WRMC hosted its annual “Sepomana Spring Concert” in Wilson Hall on Saturday, April 5. In light of WRMC’s 75th anniversary, the concert featured Middlebury student band Soop Spoons and American indie rock band Remember Sports from Philadelphia.
Soop Spoons (Dermot McMillan ’25, Aidan McMillan ’25, Samantha-Grey Solomon ’25, Annalise Johnson ’25.5 and special guest Eleanor Sterling ’25 who stood in for and Tulip Larson ’25) opened with folk acoustics. Glistening under red, orange and yellow lights, the performance marked one of their final shows during their time at Middlebury. The band played a mix of covers and original songs, radiating a warm, intimate energy for their audience, which included some of their family members.
The group of five started playing music together during the first two weeks of their first year. After playing one concert together at Wednesday Night Open Mic Party (WOMP), the band never stopped. Now, they perform all over the community, from the Middlebury Farmers Market to the Snowbowl.
McMillan, one of the vocalists and guitarists, recounted the story of how the band got the opening gig. This past February, WRMC hosted its first “Battle of the Bands” event, where eight student bands performed. Afterward, audience members voted on who they deemed the winner — the final prize was granted to Soop Spoons, giving them the opportunity to open at the Sepomana Spring Concert.
“It's cool to get some recognition from WRMC,” McMillan said.
After Soop Spoon’s wholesome performance, Remember Sports came on stage, dazzling the crowd with electrifying pop-rock melodies, while embodying the indie tones that were reminiscent of Soop Spoon’s show. It was the first time they had been on stage in a year and a half, and their second time performing at Middlebury since the fall of 2017. Some of their set even featured songs they have never performed live before.
Similarly to Soop Spoons, Remember Sports started off as a student band at Kenyon College in 2012. Between their songs, the band members interacted with the crowd of students, family members and alumni who had returned for the weekend celebration of WRMC’s anniversary, recounting the previous time they performed at Middlebury in 2016.
Front person and primary songwriter Carmen Perry’s captivating vocals had the crowd jumping and swinging to a fast paced tempo. Her gritty vocals blended perfectly with the raw, energetic instrumentals, bringing a smile to all of my friends' faces.
The event was organized by WRMC concert directors Tasha Deen ’25 and Cali Jantzen ’25 with the help of Technology Coordinator for Student Activities Sam Hurlburt.
Remember Sports has been one of Janzten’s favorite bands since she started listening to them in high school, so she was honored to be able to bring them to Middlebury.
“They just announced a couple months ago their first tour in a while, where they'd be starting on the East Coast. I reached out to their management kind of on a whim after buying my tickets for their Massachusetts show, seeing if they'd want to play the week before the tour started at Middlebury. And they did, which was awesome,” Jantzen said in an interview with The Campus.
WRMC music director Neel Shah ’26 reflected on how he is grateful to be able to watch live music at Middlebury.
“I think it's always really special to have live music come to campus. It's something sometimes we take for granted, but then every time we have a band come, I'm reminded how awesome it is that we get to have events like this,” he said.
Shah was also touched by the community of students and alumni that came together for the show.
“It was also cool for me to see all the familiar faces that you see at all these kinds of similar events and to feel like we have this community of people who love music and want to support this kind of stuff,” he added.
It was a particularly special community this past Saturday night, as former WRMC DJs attended an annual event they had formerly organized themselves. They also hosted radio shows throughout the day, which were organized by the current WRMC executive board.
Margaux Joly ’27, WRMC’s social media manager, reflected on what the radio community means to her and how she envisions it will continue beyond her time at Middlebury. It was the first club community that she joined during her first year, thanks to their welcoming, outgoing and creative presence on campus.
“I've been able to form new friendships and spend time with people that I maybe wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise. I think it's a really strong community and that's in part shown by the fact that alumni came out this weekend for the 75th anniversary,” Joly said.
Editor’s Note: Soop Spoons member Tulip Larson ’25 is an Arts & Culture Editor for The Campus.
