What college radio means to me: an essay with pictures (NSFW)

I’ve had a lot of fun doing these Stack Sessions; it’s always interesting to meet the musicians behind the records you like and listen to regularly. When Hermit Thrushes were confirmed to come in, I was excited – they play a messy but intricately fashioned take on noise rock, and I looked forward to hearing how it would translate live. Unfortunately the show was canceled, but they agreed to come in and play on air anyway. They pulled up in a huge van, something like what airports use to shuttle people between parking lots and the terminal, and out came 8 or 9 people. If you’ve been in the station, you know that we’re a little tight on space, and I was concerned about fitting everyone in. They weren’t – in fact, they insisted on cramming the entire band (and the various hitch-hikers they’d picked up along the way) into the old recording studio, probably one of the smaller rooms in the station. What followed was the most insane, wild and entertaining in-studio to date. No listenable audio of the music they played survived. All that’s left are pictures and an interview, which are presented, in rough chronological order, below.






Interlude (interview)
(at this point the band asked if they could disrobe, and no one seemed to mind, so… they did)





(all photos courtesy of Allegra Fisher)

8 naked, sweaty people, crammed into a 10×10 room with their instruments, equipment, mic stands and piles of accumulated station crap, playing loud fucking rock and roll – this is what college radio means to me.