James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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MACRoCk is a vital part of the community of Harrisonburg and a vital part of the independent community in general. It brings people together for a weekend of music and there is just a feel of community in the air the entire weekend. j ' erence Director Main Street Bar and Grill hosts the 14 piece jam-band Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra. Performance venues were on campus and in the city of Harrisonburg. Photo by Morgan Riehl

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Last spring, students were treated to a sudden myriad of people in ripped jeans, 80s srv ' le t-shirts, and studded armbands, cruising campus like they owned the place. But this wasn ' t just a peaceful takeover. It was Harrisonburg ' s own MACRoCk, the Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference that the student run radio station, WXJM, helped produce each year. The culmination of a year ' s worth of hard work and intense planning got crammed into the two-day, jam-packed music conference. Not only did over 100 bands play from various genres and backgrounds, but MACRoCk also hosted numerous panels and speakers designed to get people more interested and involved in the independent music scene. Senior Matt Schnable, director of the conference, said, MACRoCk is a vital part of the community ot Harrisonburg and a vital part of the independent communit} ' in general. It brings people together tor a weekend of music and there really is just a feel of community in the air the entire weekend. WXJM booked over 100 bands for the event, ranging in sr ' les from hip- hop to indie rock. Junior Jess Woodward said that the goal was to bring in all the independent music that other radio stations ignore. As coordinator of the Label Expo, Woodward brought in about 50 labels and distribution companies tor the conference. The kicker was that no major label performers were allowed to play at MACRoCk and no corporate sponsors were permitted to donate money. Only independent businesses were given the opportunity. The idea was to give these independent groups a little more coverage exposing kids to new music in different genres as well as supporting do-it-yourself ventures, Woodward explained. However, MACRoCk was a lot more than just a music conference. The numerous speakers and panels touched upon subjects such as media democracy, record labels, booking and promoting, nonprofit shows, benefits, promotions and band merchandise. The entire event was designed to educate students and performers alike about the ins and out ' s of the music industry. Schnable said that being a part of MACRoCk was a good way to teel connected to Harrisonburg and to music in general. There [was] constant contact with people outside of the JMU campus through sponsorship donations from businesses, t-shirt productions, venues, etc. Each band that participated in the conterence became part ot various showcases held around town for the event. Off-campus venues included Artful Dodger, Dave ' s Taverna, Court Square Theatre, Little Grill, Elks Lodge and Main Street Bar and Grill. On campus, shows were held in PC Ballroom, Godwin Hall and the College Center Grand Ballroom. Official MACRoCk universal badges were a handy and convenient option for those deeply interested in the conference, allowing the attendees to buy one for the weekend. No matter where the concerts were located, single tickets as well as the universal badges, were accepted. Students were definitely not lacking any options during the music fest. Antibalas Atrobeat contributed to the world showcase. Hip-Hop options included Mr. Lif, Illuminessence and Renezance. Those with a more hardcore metal sound involved Dillinger Escape Plan, and Converge. Other bands performing were Q and Not U, Hopes Fall, The Thermals, Need New Body and Kid 606. The main headliner for the weekend was singer songwriter Wesley Willis. After seeing his performance that weekend. Junior Zach Livingston said, the presence of MACRoCk exposes the community to something other than the cookie-cutter fashion and music that JMU students eat for breakfast every day. It reminds The goal was to bring in all the independent music that other radio stations ignore. -Junior Jess Woodward people that there is life outside of this campus and [the show] was a reflection of how awesome MACRoCk directors are for getting all sorts of weird talent together. Adding to this. Woodward commented, MACRoCk isn ' t just for kids who listen to music you ' ve never heard ot. A lot of the bands that are really big right now have played MACRoCk in past years, including Dashboard Confessional, Saves The Day, Thursday, and others. It s an experience that can expose everyone to great new stuff Yet with all this diversity in the music scene, programmers find it very difficult to attract many students to the showcases. Schnable expanded upon this after observing last spring ' s conference. He said, Something that is always a constant problem is the lack of involvement and turnout of the majority of the students at JMU. This is such a unique conference that it is a shame to go to this school and not check it out. There are so many genres of music offered at the conference that it just doesnt seem right not to be curious and [listen] to some new music. Livingston agreed with this, commenting on university students ' lack of interest. He encouraged, if you have a bit of cash, go and see a show, or get a badge and see a bunch. Or volunteer to help out. All of the programming and planning that went into the conference was ' olunteer and those that did become involved came away from MACRoCk with a very unique and rewarding experience. The people in charge put a crazy amount of time and effort into making it all work, said Woodward. There are a lot ot things that can go wrong and a lot of them do, but somehow we always pull it all off and put on a great show. Volunteers and everyone involved with the MAC RoCk committee went without much sleep during the conference, often getting less than two hours a night. However, Schnable said that in the end, all that work that we put into it was so worth it and made us ven, ' thankful for what we had accomplished. Last year we had such a great response from the community. All of the shows were amazing and so many bands just played better than we could have ever expected. The shows definitely went on and the conference as a whole was quite a success. Woodward concluded, MACRoCk is a great way to become involved with the awesome bunch of people that work at ■WXJM and put on something that is really amazing. 29 macrock