Student-run radio station KVRX will host a 30th birthday benefit concert at Mohawk Outdoors on Friday, cheekily named “Radio’s Not Dead (Yet)”.
The event, supported by KUTX, will feature performances from local artists Garrett T. Capps & Nasa Country, Gus Baldwin & The Sketch, and more. Several members of the Austin community have come together to celebrate and support the station. Feels So Good Prints will live-print shirts, Amy’s Ice Cream will provide sweet treats and Grandpa’s Glizzys will serve a custom KVRX recipe for the occasion. The band Spoon will also be raffling off their memorabilia, courtesy of Spoon’s lead vocalist and KVRX alum, Britt Daniel.
The 30-year milestone aims to celebrate the station’s tenure on FM airwaves while also raising funds for new equipment.
With the rise of streaming and fall of radio popularity, some colleges resorted to selling their airwaves, while others never invested in them at all.
“There have been so many great alumni who’ve come out of KVRX,” said Maile Carballo, KVRX’s external relations manager. “You can learn a multitude of skills beyond just having a love of music.”
Ten years ago, the station threw a similar concert for their 20th anniversary. A bigger milestone meant an even bigger celebration. This entire event was pitched and planned in under three months. Carballo and station manager, Mary Dougherty, said the biggest challenge was the budget and using their network to gather performers and sponsors.
“A lot of these people are our friends and they’re vouching for us,” Dougherty said. “We are 20 year olds putting on this huge event with minimal help, because it is student-run.”
Both Carballo and Dougherty said that while the planning process was full of stress and sacrifices, they were happy to do it out of passion for the station.
“Radio has literally fueled me since I was just a little kid, driving to school every morning listening to it,” Carballo said. “It’s really cool to me that I’m getting to be part of something really big in Austin.”
This event is another step in the station’s plan to establish themselves in Austin’s music scene. They’ve created a 90s grunge aesthetic on their social media and in their marketing campaigns to capture the eyes of outsiders.
“We’ve branched out a lot for several years and really focused more on the music industry and music journalism for the unfortunate day that maybe radio isn’t still around,” Dougherty said.
As the celebration nears, Dougherty and Carballo will spend every hour leading up to the show preparing and promoting. They’ve planned several social collaborations, including a take over of KUTX’s instagram.
“(KVRX) is more than a student org. No other organization on campus, besides Texas football, has a role and culture outside of students,” Dougherty said. “We have a lot of support from the local scene and I think it is such a special place that flies under the radar.”
