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| WASU DJs mix heavy metal music, banter |
by Kevin DeLury
Senior Staff Writer |
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| Kevin DeLury | The Appalachian |
| Noah Hauber (left) and Ryan Osbourne (right)
host a heavy metal show at Appalachian State’s 90.5 WASU
Sunday nights from 10 p.m. to midnight in Wey Hall. The duo
entertains late-night listeners with music commentary, the
latest news, rumors and tour dates. |
For most students at Appalachian State University,
Sunday is a time to get adjusted for the challenges of the next
week.
Especially after Homecoming weekend, there’s sleep to catch
up on, homework that has been neglected and a need for overall recuperation.
Just don’t expect Ryan Osbourne and Noah Hauber to be a part
of it.
Every Sunday night from 10 p.m. to midnight, the duo hosts “Untitled”
on 90.5 WASU, a two-hour tour de force that showcases the best in
heavy metal from all over the globe.
Sunday’s show kicks off with songs from Spineshank, 3 Quarters
Dead and End of All. While not exactly every student’s idea
of a way to kick back after a long weekend, the two couldn’t
care less, keeping the music turned up and enjoying every minute
of it.
“I had a show last year with a guy who liked folk music,”
WASU News Director Osbourne said. “It was this pop-folk stuff
like Dave Mathews and John Mayer, so I was stuck listening to that
all last year.”
Now working with fellow disc jockey Hauber, Osbourne paces around
the studio listening to the chaotic music, taking requests, flipping
through CDs to find the rest of the evening’s selections and
scanning the internet for the latest news, rumors and tour dates
from the heavy metal world.
In between the rock ‘n’ roll onslaught, Osbourne and Hauber
exchange on-air banter over whatever comes to mind.
Sunday’s topic of choice was Osbourne’s 15 minutes of
fame on ESPN, which showed him eating a hotdog on national television,
and their trip to the 106.5 WEND Weenie Roast in Charlotte this
past weekend.
Upon arriving at the show, it came to Osbourne’s attention
that he’d forgotten his ticket, which was then followed up
by getting lost in Charlotte for the next two hours.
Like most metal devotees, both Osbourne and Hauber remember their
first encounter with metal music, and like most metalheads of this
generation, it has one common factor: Metallica.
“I know the exact time I started loving metal,” Osbourne
said.
“I was watching the Blockbuster Music Awards and I saw Metallica
come on. I thought ‘who the hell is this and what are they
playing?’ I went out the next day and bought their album,”
he said.
Hauber’s story is very much like Osbourne’s.
“I was sitting in my best friend’s basement,” he
said “I used to listen to nothing but oldies before this. We
were watching MTV and all of the sudden the video for ‘Enter
Sandman’ came on and I was like ‘who the hell are these
guys?’ My friend said nothing and just punched me in the arm
and said ‘watch the TV’ and since then I’ve been
into it.”
Osbourne and Hauber also bring a unique opinion on most modern music.
When asked about their feelings on country music, Osbourne replied:
“My dog died too,” while Hauber simply shuddered.
Osbourne’s thoughts on emo follow the same line of thinking.
“Quit whining your girlfriend broke up with you in the fourth
grade or that someone skipped in front of you in the lunch line,”
he said to the shoegazers of the world.
While being impartial to most genres, both Osbourne and Hauber have
a major beef with pop music.
“It shouldn’t even be considered music,” Hauber said,
“It’s a commercial.”
“Britney Spears was happy when she wrote half of her songs,”
Hauber said.
“I was like ‘Well whoopdee doo sweetheart. You’ve
got bands out there busting their butts, packing equipment into
vans, and they’re still writing all their own songs while you’re
riding around in a Mercedes-Benz.’”
Many would argue this case, but Osbourne presents an interesting
view on his love for heavy metal.
“It grabs you by the loins and drags you around the floor,”
Osbourne said matter-of-factly. “That’s what music’s
about.” |
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