WUVT: Radio for Everyone! 90.7 FM

Introducing WUVT DJ Kathleen Martin

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Written by Woove contributing writer Julia Lattimer

An interview with Kathleen Martin

Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SHOW?

KM: A smorgasbord of all types of music. Sometimes I have a theme for my show, but usually I just come in and smack things together that don’t really go together. But I guess that’s how I like it.

Q: WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO WUVT?

KM: I started working on the Woove my sophomore year, but I kind of dropped off of it because I got too busy. I decided to come back to WUVT, because I had a lot of friends in it. I also wanted a stronger sense of community with Virginia Tech, since I was pretty lacking in that. My first two years of college I didn’t have that many friends and the friends I did have I didn’t have a lot in common with. I feel like music is a great unifier so I figured I would find people here that I liked.

Q: AND DID THAT WORK?

KM: Yes, definitely. I’ve met so many awesome people and been to so many awesome shows that WUVT put on. I’m very thankful I found WUVT.

Q: WHAT’S THE BEST CONCERT YOU’VE EVER ATTENDED?

KM: Can I pick two? The first is the first time I saw Animal Collective. They became my favorite band that night. I had been sort of disconnected from music for a while. I went to see them on a whim and it was incredible. That’s part of what led me back to WUVT. The other was when I saw Run the Jewels last Fall. It was so hype and so awesome. There was a ton of energy and I would love to see them again.

Q: WHAT WAS THE FIRST CONCERT YOU REMEMBER ATTENDING?

KM: Fall Out Boy. I was in 8th grade and I saw them in Raleigh, NC at a little 500-person venue and it was incredible. I met them all afterwards. Patrick Stump was really short but he was the nicest one.

Q: WHAT’S YOUR CREATIVE OUTLET?

KM: I like to journal a lot. It’s kind of like keeping a diary but with sketches and stuff. It’s more creative than just logging about my day. I also think my show is a great creative outlet. It’s not my own art, but it’s a great way to create things that other people listen to.

Q: WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS THAT YOU DON’T PLAY ON THE AIR?

KM: Danny Brown, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, or anything with a lot of FCCs.

Q: WHAT SHOWS HAVE YOU BINGE WATCHED?

KM: X-Files and 30 Rock. I love Dr. Leo Spaceman from 30 Rock.

Q: WHAT PLAYLISTS DO YOU HAVE ON YOUR PHONE OR LAPTOP?

KM: I’m not really so much a playlist person, actually. But I’ll tell you I only keep four albums on my phone: “Depression Cherry” and “Thank Your Lucky Stars” by Beach House; “I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams” by Diarrhea Planet; and “Manipulator” by Ty Segal.

Q: HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR SHOWS, IF YOU DO?

KM: Sometimes I’ll make a playlist for what I want to play, if I’m going for a certain genre—like sometimes I’ll go for shoegaze/post-punk/noise rock type of stuff. But if not I’ll just come in and pull things off the shelf.

Q: DO YOU HAVE GO-TO ALBUMS OR ARTISTS?

KM: I make a point to play Pavement every show. I also usually play Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY GUILTY PLEASURES?

KM: I love One Direction. I think “Four” by One Direction is one of the best pop albums ever made.

Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE DRINK?

KM: Two-Hearted Ale by Bell’s Brewing Company. It’s a really good IPA and I love ++++++++++IPAs. I’m also a fan of Bourbon and Ginger Ale.

Q: HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC TASTE EVOLVED?

KM: When I was in middle school/early high school, I was very much into pop punk. Then it evolved into more angsty stuff like Bright Eyes and Sufjan Stevens—who I still like now. Since then I’ve expanded my horizons and explored new genres and new bands. If you asked me what my favorite band was ten years ago I would have said Green Day. Compare that to now, Animal Collective.

Q: WHAT ARTISTS DO YOU THINK ARE THE MOST UNDERRATED?

KM: I think SHEER MAG is awesome and more people need to know about them. I also really love Nothing. They’re one of my favorite bands right now. They’re kind of new gaze/shoe gaze. Both are out of Philadelphia and some of my favorite and underrated bands.

Q: WHO DO YOU THINK IS OVERRATED?

KM: Tame Impala. I’m not totally dissing them, but I do think they’re overrated.

Q: IS THERE ANY ALBUM THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD CREATED?

KM: “Feels” by Animal Collective, probably. They actually tuned that whole album on an out-of-tune piano, so it can literally never be replicated, since they don’t even know what tune it was in. I think that’s a really interesting approach to making an album. That album just turned ten-years-old, actually. All of my favorite albums are old.

Q: DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

KM: I have a cat named “Tango” and he has the most annoying meow in the world. But he’s super cute and I love him.

Q: ARE THERE ANY COVERS YOU LIKE BETTER THAN THE ORGINALS?

KM: I love “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley more than the Leonard Cohen original. I also love “Case of You” which is a James Blake cover of Joni Mitchell.

Q: WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE FOR A PERSONALIZED LICENSE PLATE?

KM: I don’t have an original one, but I saw one online I thought was funny. It was a California plate that said “SHUGAZE”.

Q: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE GRAFFITI IN THE WUVT STUDIO?

KM: “BUSH MUST PAY. WHAT ABOUT OBAMA?” above the doorway.

Q: WHAT’S THE BEST PHONE CALL YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN WHILE AT THE STUDIO?

KM: A couple weeks ago I was ending out my show, playing some nice, mellow, dead-rock stuff—some Real Estate and Nick Drake. Then this guy called in and said, “Is this the person who’s been playing the music I’ve been listening to for the last fifteen minutes?” And I said, “Yeah.” And he said, “I love you. I love you. Thank you.”

Kathleen’s show is from 2:30-4 pm every Saturday on 90.7 WUVT FM Blacksburg.