WBRU
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

WBRU is an
internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...
station based in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
. The station is owned and operated by Brown Broadcasting Service, an independent
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
, and is primarily staffed by students from
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
. Formerly an FM
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
radio station that broadcast at 95.5 FM in the
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
area, WBRU currently broadcasts two online stations with different genres on each: indie and alternative on WBRU and an
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
format on WBRU360, named after its long-time Sunday program, ''The 360° Experience in Sound''. Since January 2018, WBRU's urban contemporary programming has been rebroadcast on Providence low-power FM station 101.1 FM, which is owned by another Brown University-affiliated group and has the call sign WBRU-LP. WBRU has its origins in The Brown Network, which was founded in 1936 as one of the earliest amateur
college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
broadcasters. By the time that the Brown Broadcasting Service organization was founded in 1962, radio broadcasting on the Brown University campus had turned from a hobbyist activity to a more serious enterprise. The organization purchased a commercial FM license in 1965 and aired its first broadcast on WBRU-FM on February 21, 1966. The station aired with a
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
format in the 1960s and 1970s, added
new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
into its playlist in the early 1980s, and switched to its current
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
format in 1988. From 1966 to 2017, WBRU aired on the 95.5 FM frequency in the Providence market. In August 2017, Brown Broadcasting Service sold the 95.5 license to
Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...
and WBRU was replaced on that frequency by WLVO, a Christian adult contemporary station, at midnight on September 1, 2017. Although its primary alternative rock programming is no longer available on an over-the-air radio station, WBRU itself continues to be operated by BBS, and offers both its alternative rock and urban contemporary programming as an online-only programming provider.


History


Beginnings

WBRU traces its origin to "The Brown Network", a low-power carrier current station that broadcast at 570 kHz on the AM band, and whose signal was limited to the Brown campus. (At this time, the two National Broadcasting Company (NBC) radio networks were known as the "
Red Network Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...
" and the "
Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...
".) This first-ever carrier current station was established 1936 by George Abraham and David W. Borst. Abraham had originally installed an
intercom An intercom, also called an intercommunication device, intercommunicator, or interphone, is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building or small collection of buildings which functions independently of the public telephon ...
system between his and Borst's dormitory rooms. The intercom links were first expanded to additional locations, and then replaced by distributed low-powered radio transmitters, which fed their signals into various buildings' electrical wires, allowing nearby radio receivers to receive the transmissions. Abraham originally conceived of the idea as a way to share his record collection and serve as a personal disk jockey for his friends. By the next year, he had installed wires through the trees on campus in order to connect to a number of buildings, assigning students in individual dormitories to act as "section managers" who would receive the signal and retransmit it throughout the rest of their building. After being recognized as an extra-curricular activity, The Brown Network was assigned a studio and control room located in the Faunce House student union building. The
New England Hurricane of 1938 The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The storm ...
destroyed most of the distribution wires, and Borst and Abraham were forced to move the wires into the steam tunnels beneath the campus. On November 3, 1939,
David Sarnoff David Sarnoff (February 27, 1891 – December 12, 1971) was an American businessman and pioneer of American radio and television. Throughout most of his career, he led the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in various capacities from shortly afte ...
, the president of the
Radio Corporation of America The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...
(whose son attended Brown) made a broadcast over The Brown Network. On February 17–18, 1940 an organizing convention for the
Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) is an organization with a membership of over one thousand non-profit, education-affiliated radio stations and webcasters. Founded in 1940, IBS is headquartered in New Windsor, New York, with a legal offic ...
(IBS) was held at Brown, attended by representatives from twelve colleges with existing or proposed carrier current stations. Abraham was elected the IBS Chairman, and Borst the Technical Manager. IBS's role was defined as a medium for the exchange of ideas and programs, in addition to working to attract national advertising contracts for the member stations. The first IBS intercollegiate broadcasts began on May 9, 1940, with a five-part series that was carried by stations located throughout New England at Brown, Harvard, Williams, and Wesleyan universities, in addition to the Universities of Connecticut and Rhode Island. In 1945, student journalists began to use the WBRU call letters on air, which had been coined by undergraduate Stephen Plimpton.


The '60s and '70s

In 1962, the Brown Broadcasting Service (BBS) was established as a separate entity from the University and in 1965, the BBS purchased a commercial FM license (WPFM) from a company that was "bankrupt". BBS was then split into two stations: "WBRU-AM" and WBRU FM. WBRU-AM continued to broadcast locally as a carrier current station (distributed through Brown's electrical system) and operated as the training station for WBRU FM. Brown Broadcasting Service began broadcasting over WBRU at the 95.5 frequency on February 21, 1966; The first program to be transmitted from the new station was a panel show which discussed the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
. By the mid-'60s WBRU was considered an alternative station in that much of the music was folk and rock. Joni Mitchell, Richie Havens, Joan Baez had a home on this station and were not yet on mainstream radio. After 1966 much of the music format was not mainstream. The station was considered an "Underground Rock Music Station" similar to Boston's WBCN. The station's playlist featured artists such as
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...
and
The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...
,
The Fugs The Fugs are an American rock band formed in New York City in late 1964, by the poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of The Holy Modal Rounders. Ku ...
,
Pearls Before Swine A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living animal shell, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pea ...
,
Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...
, Country Joe & The Fish and other left-leaning rock acts that were not typically played on mainstream radio. During the 1970s, WBRU broadcast at 20,000 watts on 95.5 FM and established itself as the principal
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
(aka,
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-oriente ...
or AOR) station in
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
and southern
New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. Attempts to boost the signal to 50,000 watts with a transmitter on the Sciences Library failed because of the interference it caused to sensitive scientific equipment, but the station was making plans to move its transmitter to the
WPRO-FM WPRO-FM (92.3 MHz "92 PRO-FM") is a commercial top 40 (CHR) radio station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, owned by Cumulus Media. The studios and offices are located in the Brine Broadcasting Center on Wampanoag Trail on the E ...
transmitter location and increase power to 50,000 watts. This could not be done until 2009 because public TV station
WSBE-TV WSBE-TV (channel 36), branded on-air as Rhode Island PBS, is a PBS member television station licensed to Providence, Rhode Island, United States, serving the entire state as well as Bristol County, Massachusetts. The station is owned by the Rhod ...
's analog TV antenna currently occupies the tower space where WBRU plans to put its broadcast antenna. WSBE is locating its digital antenna at the WJAR antenna tower in
Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many historic sites i ...
.


Switch to alternative format

In 1988, WBRU switched its format to
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
and has remained in that format ever since, although leaning towards playing newer artists and artists of the
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
genre. WBRU was also frequently named one of the best radio stations in the country by numerous trade magazines such as ''Billboard'' and ''Rolling Stone'' (which named it best radio station in the country in a medium size market three years in a row, the only radio station ever to achieve that). The station is part of the Providence music scene, and has been instrumental in introducing to the area alternative bands such as
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
,
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
, and countless other important bands. It was among the first radio stations in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
to play
Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gro ...
and
Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...
.
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
's last radio interview before his death was on WBRU. Between April 17 and April 21, 2006, WBRU played their entire music catalog by title from A-Z, starting at 5:30 p.m. with " About a Girl" by
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
on the 17th and ending around 11:15 on the 21st with "Zombie" by
The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...
. The songs ranged from new music (by such bands as
Panic! at the Disco Panic! at the Disco is the solo project of American musician Brendon Urie. It was originally a pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2004 by childhood friends Urie, Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, and Brent Wilson. They recorded their firs ...
and Zox), 1980s and 1990s pop rarely played by the station (such as
Right Said Fred Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". Their achievements include number 1 hits in 70 countries including one US number 1, o ...
's "I'm Too Sexy") and classic punk (i.e.
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...
and
New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...
). On June 15, 2006, the station began streaming live online.


2017 frequency sale and end of over-the-air broadcasting on 95.5 FM

In March 2017, the station's board of directors passed a resolution to begin seeking a buyer for the station, after 60 years of being owned and operated by the independent non-profit Brown Broadcasting Service organization. Many student members and alumni of the station were opposed to the resolution. On August 25, 2017, it was announced that Brown Broadcasting Service had sold the 95.5 FM terrestrial frequency to
Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...
, a Christian music broadcaster, which planned to take over the frequency on September 1. The WBRU call letters and brand were not included as part of the sale, and Brown Student Radio applied to the FCC to transfer the call letters to its low-power radio station. In a statement on its website, WBRU announced that it would continue operations as an online radio station, with separate feeds for both its traditional modern rock format and its ''360 Degree Experience in Sound'' hip hop and R&B program. WBRU aired for the last time on 95.5 FM at 11:59 p.m. on August 31 and was replaced on that frequency by Educational Media Foundation's K-Love Christian adult contemporary network. The final song played on 95.5 WBRU before the changeover was "
Fell in Love with a Girl "Fell in Love with a Girl" is a song by the American garage rock band the White Stripes, written and produced by Jack White for the band's third studio album, ''White Blood Cells'' (2001). Released as the album's second single in February 2002, ...
" by
The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American rock duo from Detroit formed in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (songwriter, vocals, guitar, piano, and mandolin) and Meg White (drums and vocals). After releasing several singles and three albums with ...
, followed by a final sign-off by programing director DJ Chilbo. One minute later, at midnight on September 1, WBRU was relaunched as an online-only station, with the first song played being "
Welcome To Paradise "Welcome to Paradise" is a song by the American rock band Green Day. It first appeared as the third track on the band's second studio album, '' Kerplunk''. It was re-recorded and rereleased as the fifth track on their third studio album, ''Dooki ...
" by
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
. Although the sale had not been completed by the time WBRU ceased broadcasting on 95.5FM, Educational Media Foundation opted to lease the frequency until the deal was approved.
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
and its president,
Christina Paxson Christina Hull Paxson (born February 6, 1960) is an American economist and public health expert serving as the 19th president of Brown University. Previously, she was the Hughes Rogers Professor of Economics & Public Affairs at Princeton Univers ...
, opposed the sale of the signal and license. In April 2017, Paxson e-mailed the station's board asking them to reconsider their plan and offered financial assistance to the station. In October, Paxson asked the board to consider a proposal from earlier in the year to sell the license to
Rhode Island Public Radio Rhode Island Public Radio, doing business as The Public's Radio, is the NPR member radio network for the state of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Its studios are in the historic Union Station in downtown Providence. The network airs ...
instead of Educational Media Foundation in order to keep WBRU programming on the radio in some form. The day of WBRU's final broadcast on FM radio, former student executive board member Tucker Hamilton alleged that the sale of the station's license was coerced; Hamilton and other members of a WBRU alumni group asked Rhode Island attorney general Peter Kilmartin to block the sale to Educational Media Foundation. According to the attorney general's office, they met "with alumni and their attorney as a courtesy, but as our attorneys explained, Rhode Island statute and regulation does not give the attorney general any legal authority to intervene, as is the case in nearly all private sales." The
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
approved the sale of the 95.5FM license to Educational Media Foundation on October 24, 2017. The transfer was finalized on November 4. In January 2018, the WBRU callsign was transferred to a low-power Providence-based station located at 101.1 MHz and operated by the non-profit Brown Student and Community Radio group and the Providence arts and event space,
AS220 As, AS, A. S., A/S or similar may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English critic, novelist, poet and short story writer * "As" (song), by Stevie Wonder * , a Spanish sports newspaper * , an academic male voice ...
. The group and its station are not affiliated with the current WBRU online station or Brown Broadcasting Service, but they have made an arrangement with both to rebroadcast WBRU's urban contemporary online stream over the air.The low-power station continues to air WBRU programs on a permanent basis, including the ''360° Experience in Sound'' on Sunday-Tuesday. The alternative and indie programming continues to run on a 24/7 stream through the station's website and mobile app.


Brown Student Radio (BSR)

In 1997, WBRU's carrier-current AM station split off and became Brown Student Radio (BSR), broadcasting initially on
WELH WELH (88.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station owned by The Wheeler School of Providence, Rhode Island. Originally signing on in January 1995 with a pop alternative format and a line up of student DJs, WWKX veterans including Kickin Al Snape ...
/88.1, under a license owned by The Wheeler School and onlin

In 2003, BSR added a
community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular ...
element to its mission, incorporating community members as programmers and volunteers alongside students. In August 2011 BSR lost their air time on WELH and became an internet-only station. In January 2015, BSR was granted an FCC license for an LPFM statio
WPVD-LP
on 101.1FM in Providence, in conjunction with Providence Community Radio and
AS220 As, AS, A. S., A/S or similar may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * A. S. Byatt (born 1936), English critic, novelist, poet and short story writer * "As" (song), by Stevie Wonder * , a Spanish sports newspaper * , an academic male voice ...
. The Brown Student Radio station adopted the callsign WBRU-LP on September 1, 2017. The LPFM radio station went on the air on January 3, 2018.


Governance

95.5 WBRU was operated and run on a commercial basis. Its Program Director prior to the FM sale was Wendell Clough, who had been at the station for over a decade and was known by the on-air name "Wendell Gee", after the
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...
song of the same name. Its General Sales Manager was Jim Corwin, the former Vice President/Market Manager of
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
radio stations in Providence.


Programming and formats

While an over-the-air station, WBRU aired a
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
format six days a week, featuring
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
and other related genres, such as
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
and punk rock. On Sundays, the station switched formats to hip hop and
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
in a day-long program called ''The 360 Degree Experience in Sound''. As an online-only station, WBRU now carries two separate, 24/7 feeds, one for each format.


Buddy FM prank

On March 29, 2006, WBRU claimed to be sold to Initech (a reference to the 1999 film ''
Office Space ''Office Space'' is a 1999 American black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the worklife of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron Livingston, Jennifer ...
'') and changed the format of the station from alternative rock to "
Buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...
FM" - a variety hits format similar to the
Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...
format that had emerged at stations around the country. WBRU "signed off" on 4:57PM March 31, 2006, cutting out 10 seconds before the end of what they proclaimed to the final song played by the station,
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (or "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)") is a song by American rock band Green Day, released in December 1997 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Nimrod'' (1997). Although different from the b ...
" by
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
and was replaced by dead air until 5:02PM, switching to "Buddy FM" with " The Sign" by Ace of Base. The hoax was complete with telling radio sweepers done in-studio. Some examples included: "Buddy FM: hits of the '70s '80s '90s and today... and the 1940s... and the 1850s...", and mentions that the station was "fun for the whole family" after which the station played "
Me So Horny "Me So Horny" is a song by the rap group 2 Live Crew on their album '' As Nasty As They Wanna Be''. The explicit nature of the lyrics of this song and the album led to the initially successful prosecution of the group on obscenity charges and t ...
" by
2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luther Campbell, Luke Campbell, Fr ...
. Local network television affiliates
WJAR WJAR (channel 10) is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the station has studios on Kenney Drive in Cranston, Rhode Island (shared with Telemundo owned-and-ope ...
and
WLNE-TV WLNE-TV (channel 6) is a television station licensed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Providence, Rhode Island area. The station is owned by Standard Media, and maintains studios in the Orms ...
reported that WBRU had been sold without gaining confirmation about the story. It was later found out to be an
April fools joke April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which ma ...
, and, as of noon on April 1, 2006, WBRU had "regained" control of their radio station and began playing their normal playlist once again. As the climax for the joke, Rich Lupo, the owner of Providence rock club Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, claimed on air that he had "purchased" the station from "Initech" and given it back to the WBRU DJs. Later that day, the station's DJs confirmed that the entire stunt had been an elaborate April Fools' joke.


World premieres

In 2006, WBRU was the first U.S. radio station to play "
Supermassive Black Hole A supermassive black hole (SMBH or sometimes SBH) is the largest type of black hole, with its mass being on the order of hundreds of thousands, or millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun (). Black holes are a class of astronomical obj ...
" by British band
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
and played the
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
single "
Cellphone's Dead "Cellphone's Dead" is a song by American musician Beck. It appears on the album '' The Information'' (2006) and was also released as a single. Composition The opening bass synth riff has been cited as reminiscent in tone and rhythmic character ...
" before its release until
Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
filed a cease and desist order against the station. In 2007, WBRU premiered
the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
new single "
Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
" only 15 minutes after
KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The stat ...
world premiered it, becoming only the second station in the country to play it and the first to play it twice when they played it a second time immediately afterwards. In 2008, WBRU was the first station in the country to air "
I Will Possess Your Heart "I Will Possess Your Heart" is an alternative rock song recorded by the American band Death Cab for Cutie. The song depicts a one-sided obsessive relationship, which led '' Paste'' to name it one of the 25 creepiest songs about love. It is notabl ...
" by
Death Cab For Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...
, which it did at approximately 1:30 p.m. on March 18, 2008. In 2009, WBRU was the first station to debut
Say Anything Say Anything may refer to: Film and television * '' Say Anything...'', a 1989 American film by Cameron Crowe * "Say Anything" (''BoJack Horseman''), a television episode Music * Say Anything (band), an American rock band ** ''Say Anything'' (alb ...
's new single " Hate Everyone." The single premiered at approximately 3:30 p.m. on August 17, 2009. The band's lead singer
Max Bemis Maxim Adam Bemis (born April 6, 1984) () is an American singer, songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, primary composer and primary lyricist of the band, Say Anything, before their hiatus in 2018. He sang alongside Chris Conley in the ...
also premiered the song "Crush'd," playing acoustic in studio. In 2013, WBRU was the first station to play
Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...
's "
Thrift Shop Thrift may refer to: * Frugality * A savings and loan association in the United States * Apache Thrift, a remote procedure call (RPC) framework * Thrift (plant), a plant in the genus ''Armeria'' * Syd Thrift (1929–2006), American baseball exe ...
" as reported by
Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
.


Timeline of notable events

*1936 - First broadcast of the Brown Network *1940 - The newly formed Intercollegiate Broadcasting System holds its first meeting at Brown *1948 -
The Outlet Company The Outlet Company was a corporation based in Providence, Rhode Island, which owned holdings in both retail and broadcasting. The centerpieces of the group was its flagship Providence store (''The Outlet'') and WJAR radio and television, also in P ...
's WJAR-FM signs on 95.5 (May 10) *1950 - According to the 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook, WJAR-FM broadcasts at 20 kW *1953 - The FCC cancels the license for WJAR-FM at
The Outlet Company The Outlet Company was a corporation based in Providence, Rhode Island, which owned holdings in both retail and broadcasting. The centerpieces of the group was its flagship Providence store (''The Outlet'') and WJAR radio and television, also in P ...
's request (January 19) *1955 - Plantation Broadcasting Corporation is granted the license at 95.5 for WPFM (May 25) *1962 - Brown Broadcasting Service (BBS) is established as a corporation independent from
Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...
*1963 - The first BBS/WBRU constitution is written *1965 - Brown Broadcasting Service, Inc. buys 95.5 WPFM for $30,000 and changes the call letters to WBRU *1966 - Brown Broadcasting Service begins broadcasting on 95.5 WBRU (February 21) *1969 - WBRU is the first progressive rock station in the market *1971 - Attempts to broadcast at 50,000 watts failed due to interference with sensitive scientific equipment *1974 - WBRU is granted tax-exempt status *1975 - First paid professionals are hired *1976 - Station receives first Gold Record for airplay of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." *1979 - WBRU moves its studio from Faunce House to 88 Benevolent Street, its current location *1981 - Competitor 94.1
WHJY WHJY (94.1 MHz) is a commercial mainstream rock iHeartRadio station in Providence, Rhode Island. WHJY has been a rock station since September 4, 1981. Its broadcast center, also used by its sister stations, is on Oxford Street, just west of Int ...
signs on (October) *1982 - Due to low ratings, WBRU abandons its free-form format and hires the consulting firm of Burkhart, Abrams, Michaels, Douglas & Associates to "develop a new AOR approach" *1984 -
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
stops by with a box of records and plays DJ for an hour *1985 - WBRU is the first radio station shouted-out in
Fishbone Fishbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1979, that plays a fusion of ska, punk, funk, metal, reggae, and soul. AllMusic has described the group as "one of the most distinctive and eclectic alternative rock bands of the late ' ...
's single "? (Modern Industry)" *1988 - WBRU adopts a modern-rock format, called "The Cutting Edge of Rock" *1992 - Student station members reverse a decision which would turn WBRU into an NPR affiliate *1993 - WBRU wins first place in the ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' Readers' Poll for best medium-sized market *1994 - WBRU wins first place again in the ''Rolling Stone'' Readers' Poll *1995 - 99.7 WDGE signs on and becomes a direct competitor with WBRU (June) *1995 - WBRU wins first place again in the Rolling Stone Readers' Poll *1999 - 99.7 WDGE officially signs off (due to WBRU's dominance in the market) and is replaced by WHKK *1999 - Station members vote unanimously against a joint sales agreement with Capstar Broadcasting Company *2000 - WFNX, a
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
station, extends into Providence to compete with WBRU on 103.7 (then WWRX) *2002 - 100.3 WZRI becomes rock
WKKB WKKB (100.3 FM, "Latina 100.3") is a radio station in Middletown, Rhode Island, United States. The station airs a Tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as salsa and merengue and some reggaeton. Its transmitter is located in Mid ...
(October 31) *2004 - 103.7 WWRX/WFNX signs off in Providence *2005 - 100.3
WKKB WKKB (100.3 FM, "Latina 100.3") is a radio station in Middletown, Rhode Island, United States. The station airs a Tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as salsa and merengue and some reggaeton. Its transmitter is located in Mid ...
becomes a Spanish station (February 1) *2006 - As a three-day
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
hoax, WBRU pretends to be bought-out by "Initech" who change the station's format to "Buddy FM" *2006 - On June 15, WBRU begins to stream live on the web *2006 - The station plays its entire catalog from A-Z *2007 - As its annual April Fools' Joke, the station was stuck in a time warp - 1995; and all music played was recorded before the date. *2008 - Station plays its entire catalog from A-Z again. *2008 - Red Sox games air live on WBRU when WEEI broadcasts Boston Celtics playoff games instead *2017 - Brown Broadcasting Service sells the 95.5 FM frequency, WBRU becomes an online-only station (September 1) *2018 - 101.1 WBRU-LP signs on (January 3)


Concert Promotion


WBRU Annual Rock Hunt

The radio station holds a battle of the bands, the WBRU Annual Rock Hunt, which began around 1980 and was held most years since:


Past Winners of the WBRU Annual Rock Hunt

* 1980: The DC Tenz * 1981: The Mundanes (featuring band member
John Linnell John Sidney Linnell ( ; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician, known primarily as one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwri ...
, later of
They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...
) * 1982: The Schemers * 1983: Critical Few * 1984: no competition * 1985: MX * 1986: The Dames (featuring band member
Gail Greenwood Gail Greenwood (born March 10, 1960) is an American musician and illustrator most notable for performing bass guitar and guitar with the bands Belly and L7. Career Greenwood grew up in Rhode Island. She became a vegetarian at age fourteen and h ...
, later of
Belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cen ...
and L7) * 1987: Coat of Arms * 1988: That'll Learn Ya * 1989: Bop Harvey * 1990: Jungle Dogs * 1991: Superbug * 1992: The Phobics * 1993: Angry Salad * 1994: John Monopoly * 1995: Blairs Carriage * 1996: Comic Book Super Heroes * 1997: The Agents * 1998: The L.U.V.'s * 1999: no competition * 2000: no competition * 2001: M-80 * 2002:
Monty Are I Monty Are I (formerly known as Monty's Fan Club and Monty) is an American rock band from Cranston, Rhode Island. The band is named after the groups’s former music instructor, Arthur Montanaro. The "Are I" portion of the name is a pun on " ...
* 2003: Zox * 2004: The Lingo * 2005: Sasquatch and the Sick-A-Billys * 2006: The Sleazies * 2007: Triangle Forest * 2008: It Was The Best Of Times * 2009: Fairhaven * 2010:
The Wandas the WANDAS are an American rock band based out of Boston, Massachusetts, composed of Keith McEachern, Brent Battey, Ross J. Lucivero, and William Bierce. '' New Interface (a design with friends for the future)'' is the band's follow up to thei ...
* 2011: VulGarrity * 2012: Roz Raskin and the Rice Cakes * 2013: Torn Shorts * 2014:
The Rare Occasions The Rare Occasions are an American indie rock band, formed in Boston in 2012. Current members are Brian McLaughlin (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Cohen (bass guitar, backup vocals) and Luke Imbusch (drums, backup vocals). Lead guitarist Peter Stone left ...
* 2015: Public Alley * 2016:
Le Roxy Pro Le Roxy Pro is a Neo surf rock band. Formed in August 2014 by Lead Singer Brent Battey formally of the Band The Wandas, alongside bandmates Greg Settino, Sam Creager, Dave Chapman, and Andrew Knox. They are based in both Boston, Massachusetts an ...
* 2017: Call Security * 2018: no competition


WBRU Summer Concert Series

Every summer the station puts on the WBRU concert series. The shows usually feature a popular band and a few local acts opening up. Initially, there were about 10 shows per year which were free to the public and paid for by sponsor booths, but in recent years the station has started charging for these concerts and has reduced the number of shows to 3 per year. In 2010, the station resumed free single artist Summer Concert Series concerts in addition to the multiple band for-pay concerts. Past concert series include: *1996:
The Cardigans The Cardigans is a Swedish rock band formed in Jönköping, Sweden, in 1992 by guitarist Peter Svensson, bassist Magnus Sveningsson, drummer Bengt Lagerberg, keyboardist Lars-Olof Johansson and lead singer Nina Persson. Post-hiatus shows since 2 ...
*1997:
Our Lady Peace Our Lady Peace (sometimes shortened to OLP) is a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Led by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band currently also features Duncan Coutts on bass, Steve Mazur on guitars, and J ...
; Echo & the Bunnymen;
The Seahorses The Seahorses were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1996 by guitarist John Squire, following his departure from The Stone Roses. The band released their debut album ''Do It Yourself (The Seahorses album), Do It Yourself'' in 1997, a ...
*1998:
Candlebox Candlebox is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since its formation in 1990, the group has released seven studio albums, several charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD. Candlebox found immediate success with the release of ...
and
Fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...
;
Black Lab Black Lab is an alternative rock band founded by Paul Durham in Berkeley, California and currently based in Los Angeles and Montana. They released their debut album on Geffen Records, entitled '' Your Body Above Me'', and scored two rock radio ...
,
Athenaeum Athenaeum may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Athenaeum'' (German magazine), a journal of German Romanticism, established 1798 * ''Athenaeum'' (British magazine), a weekly London literary magazine 1828–1921 * ''The Athenaeum'' (Acadia U ...
, and Emmet Swimming
Soul Asylum Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train (Soul Asylum song), Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The band was originally called Loud Fast Rule ...
;
Save Ferris Save Ferris is an American ska punk band formed circa 1995 in Orange County, California, United States. Their name is a reference to the 1986 film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off''. In 1995, the band began to perform underground venues in Southern Cal ...
and Gruvis Malt;
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from Southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played at the Super Bowl XXXIII ha ...
*1999:
Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
and
Dovetail Joint A dovetail joint or simply dovetail is a joinery technique most commonly used in woodworking joinery (carpentry), including furniture, cabinets, log buildings, and traditional timber framing. Noted for its resistance to being pulled apart (ten ...
; The Flys and
Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before effec ...
;
The Verve Pipe The Verve Pipe is an American rock band from Michigan. It was formed in 1992 in East Lansing by Brian Vander Ark, Brian Stout and Donny Brown. History In November 1992, Brian Vander Ark of the band "Johnny with an Eye" signed a production dea ...
;
Sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
;
Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...
;
Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
and
Vertical Horizon Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. Vocalists and guitarists Matt Scannell and Keith Kane started the band in 1991 when they were students at Georgetown University. The band have undergone multiple ...
*2000:
Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
;
Eve 6 Eve 6 is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Southern California, best known for their hit singles " Inside Out," "Leech," " Here's to the Night," and "Promise." They disbanded in 2004, returned for numerous tours in 2007 with a new lineup ...
and
SR-71 The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a Range (aeronautics), long-range, high-altitude, Mach number, Mach 3+ military strategy, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporati ...
;
Vertical Horizon Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. Vocalists and guitarists Matt Scannell and Keith Kane started the band in 1991 when they were students at Georgetown University. The band have undergone multiple ...
and 3 Doors Down;
Catherine Wheel Catherine wheel may refer to: * wheel or breaking wheel, an instrument of torturous execution originally associated with Saint Catherine of Alexandria * Catherine wheel (firework), a firework that rotates when lit Arts and entertainment * Cather ...
,
Wheatus Wheatus are an American rock band from Northport, New York, formed in 1995. They are known principally for their 2000 single " Teenage Dirtbag", which appeared in the films '' Loser'' and ''Bully'', as well as the HBO miniseries '' Generation ...
and
Amazing Crowns The Amazing Crowns (formerly Amazing Royal Crowns) was a rock band that began in Providence, Rhode Island in 1993. The lineup of the Crowns consisted of vocalist Jason "King" Kendall, bassistbr>Jack "the Swinger" Hanlon guitarist J.D. Burgess, ...
;
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
and
Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...
; Everclear;
Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...
; Caviar(band) *2001: Gruvis Malt and Poe;
Better Than Ezra Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and signed with The End Records. The band formed in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and consists of Kevin Griffin (vocals and guitar), Tom Drummond (bass g ...
;
Rustic Overtones Rustic Overtones is an American rock band from Maine, United States, active between 1993–2002 and from 2007–present. They were the first group to perform live on XM Satellite Radio, and their 2007 album ''Light at the End'' was the fastest-s ...
and Bob's Day Off; Stroke 9 and Turning Blue *2002:
New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
and Goldfinger;
Better Than Ezra Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana, and signed with The End Records. The band formed in 1988 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and consists of Kevin Griffin (vocals and guitar), Tom Drummond (bass g ...
and
Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...
;
Custom Custom, customary, or consuetudinary may refer to: Traditions, laws, and religion * Convention (norm), a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom * Norm (social), a r ...
and Gruvis Malt;
Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...
and
Sense Field Sense Field was an American post-hardcore band from Southern California, formed in 1990. Originally consisting of vocalist Jon Bunch, guitarist Chris Evenson, guitarist Rodney Sellars, bassist John Stockberger, and drummer Scott McPherson, the ba ...
(moved indoors to Lupo's due to rain); Trik Turner;
Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
and
Unwritten Law Unwritten Law is an American punk rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles " ...
(moved indoors to Lupo's due to rain);
Doves Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
*2003:
Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
and ZOX;
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label recor ...
and
Hot Hot Heat Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed by Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and released its first EP, ''Knock Knock Knock'', and first full-length album, '' Make Up the Break ...
; Brand New and M-80 *2004: Lit,
Local H Local H is an American rock band originally formed by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, bassist Matt Garcia, drummer Joe Daniels, and lead guitarist John Sparkman in Zion, Illinois in 1990. The members all met in high school in 1987 and found ...
and
Finger Eleven Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1990. They have released seven studio albums (six as Finger Eleven and one as Rainbow Butt Monkeys), with their album '' The Greyest of Blue Skies'' bringing them into th ...
;
New Found Glory New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
,
The Living End The Living End are an Australian punk rockabilly band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 199 ...
and The Lingo;
Lostprophets Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike ...
, Midtown and Monty's Fan Club *2005:
The Bravery The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best known ...
and
Hot Hot Heat Hot Hot Heat is a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed by Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and released its first EP, ''Knock Knock Knock'', and first full-length album, '' Make Up the Break ...
;
Finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
, ZOX and the
Rx Bandits Rx Bandits are an American four-piece band based in Seal Beach, California, United States. The band formed in 1995 in Orange County, California. They have appeared on the Vans Warped Tour, at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valle ...
;
My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...
,
Alkaline Trio Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Matt Skiba (vocals, guitar), Dan Andriano (vocals, bass) and Derek Grant (drums, vocals). Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Do ...
, and
Monty Are I Monty Are I (formerly known as Monty's Fan Club and Monty) is an American rock band from Cranston, Rhode Island. The band is named after the groups’s former music instructor, Arthur Montanaro. The "Are I" portion of the name is a pun on " ...
*2006:
Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
and Blizzard of '78;
Hawthorne Heights Hawthorne Heights, formerly A Day in the Life, is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass guitar, backing vocals), Mark McMillon (l ...
and
Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use o ...
;
Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
,
Madball Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Fr ...
and The Sleazies *2007:
Plain White T's Plain White T's are an American Rock music, rock band from Lombard, Illinois, formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson, Dave Tirio, and Ken Fletcher, and joined a short time later by Steve Mast. The group had a mostly underground music, ...
, The Academy Is... and Arcadia Landing;
The Bravery The Bravery is an American rock band formed in New York City in 2003. The band consists of lead vocalist Sam Endicott, guitarist Michael Zakarin, keyboardist John Conway, bassist Mike Hindert and drummer Anthony Burulcich. They are best known ...
,
Shiny Toy Guns Shiny Toy Guns is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2002. The band is composed of guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree, vocalist Carah Faye Charnow, keyboardist Jeremy Dawson, and drummer Mikey Martin. Their first studio ...
and Triangle Forest;
Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
and Hello Mahalo *2008:
Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyboar ...
and Amanda Palmer; ZOX,
Badfish Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime is a Rhode Island-based tribute band dedicated to playing the music of Sublime. The band should not be confused with the southern California-based band of the same name. The group is named after a song appearing o ...
, Someday Providence, Hello Mahalo and Scotty Don't;
Paramore Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...
,
Jack's Mannequin Jack's Mannequin was an American rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate. The band was signed to Maverick Records and re ...
,
Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for it ...
and Paper Route;
Ben Folds Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...
and
Missy Higgins Melissa Morrison Higgins (born 19 August 1983), known professionally as Missy Higgins, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. Her Australian number-one albums are ''The Sound of White'' (2004), ''On a Clear Night'' (2007) and ''The Ol ...
*2009:
Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label recor ...
and
Wild Light Wild Light is an American four-piece indie rock band from New Hampshire, United States, composed of multi-instrumentalists/vocalists Tim Kile and Seth Pitman, guitarist/vocalist Jordan Alexander, and drummer Seth Kasper. The band formed in 2005 ...
;
The Airborne Toxic Event The Airborne Toxic Event is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2006. It consists of Mikel Jollett (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Chen (guitar, keyboards), Adrian Rodriguez (electric bass, backing vocals), Daren Tayl ...
,
Metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...
,
Cage the Elephant Cage the Elephant is an American rock band formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved to England, U.K. and settled in London in 2008, shortly before their self-titled first album was released. The band currently consists of Matt Shul ...
and
The Nightwatchman The Nightwatchman is the solo project of American musician Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club and former Audioslave). Morello began performing as the Nightwatchman in 2003 as an outlet for his political views whil ...
;
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
,
Ida Maria Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen ( ; born 13 July 1984), better known simply as Ida Maria, is a Norwegian musician and songwriter. Biography Early life Maria was born and raised in Nesna. She taught herself to play guitar and began performing at loca ...
and Catch-22 *2010:
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
,
Violent Soho Violent Soho were an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in 2004 in the Brisbane suburb of Mansfield, Queensland originally under the name of "showroom". For the majority of the band's existence, the line-up was composed of Luke Bo ...
and New Politics;
Fanfarlo Fanfarlo are a London-based indie/alternative band formed in 2006 by Swedish musician Simon Balthazar. They fuse elements of folk, indie rock and post-punk using eclectic instrumentation including trumpet, violin, mandolin, musical saw, clari ...
;
Civil Twilight Twilight is light produced by sunlight scattering in the upper atmosphere, when the Sun is below the horizon, which illuminates the lower atmosphere and the Earth's surface. The word twilight can also refer to the periods of time when this ...
; Sit Down Baby; Fairhaven; Constellations; Santa Mamba;
The Wandas the WANDAS are an American rock band based out of Boston, Massachusetts, composed of Keith McEachern, Brent Battey, Ross J. Lucivero, and William Bierce. '' New Interface (a design with friends for the future)'' is the band's follow up to thei ...
(canceled); Sarah Potenza and the Tall Boys;
OK Go OK Go is an American rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar and vocals), Dan Konopka (drums and percussion), and ...
;
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
,
The Dear Hunter The Dear Hunter is an American progressive rock band originating in Providence, Rhode Island. It began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a member of the Receiving End of Sirens, before becoming his main band in 2006. The band's s ...
and
Manchester Orchestra Manchester Orchestra is an American indie rock band from Atlanta formed in 2004. The group is composed of rhythm guitarist-singer-songwriter Andy Hull, lead guitarist Robert McDowell, bassist Andy Prince and drummer Tim Very. Former drummer Jer ...
*2011: Santa Mamba,
Young the Giant Young the Giant is an American rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtois ...
, Deer Tick, Sleeper Agent,
Viva Brother Viva Brother are an English rock band from Slough, England. Previously known as Brother, they signed to Geffen Records in October and EMI Publishing in November 2010. Their debut album, '' Famous First Words'', was released on 1 August 2011, a ...
, VulGarity,
The Wandas the WANDAS are an American rock band based out of Boston, Massachusetts, composed of Keith McEachern, Brent Battey, Ross J. Lucivero, and William Bierce. '' New Interface (a design with friends for the future)'' is the band's follow up to thei ...
*2012:
Grouplove Grouplove (often typeset as GROUPLOVE) is an American alternative rock band that was formed in 2009 by Hannah Hooper (lead vocals, keyboards), Christian Zucconi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vo ...
,
Delta Spirit Delta Spirit is an American rock band from California, United States. The group consists of Jonathan Jameson (bass), Brandon Young (drums), Matthew Vasquez (vocals and guitars), Kelly Winrich (multi-instrumentalist), and William McLaren (guitar) ...
, White Rabbits,
Walk the Moon Walk the Moon (stylized as WALK THE MOON) is an American Rock music, rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Lead singer Nicholas Petricca started the band in 2006, while a student at Kenyon College, deriving the band's name from the song "Walki ...
, The Tower and the Fool, The Silks, The Rice Cakes *2013: New Politics, Torn Shorts,
The 1975 The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in 2002 in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Now based in Manchester, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Matthew "Matty" Healy, lead guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer G ...
,
The Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood (sometimes rendered as "THE NBHD") is an American rock band formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011. The band is composed of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, and bassist Mikey Margot. ...
,
The Mowgli's The Mowgli's were an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Background and formation Di Panni, Appelbaum, Trent, and Warren were all friends from Calabasas High School. They were joined by Earl, a childhood friend of some o ...
,
Cold War Kids Cold War Kids is an American alternative rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, ...
*2014:
Phantogram Phantogram may refer to: *Phantogram (band) *Phantogram (optical illusion) Phantograms, also known as Phantaglyphs, Op-Ups, free-standing anaglyphs, levitated images, and book anaglyphs, are a form of optical illusion. Phantograms use perspectiv ...
and The Brother Kite; The Rare Occasions and Torn Shorts;
Magic Man "Magic Man" is a song by the American rock band Heart released as a single off their debut album, '' Dreamboat Annie.'' Written and composed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the song is sung from the viewpoint of a young girl who is being seduced by a ...
and The Complaints;
Max Frost Matthew Alexander "Max" Frost is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Austin, Texas, who is signed to Atlantic Records. He has released two EPs: ''Low High Low'' in October 2013, and ''Intoxication'' in Septe ...
and Roz Raskin and The Rice Cakes; Kongos and Satellites Fall;
Sleeper Agent A sleeper agent, also called sleeper cell, is a spy who is placed in a target country or organization not to undertake an immediate mission but to act as a potential asset if activated. Even if unactivated, the "sleeper agent" is still an asset ...
and The Americans *2015:
Joywave Joywave is an American indie rock band from Rochester, New York, formed in 2010. Their lineup consists of Daniel Armbruster (vocals), Joseph Morinelli (guitar), and Paul Brenner (drums). The band first became known for its collaboration with ele ...
and Jetty; Public Alley and S. Walcott;
Saint Motel In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ort ...
and We Were Astronauts; In The Valley Below and The Rare Occasions; Andrew McMahon the Wilderness and Forest Fires; Life in Film and Le Roxy Pro *2016:
Ra Ra Riot Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard. History Ra Ra Riot formed in January 2006, playing at houses and ven ...
and The Heavy with VulGarrity
PVDFest

2016 WBRU Rock Hunt
winner
Le Roxy Pro
with Weezer tribute act The Blue Album, Mainland wit
Eric and the Nothing
Lucius Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...
with
Math the Band Math the Band is an American chiptune-based synthpunk band from Providence, Rhode Island formed in 2001 by Kevin Steinhauser. Originally being a solo project by Steinhauser, the band's style has been sometimes called Nintendocore. The band has ...
,
AURORA An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
with Young Lincoln, Nothing But Thieves with Tall Teenagers,
The Wombats The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards). ...
with Wild Sun. *2017:
The Unlikely Candidates The Unlikely Candidates are an American indie rock band from Keller, Texas, formed in 2008. The band consists of lead vocalist Kyle Morris, lead guitarist Brenton Carney, guitarist Cole Male, drummer Kevin Goddard, and bassist Jared Hornbeek. Thei ...
with Cannibal Runners, DREAMERS with The Beardogz,
Marian Hill Marian Hill is an American electronic duo from Philadelphia consisting of record producer Jeremy Lloyd and singer Samantha Gongol. The duo released their debut EP, ''Play'', in 2014, and released their second EP, ''Sway'', in 2015. The duo relea ...
with Call Security,
SWMRS SWMRS (formerly Emily's Army), pronounced 'swimmers', are an American punk rock band formed in Piedmont, California in 2004 by Cole Becker and Joey Armstrong, with Becker's brother Max Becker joining only a few weeks afterwards. They drew on a ...
with Neural Nation. *2018: Senior Discount, Khary, Stuyedeyed, Flawless Real Talk, Tomi,
Quentin Miller WDNG Crshrs (pronounced Wedding Crashers) are an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia consisting of Quentin Miller, and Thaddeus "TheCoolisMac" Callaway. In 2015, they released the mixtapes, ''UTDinfini ...
.


WBRU Birthday Bash

The station also has their Birthday Bash concerts in November to celebrate the station's anniversary. Although 95.5 WBRU first aired in February 1966 and Birthday Bash concerts are promoted with an anniversary date that dates to that year (i.e. 2016 as the station's 50th anniversary), the November date instead celebrates the first broadcasts made on its Brown Network ancestor in November 1936. From 2007 to 2010, the Birthday Bash was split from one concert to multiple concerts throughout November. Previously, the only time it was split was in 2001 where two concerts were held. Past Birthday bashes include: *1994: Stabbing Westward,
Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...
,
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
and
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
*1995:
Lisa Loeb Lisa Loeb (; born March 11, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author and actress. She started her career with the number 1 hit song "Stay (I Missed You)" from the film '' Reality Bites,'' the first number 1 single for an artist ...
,
Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gro ...
and Everclear *1996:
Superdrag Superdrag is an American alternative rock band from Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. They are best known for their 1996 single, " Sucked Out", off their album ''Regretfully Yours'', for which a video was played on MTV. The original lineup r ...
,
Republica Republica are an English alternative rock band formed in 1994. The height of their popularity spanned from 1996 to 1999. The current line-up consists of Saffron (vocals), Tim Dorney (keyboards), Johnny Male (guitar), Conor Lawrence (drums). T ...
,
Soul Coughing Soul Coughing was an American alternative rock band composed of vocalist/guitarist Mike Doughty (also known as M. Doughty), keyboardist/sampler Mark Degli Antoni, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and drummer Yuval Gabay. Soul Coughing developed a d ...
,
Local H Local H is an American rock band originally formed by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, bassist Matt Garcia, drummer Joe Daniels, and lead guitarist John Sparkman in Zion, Illinois in 1990. The members all met in high school in 1987 and found ...
,
Luscious Jackson Luscious Jackson is an alternative rock/ rap-rock group formed in 1991. The band's name is a reference to former American basketball player Lucious Jackson. The original band consisted of Jill Cunniff (vocals, bass), Gabby Glaser (vocals, guit ...
, G. Love and Special Sauce,
The Lemonheads The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member. After their initial punk-influenced releases and tour ...
, Goldfinger and
Fun Lovin' Criminals Fun Lovin' Criminals are an American rap rock band from New York City. They are best known for their hit "Scooby Snacks", which features samples from films by Quentin Tarantino, and the song "Love Unlimited", which recalls Barry White's backin ...
*1997:
Letters to Cleo Letters to Cleo is an American alternative rock band originating from Boston, Massachusetts, best known for the 1994 single, "Here & Now", from their full-length debut album, '' Aurora Gory Alice''. The band's members are Kay Hanley, Greg McKe ...
,
Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gro ...
,
Catherine Wheel Catherine wheel may refer to: * wheel or breaking wheel, an instrument of torturous execution originally associated with Saint Catherine of Alexandria * Catherine wheel (firework), a firework that rotates when lit Arts and entertainment * Cather ...
, Everclear,
Sneaker Pimps Sneaker Pimps are an English electronic music band, formed in Hartlepool in 1994. They are best known for their debut album, ''Becoming X'' (1996), and its singles " 6 Underground" and "Spin Spin Sugar". The band takes its name from an article ...
,
Days of the New Days of the New is an American rock band from Charlestown, Indiana, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians. They are best known for the hit singles "Touch, Peel and Stand", " ...
,
Blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
and
Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...
*1998:
Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...
, Cracker,
Local H Local H is an American rock band originally formed by guitarist and vocalist Scott Lucas, bassist Matt Garcia, drummer Joe Daniels, and lead guitarist John Sparkman in Zion, Illinois in 1990. The members all met in high school in 1987 and found ...
,
Everlast Erik Francis Schrody (born August 18, 1969), known by his stage name Everlast, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter, who was the frontman for hip hop group House of Pain. He was also part of the hip hop supergroup La Coka ...
,
Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy". History Early yea ...
,
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from Southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played at the Super Bowl XXXIII ha ...
,
Godsmack Godsmack is an American rock band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill, lead guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin. Since its forma ...
and
Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
*1999: G. Love and Special Sauce,
Vertical Horizon Vertical Horizon is an American alternative rock band, formed in Washington, D.C. Vocalists and guitarists Matt Scannell and Keith Kane started the band in 1991 when they were students at Georgetown University. The band have undergone multiple ...
,
Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
, Primus,
Our Lady Peace Our Lady Peace (sometimes shortened to OLP) is a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Led by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band currently also features Duncan Coutts on bass, Steve Mazur on guitars, and J ...
,
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
, Run-DMC, Staind, Kid Rock, Tori Amos and
Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy". History Early yea ...
*2000: Orgy (band), Orgy, Disturbed (band), Disturbed, Dexter Freebish, VAST, Linkin Park and Collective Soul *2001: Tantric (band), Tantric, 311 (band), 311, Adema and Lit; Coldplay, Remy Zero and Delta Clutch *2002:
SR-71 The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a Range (aeronautics), long-range, high-altitude, Mach number, Mach 3+ military strategy, strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporati ...
,
Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
, Ok Go and Box Car Racer *2003: The Crystal Method, Rancid (band), Rancid, Something Corporate,
Yellowcard Yellowcard is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use o ...
, Brand New, Kill Hannah, Story of the Year and Three Days Grace *2004: Skindred, Papa Roach, The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Lit,
Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria are an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. The band consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), an ...
, M-80 and The Presidents of the United States of America (band), Presidents of the United States of America *2005: Zox, Story of the Year, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Morningwood and Sasquatch and the Sick-a-Billys *2006:
My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...
and
Say Anything Say Anything may refer to: Film and television * '' Say Anything...'', a 1989 American film by Cameron Crowe * "Say Anything" (''BoJack Horseman''), a television episode Music * Say Anything (band), an American rock band ** ''Say Anything'' (alb ...
*2007: Avenged Sevenfold and Operator (band), Operator; Papa Roach and 10 Years (band), 10 Years; Against Me! and Sage Francis; Silversun Pickups, Triangle Forest and Steel Train; Cake (band), Cake and Detroit Cobras *2008:
Shiny Toy Guns Shiny Toy Guns is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2002. The band is composed of guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree, vocalist Carah Faye Charnow, keyboardist Jeremy Dawson, and drummer Mikey Martin. Their first studio ...
; Girl Talk (musician), Girl Talk and Senior Discount; Mindless Self Indulgence and Leathermouth *2009: Passion Pit;
Monty Are I Monty Are I (formerly known as Monty's Fan Club and Monty) is an American rock band from Cranston, Rhode Island. The band is named after the groups’s former music instructor, Arthur Montanaro. The "Are I" portion of the name is a pun on " ...
;
AFI AFI may refer to: * ''Address-family identifier'', a 16 bit field of the Routing Information Protocol * Ashton Fletcher Irwin, an Australian drummer * AFI (band), an American rock band ** ''AFI'' (2004 album), a retrospective album by AFI rele ...
and Gallows (band), Gallows; Silversun Pickups and
Cage the Elephant Cage the Elephant is an American rock band formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved to England, U.K. and settled in London in 2008, shortly before their self-titled first album was released. The band currently consists of Matt Shul ...
*2010:
Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and ...
and Jukebox the Ghost;
The Wandas the WANDAS are an American rock band based out of Boston, Massachusetts, composed of Keith McEachern, Brent Battey, Ross J. Lucivero, and William Bierce. '' New Interface (a design with friends for the future)'' is the band's follow up to thei ...
; Neutral Nation; Motion City Soundtrack,
Say Anything Say Anything may refer to: Film and television * '' Say Anything...'', a 1989 American film by Cameron Crowe * "Say Anything" (''BoJack Horseman''), a television episode Music * Say Anything (band), an American rock band ** ''Say Anything'' (alb ...
and Saves the Day; Matt & Kim and Javelin *2011: Matt & Kim,
Young the Giant Young the Giant is an American rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtois ...
and The Naked and Famous *2012: Passion Pit, The Joy Formidable,
Ra Ra Riot Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard. History Ra Ra Riot formed in January 2006, playing at houses and ven ...
and The Rice Cakes *2013:
The Neighbourhood The Neighbourhood (sometimes rendered as "THE NBHD") is an American rock band formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011. The band is composed of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, and bassist Mikey Margot. ...
,
The Mowgli's The Mowgli's were an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Background and formation Di Panni, Appelbaum, Trent, and Warren were all friends from Calabasas High School. They were joined by Earl, a childhood friend of some o ...
, IAMDYNAMITE,
Young the Giant Young the Giant is an American rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Francois Comtois ...
, Torn Shorts and The Colourist *2014: Dirty Heads, Rome Ramirez, Knox Hamilton and The Rare Occasions *2015:
Cold War Kids Cold War Kids is an American alternative rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, ...
, BØRNS, Coleman Hell and Public Alley *2016: Nathaniel Rateliff, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats, Weathers (band), Weathers and Le Roxy Pro *2017: no concert


News department

WBRU has a full news department, with sports news and entertainment news divisions. For 2007, they won the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Associated Press awards in the college division for Best Web Site, Best Investigative Reporting, Best Breaking News, Best Feature Reporting, Best Continuing Coverage, Best Sports Program, and Best Use of Sound, and the award for News Station of the Year.


Notable alumni

WBRU staff members have gone on to excel in a variety of areas. They include: *Christiane Amanpour, CNN Foreign Correspondent *Ralph Begleiter, former CNN correspondent and Distinguished Journalist in Residence, University of Delaware *Chris Berman, anchor, ESPN and ABC Sports *Lisa Birnbach, author, best known for editing ''The Official Preppy Handbook'' *Karyn Bryant, former MTV VJ, television personality, actress *Andy Fisher, president of Cox Communications, Cox Television *Ben Harvey (American radio personality), Ben Harvey, President of Palm Tree Records, former TV and radio host, Here! (TV network), SiriusXM, and WINS-FM, WXRK, New York City *Jonathan Klein (CNN), Jonathan Klein, president, CNN/U.S. *Bill Lichtenstein, Peabody Award-winning journalist, filmmaker and president, ''Lichtenstein Creative Media'' *Dan Maffei, United States Representative for New York's 24th congressional district *Ben Knox Miller and Jeffrey Prystowsky, who met while hosting the station's late night jazz program and subsequently formed the folk group The Low Anthem *Eric Nadel, sports announcer *Felice Schachter, actress and producer *Aaron Schatz, ESPN.com NFL analyst and founder of Football Outsiders *Rachel Smolkin, Deputy Managing Editor of POLITICO *Jane Spencer (journalist), Jane Spencer, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Wall Street Journal *Alison Stewart, host, ''All of It with Alison Stewart'' on WNYC, New York City * Dick Wingate, former SVP A&R PolyGram Records, SVP Marketing Arista Records, SVP Content & Programming Liquid Audio, Chief Content Officer, Nellymoser, Inc.


Stations


Notes

# Mitchell, Martha. (2003).
WBRU
" ''Encyclopedia Brunoniana''. # Schwartzapfel, Beth. (January/February 2006).
Radio Heads
" ''Brown Alumni Magazine''.


References


External links


WBRU official websiteWBRU Alumni of the 1960s
*
Buddy FM audio
April fools prank

{{Rock Radio Stations in Rhode Island Radio stations in Providence, Rhode Island, BRU Modern rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1966 1966 establishments in Rhode Island Brown University organizations Internet radio stations in the United States