Mark your calendars because KRTU is hosting a free live music event tomorrow, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. in Trinity’s Laurie Auditorium. The event, open to the public, features three Texas-based indie bands — Voxtrot, Blushing and Buttercup — to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Music for Listeners.
‘Music for Listeners’ began in 1999 and operates as a radio broadcast under KRTU. The program is run by founder Michael Thomas and his co-host, Orlando Torres. The show features a wide array of music from upcoming artists, providing a listening experience for diverse audiences of all musical tastes.
“I called the show Music for Listeners because I kind of wanted to be vague about it,” Thomas said. “You never know what you’re going to hear when you tune into the broadcast. We play classic country songs, we play ambient music, folk music [and] classic rock, but for the most part, we play a lot of British independent music, and that can be any genre, really.”
In its 25 years, the Music for Listeners program featured well-known British artists like Mumford and Sons, indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club and Django Django. However, some of the closest artists featured on Music for Listeners are found here in Texas. The three bands performing in the upcoming 25th-anniversary celebration are returning guests on the show. Buttercup is the opening act, Blushing is the support act and Voxtrot is the show’s headliner.
“Essentially, [the concert will include] three bands that have long histories with Music for Listeners,” Thomas said. “Voxtrot is going to play the headline spot for this 25th anniversary concert. … Buttercup, a San Antonio famous band, will be opening up. We’ve been friends with them for going on 25 years now. Blushing [a band based] out of Austin, is more of a shoegaze band and definitely more of a old sound [is the support act.] We’ve been friends with them for probably about 10 years.”
Buttercup, the opening act, comprises frontman Erik Sanden, guitarist Joe Reyes and bassist odie. The trio’s music is defined by their vocal harmonies, positively weird musical character and performance-oriented experience — an aspect that will be on full display at the upcoming concert.
“We’ve got a kind of a severe little beginning to our set. It’s going to be interesting,” Sanden said. “We’re a pretty talky band. We tend to speak a lot between our songs, and we’re not going to say a word, but we are going to communicate using language — written language. So we’re doing something a little different. Hopefully, it’ll be pretty fun.”
The celebration consists of two concerts: one free concert on Sept. 14 and one paid admissions concert on Oct. 5 featuring different artists at The Lonesome Rose, a bar located on St. Mary’s Street. The Sept. 14 concert is held on campus, open to all music lovers throughout the community. Monica Reina, the station manager at KRTU, highlighted the significance of the event for both the Trinity community and KRTU music scene.
“We want [attendees] to come together as a community, just to enjoy some music … and also just to be aware of KRTU. A lot of the new students … may not really know that we have a radio station here at Trinity, so it’ll be a great way to promote KRTU to new students who may not know about it,” Reina said.
Along with being an action-packed night, the celebration represents an important homage to the local music scene and the Music for Listeners broadcast. The station has become a pivotal stage for many artists, both internationally and at home.
“We are flattered to be chosen. Music for Listeners is such a cool outlet. … Their shows up there are so well curated. We’ve met and made so many friends [through the broadcast] over the years,” Reyes said.
