During his freshman and sophomore years, radio-television-film alumnus Aly Gomaa worked at KVRX and hosted a radio show called “Psych Out.” Now, he’s on the team organizing Austin Psych Fest as a festival producer and coordinator, with the help of public relations alumna Gab Soong, the director of business development who also worked at KVRX.
Soong and Gomaa said working at KVRX gave them the foundation for the jobs they are working now. After covering the festival as students with KVRX, a year after graduating, they started working for Resound and Levitation, which present the festival.
“(It was great) being able to … experience the Austin music scene and all the avenues that it gave us,” Gomaa said. “Whether it was ‘Local Live’ or being able to cover shows … (and getting) to see a show for free that you really wanted to see because KVRX gave you that opportunity.”
This year’s psych fest runs from April 25-27 at the Far Out Lounge and features artists Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Dinosaur Jr., Explosions in the Sky, the solo piece of Geordie Greep, who is the frontman of the rock band Black Midi, and more.
“(Psych Fest is) an important part of the history and culture of Austin,” Soong said. “(The festival) started in 2008 when psych rock was in its heyday. A lot of legends were in Austin around that time, and they took advantage of something special and have kept it going for so long … as a truly independent festival, which is so hard to do.”
As a student, Gomaa worked on a documentary project focusing on Austin music venues and now works with many of the people he featured. He worked at Hole in the Wall his senior year, which he said played a big role in kickstarting his career. He said he played many artists the festival books on his KVRX radio show.
Soong spoke at a KVRX meeting last month, sharing her experience with students. Frank Serpas, Texas Student Media assistant director for Business and Media Operations, deemed it important that students hear from a recent graduate on a promising career path.
“At UT, you need to make the grades, but you need to also prepare for the next step,” Serpas said. “(Hearing from) someone that was in the role that you’re now in, as a student … gives some reassurance that it’s a useful thing to spend time on.”
Soong said last year at Psych Fest, she and Gomaa saw Slowdive, one of Gomaa’s favorite bands. She said being a part of making Psych Fest happen proved memorable.
“We were side stage, and I got to look at (Gomaa), watch the band, look out at the audience, and everybody arms around each other, singing the words,” Soong said. “It’s really special to be a part of that in any capacity.”
