Tonight starts this years rendition of The Mid Atlantic College Radio Conference or MACRoCk. For The Drop our man on the scene is Adam Bodine. Continue Reading

More bands announced: Continue Reading

This official release will be launched later this week but here at THE DROP had the press release leaked to give you the most up to date info on what’s happening with the Mid Atlantic College Radio Conference. So here it is.. just a few days early.

MACRoCk XI is on.

April 4th and 5th. All Downtown.

New Website Launched @ macrock.org

What?

The Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (MACRoCk) is the annual celebration of college radio and the independent music community perpetuated by student volunteers at WXJM (the Harrisonburg college radio station) and local residents. MACRoCk aims to create a support network amongst college radio, the independent artists and labels for which college radio exists, and all other aspects of the independent scene. Workshops, panels, a label exposition, and band showcases stimulate MACRoCkers to express ideas, experiences, and support that will encourage progress amongst college radio and the independent music movement.

Who?

Bands, labels, music publications, recording engineers, booking agencies, and community activists are all groups who participate at our conference. A few highlighted bands set to perform at MACRoCk this year are Owen, Aloha, Mock Orange, Unwed Sailor and Anathallo. Some of the labels attending include No Idea, Magic Bullet, Deathwish, and Lovitt Records.

Where?

Every year, MACRoCk is held in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This year, the event will be located completely in the historic downtown region of the city. Local venues such as Court Square Theater, Clementine, and the Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant are opening their doors to hold the shows, panels, and label exposition.

Why?

As a reaction to the continued commercialization of the music industry, MACRoCk was started as an opportunity for independent and under-promoted acts to perform alongside those with greater recognition while giving attendees a networking and learning experience for a very low price. No profit is made from MACRoCk, as every penny we make is invested back into the cost of paying the bands and everything else that goes into making MACRoCk happen. The committee members and staff put countless unpaid hours into planning this event, simply because we think it is worth it as a unique and valuable experience. We hope you do, too.

When?

MACRoCk is held the first weekend in April. This year, that falls on the fourth and fifth.

Mailing Address:

MACRoCk c/o WXJM Harper Holsinger
983 Reservoir St. Head Coordinator
Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Contact: harpermacrock@hotmail.com

My sense is that this is year will be a hugely intimate experience and the interaction with the bands, panelists and the workshops will be HUGE! Get your tickets early.

A music festival shrouded in mystery really gets our adrenaline up and this years MACRoCk (Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference for the unexperienced) looks to have the marketing of Cloverfield based on what we’re seeing. Continue Reading

Update - Get the 2007 Coachella Performance of Interpol here.

New Tour dates announced for NYC all stars Interpol. Check out the Dates and then go see them… they are phenomenal. Their new album, “Our Love to Admire” comes out July 10th.

Tour Dates:
05/19 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
05/27 - George, WA - The Gorge
05/31 - Dallas, TX - The Palladium
06/02 - Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
06/03 - Chicago, IL - Metro
06/07 - Toronto, Ontario - The Guverment
06/09 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
06/10 - San Diego, CA - Devore Stadium
06/21 - Dusseldorf, Germany - ISS Dome
06/23 - Scheesel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
06/24 - Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
06/25 - Dresden, Germany - Dresden Alter Schlachthof
06/27 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
06/28 - Arendal, Norway - Hove Festival
06/29 - Stockholm, Sweden - Accelerator
07/01 - Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter
07/05 - Lisbon, Portugal - Super Bock Super Rock
07/07 - Naas, Ireland - Punchestown Racecourse
07/08 - Balado, Scotland - T in the Park
07/19 - Rochester, NY - Harro East Ballroom
07/20 - Atlantic City, NJ - Music Box
07/21 - Norfolk, VA - Norva
07/23 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
07/24 - Pittsburgh, PA - Byham
07/25 - Columbus, OH - The LC Amphitheatre
07/27 - Grand Rapids, Michigan - Orbit Room
07/28 - Detroit, MI - MI State
07/30 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave
07/31 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptain
08/01 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
08/03 - Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
08/04 - Chicago, IL - Grant Park
08/05 - Baltimore, MD - Pimlico Race Course
08/11 - Tokyo, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08/12 - Osaka, Japan - Summersonic Festival
08/24 - Reading, England - Reading Festival
08/25 - Leeds, England - Leeds England
09/08 - Montreal, Quebec - Osheaga Music and Arts Festival

(From the Website www.macrock.org)

Guess what?! MACRoCk has gone on safari!

Contrary to some rumors, our ship has not sunk. During our trip, we found a new home that we loved so much we decided to stay. The MACRoCk committee has thought long and hard about our mission and has decided to partner up with the Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. We are now in stride to become a completely independent conference, free of the legal backing of James Madison University, with whom we have operated over the past ten years. The conference will now be housed completely in the Harrisonburg downtown area with the support of local independent venues and businesses.

In order to bring our community the highest quality conference we can, we have decided to forgo the conference this spring and prepare for April 4, 5, of 2008. To all our friends and supporters, we’re sorry to have inconvenienced anyone with our lack of communication.

We look forward to seeing you all next year.

Hugs and Kisses,
The MACRoCK Committee

Spring Semester in Central Virginia for the past decade means that the greatest spectacle in College radio is happening - MACRoCk (or Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference)! There has been a ton of speculation about the Conference this year, questions like: Is it happening? Who’s playing? What are the dates?
Can I find a date there? Ok, so maybe not so much the last one.. but the answer is probably “Yes” because there are so many people attending from all up and down the east coast.

What we can confirm at this point about MACRoCk:

• It’s happening.
• The conference will be held later in April. They are aiming for April 20th and 21st.
• This year will be different than previous years as the MACRoCk crew makes the move to be autonomous.
• There will be a label expo.
• THE DROP will be there with fun and prizes including some collaboration with The Macrockumentary and the great guys at Undersound (Although at this point we’re still working it all out)

Personally if you like music and you are within a 300 mile radius of Harrisonburg, VA - this conference is a non-negotiable.  The bang for your buck is massive. (120 bands for $25 in 2 days = good concert math) We’ll keep you posted on all the details on this years conference as we receive them.