In the ever-expanding population of the Texas A&M campus, there’s one organization that seems to attract the goths, punks, alts and indie-goers more than any other: KANM. The collective of some of the most cultured Aggies on campus also hosts its very own radio station, which is accessible online at kanm.tamu.edu and listenable 24/7. On top of that, the station has made an undeniable impact on the music scene of Aggieland.
KANM originally started out as the student-led radio club formed long before any current students can seem to remember. Since then, the station has been moved from the radio waves to the internet, electrical engineering junior and ‘zine Editor-in-Chief Joshua Reyes said.
“We’re an alternative, college radio station [focusing] on indie, underground music you wouldn’t normally hear on the FM radio,” KANM’s music director and history senior Jannah Burgess said. “KANM provides a space for anyone who doesn’t feel like they fit into the mainstream culture of A&M.”
Each member of KANM can apply to be a DJ for the station, where they are allotted one hour per week to play music they like or discuss topics they’re passionate about. Reyes runs “Maison Music,” a show that can be heard between 5 and 6 p.m. on Thursdays.
“I like to market it as a fashion show, but it’s more than just that. It’s a general lifestyle show,” Reyes said.
His hour of airtime alternates between playing music of his choice and segments where guests have the opportunity to talk about their own takes on fashion.
“I bring on guests, we talk about fashion … The conversation meanders about,” Reyes said. “We’re bigger than that. We’re the community for those that enjoy music, and that doesn’t mean explicitly that we only talk about music. We talk about a lot of other things. People just hang out.”
KANM can provide a place for those of all types of interests and tastes to express their love of all kinds of media, not just music. Archaeology senior and assistant programming director Harmon Patriquin said that the organization serves as a common ground for every kind of music, movie, book and fashion lover.
“KANM is a place for the people at A&M who need to go against that current of everything else at A&M,” Patriquin said. “[It’s] a counter-cultural crowd, a lot of goths, a lot of punks and sometimes people who just love music and don’t feel like they’re part of any of that group.”
Even after offering a platform for those who go against the mainstream, KANM still leaves plenty of room for those who maybe don’t have as niche of tastes. Public relations director and architecture junior Eren Rudd says that every person can share their voice at KANM, whether you listen to unknown artists with less than 100,000 monthly listeners, or whatever happens to be on the charts.
“If you like music, you’re welcome here … We have members from literally all walks of life,” Rudd said.
Outside of the borders of campus, KANM’s impact can still be visible in the local music scene because of KANM’s annual “Save the Music” concert, Rudd said. Rudd said “Save the Music” is a student-run concert that hosts a number of local bands and is held at The 101 in Bryan.
“[Save the Music] makes people more aware that there is stuff like that out there, here,” Burgess said.
There are plenty of bands that originate right here out of College Station, and KANM, through their Save the Music concert, helps get their name out and songs played.
“As part of the broader A&M community, we’re an outlet for creative people,” Reyes said. “I don’t know any other clubs that encompass the arts as we do.”
