Hello ya’ll! New updates on some cool panels! Since our screen-printing panel was so popular last year, we decided to bring it back, except with some changes. If you are unfamiliar with the panel last year here’s how it works: You bring a t-shirt to the Laughing Dog located on 82 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801. The Laughing Dog looks like this:

Once inside you can choose to screen-print your shirt FOR FREE with one of two designs:

by Seth Bauserman

 by Jeff guinn

PLEASE NOTE: We are limiting one screen per person, meaning you can’t screen both designs. This is to streamline the process to allow everyone to have a chance to get a screen. Laughing Dog asks that attendees do not bring bags to screen. ALSO NOTE THAT THE INK OF THE SCREEN-PRINTS WILL BE BLACK. THIS MEANS DON’T BRING A BLACK T-SHIRT! THANKS.

Also another panel we have is called “Love Your Momma Earth”. This is a panel about sustainability. The panel will be held at Shenandoah Bicycle Company on 135 S. Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA.

Come hear various speakers give their take on sustainability. The Food-Coop and the Farmer’s Market will talk about local farming and food, the Earth Club will talk about cycle-share, Gifts From Enola will talk about their vegetable-fueled tour bus, and Dangerous Ponies will talk about reducing waste while touring. Dangerous Ponies will also do SOME FACE PAINTING.

FUN FUN FUN FUN!

Panels

Panels are likely the most important and rewarding aspect about the Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference. Each year open discussions and talks take place during the afternoon of the 2nd day of the conference. Most topics deal with important issues to college radio and the independent music community. On occasion, topics branch out to various loosely related subjects like war, politics, d.i.y. ethics, and grassroots organizing.

This year’s panels include:

Put My Band On That!
DATE: April 2, 2011
TIME: 11:30am-12:30pm
LOCATION: Clementine (153 South Main Street)

It takes a great deal of committed people to make a show happen. While it’s easy to recognize bands as the main element of a show, there are many awesome people behind the scenes making shows happen. We’d like to recognize the booking aspect of music. Come and listen to booking agents who know their way around the music industry. If you’ve ever wanted to get involved in booking, whether it’s festivals or house shows, this panel is for ya’ll!

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Cable – Owner and Senior Booking Agent at Panache Booking for Health, Monotonix, Turbo Fruits, Pujol, Julianna Barwick, An Albatross, among other great bands. Michelle also organized the Bruise Cruise, a 3-day Caribbean cruise & music festival featuring The Black Lips, Vivian Girls, Surfer Blood and Turbo Fruits. Panache Booking

Daniel White – Independent Label Collective Distribution and Blood & Ink Records are two of his biggest affiliations, Daniel has also booked many shows in the Lynchburg area over the last 6 years and has an invaluable perspective.

Jacob Wolf – Owner of Holy Smokes Booking. Jacob is dedicated to bringing new music and arts to Charlottesville, VA. Books for Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar, but also presents shows practically anywhere in town you can think of.

Independent and College Radio
DATE: April 2, 2011
TIME: 1:30-2:30pm
LOCATION: Clementine (153 South Main Street)

There has been a great deal of discussion in the media about radio. Politicians debate funding for NPR while Congress passes the Local Community Radio Act. But is radio still relevant in the 21st Century with an increasing internet presence? Come hear WTJU, a college radio station based in Charlottesville, and WRIR, an independent radio station from Richmond, discuss these issues and what it means to small radio stations and independent music. Topics range from the future of radio, how to get involved, and why radio is valuable. Bring your questions and let’s get a conversation going!

SPEAKERS:
WTJU (Charlottesville | wtju.net)
WRIR (Richmond | www.wrir.org)

Invisible Hand is a band from Charlottesville, Va. The members play in a lot of other bands. They released their first full length, Invisible Hand, on Funny/Not Funny Records late last year. Their drummer, Adam Brock, has a band called Borrowed Beams of Light that are recording a new record as well. They are also playing this year’s conference.
Jeff: Adam Smith. Musician. Songwriter. Bartender. What can’t you do?
Adam Smith: Professional Sandwich Eater, too. I make a mean peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I tell you what.
Jeff: Go on.
Adam: Well you have to butter both side with peanut butter and layer a healthy slab of jelly in the middle. It really provides for a nice and tasty…Oh, sorry. The most important part is you have to toast the bread.
Jeff: Toast before you put the peanut butter and jelly on it?
Adam: Yea, I usually toast the bread before I put the jelly on. You know, the advantage of buttering both sides of the bread with the peanuts is you can wrap it up and take it in a to-go container and you’re bread isn’t soggy from all the jelly seeping into it so it gives a nice protection.
Jeff: Let’s get down to brass tacks. April 1 and 2. Harrisonburg, Va. Invisible Hand. How are you feeling about that?
Adam: I’m feeling pretty good.
Jeff: Care to clarify?
Adam: (Laughs) Well…MACRoCk every year is an exceptionally fun time. I don’t see why this year would be any different. I’m looking forward to hanging out with bros, seeing some cool bands and playing a rock set of my own and fucking feelin’ it.
Jeff: From your expertise and anecdotal evidence, what have been high points and low points in the past?
Adam: A highlight last year was our somewhat impromptu Kinks cover set at the Blue Nile after-party which was heck of a lot of fun. We also played with CCRR and BroFX and it was hyped as shit. Party of the century. I’m looking forward to something like that happening again this year. Not sure. That’s usually my favorite part when something falls together. A previous year, we were intercepted by Matt Leech (Funny / Not Funny Records CEO) right after our set saying a band had cancelled on another showcase and asked us to fill the void. Whenever a chance like that arises, we jump at it. Low points would include being in multiple bands and travelling between venues in between 15 minutes of set changing time which albeit it’s fun playing music, there’s definitely some stress that comes along with tearing down a drum set, setting up an amplifier all within 15 minutes.
Jeff: So you recently released your first LP, Invisible Hand. Let’s say you’re at a family reunion, how would you describe that release to your family?
Adam: Well it’s not Moon River.

Jeff: But what is? There’s only one.

Adam: (Laughs) My family, while supportive, has actually expressed – well my grandmother in particular – has expressed to me that she thinks I should change my genre. “There’s no money in rock’n’roll.” She actually wants me to do covers of Moon River. It’s a singable tune with a nice beat and will offend no one.

Jeff: The idea is just to cover that one song?

Adam: Pretty much. Like an extended psychedelic jam of Moon River. That’s what I took it as. So when I describe my music to my family I say “The kind of music that you hate.” (Laughs). I don’t know, I say “rock’n’roll.”

Jeff: As a bartender, tell me about the archetypes you meet at the bar.

Adam: Well there’s the typical Sad Bastard. Typically the sad people just want to talk and they don’t want to talk about what’s making them sad. They want some cheery conversation to make them believe not everyone is an asshole. Another type is the macho trying to impress his girlfriend type. There’s no way to satisfy them because there’s always something wrong and more than likely, they are a better bartender than you are and they will let you know with every drink. (Laughs). So you sort of ignore them. There’s also the type that looks like they want to talk but has absolutely nothing to say.

Jeff: Explain that.

Adam: They’re sitting down with no newspaper with their drink and staring at the other alcohol on the wall and I position myself into their point of view and say something like “How’s it hanging, chum?” and I’ll get monosyllabic answers. Another type would be the Cougar. Cougars are great because they tip well and kind of fun. They are flirty enough but they are also reserved and refined with age. They don’t let it get out of hand; at least not where I bartend.

Jeff: So they’re classy.

Adam: They are classy cougars.

Jeff: What’s your favorite drink to make?

Adam: A beer and a shot of whiskey.

Jeff: What’s the most difficult?
Adam: Probably anything you muddle like mojitos or old fashioneds.
Jeff: What’s your specialty?
Adam: The Greyhound which is vodka and grapefruit juice. Extremely simple and highly effective. It gets you where you need to be.
Jeff: Anything to add about MACRoCk?
Adam: Make no plans. Let it happen.

Brooke Waggoner is a Nashville, Tenn.-based musician who will be headlining Court Square Theatre on April 2 during MACRoCk 2011. Brooke was kind enough to take my call and discuss her past MACRoCk experience and her writing process for her latest full length album Go Easy Little Doves. Check out her music at http://music.brookewaggoner.com/

Jeff: Thanks for speaking with me. You’ve performed at MACRoCk before. How many times will you have played after this April?

Brooke: This is will be my second time playing the conference. Last time, we played at Memorial Hall in 2008. We were in the middle of a tour with Unwed Sailor for that one. We’re excited to be playing this year!

Jeff: Memorial Hall used to be the old Harrisonburg High School. Did you know that you were playing an old high school auditorium?

Brooke:  Ha! I don’t think we realized that.

Jeff: I mention that because I was wondering as a touring musician, what other interesting venues/places you might’ve played before?

Brooke: Prior to my solo stuff, I was with a band for a small period of time and we did a small Southeastern tour. We did some funky house shows on that tour that got a little weird. We played some place near Atlanta called the Six Six Six House where everything was marked up with graffiti and we played in some guy’s basement that smelled like a dungeon. It was kind of cool and the house was right on some railroad tracks. I’m not sure [the promoter] even lived there. It was an interesting place to do a show but a lot of bands played there before and after us.

Jeff: What’s your overall impression of MACRoCk? What are you expecting going into it this year?

Brooke: A close friend of mine (Timbre) was playing this year and ran it by me and wanted to see if we could play together. It was a good kind of spurring on. Since I haven’t played the conference in awhile, it’ll be nice to make a weekend out of it. I’ll have a band with me this time. Last time, I think I had a cello player with me and that was it. This time, we’ll have drums and bass. All that stuff.

Jeff: Before the interview, I was going over your web site and I noticed a message that your last full length album Go Easy Little Doves was comprised of collected pieces of music you wrote from the past 10 years, is that correct?

Brooke: Yes. A lot of that material on that record, for me, is pretty old. I like to write a fair amount so that was a neat project to really go back into the archives. My goal in making that record was to find music created out of the purity of what it is. I was a lot younger when most of that material was originally written. I don’t think I was in college yet so a lot of it was a neat trip down memory lane where I wasn’t writing for any specific release but more for what organically came out.

Jeff: How was the process going over older material?

Brooke: Some of the songs that were more stripped down – like those with just piano and guitar - were pretty straight forward and close to the originals. I revamped some sections of them but for the most part, they are pretty true to the original state. But a lot of the more orchestral stuff I pulled from old scores I had been writing when I first gotten into the more composition aspect of music so I was about 18 years old when some of that stuff was originally being written. Some of the old scores had recordings while some didn’t and I highlighted all the themes and textures I liked on paper and extracted those and reworked them; whether through lyrics or songs about those themes.

For one of the songs, I tried to pull lyrics that I wrote from when I was a kid, like 10 years old and tried to grow it up a little bit. So all the songs had different processes. From beginning to end, the recording took about 6 weeks so it sounds more involved than it really was. It contained music that was near and dear to my heart so you can get going with a project like that pretty quickly when you’re that familiar with the material.

Jeff: How do you feel you’ve grown as a songwriter looking on that experience?

Brooke: You know, that last record so enjoyable to make. I don’t know but I’m having a hard time right now doing straight forward songs. I wouldn’t say that I’m bored with straight forward songs but I would say I’m feeling a little stifled in that area. I’m excited about that feeling though because I think things or ideas get pushed more when you’re a little bit stifled with things which I think is a good feeling because you want to keep moving forward. That’s where I’m at right now. A lot of stuff I’m writing right now are things that are commissioned through classical works so I’ve been spending more time on that and doing soundtracks for independent films so it’s all over the place right now.

Jeff: Thanks for the interview. Anything on the horizon looking into the future besides MACRoCk?

Brooke: I’m toying with the idea of doing a new EP and I’ve been putting out b-sides online every so often. I’m also working on a soundtrack for a movie called The Inventor that I think is pushing for a release next season in film festival circuits and I’m also working on a film in New Orleans called The Drum so there are some cool projects coming up that I’m excited about.

We’ve listened to all the applications and have made some final decisions! We’re happy to announce that the MACRoCk XIV schedule is up: www.macrock.org/bands.

For all the bands that applied and didn’t make it, we want to let you know that we have had even more applications then last year and it was very hard to arrive at this line-up. We hope that you will apply again next year and continue to support the conference.

There are going to be some tentative changes in the coming days, so stay tuned! Hope to see you in April!

- MACRoCk XIV Committee

Screaming Females are a band from New Jersey and are playing the 2011 Mid Atlantic College Radio Conference. Marissa and Jarrett were kind enough to answer some questions about their new record “Castle Talk,” what it’s like to make a music video and the possibilities of getting beat up by a super villain.

 

1. How would you describe your band’s sound to a friend vs. your grandparents?

Jarrett: I would probably actually say the same thing.  Rock n Roll.

 

2. Screaming Females have been a band quite some time, do you think that you finally found the perfect guitar tone on “Castle Talk”?

Marissa:  I’m pretty happy with most of the guitar sounds on Castle Talk, but I wouldn’t say that I’ve found the perfect tone.  I have a setup right now that I’m really happy with for our live shows.  It’s practical and easy to use.  Finding a good recording setup is something that I’ve yet to do.  If there are too many pedal options while recording I feel like my brain is on fire.

 

3. What equipment is being used to get that guitar tone?

Marissa:  I use a Hughes & Kettner Attax 40.  It’s a solid state hunk-of-junk that is very well made and could probably survive getting hit by a tractor trailer. I’ve had it since I was 15 years old. It’s small, easy for me to carry and it’s loud. I guess it sounds alright, too. I’ve never had enough money to get anything else, so it is what it is! My very favorite pedal is called the “Super Collider” and it’s made by my friend Mark in Princeton, NJ. His effects company is called “Earthbound Audio” and his pedals are amazing. They never break and they sound awesome.

 

4. How do you feel the band has grown on Castle Talk?

Jarrett: We are way less funky than we used to be. With some of the new songs we are working on now I’m hoping to bring a little of that back! We are five years out from the release of “Baby Teeth” (our first record) and we have changed as a band and as people. I don’t really know how to qualify or quantify that change. I would probably refer people to my records to explain my change as an individual.

 

5. I thought the video for the song “Wild” was interesting. How did that concept come about and what was the experience like to make a video?

Jarrett:  I’m glad you asked!  I’ve had that idea for a long time.  It was such a blast to finally get it to work out and see it happen. I think a lot of people saw the Wild video and just thought it was some sort of cheap computer video editing effect.  It wasn’t!!!!!!  What we did was to make this giant, crazy looking camera mount that could hold about a dozen different types of video cameras. So as we moved the camera mount around all the filming devices moved in unison.

 

Then we took and layered the different angles from the different cameras on top of each other.  Also the video was supposed to be in the lineage of great “one shot” videos. We have a whole generation of music fans now who never knew MTV when it was actually cool. The “one shot” or “one take” video was a classic look of 90s low budget videos. You would see videos like that on MTV’s amazing late night show, “120 Minutes.”  Check out Nine Inch Nails’ video for “March of the Pigs” for a great example of the “one shot” video. (‘March of the Pigs’ also gets a high mention on my list of rock radio hits that aren’t completely in a 4/4 time signature, alongside Soundgarden’s ‘Spoonman’ and Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’).

6. As New Jerseyians (Jersians? J-State Party People?), what are your impressions of Virginia, musicially or geographically?

Jarrett:  Even though it isn’t officially in Virginia, when I think of that area musically I mainly think of D.C.  So much great music out of D.C. over the years.  Richmond has also been one of our best spots to play for years now. Geographically I think of the Shenandoah Valley which I drove through to collect my mind one weird day a bunch of years ago.

Marissa: It’s hot down there.  We have the coolest friends in Virginia!  I love going there!  

 

7. Have you ever been to Harrisonburg and/or MACRoCk? If so, what did you like about it? If not, what are your expectations?

Jarrett: We played a show at JMU a few years ago. It was fun. Our good friends in The Two Funerals also played. Their amazing friend Rebecca came along and called the Buffalo Wild Wings “Buffalo Dub Dub.” Screaming Females now always refers to that particular franchise as Buffalo Dub Dub.

 

8. What are your opinions of on the Grease Trucks ? Have you ever eaten 5 “Fat” sandwiches in a row?

Jarrett: It is a good spot to hang out if you are a wasted sorority girl or frat boy. On a Friday night at the Grease Trucks I would probably get called a “faggot.”  It is definitely a sight to see.  Everyone who spends any time in New Brunswick, NJ has to see it up close at least once.

  

9. Name three things that the general public might not know about the Screaming Females.

1. We are all vegetarians.
2. We collectively write all the songs. (A lot of people assume Marissa writes all the songs).
3. We listen to a lot of Fall Out Boy and Nerf Herder in the van on tour.

 

10. JT vs. MJ?

Jarrett: MJ any day.  We played with Dinosaur Jr. in Brooklyn on the day that MJ died.  It was amazing to walk around Brooklyn and hear only Michael Jackson blasting from every car, house and store in every direction.

 

11. Let’s say you were drunk coming home from a bar (let’s say four to five beers) and either Dr. Doom, NightCrawler, a Sentinel or Doc Oct could pick a fight with you. Who would who rather fight and why?

Jarrett:  I would definitely lose in a fight with any of them so I pick the Sentinel.  It would be pretty epic to die in a fight with a giant robot.

Marissa: Aren’t all of these villains from the Marvel Universe?  Am I wrong?  I haven’t brushed up on my comics for a while.  I used to like DC more. 

 

12. Any parting words for MACRoCk before April?

Jarrett:  Thanks for having us!  We really appreciate it!