April's DJ of the Month scorches the airwaves on Friday evenings with an eclectic blend of experimental, hardcore, and more! DJ Batboi speaks at length on being one of our two Loud Rock Directors, the origins of his moniker, and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to interview one of his favorite artists.
Name: Ethan Gilardi
DJ Name: DJ Batboi
Exec Position: Loud Rock Director
Show Name: The Sad Sack Sack of Sads
Show Genre: Metal/Experimental/Emo/Folk
Major: Ecology, Evolution & Natural Resources
Hometown: Clark, NJ
What's the explanation behind your DJ name?
I've used that name online for a while because, SURPRISE: I'm actually a bat biologist! I've been working on field projects with bats throughout the state for the past four years. I net for wild bats, run a project that sets out detectors to record bat calls, and give educational talks about NJ's bats.
How long have you been at 90.3 The Core?
I've been here about a year.
What made you want to join The Core?
I had a few friends who have worked at the station and wanted to give it a shot. I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to play weird stuff over the airwaves!
Can you recall a memorable moment from one of your shows?
So my show starts out pretty extreme. I start off with a song before I mic break and I usually pick something LOUD. Blast out of the gate with some Converge or Dillinger or Code Orange. Well, I apparently frightened DJ Sofa's mom, who had just been listening to her daughter's chilled-out show when all of a sudden we made the abrupt shift to my show.
I'm sorry Sophie's mom, I know... Pig Destroyer isn't for everyone.
What's it like being a Loud Rock Director?
It's been super fun!
Having two Directors (shout outs to Joe!) works really well for a genre like this. Metal has so many subgenres and styles, it's extremely difficult to account for all of the diversity when adding new albums. But with two of us, we can focus on the bands and styles we love. Joe handles the hard rock and more accessible types of metal, so I can focus on the more extreme metal and experimental bands. Yin & Yang, or something like that, haha.
Earlier this year, you interviewed art-metal group Daughters for the Core. What was that experience like?
I’d say that was an amazing and entirely overwhelming experience! I’ve never interviewed anyone of note before, so my first big get being Daughters, a band I’ve listened to for like a decade, was daunting. But Alexis Marshall was a such a nice person and thought his responses through and really answered my questions. It was like talking to an old friend, despite my nervous energy. I couldn’t have hoped for a better time there. And it really showed what great performers these guys are! Backstage, Alexis was calm and soft spoken and funny, but a completely different animal took the stage. I have never seen a man produce that much saliva! Or get their entire hand in their... mouth while clawing their chest bloody... yeah, Daughters is an interesting band, what can I say?
Also shout outs to the lovely Abby Allegro for being there to help me out and keep me calm! Anyway, the lesson here is to just go for it! Whatever it is! Because sometimes large promotion companies will let you interview famous people despite you having absolutely no experience or idea what you’re doing. 🙂
Tell us a little about what artists/bands you've been listening to recently.
Daughters, KEN Mode, Show Me The Body, Lightning Bolt, Mom Jeans, & the Mountain Goats (of course <3)
Any advice to new/prospective DJs?
Play weird stuff!! If you can hear it on any other radio station, don't play it on your show. College radio has a ton of freedom in how we broadcast, so take advantage of that. Play your guilty pleasure songs. Play that deep cut, Japanese B-side. Play stuff by a band with like 50 likes on Facebook. There's nothing wrong with liking popular music (I mean I love and play a lot of it too), but don't fall into the College Radio Top 40 rut. For every few songs, try to play something new, something you just discovered, that you don't think people know about.
Or be like me and play the legal limit of Mountain Goats tunes literally every show. ¯_(ツ)_/¯