L.A. band headlines annual WVUD Radiothon concert

Last year, WVUD’s annual Radiothon concert launched a week-long fundraiser for the nonprofit radio station with performances by local bands. The concert this year, however, was a mix of sets from local bands, Villains Like You and Stallions, and the headliner performance by the band No Age from Los Angeles.


Colleen McGregor, the music director of WVUD, says that the process of booking a national act took months and the involvement of approximately 15 students.

“We start planning as early as the second weekend of September,” McGregor says. “It’s a large event and we don’t like being under pressure or feeling rushed—the process takes a while.”

No Age, a duo with “L.A. skate punk origins,” performed Thursday night in the Trabant University Center multipurpose rooms to a crowd of students and community members.

McGregor says that WVUD booked No Age, comprised of band members Dean Spunt and Randy Randall, through a booking agency that has helped plan past performances at the university by local bands, as well as big-name performers like Ludacris.

The Radiothon fundraising drive each year begins the morning after the kick-off concert. Donors call in to the radio station all week long and can receive premiums depending on their donation amounts.

McGregor says last year, the Radiothon raised $40,000 total, a goal that Jake Glickman, business manager for WVUD, hopes to reach again by the end of the drive on Friday.

“We do it every year to raise money for the station for general upkeep,” Glickman says. “But it’s more than that. We raise the money to keep us going to keep the campus alive for the students.”

The atmosphere on Thursday night started out calm, as a few students and local families trickled in and sat on the floor of the multipurpose rooms. The crowds began to steadily flow in, however, and audience members kneeled at the bottom of the stage, many specifically awaiting No Age’s performance.

Charlotte Shreve, a student at the Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington, says that once she heard No Age would be performing, she made certain she would be able to attend the concert.

“They’re a loud band, but they’re so fun and simple,” Shreve says. “Almost atmospheric.”

Junior Telicia Berry says she anxiously awaited for No Age to hit the stage, but she also enjoyed the performances by the two opening bands.

“I like new music,” Berry says. “Villains Like You has the best instrumentals. I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far.”

Stallions took the stage for the second performance of the night. The new Stallions drummer, Tyler Holloway, says he enjoys being able to play together as a band and as a close group of friends.

“We’ve been friends forever, and they’ve been playing for a while,” Holloway says of his fellow band members. “They needed me to fill in, so with practices and gigs, here we stand at gig number 10. It’s a lot of fun. It’s great to play with them again.”

Holloway is also a fan of Villains Like You.

“I know I’m supposed to say my band is my favorite, but Villains Like You are my favorite too,” he says. “They have the biggest sound.”

The No Age duo began their set at approximately 9:10 p.m. The crowd’s uproar grew louder, echoing throughout Trabant as the two skateboard rock stars began to play.

Freshman Jessica Stump says the performance did not fall short of her expectations as a fan of the band.

“The two of them are so lively in such simple terms,” Stump says. “They capture a room with a simple phrase or strum of a guitar. I have been looking forward to this ever since I heard No Age was going to be here. Don’t get me wrong, the other two bands were great, but I have this band at the top of my list for sure.”

The band’s most recent album, “Everything in Between,” has captured an audience and attracted many fans across the country, reaching all the way from the west coast to the university community in Newark.

McGregor says WVUD stayed within the budget and sold 250 tickets for the concert. Overall, she considers the kick-off of Radiothon a success.

“The goal of the event is for people to have a fun time and what matters is that it seems that everyone that came enjoyed a fun show,” McGregor says. “We were very pleased with the outcome of the event.”