Kay Spiritual Life Center is a haven for students who want to meditate, reflect on faith or connect with their religious community. But this Saturday, it'll be a haven for students who love to rock out, when WVAU, AU's student-run radio station, hosts the first of what it plans to be a series of concerts in the Kay Basement.
The basement can be reserved by anyone, although priority is given to on-campus religious and nonreligious groups and then any group outside of the AU community, according to the Kay Spiritual Life Center Web site.
WVAU's choice of venue results from a change in focus of the radio station's executive board, according to Lindsay Zoladz, WVAU's general manager.
"We wanted to do smaller shows so that we could have more options with our budget and so we could explore the local scene," Zoladz said. "Kay [as a venue] was more conducive to what we stood for."
One unique part of WVAU's shows in Kay is that they are free and open to the entire D.C. community, not just AU students.
"I really like being able to have a venue for local bands on our campus," said Jessica Bettencourt, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs. "It makes me feel like the campus is actually part of the life of the city."
WVAU is somewhat new to hosting shows in Kay, but Zoladz helped put on shows in Kay with the Independent Arts Collective. The group brought wizard-rock act Harry and The Potters to the Kay Basement in January of this year.
Zoladz said she used the skills she learned from planning shows with the Independent Arts Collective to help make the upcoming WVAU show successful. In part, this show is about "learning how to do it the right way," she said.
Part of doing it "the right way" is booking high-energy and highly entertaining bands. The lineup for Saturday's show promises a mix of local and foreign talent that brings new and lively music to the front of the stage.
Mika Miko is a high-energy, all-girl punk band from Los Angeles with a fierce sound that induces dancing, or at least something more than the typical indie head-bobbing. The band's songs are a sort of well-composed thrashing that seems complex, though delivered with ease.
The Apes will also bring their local talent and frenetic, attention-grabbing music to the show. Their sound is engulfing, and their use of a Deep Purple-style electric organ has an oozy, flowing quality.
Pre, a fast punk band from London, has a loud, rapid bashing sound that begs flailing to it. They play a high-density, short and power-packed set that would be impossible to listen to without turning up the volume.
Perhaps the odd men out in this show are The Subjects, whose easy, power-pop sound owes a lot to The Kinks. The Brooklyn-based band has a laid-back energy that builds in intensity, making for a good and easy listen.
This partnership between Kay and the music community is not a new phenomenon. Last year, the Community Action and Social Justice coalition hosted a show in the Kay Basement that benefited an alternative break to Brazil.
WVAU's concert series will run throughout the year. For more information, contact WVAU at 202-885-1212.
