WFNP The Edge, SUNY New Paltz’s very own radio station, celebrated the 13th annual World College Radio Day (WCRD) on Friday, Oct. 6 with live musical acts across the campus.
World College Radio Day promotes awareness for college and high school radio stations around the world to increase their listenership. “College radio is the only free live medium brave enough to play unsigned, local, and independent artists on a regular basis,” says the website for the WCRD initiative.
For SUNY New Paltz, this meant doing what we do best, celebrating our local music scene. WFNP arranged for three performances by students, showcasing their talent.
The day started with a live performance by Zeren McClure, also known as Zeren Zia, second-year digital media production major and station manager of WFNP. Zeren Zia played an acoustic set outside of the on-campus Starbucks location from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. She played some of her original music like “Such a Shame” and a brand-new song “Spiraling.” Zeren Zia’s released music can be found on her Spotify: https://spotify.link/9yVUfoGbZDb. The live stream of her World College Radio Day performance can be found on WFNP’s Instagram, @wfnptheedge.
The day continued in the Student Union Building on the fourth-floor, home of the radio station and the various other media clubs New Paltz has to offer. Set up in the lounge just down the hall from the studio, was the next set of performers, local bands Emerson Laura Palmer and Gunk.
“It’s such an interesting space to have bands play,” said John Roy, fourth-year marketing major and co-music director of WFNP. “We did it last year with The 3 Skins and it’s just an interesting space. We’re in the middle of the hallway on the fourth floor.”
Emerson Laura Palmer is a new band in the New Paltz scene. They debuted with their first live performance at a house venue, Nebraska, on Sept. 23 and their second on Sept. 30 at The Mouse Trap. Their set for College Radio Day began at 2 p.m. where they played originals such as “Peoria.”
“I’m really happy that we got the opportunity to play a few songs for World College Radio Day,” said Owen Smith, fourth-year English major and lead guitarist of Emerson Laura Palmer. “I landed here in August 2020 as a freshman and have had the privilege of watching the scene build itself from literally nothing. Having organizations on campus like NPMC [New Paltz Music Collective] and WFNP get involved and help the scene flourish has been so integral.”
Emerson Laura Palmer can be found on Instagram @emerson_laura_palmer and YouTube at science1994records.
The next band, Gunk, took to the mic at 3 p.m. By this point, there was a group gathered around the lounge waiting for more music.
“I love that there’s always a bit of a crowd. It’s fun,” said Roy. “Doesn’t take a lot of people to make it a crowd, but it’s a good vibe being in a school building like that and hearing a band playing in the hallway.”
A more established band within New Paltz, Gunk has been performing locally since the start of the spring 2023 semester. They’re known to play some beloved covers, such as “Waiting Room” by Fugazi, and this performance was no exception. To catch their next performance follow their Instagram @gunk.np.