R&B. Also, if you want to make out with someone on a couch—R&B. You can do a lot with it. What was the first album that you ever bought?MS: “Flood” by They Might Be Giants. Excellent album.ES: “Metamorphosis” by Hilary Duff.MS: You can see the difference between the two of us right there. Although, I hate to admit it, but I secretly know the words to every single one of those songs. What else are you involved with on campus?MS: I’m the president of the Peucinian Society, which is our literary and debate society on campus and I’m a manager on the radio station. I do classics and classic archaeology so I hang out with all the classics people. I tend to stick to humanities.ES: I’m more interested in science, like earth and oceanographic science and chemistry and I play softball. I’m still trying to find my niche and figure out what I’m going to do here. Who’s your intended audience? ES: To be honest, mostly our family and our friends. There are constantly members of our family calling in. A lot of my friends listen and call in and cause trouble. MS: Some of my friends in Chambo 318 are pretty regular listeners. That being said, our intended audience is really anyone who wants to listen. Especially people who like “Car Talk.” What is it like having a sibling on campus?MS: Kind of relieving in some ways. It’s comforting if you’re having a bad day or you need someone to go to dinner with to know that you have someone around. It’s also great for life advice. Because we do very different things it never really feels stifling. ES: I was so nervous the first time I saw her at a party. I kept on thinking, “Oh my god, this is my sister! This is so awkward.” But I like having her on campus. I steal her clothes all the time. I don’t want her to graduate. Do you have any final words for your listeners?ES: I am the better sister.MS: You may be the faster and stronger sister, but my taste is better. That’s all you need to know.
Tune in to “Sister Act” with DJs Molly and Emma Stevens on WBOR 91.1 FM every Sunday from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. or stream online at wbor.org. To suggest a DJ for DJ of the Week, email Arts & Entertainment Editor Emily Weyrauch at eweyrauc@bowdoin.edu.

DJ of the Week

February 27, 2015

Liam Finnerty

**SPUNKY REBKAH:** Tesfamariam’s WBOR radio show airs every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m.

What is your show called?
Spunky Rebkah. I forgot to fill in the name of my show online this semester, and in the show description I wrote that I was spunky, so the radio station wrote my show name on the calendar as Spunky Rebkah.

When did you first get involved with WBOR and why?
First semester—I saw the posters and got excited because music has always been a large part of my life and I thought it was really exciting to be able to be on the radio and have control for a whole hour and play whatever I want.

Did you have any radio experience before Bowdoin?
No, but if we had get-togethers with my friends I was always the first one to volunteer to make a playlist.

What type of music do you play on your show?
I play everything. I change the genre or category every week. For example, a few weeks ago I did Valentine’s Week, which included all types of love songs. Sometimes I just figure it out while I’m there too.

What is your favorite type of music?
Slow, chill rap and fun, upbeat indie rock. My favorite artists are Death Cab for Cutie, J. Cole, Drake, Local Natives and The Supremes.

What has been your favorite concert experience?
My first concert was Coldplay, and I randomly discovered them on my own. They came to Pittsburgh when I was in eighth grade. I dragged my parents and best friend who never really liked them, and it was really fun and exciting. We played Coldplay the entire way there and back.

What else are you involved with on campus?
I am a member of the African American Society. I work for the Women’s Resource Center, and I am a member of Obvious as well.

What is your major?
Gender and women’s studies and I am also pre-med.

What has been your favorite class so far?
I took Music and Everyday Life with [Assistant Professor of Music] Tracy McMullen. It was a great interdisciplinary class and I felt like I learned something every day that applied to my life. It was a cultural learning experience, and Professor McMullen is really exciting and engaging.

What is the best music to study to?
It depends on my mood, but mostly chill, slow rap or upbeat dance songs because they keep me in a good mood while I’m doing chemistry homework.

What about the best music to shower to?
Definitely belting songs like Mariah Carey or Pussycat Dolls—girl power women’s groups for sure.

What do you think people are doing when listening to your show?
Mostly my parents or brothers are listening—probably when they are driving in the car or doing homework. Hopefully people are singing along.

Why do you want Bowdoin students to listen to your show?
Because I am spunky and I change it up every week, so if you don’t like it one week, you might really love it the next week. I will keep your interest and I am super open to requests as well.

What is your overall goal for having a radio show?
For me, to take some time to appreciate music and to look for new music. When I was in middle school and had a lot of time on my hands I spent a lot of time exploring new music and artists, and now that my life is so busy I don’t take enough time to do that. It’s very relaxing and exciting for me to prepare a new show. Also, my goal is to show people new music and share it all.

Anything else you would like your listeners to know?
I’m really open to suggestions and I love when people show me new music, so feel free to approach me.

Tune in to Spunky Rebkah every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. on WBOR 91.1 FM or stream the show online at wbor.org. To suggest a DJ for DJ of the Week, email Arts & Entertainment Editor Emily Weyrauch at eweyrauc@bowdoin.edu.

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