A WECB Show Profile: New Waves

by Karigan Wright

Emerson’s Charlie St Michel hosts New Waves every Tuesday from 2-3pm on wecb.fm. The show features '80s alternative, rock, punk, and new wave, all genres often looked over. I decided to sit down and tune in to his December 4th show, where he played a mix of songs, including classics, “Mr. Blue Sky”, by Electric Light Orchestra, “Whip It,” by DEVO, “Just Can’t Get Enough,” by Depeche Mode. I decided to sit down with St Michel to learn more about New Waves and the man behind it.

How long have you been on the air for WECB? Has your show changed along the way?

This is my third semester with WECB and I’ve done New Waves the whole time. My show has definitely changed just as I find more bands and artists I'm interested in, and as more friends recommend music to me!

Tell us about your show!

New Waves is where I play the best alternative songs of the ’80s from pop to rock and anything in between!

Why did you decide to focus on '80s alternative, rock, punk, and new wave? Is there something about music from the '80s that you think is special?   

My mother was and, well, still is a huge fan of '80s alternative music so I owe a lot of my music taste to her. I also feel like the '80s was a revolutionary period in music as it became more accessible to everyone and you really see an emergence of underground music. Also I just really like synths.

What do you personally add to your show? Do you have blurbs in-between songs?

I like to focus on playing songs during my show but always make sure to introduce the song and artist. I've found a lot of songs from movies so sometimes I'll mention that, or if I've seen an artist in concert I'll usually talk about that.

What inspired you to have your own radio show?

I tried out for WERS my freshman year and didn't get it but was still very interested in radio and tried WECB.  I'm super glad I did because I love the creativity and freedom there is at WECB!

What’s your relationship with music been like growing up?

Music has always been super important to me. I have memories of being a kid on a road trip with my walkman playing The Beach Boys on loop for just hours!  Middle school is when I got into The Clash and that's when I really started exploring music for myself! Ever since then it's been a huge part of my life and I'm super glad it has been!

St Michel put on an exciting and nostalgic show, not only bringing us back to the eccentric and unmistakable sound of the ‘80s, but also introducing us to different groups of '80s alternative music, rock, and pop. His introduction of each song was just enough information for his show, choosing to focus on the music for his hour-long time slot. As St Michel posted on the New Waves Facebook page, he certainly played upbeat music to help us all get through finals week!

Be sure to keep an eye out for New Waves after winter break!