Sep 3, 2022 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
This year marked the 4th annual Head in the Clouds (HitC) festival. Started in 2018 in Los Angeles,
the festival has only grown (the festival will also happen in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Manila,
Philippines later this year). Started by 88rising, a music platform and record label primarily for artists
of the Asian Diaspora, this year the festival partnered with Golden Voice, the force behind
Coachella. This partnership so early in such a niche festival’s history establishes that the music
industry is slowly understanding that consumers crave more authenticity without the pandering. This
festival invited the 626 Market as well as other local Asian small businesses (Bopomofo was
especially a significant, started by one of the founders of Wong Fu Productions, Philip Wang. Wong
Fu Productions is an independent production company that highlights Asian short films).
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Aug 5, 2022 | ktru
By Rachel Bui
As festivals are operating back to normal, KTRU decided to explore more festivals outside of Texas.
Lollapalooza 2022 was KTRU’s first festival outside of the Southern region. This festival was incredibly
well-ran, with chipped wristbands, cardless payment, and few, if any, technical issues on the stages.
Some general tips:
- Do NOT play with your wristband, especially the chip – it will break!
- Treat it like SXSW and pace yourself- it’s a long festival, even if you don’t go the full 4 days
- You’re probably not going to see all the acts you want (this festival spans across Grant Park in
Chicago), so use this time to explore other acts you’ve been curious about - Bring a reusable water bottle and stay cool and hydrated – even in Chicago, heat exhaustion is a
dangerous possibility you want to avoid
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Jun 3, 2022 | ktru
by Soleste Starr
On one blisteringly hot afternoon in Austin, Texas on my fifth day at SXSW, I had the absolute honor and pleasure of getting maximally groovy to the waves of Jerry Paper, the musical persona of Lucas Nathan, who officially wins the award for both (1) Best Dressed and (2) Best Dances Moves of any performer of the week. The performance left me absolutely drenched in sweat from half an hour of childlike dance-mania; Jerry Paper absolutely succeeded in their intentions per the SXSW website: “They want you to PLAY around and have some friggin’ fun for once!”
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Jun 3, 2022 | ktru
by Soleste Starr
One of the most surprising parts about SXSW was the heavy presence of British musicians and bands! We got to catch up with one of them, Alex Stephens, also known as Strawberry Guy, a moniker he earned for identifying most heavily with strawberry as both a jam donut and milkshake flavor. Alex was an exceedingly jovial interviewee, kindly playing along to my conversational antics such as asking him the color he felt like (yellow!) or if he liked to play games (chess, Animal Crossing). He performed at Cedar Street Courtyard, my favorite venue of the week, between brick buildings in the sweet light of the afternoon, which perfectly accompanied his dream-pop-esque sound.
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Jun 3, 2022 | ktru
by Soleste Starr
Without a doubt, my personal favorite performance of the entire week of South by Southwest came from someone whose music I’ve been listening to since I was a toddler: Darden Smith. While it’s been two decades, the man and his voice have aged like fine wine, only growing more expressive and singular with time. His 2003 release Sunflower is a true treasure, and my only lamentation about his performance is that I didn’t get to hear more of that album! However, I certainly wasn’t disappointed with what I did get to hear: his newest album, Western Skies, which he wrote over the course of the pandemic and released just this spring.
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Jun 2, 2022 | ktru
by Keegan Pierce
For those unfamiliar, SXSW is an annual conference focusing on music, film, and tech that takes over downtown Austin every year– or rather almost every year. SXSW was canceled in 2020 and online in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and 2022 was the year the conference made its grand return.
The excitement of the event’s return was palpable on the streets. Posters for SXSW events (or in search of Nick Cage) were everywhere downtown, and everywhere you looked, brands were promoting themselves and bands were rocking. There was just so much happening, and everyone on the streets ran from one event to the next.
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Sep 20, 2013 | ktru
Tune in from 6-8 PM tonight (9/20) for your chance to win tickets to see The Weeknd at Bayou Music Center on Sep 24th!
1. Call in when you hear a The Weeknd song.
2. Submit a haiku about The Weeknd to [email protected].
3. Call in when you hear a Lady Sovereign song.
4. Call in with your sickest rhymes (just freestyle it).
For call-in contests, the number is: (713) 348-5878
Mar 16, 2013 | ktru
Rock group Shivering Timbers will be coming through the station today at 6:00 PM to perform live on the air! Be sure to tune in, you’re not going to want to miss it!
They’ll be playing a show over at Dean’s Credit Clothing at 316 Main today at 11:00 (Show is 18+, sorry kiddos!)
Their haunting, fuzzy garage sound is something we really enjoy here at KTRU, and their music is available for listen on their website.
Mar 12, 2013 | ktru
Gina M., from Bellaire, won an Insignia Portable HD radio, and can now listen to KTRU on their new radio!
Mar 9, 2013 | events, ktru, ODS
One of the most surprising parts about SXSW was the heavy presence of British musicians and bands! We got to catch up with one of them, Alex Stephens, also known as Strawberry Guy, a moniker he earned for identifying most heavily with strawberry as both a jam donut and milkshake flavor. Alex was an exceedingly jovial interviewee, kindly playing along to my conversational antics such as asking him the color he felt like (yellow!) or if he liked to play games (chess, Animal Crossing). He performed at Cedar Street Courtyard, my favorite venue of the week, between brick buildings in the sweet light of the afternoon, which perfectly accompanied his dream-pop-esque sound.
