DJ SHOW REVIEWS: Otis Infrastructure, Ratburn, BINKY
-Alana Pedalino
I was 45 minutes late for the concert celebrating indie rock bands Otis Infrastructure and Ratburn’s recently released split album on Friday, April 11, but that didn’t matter. The first of three opening bands, garage rock quartet BINKY, hadn’t even finished setting up yet in WMUC’s live room, where the university’s FCC-licensed radio station hosts in-studios. Nevertheless, the room was packed with dozens of 20-somethings and teenagers excitedly anticipating the music to come.
And even when BINKY messed up the lyrics to its first song, a cover of Vampire Weekend’s “Giving Up the Gun,” the audience barely flinched.
WMUC is used to this crowd. Many of the students present were either DJs at the station or familiar with the in-studio M.O. from past concerts.
“They come more for the atmosphere of the station,” said Dean Essner, the frontman of Otis Infrastructure who planned the concert.
Affectionately known as “Third Rails” to regulars, these live in-studios are products of “Third Rail Radio,” a weekly FM broadcast that features bands performing at in-studios and interviews them, often in real time. Co-live music directors and junior English majors Dean Essner and Michael Lawrence host the show and book its acts. Essner describes “Third Rail Radio” as “the show of all shows” at WMUC.
“If there was a show that represented the station on the whole, I feel like that’s what ‘Third Rail Radio’ stands for,” said Essner.
Though Friday’s concert was not aired live, it was recorded, edited and played during the official time slot of “Third Rail Radio,” Sundays from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. This meant that the opener after BINKY, junior journalism major Dan Singer, could be as silly as he wanted to be in in his tongue-in-cheek set, Dan Singer Songwriter.
Self-described as “ranging from The Beach Boys to Weird Al Yankovic,” Singer sang songs about being in love, getting 300 likes on a Facebook status and chicken nuggets. The audience smiled and sang along for a good portion his set – many had seen him perform on “Third Rail Radio” before.
“[‘Third Rail Radio’] functions as a space where local bands and music nerds can get together and enjoy each other's company,” Singer wrote in an email. “I love the enthusiasm the folks involved with Third Rail bring to the show, and it makes for a great experience as both a performer and an audience member.”
After Singer’s well-received performance, DJs welcomed the third opener, Essner’s former band Sunset Theme. Sunset Theme featured alumnus Alex Mamunes, who released the Otis Infrastructure-Ratburn collaborative “split” album on his College Park-based record label, Tricot Records. During his performance, Mamunes channeled progressive-rock and dedicated his songs to the audience.
It was the perfect segue into Ratburn, the penultimate act of the night. The Weezer-vibe and abrasive sound won over the audience. A few superfans mouthed every lyric they sang, including Essner, who covered Ratburn’s song “Stupid” on the split.
“[When I first heard Ratburn play,] It didn’t occur to me at first how much I liked them, but as the set went on . . . . I got really, really into it,” said Essner.
Eventually, the two bands would collaborate on the split released that night.
“We’ve been good musical friends over time,” he said.
Finally, Otis Infrastructure took the stage and provided a mellow closing to the night. As Essner’s ambient guitar and spoken vocals floated over the audience, a wave of silence washed over them. Otis Infrastructure would keep their attention until the very end, particularly with the abstract track “Dreaming of Stucco,” a mostly instrumental piece that made me yearn for summer.
At the end of the concert, the audience lingered to meet the bands and help bring their equipment to their cars, chatting happily and smiling. It was obvious that the event was another “Third Rail Radio” success for WMUC.
“Third Rail is like the backbone of WMUC, and if you were to touch it or change it or try to get rid of it, it might be detrimental to the station,” said Lawrence. “It’s an institution. It’s just part of what the station is.”
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