MacRock was a new experience for the third year in a row,
and a positive experience at that. The
weather wasn’t great, but I guess the cold rainy weekend fit the often meloncolley
mood of the superemotional Indie music.
Unable to catch the Friday night shows I started my tour at the Record
Label expo and the Panels early Saturday afternoon. The Record label expo is a big room full of
independent record labels and indie music related businesses that display their
artitst’s and explain their businesses.
I found it to be a great place to make contacts and pick up free
stuff. The “Panels” section is always
one of my favorite parts of the Macrock weekend. It’s not the most exciting part, but the
classroom held conferences hosted by music industry professionals really helps you
to get brainstorming about the crazy world of music and how to pursue it. A unique factor about Macrock in comparison
to other music festivals is that it’s not only directed towards the listeners
and fans, but also directed to music industry professionals, college radio
stations, and those aspiring to duke it out in the music biz.
Industry
aside, the real reason anyone comes to a music festival is to listen to the
music. And there was a whole lot to be
heard. ()to be close to exact. Judging by previous experiences, its just
impossible to see all or even the majority of bands. So if I can give any advice to future
MacRockers, it would be find the styles of music your most interested in
hearing and the artists you would like to see, and put them all into a
list. Plan ahead so you can make your
schedules work, get directions to all the venues, and leave plenty of time
between travel. Rushing around and not
knowing where your going is likely to put you and your crew in a bad mood, and
unless your listening to that Hardcore Spazzy stuff that’s probably not the
best vibes to be Jammin with.
Taking my
own advice I decided to check out the HardCore and Soft Rock showcases. Though I’m not a big fan of the HardCore
genre I just love witnessing how freaking crazy people get. When the Harrisonburg based band “Front Line” started
their heavy music, the crowd just went bazircko. The same crowd of people that were politely
and quietly waiting out in the Arcade parking
lot an hour earlier were now spastickly moshing and stage diving off the
speakers like an army attacking an enemy fortress. Like I said I’m not a huge fan of the music,
but I’m a huge fan of the effects music has on people, and that was a site to
see. Doing a complete 180 I moved next
to the light rock show featuring “Owen” and “Jonah” in a sit down movie theater
setting. This time I was there for the
music and the stories being shared. The
emo solo artists put their lives up on display for the listeners. The Artist and crowd conection was intimate,
and the experience was memorable. Much
respect to these artists who share themselves with the crowd like a room of
proven friends.
For me
Macrock is a place to find what’s out there.
Its music your not going to find on the radio by artist who could care
less. They create and perform their
music because its what they love and are driven to do. Another great factor in the Macrock
experience are the fans. The open
minded and extremely supportive group of individuals serve as a great audience
for the striving artists, allowing them to put creativity in the foreground of
their music. Like any festival Macrock
is what you make of it. Plan ahead and
go in with an open mind and eager ears, and you will be sure to leave with a
new and revived interest in music.