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Join Casey and Perla in this special episode of The College Exchange as we celebrate Pride month! We talk about the ever famous musical "Rent" and the underdog anime "Yuri!!! on Ice" Lots of laughs and love in this one!

Amira Jazeera is a queer Palestinian-American musician. In 2025 she released her debut album entitled: 'The Amira Diaries'. The creation of the album was a healing process for her. In 2026, she released a brand new single 'Young, Sexy, Carefree'. In this interview, host Peter Kreten learns how Jazeera learned to make music on her Father's computer, how music heals, and why music sounds better on a...

'No Justice, No One Piece' is a brand new anime focused podcast hosted by Danny Justic and Perla Cobos. In this debut episode, Danny and Perla covered the first 3 arcs of the anime/ manga (Romance Dawn, Orange Town, and Syrup Village). They discuss the politics of the show, what stood out to them, and what connections we were able to draw to past and present events in our own world. This is a can'...

Kicked By A Hand is a ska band inspired by punk rock giants Blink-182 and Green Day. Fronted by RJ Ramanauskas, Kicked By A Hand has evolved from a solo project to a multi-person project. RJ sat down with Peter Kreten to share how they came up with the name for their project, how re-listening to cds helped them learn how to play guitar, and their approach to songwriting and finding the right time...

Griefeater is a “blackened alternative-emo” band from Chicago. The Chicago Reader named their debut album ‘Worn‘ as one of the Best Albums of 2025. With guitar heavy riffs and picturesque lyrics, Griefeater paints an image of Chicago that lives in your imagination. Ethan Rader and Lukas Skucas share with host Peter Kreten how the band wrote their critically acclaimed album ‘Worn’, how Zines and ot...

In this time of financial uncertainty, financial literacy is even more important than it ever was. Knowing what a credit score is, how it impacts interest rate on loans, and knowing how much to save can have a massive impact on your everyday life. Peter Kreten sits down with members of the Northwest Community Credit Union. Kreten is joined by NWCCU CEO Jose Garica, student intern Conor Murray, and...

Maris O'Tierney aka Park Hills Circle is a singer songwriter residing in the Chicagoland area, and along with her twin sister Quinn, is part of duo Maeve & Quinn. Under the Park Hills Circle name, O'Tierney will be releasing her debut solo album 'All of a Sudden' on July 10th, 2026. In her conversation with Peter Kreten, O'Tierney discusses how picturesque landscapes of Alaska and western Ireland...

Spencer Krug is a member of legendary indie rock bands Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Moonface, and has a prolific solo career. On May 15, 2026, he will be releasing his latest album 'Same Fangs'. Peter Kreten recently spoke with Spencer to learn about Same Fang's minimalist approach, how songwriting is his therapy, and what it's like to go viral. He also reveals some exciting Wolf Parade news. Phot...

Jane Hobson is a alternative singer songwriter from Madison Wisconsin, who residue in Chicago. Jane describes her music as almost journal entries to what she is experiencing in life at the current moment. In this interview, Peter Kreten speaks with Jane on the phone to learn how the over structure of musical theater pushed to her to performing her own music, her approach to writing, and how the lo...

In the latest episode of The college Exchange, Casey and Perla invite a very special guest onto the podcast, Features Writer of The Xavierite Niki! As a Muppet expert and enthusiast, we talk with Niki about all things in the Muppet-verse.

From their Bandcamp, "ABOLISHVICTORY! is the purveyor of the original sounds of R&Beyond ". Their unique blend of R&B, soul, and folk give Abolishvictory1 a sound like none other. On April 24th, Nicholas and Marcus from Abolishvictory! joined Peter Kreten at the WXAV studios to discuss how the band came together, their approach to songwriting, and how not to be pigeonholed. Photo Credit: ABOLISHVI...

Reva K is a pop musician from the Chicagoland area, who will be releasing her debut album 'Welcome to 20 Something' on May 29, 2026. In this interview, Peter Kreten sits down with Reva to learn how a trip to a toy store with her Grandmother inspired her to play guitar, how The Beatles influenced her music tastes, and her approach to writing music, and how it's best not to overthink it. Photo Credi...

Irish Marlowe is a country western musician who incorporates gothic horror themes, along with some B movie love, into her music. In this interview, Peter Kreten sits down with Iris to learn how she transitioned from playing piano to guitar, her approach to songwriting and how it's a balance between being boarder or more personal, and her new album 'Dead by Dawn'. Photo Credit: @mmmmmmuniz on Insta...

To celebrate this year's Vinlython, Peter Kreten and Laura Blachowicz sat down with Cheekface. In this interview, members Greg Katz, Amanda Tannen, and Mark Edwards share their favorite albums to listen to on vinyl, share the origin of playing 'Noodles' multiple times in a row, preview their new album called 'Podium', and discuss the importance of college radio. You will become a Cheekfreak after...

The College Exchange: a podcast where Perla recommends Casey an anime and Casey recommends Perla a musical. Sharing their interests with each other, Perla and Casey discuss various topics in the themed series.

The Transference is an indie pop band from the Chicago area who pairs dark melodies with lyrics that explore community and connectedness. In this interview, Peter Kreten sits down with Laura Hollingsworth from The Transference to learn how the band came together, how they shot their great DIY lyric video for 'Dovetail', and how the Smashing Pumpkins and Fleetwood Mac influenced their latest album...

Won't Stay Dead "is a horror-themed punk band from Chicago, blending catchy hooks and harmonies with macabre lyrics." In this interview, Peter Kreten sits down with Violet Staley, Saffron Lair, and Tyler Palermo to learn how the band came together, how their latest album 'Vindication' is their most personal album, and how horror themes influence their songwriting. Photo Credit: Photo by Kennedy Co...

Time Thieves is an alternative rock band that has its roots in the DIY punk community. On this week's edition of 773 Sounds, Peter Kreten is joined in studio by Jonathan Pool and Tim Reynolds to discuss their album release showing happening at the Empty Bottle on Feb. 26th, the best way to discover new music, and what bands they'd love to go on tour with. Photo Credit: Stephanie Peterson. Used wit...

The Arrivals are a legendary punk rock band from Blue Island, Illinois. 773 Sounds host Peter Kreten caught up with Ronnie DiCola (Drums) and Little Dave Merriman (Vocals & Guitar) to discuss their first new album, after a 15 year hiatus, Payload, how the band approaches their songwriting, and reminisce about the glory days of the Fireside Bowl. Photo Credit: John Oakes. Used with Permission

Abstract Mindstate is a legendary hip-hop duo from the south and west side of Chicago. 773 Sounds host Peter Kreten caught up with E.P Da Hellcat and Olskool Ice-Gre from Abstract Mindstate to discuss their latest record 'The Art Project', their approach to working with Young RJ from Slum Village, and how wild crowds in Europe are. Photo Credit: Sam Nunez Photography, @samnunezphotography on Insta...

The Empty Pockets are an Americana, folk, blues rock band from Chicago. 773 Sounds host Peter Kreten is joined by Adam Balasco [drums], Josh Solomon [guitar, vocals], Erika Brett [keyboards, vocals], and Nate Bellon [bass, vocals] to discuss their latest live album "Live in Buffalo with Elliot Scozzaro, their approach to songwriting, and what's it like recording an album in Studio 2 of Abbey Road....

Almost There But Not Really is "Indie Band on the South Side of Chicago playing sad songs with chime guitars and ambient trials". In this interview Peter Kreten sits down with Jay and Armando from Almost There But Not Really to learn how the band begun, how Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day influenced how Jay performs, and how Armando approaches songwriting. Photo Credit: Almost There But Not Re...

Los Tamales is a jazz band from the south side of Chicago and Chicagoland area. In this interview Peter Kreten sits down with Cesar Vazquez and Sebastian Santos from Los Tamales to learn how they developed their unique sound that incorporates jazz, funk, R&B, and Latin music, how the band formed, and their approach to live performances. Photo Credit: Los Tamalas Jazz Band. Used with Permission

Alyssa Allgood is the 2024 'Best Individual Jazz Musician' in the Chicago Reader Poll. She is a jazz singer, songwriter, and music educator. In this interview, Peter Kreten sits down with Alyssa to learn how to discovered jazz, how she uses her voice as an instrument, and her writing approach for hew new EP entitled: 'Leap'. Photo Credit: Matt Baker. Used with Permission

The Railway Gamblers are a Cosmic Americana Band that hail from the south side of Chicago. In this interview, Peter Kreten sits down with Matt Fricks, Brendan Folliard, and Sean Wilmsen to learn how the Gamblers came together, how friendship influences their music and the band, and how work is progressing on their forthcoming album. Photo Credit: AJ Roccaforte (@ajroccaforte) . Used with Permissio...