Five hundred people at a school event? It may seem hard to believe, but the Gargoyle was able to pull it off last Tuesday, when its Matt Nathanson concert drew a crowd of 500, its official capacity, said Gargoyle Chair Eric Garza. Two days later, with the help of KWUR, they did it again, bringing in nearly 300 people to see underground MC Brother Ali perform. The success of these shows is just another example of how Wash. U. is a great place to hear good music.

For years, the Gargoyle has been bringing famous and about-to-be famous acts to campus. Before anyone heard of them, the Killers played in the Mallinckrodt basement. As did Howie Day, Motion City Soundtrack, Parliament Funkadelic, Ben Kweller and Guster, according to the Gargoyle’s Web site. And while outsiders would have to pay to see these shows, most concerts at the Gargoyle are free to Wash. U. students.

And the Gargoyle isn’t done yet, as it hosts critically acclaimed (even by this very newspaper) Ted Leo and the Pharmacists on Sunday. While this particular show is not free, tickets to see the indie rocker in Tampa, Fla., are double the price they are here, costing $10 in Tampa and only $5 for Wash. U. students at the Gargoyle.

The Gargoyle is not alone in bringing good music to campus. With unique programming throughout the day and until 2 or 3 a.m. every day except for Saturday, KWUR is always playing the best in underground music. And the best is an accurate statement: a recent Student Life article detailed how KWUR was one of the first stations in the country to play Nirvana, and the Riverfront Times anointed KWUR the best radio station in St. Louis in 2003, calling the student-run radio station “a 10,000-milliwatt powerhouse.”

It is this description that has often kept KWUR down. Consistently denied a wattage upgrade by the Federal Communications Commission, it is hard to hear KWUR on the radio even on the South 40. But in recent years, the KWUR Web site (www.kwur.com) has been streamlined to allow for very easy access to listen; all it takes is a click of the mouse and KWUR will be playing in iTunes or whatever your preferred music player is.

People are definitely starting to tune in: the Web site averaged 3,336 hits a day in October from over 30 colleges and 17 countries, said Promotions Director Elliot Darvick. Darvick also estimated that the average prime-time show has 40 to 50 listeners, but since the KWUR computer can only measure how many people are listening over the computer, and it’s impossible to know exactly how many people are listening on one computer, it is hard to capture the exact amount of listeners.

Led by Darvick, KWUR worked tirelessly to promote the little-known Brother Ali. A group of KWUR DJs even went as far as to hand out donuts while playing Brother Ali’s music the morning of the concert to try to pack the house, in addition to the usual dormstorming. The Gargoyle is no promotions slouch either, plastering campus hotspots like Wohl with flyers for upcoming shows.

Anybody who enjoys music should give these two organizations a try. If you’re just hanging out in your room, turn on KWUR and listen to your classmates play the best music in St. Louis. And if you have the time, go see a show at the Gargoyle. Who knows what band will be big in two years, but don’t be surprised if they’re playing at the Gargoyle or on KWUR now.

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