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I spent 4 (fine, like 5 or SOMETHING; whatever, I wasn’t a math major) years in college in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Upon sharing this information with people who aren’t from the area, I’m generally greeted with a blank stare. “It’s two hours South of DC. 66 West? To 81 South? In the mountains.” This, in turn, will ineveitably garner a “Well, what was there to DO?” My stock answer is NOTHING, and that I drove home every other weekend for shows and city life – but that’s not the entire truth. Once every year, in the Spring, the shows came to me. And everything was different.

MACRoCk is the Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference, and it’s been put on by WXJM (James Madison University’s college station) since 1996. Though the Conference is no longer affiliated with JMU proper, the formula has remained the same: two days of band showcases, label expos, and discussion panels; kids from all over the east coast descend upon the city to play music and hear music and make time. It’s not SXSW and it’s certainly not CMJ – and for all the right reasons: shows are spread out over only a handful of venues, a weekend badge costs just $15, and Harrisonburg’s innate sleepy quality makes for a genuinely relaxed time, even when screaming across town from showcase to showcase after having stayed up til 4am the night before. I’ve personally romanticized MACRoCk in all sorts of ways that I imagine you’ll understand – remember being in your early 20s and defined solely by your interests? When you lived and died for a million songs and maybe it was 2001 and that Shins record really did change your life? When you traded in band pins; when there was nothing but time to devote to scrawling Elvis Costello lyrics on the bottoms of your shoes and to following El Guapo through to Super/System and over to Antelope? Siiiiiiiiigh. I look back on my MACRoCk experiences as one gorgeous blur of dancing at house parties lit by hundreds of strands of Christmas lights; boys in bands and red party cups and YOUTH. Besides (and in all honesty), my pat answer about Harrisonburg survival is only partly true. The city itself is Shenandoah-beautiful, the thrifting is beyond plentiful, and the beer comes obscenely cheap. In other words, it’s exactly the sort of place you’d WANT to take off to on a whim – even without a two day line-up of bands, panels, and label showcases waiting on the other end of the car ride.

Past MACRoCk acts include the likes of Elliot Smith, Fugazi, The Walkmen, Q and Not U, Man Man, Animal Collective, The Faint, and MORE, and this year’s conference – with over 80 bands and DC representation in the form of Edie Sedgwick, Medications, Monument, New Rock Church of Fire, The Points, Police & Thieves, Pree, and Title Tracks – has a solid lineup, an unexpected label showcase (including Sound/Friends and something called PIZZA COOKIE, which, for obvious reasons, requires investigation) and a non-boring panel schedule (with topics ranging from “Careers, Trends, and the Future of Independent Radio” to “Publishing,” the latter of which I was graciously asked to be a part of and will need exactly 4 Xanax and 2 Miller Lites to get through). In the spirit of encouraging you and your ZipCars to get out and enjoy some fresh country air, we asked MACRoCk organizer John Reiss to send along a list of ten MACRoCk bands he’s stoked on this year. And that’s why this is a PREVIEW, as opposed to just MORGAN SUFFERS NOSTALGIA AND WE MADE IT A FEATURE. Anyways. John, take it away:

Algernon Cadwallader hails from Philly and is among a group of bands coming from PA that are all super-talented. They sound like a solid Cap’N Jazz cover band with a little bit more instrumentation to their music, and steadfast in their youthfullness. Personally, probably my favorite band playing the conference based off their intoxicating sound.

The Invisible Hand is comprised of longtime friends and [Charlottesville] VA locals, with all songs written by the incredibly talented Adam Smith. I’d reference their webpage for really funny/accurate descriptions of their music, but this band is floating inbetween greatness and being severly underrated. In nature, awesome straightforward rock music, but with a new and unexpected attitude towards song composition and performance. Opening the Artful Dodger showcase on Saturday, but should not be missed.

Cast Spells [is a] side project from Dave Davidson of Maps & Atlases. Clearly follows a similar vein to his more well known band, but toned down and rootsy, with more acoustic instrumentations and less volume. So far only meager recordings have been made available and we’re still not sure if he’s showing up with 2, 3 or 6 other people, so it may end up being a mighty show!

Super Vacations… homegrown Hburg, with 4/5 of the band coming up from VA Beach and having absolutely nothing to do with JMU or Harrisonburg being a college town. All superb gentlemen that love to dally with controlled substances but are honest at heart. Recently the lo-fi surf group WAVVES has been hit huge success and actually the Vacations’ drummer is performing his duties in the two-piece now. In my opinion they deliver a comparable if not better and broader sound than WAVVES and got left behind on that train. Maybe they’ll be late bloomers, but [they're] sick as hell.

American Tourist is another local artist that is performing this year. This band comes around in various forms at various times. Usually a solo act in the form of Matt Leech crooning with his bare feet and bearded face; he has played by himself, with a strings section and as a full band. A recent departure and soon to be released full length (he has put out about 4 albums himself in LP and EP forms… new shit is awesome though) will be performed with a little bit more electric intensity during MACRoCk. Matt’s music well-embodies a lot of the heartful/sensitive side of kids in the Valley, Hburg, Richmond, but all in all he and the rest of the band is just about pizza and parties and pizza parties. [He's] playing early on Friday, a must-see.

The Extraordinaires…another Philly group that has been through Harrisonburg before; they consistently deliver an intense and theatrical performance, sometimes with full costumes and themes. Great bold sound + a rumbling acoustic background = super fun.

Bowerbirds [are an] up and coming North Carolina band with a lot of acclaim behind their name. Moving mellow rock performances and great songwriting. Not a lot to say about this group except that they are growing in popularity, rightfully so!

Young Widows…unfortunately I will be working at a different showcase then theirs and won’t get to see them, but I have been told by a plethora of reliable sources that this is the best live band they have ever seen. Their new album, Old Wounds, was put together from various live recordings from a recent tour of theirs and pieced together meticulously, sounds impeccable and HUGE!

A Cosmonaut’s Ruin [are] Charlottesville, VA metal with a huge amount of math involved. Not overbearing or consistently speeding instrumentation, but a wise and reputable band that are always sleepers and never disappoint.

Slingshot Dakota…take Matt and Kim or any other super-cute two-piece that kids love everywhere and punk it up a bit. Still cute as hell, but rough/gritty around the edges. They really only like to play all-ages shows and never request a stage, always dancing. Playing after Algernon (who is playing several bands after Invisible Hand) on the same showcase, that’s the one to be at!

Pre-sale weekend badges for MACRoCk are $15 until 7PM tonight, and $18 day of. Schedule, showcase, label expo, panel, and directions/hotel information can be found at MACRoCk.org.

Related:

• Preview: “Georgia O’Keeffe: Abstraction” @ Phillips Collection (0)
• Capital Fringe Festival in 15 Minutes (4)

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