Three accounts of James Madison's music bonanza HARRISONBURG, Va. - The spirit of the independent music scene took the James Madison University campus by storm this weekend. The Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference, or MACRoCk, welcomed hundreds of college radio deejays, panelists, artists and interested on-lookers to Harrisonburg, Va.
MACRoCk, which began in 1997 through the hard work of WXJM (the JMU student radio station), has grown exponentially over the past seven years. Featuring discussions and panels on independent distribution and recording, publicity and the independent music industry, MACRoCk is building a reputation that will someday elevate it to the level of high repute of the South By Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, or the College Media Journal conference in New York City. The attractive blend of media and music has turned these conferences into landmarks for the independent recording scene, and MACRoCk is on the verge of finding its place in that sun.
Among the panels, showcases and discussions were the highlights of the conference: the bands. MACRoCk is also a platform for independent and up-and-coming music acts to gain exposure and magnitude. In the past, bands such as the Dismemberment Plan, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Alkaline Trio and many more have all graced the MACRoCk stages, taking their places as seminal members of the indie-rock scene. This year, the lineup included Plus Minus, Pedro the Lion, Onelinedrawing, Prefuse 73, Murder by Death, An Albatross, Summer Hymns, Sufjan Stevens, John Vanderslice and Machinedrum. MACRoCk's lineup spanned over a series of genres, from standard indie-rock, to metal, to IDM.
Plus Minus opened the conference, playing on Friday night in the JMU PC Ballroom. Plus Minus played with a coherency unlike any other band. Their rare ability to sound live exactly as they do on the album is an aural treat for anyone that's ever been disappointed by a live performance. Plus Minus blends a subtle tranquility with prodigious playing, specifically on behalf of the drummer, Chris Deaner. Deaner is an asset to the band, as his notable blend of precise percussion and specific sampling lends the idea that this man is a machine - an amazing machine. Plus Minus began their set with the heated acceleration of "Ventriloquist," off their recent release "You Are Here," and concluded with "Queen of Detroit," off the album "Self-Titled Long-Playing Debut Album."
Summer Hymns played the Courthouse Square Theater in downtown Harrisonburg on Saturday night as a fantastic, down-tempo contribution to the unofficial "indie rock" showcase. Hailing from Athens, Ga., and fronted by the amiable Zachary Gresham, Summer Hymns took the stage. The band played songs from their recent 10-song EP release, "Summer Hymns Value Series volume 1: Fools Gold" and album "Clemency," remaining true to their signature lo-fi haze. Saddled with layer upon layer of dense, thick sound, the slightly southern, relaxed feel of Summer Hymns eased the packed theater.
Directly following Summer Hymns was the clear winner of the night, Sufjan Stevens. Stevens took the stage with his backing band, donning T-shirts laced with white feathers, adding a visual aesthetic to the already angelic tambor of his music. Breaking the rumor that he would only be playing material from the latest album, "Seven Swans," Stevens and his band played the immensely gorgeous "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti," off the album "Michigan." The vocal development and delicate banjo playing throughout their entire set marked their performance as extremely sophisticated. Stevens creates a sound that envelops the listener in a warm, downy blanket of sparse, yet comforting, acoustic arrangement.
- JEN TURNER
Albatross does a fly-over One of the final acts of MACRoCk 2004, An Albatross, wrapped up the independent music conference in a flurry of sporadic screaming, transient synthesizer melodies and blistering guitars, to the delight of a frenzied crowd in James Madison University's College Center Ballroom Saturday night.
Launching into an intense 25-minute during which fans crowd surfed, lost shoes, danced frantically and even passed out, the six-piece band hailing from Philadelphia performed its characteristically short songs from 2000's "Eat Lightning Shit Thunder" and 2003's "We Are the Lazer Viking."
In between these bursts of music, flashy lead singer Edward B. Gieda III invoked the electric coyote and other strange psychedelic entities as he attempted to teach the audience new dance moves, such as one in which the performer looks out a third eye planted on his or her forehead. Addressing the audience as "brothers and sisters," Gieda, the ringleader of the veritable circus that is the chaotic live experience of An Albatross, encouraged everyone present to love one another and treat each other with respect. Thus, the Farisa organ-fueled "love-in" commenced.
The show opened with the 46-second long "I Am the Lazer Viking," which concluded with crazed fans shouting the final line with the tone of a battle cry. Waving their hands in the air as if at some kind of weird religious revival, fans reciprocated the band's energy, gleefully flailing and singing along. Dancier numbers, such as "The Vitally Important Pelvic Thrust" and "The Revolutionary Politics of Dance" got the audience clapping to the beat. Finishing up with a frenetic performance of "Electric Suits and Cowboy Boots," the band was met with raucous applause from exhilarated yet seemingly disoriented crowd.
Upon taking the stage, Gieda, bearing a tattoo of a circled A, a symbol of anarchy, on his chest, noted the inimitability and importance of MACroCk, an event which does not include major record label artists.
- JEN ZUREK
Vanderslice gets a piece of the action When one is present for five hours and seven bands of a show, one will assuredly grow thankful that the venue is seated. Harrisonburg's Court Square Theater played host to a full nine-hour, 13-band MACRoCk showcase Saturday afternoon and evening.
The first highlight was Texan Will Johnson of the band Centro-matic. Bearded and decked out in a traditional cowboy hat, he sat onstage in a comfortable armchair and played his complex acoustic guitar tunes. The theater's crisp sound did his soothing voice well during his short set.
Raleigh, N.C.,'s the Rosebuds followed, with another 20-minute set. Composed of guitar, drums, and keyboard, set the three-piece tore through their songs with an impossible amount of energy. Even slower songs like "Waiting for the Carnival" burst with charisma and made their set stand out.
The evening's headliner was San Francisco-based John Vanderslice and his band of ace musicians. Opening with "Pale Horse," off his recently released "Cellar Door" album, he immediately mesmerized the packed theater. Vanderslice's quavering tenor rang clearly on the sparse "You
Were My Fiji" and fan-favorite "Keep the Dream Alive," both off 2001's "Time Travel is Lonely." A seemingly sped-up version of the epic "Coming and Going on Easy Terms" pushed the set toward perfection.
Vanderslice played for a full hour, including so many classic tracks the newer ones felt likes bonuses. The ratio was flawless, avoiding including too much unfamiliar material and keeping longtime fans' attention well. The evening, and MACRoCk on the whole, could not have ended better.
- LINDSAY BERNIER
