Streaming live into your dorm room, apartment, or cubicle at Powell, Aria Davis and Evan Neubauer are the hosts of MAPS on UCLA Radio! Combining all things Music, Art, Print, and Style, the duo takes topics from their daily conversations and turn them into a forum accented with awesome music. Her Campus interviewed the two with hopes of finding out the secret to their on-air success!
Her Campus: Did either of you have any experience in radio before? What made you want to start your own show?
Evan Neubauer: Yes. We both did. Before starting MAPS, I was the Director of UCLA Radio News. I now do both MAPS and the weekly news broadcast. Aria and I talked about everything in the name of the show all the time and one day realized we needed to have a radio show!
Aria Davis: I’ve been a part of UCLA Radio since my freshman year, but this is my first show in quite a while. I just wanted to have a fun show with a friend and when Evan and I started throwing ideas around, it had to happen!
HC: What are some of your own favorite singers or bands?
EN: I love Uh Huh Her, Norah Jones, El Perro Del Mar, The National, Amy Winehouse, Little Jackie, Nadine Coyle, and Nicola Roberts. If I just want to dance around, I’ll throw on some Girls Aloud or Roisin Murphy.
AD: Give me anything folky with some harmonies thrown in and I’m likely to fall for it. I love Beirut, Local Natives, Grizzly Bear…artists in that vein. At the moment, I’m really into bands with a chillwave/electro sound. Low End Theory artists like Flying Lotus are on a constant loop. Also artists like SBTRKT, Washed Out, and The Weeknd.
HC: How do you decide which songs to play on the air?
EN: We have themed weeks! For example, we had a Nineties week recently where we played Nineties music and talked about movies and art, children’s books, and style!
AD: On last weeks show, Evan and I decided to be opposites! I played very chill and calming music, and he played upbeat runway music. Really, it’s all about the themes! They keep our show in check.
HC: What has been your favorite show this quarter?
EN: I think the Nineties show actually was my favorite. It was fun playing the music on the radio. We also talked about outfits we wore in school portraits. The highlight of my portraits was second grade. Think overalls, my two favorite stuffed animals, and a bunch of missing teeth.
AD: For another show we had a friend of ours, Moses Sumney, come into the studio. After he joined in on our typical MAPS discussion, he played a few songs for us. T’was pretty awesome!
HC: Will there be any expected changes for Spring?
AD: Our intern, Bridgette Hanley, will be joining us on MAPS! Very exciting. And expect more epic themed shows, more amazing guests, and, well, just more amazing MAPS times in general!
EN: Also, it is my last quarter at UCLA and on UCLA Radio, so expect a consistent discussion of what I plan to do with my life after graduation.
HC: Who have been your favorite on-air guests or callers?
EN: When had our friend Moses Sumney in the station. That was pretty fun!
AD: A few weeks ago, we gave away tickets to see Brit-pop boyband The Wanted. The girl who called in and won the tickets was absolutely ecstatic. I couldn’t help but think of boyband fans in the 90’s. It was great to hear someone be that excited over winning tickets on our show!
HC: If you could have any guest star on MAPS, who would it be?
EN: Definitely Nadine Coyle. Her Irish accent is so awesome. Also, she has an amazing singing voice. Maybe I could convince her to sing a song or twelve.
AD: I think Karen O (lead lady of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) would be an awesome guest on MAPS! Not only does her band kill, but she’s got some amazing stage costumes! It’d be so interesting to interview her and pick her brain a bit.
HC: What did you think of the Grammy’s this year?
EN: They were wonderful! I am my grandmother’s favorite grandchild, so naturally I swept the ceremony.
AD: The Grammy’s are a pretty much a joke, in my opinion. All spectacle and not as much about the music. You pretty much watch it so you can discuss it with other people the next day.
HC: What song is most played on your iPod?
EN: “Not a Love Song” by Uh Huh Her. Download it immediately!
AD: “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear. It’s my favorite song to wake up to in the morning. Oh so beautiful and harmonious!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCLA chapter.