On Sunday, October 29, Humphreys’ first-floor residents were left wondering where a sudden barrage of loud music was coming from, and why it was happening in the first place. Behind the racket was Brooklyn-based band Wince, performing live in the SITTV studio under Humphreys Hall in collaboration with WCPR.
Starting at 9 p.m., the Wince studio session lasted for approximately one hour and featured Wince’s most popular songs, such as “A Shuddering Sight” and “Spring Rounds.” The South Brooklyn-based band consists of four members: David Hernandez, Greg Stewart, Ryan Palmer, and William Ren, the last of whom is referred to as their parental guardian. In an interview with Wince, they said that two of their members, Ryan and David, have known each other since high school, saying, “We all knew each other for quite a while before the band came together just through mutuals and shows so it was just a matter of getting together and seeing who was a good fit!” Some of the members are also involved with other musical acts, like Weather Girl and Passive Aggressive, in the Brooklyn music scene. Known for their alternative indie rock music, Wince is one of the head curators of the alternative music venue “the Brooklyn Sack” and has been featured in the BrooklynVegan. They have also announced a new album coming out on November 10, a show in NYC at Market Hotel on November 17, and another album on December 15.
This last studio session with Wince is not the first collaboration between Stevens Institute of Technology TV (SITTV) and Castle Point Radio (WCPR). SITTV and WCPR began collaborating with two other studio sessions in February 2023, featuring artists Jug & the Bugs and Chris Walton. When asked about working with these artists, SITTV president Lawrence Bernal positively comments, “All of the artists we brought over so far like Chris Walton, Jug & The Bugs, and Wince are not only talented, but all of them are personable and engaging people,” and adding, “There is a little bit of a star-struck element to it.”
WCPR president Daniel Korzen, an avid listener of underground music groups, first discovered Wince at Trans Pecos, saying, “[I] was instantly hooked cause they reminded me [of] a lot of groups I had grown up listening to like Slint and had something super unique to their sound.” He sent them a message on Instagram inviting them to play at Stevens when they posted a story about playing at college shows. Korzen intends to continue collaborating with SITTV and has groups in mind that he wants to invite, naming High, Screenager, Big Stink, In Blue, and Lightheaded, among many others. He says, “I’m just very invested in the NJ scene and want these sessions to not only capture this moment in music but [also] expose artists to more listeners.” In addition, Korzen enthusiastically expresses that he wants Stevens’ artists to join in and gain exposure as well. Bernal shares the same sentiment, saying, “Overall, we hope to continue bringing in more local talent for recording sessions.” WCPR has a Sound of Stevens form on their linktr.ee for any interested artist of any genre. No upcoming collaborations have been confirmed as of yet, but both WCPR and SITTV will continue to work together to plan future studio sessions. To note, Wince commented about the collaboration, “Everybody was super friendly and helpful! The studio was also such a surprise and it was really professional but also a relaxed environment. We had a ton of fun!”
While Wince was performing in the SITTV studio, above the studio sits Humphreys Hall, interim home to over 100 Stevens students. A Fizz post was made commenting “Ok who tf is playing the guitar in Humphreys” and a few students briefly opened the door to the studio to see what was going on.
WCPR and SITTV happily welcome any artist looking to collaborate with them. Students can tune in to WCPR to discover new artists and music or wait until they are startled by the next studio session down beneath Humphreys Hall in the SITTV studio.
