On Sunday nights, from 10-11 p.m., first-years Sonia Erbe and Kiran George host their WRCU radio show, “R(EverythingIn)B(etween).” The show features a mix of their current favorite rhythm and blues (R&B) songs as well as their thoughts on pop culture topics and their personal lives.
Outside of their show, Erbe and George are both members of the Colgate University track and field team; Erbe competes in the high jump and long jump, and George competes as a pentathlete. At the start of the academic year, the pair became fast friends during their high jump practices.
“We do track together and we are from the same area at home, but we didn’t really know each other until we started practicing together and realized that we are like the same person,” George said.
Erbe and George strengthened their initial bond as teammates through their joint love of music. The two would discuss their favorite songs — “Self Control” by Frank Ocean and “Slow Motion” by Don Toliver, respectively — as well as their favorite musical artists and genres. After building this connection and listening to some of their other friends’ radio shows during their first semester on campus, they were inspired to try it themselves.
“We both love music and we both love to talk. After realizing we have very similar music tastes, it just seemed like it would be a lot of fun,” George said.
Erbe explained why the show focuses on R&B music.
“A lot of the stations stick to more indie or folk music and we didn’t hear a lot of R&B channels,” Erbe said.
However, when discussing their choice of the show’s name, the pair explained that they did not want to limit themselves to a singular genre of music.
“We wanted to do something that’s right in the middle, which is why we called it ‘R&(EverythingIn)B(etween),’” George said.
At the start of each week, they begin to curate their music lineup by collaborating to create a Spotify playlist with songs that inspire them.
While their music tastes are similar, they are still unique in their own right.
“[George] and I bring different types of songs to the table, but we both like each other’s music,” Erbe said.
They look to balance their individual tastes, but how they accomplish this differs every week.
“Either one person has more of their music dominate or we split it where we add songs that we both like,” George said.
Artists that are frequently featured on their show include George’s favorites, Drake and Don Toliver, as well as Erbe’s favorites, Frank Ocean and Smino. However, the two want to provide their audience with new music and artists in each show. The pair even occasionally challenges themselves to do themed shows, like ’90s week or jazz week.
“[Themed weeks] are super fun because they give us a chance to discover new music,” Erbe said. “[George] and I hadn’t listened to that much jazz before our jazz week.”
With only three shows left this semester, George and Erbe are excited to continue to expose their listeners to the music that brings them so much joy. The two also hope to continue their music journey together over the next few years through WRCU.
