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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Festival Brings Musical Start of School

The first weekend of the fall semester started with an artistic bang – at least for music lovers. On Sept. 12 and 13, the Middlebury College Activities Board (MCAB), in collaboration with WRMC, our college radio station, and Middlebury Music United, a student group focusing exclusively on the college music scene, hosted the Start of School Festival, or S.O.S. Festival. The advertising poster had an image of a sinking ship, very appropriate to the predicament we find ourselves in once the academic rhythm gets going.

A very sturdy stage was set up on the neatly manicured lawn in front of Voter Hall. While the idea of an outdoor concert appeals because of the freedom of mobility it provides and the chance to smell the fresh air while listening to ear-catching tunes, the weather from past weekend was not particularly cooperative.

On Friday, the temperature had dropped to 43 degrees by the time the concert ended just after 11 p.m., and Saturday looked even bleaker in the drizzling rain. With this said, the cool temperatures and sprinkling of rain did not deter the approximately 600 people that attended the festival.

The sky might have been rather austere, but the mood of the crowd created a microclimate with the most intense heat and electricity, which was further fueled by the remarkable performances that made the whole experience altogether heartwarming. Audience members moved their heads to the beat. It is not conceivable that all the music performed would have the exact same mood, but one remembers the overall experience and atmosphere included a lot of electric guitars and an a sizzling energy and excitement.

The astounding performances were due to the labor of some very gifted musicians. The Friday schedule included Iron Eyes Cody, a student band known particularly for its unique instrumentation and vocal arrangements comprising Evan Allis ’15.5, Renn Mulloy ’15.5, Mark Balderston ’15.5, Rob Shaw ’16, and Noah Stone ’16.5; Caroline Rose, a Burlington-based ‘self-proclaimed modern-day hobo’; San Francisco duo TV Girl and quartet Delicate Steve.

The Saturday schedule consisted of student group Milk Chocolate, Modern Diet, Poor Remy, Vunderbar, and DJ Alter Boy. The resulting combination of songs was funky, groovy, rhythmic, mellifluous and electrifying.

Matt Butler ’15, one of the two MCAB Concerts Committee Co-Chairs, believes that the concert was a success.

“The festival was amazing, despite the cold and the rain,” he said. “Middlebury students love outdoor shows. Both the student turnout and the collaboration between the major music groups on campus are indicative that the music scene here at Middlebury is strong and continuing to grow.”

We all respond immediately to sound, and, because sound is the basis of music, it is not unreasonable to hope that music is one of the elements that can bring people together. More important is the fact that most people find it entertaining and pleasurable. MCAB, WRMC and MMU certainly agree.

“Despite requiring a lot of planning over the summer from both MCAB and WRMC, we figured there was no better way to kick off the new [academic] year than some solid outdoor music,” Butler said. “Ultimately, we all just want to bring great live music to campus and have a good time.”

The crafty idea to host this outdoor concert grew out of a WRMC outdoor concert last year that was hugely popular.

“WRMC really set the stage for this event with their hugely successful outdoor concert last year,” Butler said. “This year’s S.O.S Festival was both an expansion and a continuation of the tradition that WRMC established last year.”

Extensive collaboration and painstaking preparation ensured the smooth run of the concert. MCAB worked with WMRC’s Charlie Dulik ’17.5 and Aaron Slater ’16 over the summer break to piece the concert together. It always takes a lot of hands on deck to pull off this kind of event. The seamlessness of the performances was truly extraordinary.

While I am not entirely familiar with Indie, R&B and Rock, I found the experience delightful and surprisingly stimulating. There was something about the music and the group of people moving and dancing that drew me in and encouraged me to just let go and ‘give liberty unto’ my limbs, whatever movement they made. It felt embarrassing at first, but one realizes that everyone is so absorbed by the music and hardly paying attention to the guy at the back.

It was also encouraging to see how mixed and diverse the audience group was relative to the College’s diversity quotient. In the end it was about having a great time and some wicked fun. Hopefully this becomes one of those respected traditions that is upheld at the start of every academic year.


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