by Gwen Howerton

What was the first band or artist that solidified your love of music?

The Beatles were definitely the first band that made me realize music would become a huge part of my life. My Dad introduced me to them when I was ten and I started collecting their albums on CD until I owned basically their entire discography. From sixties pop-rock I found mainstream rock from the 70s-90s, and later discovered the sub-genres of those decades like new wave, punk, post-punk, grunge, shoegaze etc.

How did you first hear about KANM, and what made you want to join?

I mainly joined KANM to meet other people that were passionate about music in the same ways that I was and that I could talk about the music that I cared about with. But I  was also largely motivated to join because KANM seemed like a community where I could find opportunities that were different and unique from the mainstream college culture and music scene at A&M and in College Station, which was really exciting to me and has helped make my experience at A&M feel like home.

What is your favorite memory from your time in KANM?

Undoubtedly what I’ll remember the most from my time in KANM was the Save the Music concert we put on in October and the hype within the org leading up to it. I specifically remember standing in an extremely crowded back corner of the venue with my friends the night of the show, watching everyone dance to a cover of When the Sun Hits by Slowdive performed by one of the bands, and thinking about how special it felt to finally see everything come together so successfully and everyone so happy.

Do you have a show? If so, what’s your favorite part about doing a show?

I have a show on Thursday evenings called In Between Days, where I play mostly 70’s and 80’s new wave and punk. Definitely one of my favorite parts of doing my show is being able to include some of the 80’s and 70’s vinyl I have in my collection and getting to play it on air. But I also just generally really enjoy being able to have a platform where I can talk more in depth about a band's discography, an album, or the history of a sub-genre that I’m interested in learning more about and that I assume other people will be interested in too.

Who are your favorite artists right now?

I consider some of my favorite artists to be Talking Heads, Oingo Boingo, JPEGMAFIA, Death Grips, Tyler, the Creator, Alvvays, New Order and Dead Kennedys. But lately I’ve been really into The Garden, Interpol, and Aphex Twin. I’ve also been revisiting some of the more pop leaning new wave artists like ABC and Tears for Fears.

What other extracurriculars are you involved in here at A&M?

In addition to KANM I’m also a member of Pre-Law Society, and this year I was a part of two different research organizations on campus. In one I’ve been doing research in nautical archeologly under the anthropology department, and I just finished my undergraduate history thesis with the other, which focused on child labor laws in the 1920s.

What’s your major, and what are your plans for after graduation?

I’m a History major with minors in Museum Studies and Pre-Law, and after I graduate next fall I’m planning to go to law school and pursue a J.D.

Check out some of Jannah's favorite tracks here: