To celebrate College Radio Day this Friday, Weber State University’s radio station, KWCR, is sponsoring two events featuring live music. This year marks the fifth annual College Radio Day. This year is the 50th anniversary of KWCR and the first year that KWCR has participated in College Radio Day as an all-digital station.
“These are big events for us. This is stuff we have never really done in the past. I think with the closing of Mojo’s there’s been sort of a void kind of in the Ogden music scene. I feel it’s a really big opportunity for us to step in and kind of attach the KWCR name to some of the local acts that are around here and sort of assert ourselves as the local place for new music,” Andrew Leon, the general manager of KWCR, said.
The celebration kicks off at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Grounds for Coffee on 3005 Harrison Blvd. KWCR will be sponsoring an open mic night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the coffee shop. According to KWCR music director Michaela Funtanilla, there will be plenty of prizes and freebies at the event.
Grounds for Coffee hosts an open mic night every first and third Monday of the month. Funtanilla says KWCR is trying to promote Grounds for Coffee’s open mic night, which already has a large following, while informing people it is College Radio Day
Saturday night, the celebration of College Radio Day will continue with live musical performances by Josaleigh Pollett, Clint Stanger and the Honey Suns on the rooftop bar at Alleged on 25th street in Ogden. Both Josaleigh Pollett and Clint Stanger are former Weber State University students. The event starts at 8:00 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m.
Alleged is home to the only rooftop bar in Ogden and the largest rooftop bar in Utah, according to owner Jared Allen. Opened for business in 2013, this historic building—which was once a successful brothel—has been restored into a speak-easy themed bar, featuring over 20 themed, signature cocktails. It is open Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and can be booked for private parties.
Allen has brought bands such as The Raven and The Writing Desk and the Brocks to Alleged. Allen also coordinated the Ogden Twilight Series this past summer and brought over 4,000 people to Ogden to see bands such as Purity Ring and Built to Spill.
A self-described “music junkie,” Allen said “Ogden has a better local music scene than I initially realized. I think there’s a lot of fun stuff going on. The biggest thing for me is trying to pull in more diversity in terms of sound.”
The open mic night at Grounds for Coffee and the event at Alleged are both free. All ages are encouraged to attend open mic night at Grounds for Coffee, but you must be 21-years or older to attend the event at Alleged.
For more information, visit the KWCR Facebook page.
