The campus radio station works with Campus Program Board to bring bands to campus
By Sydney Syverson
The University of Portland's radio station wants to pump up the volume this year - both on air and off.
KDUP has an ambitious year to come, with hopes of gaining more loyal listeners, attaining deeper respect and interest from the community, becoming part of iTunes, and bringing some big name bands to campus.
"College radio has a way better reputation nationally than it does here at UP," KDUP's General Manager Aaron Davis said.
Davis and the rest of the KDUP gang are working tirelessly to increase the station's legitimacy on the UP campus and in the Portland community.
KDUP has teamed up with Brian Blair, the station's new adviser, as well the Campus Program Board in order to make this year and the years to come successful and exciting for the students of UP.
According to Davis, one of KDUP's main goals is to get a well-known band to perform at UP, but that dream may take years to come to fruition.
Big bands cost big money. This is where CPB comes in to play.
Junior Colin Dorwart is the major events and Pilot Palooza coordinator for CPB, as well as a DJ for KDUP.
"CPB is hoping to help KDUP out financially," Dorwart said. "However, it could cost thousands of dollars for a major concert on campus, and CPB hasn't been given a major fund since the Harlem Gospel Choir performed a couple years ago."
Director of CPB Tarra McCurdy thinks the alliance with KDUP is good, but budget constraints force her to stay realistic.
"CPB doesn't really have all the funding necessary to host a bigger event right now," McCurdy said. "But we are trying to get those funds to make it happen in the future."
According to McCurdy, Dorwart and Davis, UP's best bet at securing artists to perform at the University is to research bands that are already coming to the Portland area and may have time to stop by for a quick show.
"A lot of bands have a little down time in between shows," Davis said. "We just have to fit into their schedule."
Currently, bands such as The Decemberists, Minus the Bear and boy eats drum machine are being considered by the KDUP staff.
KDUP and CPB are hoping they can get as lucky as they were last year when band We Are Scientists played a show at UP.
"The band actually contacted us and played a set for free," Dorwart said. "We're hoping to continue that by just getting in contact with some bands and asking if they'll play for free or for a very small cost of lodging and food."
Dorwart is working on a resolution that would allot CPB a certain amount of money each year for its major fund.
That major fund would then be put towards a big concert. Dorwart explained that every year, clubs have money left over. All that unused money goes into the endowment fund.
"Last year, there was $50,000 of unused club money," Dorwart said. "I'm working on a resolution that asks for about 5 percent of the endowment fund to go into CPB's major fund each year."
Dorwart hopes to present his resolution to ASUP on Monday, Oct. 12.
KDUP's Assistant Music Director Shea Chappel is excited about the collaborative efforts of the two groups.
"The only way to really get anything done is to work together," Chappel said. "CPB has been awesome in taking a vested interest in helping KDUP reach its goals."
KDUP DJ sophomore Rachel O'Reilly thinks it's a great idea to get some bands on UP's campus.
"It would definitely help get everyone more involved and aware of KDUP," she said.
Getting students more familiar with KDUP seems to be what a lot of KDUP's DJs are hoping for.
Steven Langston, another DJ for KDUP, is most enthusiastic about getting KDUP more well-known around campus.
"Having bands come to UP would finally put KDUP on the map and justify its place at the University," he said.
It's not all about the big names, however. Right now, the goal is to get artists, in general, interested in playing a show at UP.
Junior Kristina Large has known students every year who were DJs for KDUP. Large loves music and doesn't really care about the fame and status of the bands that play at UP.
"It would be nice to have a change of pace and give some thriving artists around Portland a chance to perform," she said.
Right now it appears as if a huge concert at UP is only a distant possibility. But if CPB agrees to provide financial help, KDUP hopes to make this fantasy a reality as soon as possible.
"We just have to keep contacting bands to play at UP," Dorwart said. "We have nothing to lose. The worst they can say is 'no.'"
