Codeseven

The festivities started on Friday afternoon, as swarms of bespectacled, backpack-toting indie-rockers wearing small black T-shirts poured into the modest college town. The local chicken farmers really had no idea what was descending onto their city. Nevertheless, the music started around 4:30 at the PC Ballroom (or just the Ballroom, as all the cool kids call it), which is a big round room with tall ceilings and muddled sound. Codeseven amazed a crowd who didnt know the band had shifted out of its hardcore roots. Instead, the band jumped into much more melodic territory, taking its cue from bands like Mineral and Gloria Record, but without all the whine. The band members were all full of energy and rock-star posturing, making them fun to watch if you didnt take them too seriously. The Thermals followed, making its three-piece scuzz-punk as poppy as possible. The band is one of Sub Pops latest signings, even though the band members have only been playing together for a few months. The trios high-energy, two-minute gems worked their magic, however, as more than one ass was seen shakin. Need New Body followed next, and, thanks to their first song, I realized I needed new ears and decided it was time to go get something to eat.

The Thermals

After filling my belly and not making it into the sold-out Bro. Danielson/ Of Montreal show at Court Square Theater, I finally wandered back to the Ballroom to catch the tail end of Q And Not U, who were good as always, and Kid 606, whose sqwuaks and squibbles dripped all over his mix of Missy Elliotts Get Ur Freak On, among many other highlights.

Saturday morning marked the beginning of the Label Expo, which, despite the name, also included several booths for magazines, artist advocacy groups and social reform groups. Most of all, the expo was full of people grubbing around for free stuff, from which there was plenty to choose. Overall, there were over fifty groups represented, with everyone from emo-kingpins Jade Tree, Matador, Merge, CMJ, Teenbeat, Insound, ManateeBound.com, Vegan Action and many others represented.

I eventually made my way to the last panel of the day, which was an open forum with Ian MacKaye of Fugazi. Most of the questions asked by people were rather predictable: Are you still straight-edge? (Short answer: he is.), but some were just ridiculous: How do you feel about indie-rock porn? (Answer: That exists?).

My afternoon was full of the dual-guitar attack of Soviet, who proved to be entertaining to watch, if nothing else. Completely instrumental and on wireless hookups to their amps, the two guitarists were free to roam around the venue, following cute college girls around the room, drooling on people,

Need New Body

crawling through the crowd, etc. The real highlight of the afternoon, though, was seeing The Wrens, who hadnt played together in over four years. And while the lack of practice was evident at times with sloppy transitions or flubbed chord changes, they more than made up for it with enthusiasm. Guitars and basses were catapulted into the air and across the stage, only to be caught and striking a rock n roll pose as if they were headlining at Madison Square Garden. I rounded out the night by attending the hip-hop showcase, where I caught JMU alumni Doujah Raze and Def Jux crewmember Mr. Lif. Doujah actually stole the show from the headliner, as his new single Spinmata had more people bouncing along than any of the nappy-headed Lifs joints.

The next morning came too early, as hotel check-out was at some ungodly, pre-noon hour. Until next year

-Louis Miller

Catherine Nicholas's Journal:

Day 1: April 4, 2003

I was pretty excited about going to MACRoCk.  Although Id been meaning to go for the last few years, LOTD finally gave me a good enough reason to get off my butt and make the trip to Harrisonburg in 2003.  I arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon to meet up with Steven and Jared, and it was already evident that indie rock kids had begun to take over Harrisonburg for the weekend; several kids, all dressed the part, were roaming the hotel looking lost.  I met up with the guys, and after a quick game of paper, scissors, rock, we decided Steven would drive on the campus.  The boys decided it would be really funny to lower the windows and blare rap music as we drove onto the now indie-rock-infested campus of JMU.  We kept driving for about 40 minutes because we didnt know where we were going or where to park, but mostly because Steven and Jared were having too much fun calling out to girls.

The Trauma Queens

Eventually we made our way to the PC Ballroom to pick up our badges and MACRoCk bags of goodies (mostly promotional flyers and zines from participating record labels and stuff).  The schedule of afternoon shows at the PC Ballroom looked pretty good, so we stuck around there and waited for the first band, The Trauma Queens, a bluesy garage rock quartet from Philadelphia who were pretty electric entertainers.  Its too bad more people werent there yet to see them put on their high-energy performance which included tambourines being tossed around the stage and the band members playing guitar while laying on their backs oh, and a 3-string bass player.  The Trauma Queens put on one of the better performances I saw on day one.

At this point, I met up with Louis, and we went to get food.  As a result of JMUs extremely slow dining services, we missed seeing the next two bands: Philadelphias Aim of Conrad and Muncie, INs Brazil. 

Codeseven

Next onstage in the PC Ballroom was Winston-Salem, NCs Codeseven.  As I sit here writing this now, I am looking at the notes I wrote about Codeseven as I watched their performance at MACRoCk.  My notes include such descriptive words as crazy and nuts.  Imagine a hardcore (or even metal) Sunny Day Real Estate the lead singer had that same drone to his voice.  He also appeared to have a strange obsession with his microphone.  An interesting performance, to say the least.

By this point, the PC Ballroom was really starting to fill up, especially for the subsequent band Portland, ORs next-big-things, The Thermals (who are apparently being dubbed as a supergroup).  Louis was telling me about how hed been unable to take this bands CD out of his stereo for the last month, so I had high expectations which, for the most part, were met.  The Thermals put on an energy-packed performance of pop ditties, sprinkled with their garage punk habits, coming off sounding kind of like a dirtier Apples In Stereo except with the right amount of fuzzy guitar and noise to please the indie rockers who fear anything resembling pop-punk.  I suppose comparisons to the Strokes are also inevitable.  The performance was enough to prompt me to buy their Sub Pop debut More Parts Per Million during the next weeks trip to the record store, which is good, but slightly disappointing in its sameness throughout, when compared to their kick-ass performance.  Check these guys out before they blow up.

Philadelphias Need New Body took the stage with their ensemble of a band, which included two keyboard players, a drummer, another percussionist, a banjo player, a guitar player, and a bass player.  (At least I think this was the lineup. Im short, so I cant always see the stage.)  The group filled the ballroom with its music, whose foundation was in its ramshackle percussion.  I guess you could say that Need New Body represents where jam band meets indie rock meets art rock meets psychadelia meets avant-jazz, and though their performance confused the hell out of me, the crowd ate it up.  I always say, the weirder the music, the more likely the indie rock kidsll think its hip.

El Guapo

Washington DCs El Guapo were next to perform, and though I know of others who were disappointed, I thought their performance was impressive.  Dischord Records electro-rock hybrid trio mixed its beats with guitar and drums on some songs, and on others, drummer Justin Moyer emerged from behind the drum kit to show off his robot moves and play guitar.  Quite a show.

I stuck around for a (very, very loud) song or two of DCs Black Eyes, but Louis and I had to jet to get to Court Square Theater in time to catch Of Montreal, which we apparently did not do successfully.  We also apparently did not see the fine print in the MACRoCk handbook that said Court Square Theater (which is actually a sit-down theater) fills up quickly, so it is wise get there several sets before the band you are trying to see.  There were a shitload of pissed people waiting in a long line outside the theater, and I was one of them, seeing as how Id left a venue where Pele and Q and Not U were going to play so I could come wait in line to see Of Montreal.

Of Montreal

But alas, patience is a virtue.  Several of the pissed people left (including Louis, who was lured in by the nearby bars), putting me closer to entering the theater which I managed to do about two-thirds of the way through Of Montreals set.  The band was decked out in silly costumes (more appropriate for the theater setting) and managed pleased the over-capacity crowd with their Beatles-esque psychedelic pop. 

Mountain Goats

Apparently, Of Montreal should have headlined, because next up were the Mountain Goats, and I saw some empty seats during their set.  This is not to say that the Mountain Goats performance was in any way inferior to Of Montreals.  Looking like an overgrown frat-boy, John Darnielle took the stage with his acoustic guitar and was accompanied by only a bass player.  Few people have looked more at ease clutching an acoustic guitar on a stool than Darnielle as he belted out new songs like Butterteeth and Slow West Vultures as well as a super-earnest version of Neon Orange Glimmer Song from 2000s Sweden and The Monkey Song from Protein Source for the FutureNow!  He definitely lived up to the stellar reputation of his live shows.

After the Mountain Goats finished, I tried to walk back to the PC Ballroom in time to try and catch some of Kid 606, but my horrible sense of direction overcame me, and I called Louis on his cell phone three times so he could direct me back. I missed Kid 606, but that was the least of my concerns when Steven called and said that his car battery died.  I hitched a ride back to the hotel with Louis, and eventually Steven and Jared managed to get their car there (along with some beer Keystone Lite, baby).  We went and got dinner from the vending machine and turned in for the night.

Day 2: April 5, 2003

The beginning of Day 2 consisted of me waiting at the hotel for Jason to drive up from Charlotte as I watched news of the war on CNN.  Steven and Jared left early to make it to some of the panels that were going on in the early afternoon.  Jason finally showed up, sporting his own bands t-shirt (Velcro Mary), despite his anti-self-promotion attitude he had repeatedly told me of. 

I was excited to go to MACROCK for two main reasons:  The Mountain Goats (who were inspirational to my so-called music career due to their song, Lets Go To Maine, and their involvement with my dream label, Shrimper), and Wesley Willis (who was inspirational to the so-called music career of my dear friend, Mr. Jonathan Rogers).  There were approximately 600,000 other bands that played the two-day event, but these were the only ones that grabbed my attention.

The Mountain Goats played Friday night at 11:35pm, in the Court Square Theater.  I couldnt see them very well, because I was 300 miles away, working in Charlotte, NC.  I heard they were good.  After I finally got home from work, I slept for three hours, woke up, packed a suitcase, borrowed a car, and headed to Virginia.

I got there in the afternoon, several hours after I had expected.  I met Catherine in the lobby of the Days Inn, right off of Interstate 81.  She was much smaller than I had imagined, despite the fact that she had previously told me that she was small.  I guess Im stubborn and dont believe anything unless I see it with my own eyes. 

Off to registration.  I was a day and a half late, so there wasnt a line.  I was subjected to an intense security check, consisting of a single question (Whats your name?).  After passing the test, they gave me a plastic bag filled with promotional crap, and a plastic wristband that made me feel like I was going to an amusement park.  Im a very prestigious journalist; shouldnt I at least get a laminate?

I was so late that I had already missed most of the good panels and workshops.  We headed to the Label Expo.

The Label Expo seemed like a good idea.  Representatives from all sorts of indie labels gathered together to sell their wares and give away free crap.  Ive always been a fan of free crap, so it was right up my alley.  The problem here was that since no music had started yet, there were way too many people crammed into the room, making the whole ordeal one giant claustrophobic clusterfuck.  I grabbed some free crap, talked to some people, and got the hell out of there. 

ROCK OVER LONDON...  ROCK ON HARRISONBURG...

Shows had started, so we decided to go to some of them.  Off to the College Center Ballroom.

Came in for the end of Ostinatos set.  They played well, but the guitarist relied too heavily on his delay pedal, and Ive never been very thrilled by instrumental bands.  Call me when you get a singer.

Taking a walk to the back of the room, I noticed Wesley Willis sitting in a chair next to his merch booth, drawing pictures (which were available for a mere $50).  I was too chickenshit to say anything to him, but I did buy one of his t-shirts.

Desecata

Next up was Desecata.  They were hilarious, but I dont think thats what they were going for.  The singer looked like he was trying to be the guy from The Hivess little brother.  Skinny tie, tight black clothes, red boots, a floppy throwback haircut...  The keyboard player spent the majority of the set trying to get the sound guy to adjust monitor levels which was funny because they only had a twenty minute set.  But that didnt stop him from requesting changes in between, and sometimes during, every song.  The sound guy finally got pissed and put him in his place, publicly.  When he wasnt arguing with the sound guy, the keyboard player was doing melodramatic dancing, the likes of which I havent seen since the days of Jesus Jones and EMF.  They were being videotaped, which is the only explanation for this forced display.  The guitarist and bass player didnt fit in with the other two boobs, and wouldnt have made much of a difference if they decided not to show up at all.

Somewhere in here was when one of Catherines flip-flops broke.  It was endlessly entertaining watching her walk around with it broken, particularly when it spun sideways.

V for Vendetta

It was about this time that I came to the realization that a grown man cannot survive long on a pack of peanut M&Ms, so we went to the little food area thing and ate some food.  We returned to catch the last song from V for Vendetta.  They played a very informal show it was hard to tell if they were playing a song, or just testing their equipment.  They opted to set up and play on the floor with the fans.  They were a politically/socially minded lesbian duo.  The guitarist/singer considered her microphone optional, choosing to shout rather than use the sound system on occasion.  The drummer did some amazingly technical shit.  As music, I didnt really get into it, but they both (particularly the drummer) played very well.

The next band looked scary.  It was time we switched venues, but not before heading back to the hotel so that Catherine could get a change of footwear.

Long Live Death

Court Square Theater was next.  We got there just in time to see Long Live Death perform.  The theater had big cushiony seats.  Long Live Death looked like punks masquerading as a religious cult.  They wore what appeared to be nightgowns, but you could still see their tattoos and studded jewelry underneath.  It was obvious that they didnt take anything seriously, but played it off as if they did.  By now, my previous nights lack of adequate sleep and the big cushiony seats were conspiring against me, and I started to nod off.  Just as I was drifting into sweet, sweet sleep, the barefooted, nightgowned, accordion-toting member of the band came out and stood on the seat directly in front of me, shaking a rattle accusingly.  This woke me up, and I spent the rest of the set delightfully watching to see what they would do next.  Crawling over the seats through the audience seemed the norm.  They also had planted audience members come onstage to sing (chant?) with them.  Ned Oldham came out and did a performance piece where he acted out a song about a baby bird learning to fly (while pretending he was a blind man).  A riveting performance (once I woke up).

Ned Oldham

Ned Oldham (yes, brother of Will) played next.  Just him, his guitar, and sometimes a harmonica.  It was just too sloppy for me to appreciate it.  Now I know why Will is the famous one.

Cassettes were next.  They played well and had an interesting musical lineup that included steel guitar, drums, moog, and accordion.  They were really talented, but I didnt get into the music for some reason.  I think The Beatles are the only band allowed to write songs with lyrics about bungalows.  Cassettes might have infringed on some international trade laws by violating this statute.

Victory at Sea

I liked the next band, Victory At Sea, but by this point I was starting to fall asleep again.  I learned later that the singer, Mona, was the girl from a band I used to love called Spore (check out the Fear God EP).  Slower dirges here, with violin and piano factoring heavily into the equation. 

Matt Pond PA

The last band at this venue was Matt Pond PA, who are one of those bands whose name Ive heard all over the place, yet Ive never actually listened to.  They were easily the best performance I saw at MACRoCk.  Someday when I have more money and am not so lazy, I might just buy one of their albums.  Great indie-pop with cello.  Tasty.

Back to College Center Ballroom.  Angry Atom was an angry three-piece.  The singer had long hair and reminded me of Ugly Kid Joe in that regard.  He hasnt yet mastered the art of singing and playing an instrument at the same time though.  Fast punk, bordering on hardcore.  Not my style anymore.

Wesley Willis

Wesley Willis was the cherry on top of the MACRoCk sundae.  Seeing him perform live was exactly as I imagined it.  It sounds just as bad as it does on CD, only playing live allows Wesley the luxury of cursing at the audience between songs.  The crowd ate it up.  He started off the set with a song called Osama Bin Laden.  How timely.  I love Wesley, but I can only take so much, which is why we left approximately 5 songs into the set. 

Then we went back to the hotel and I fell asleep.

-Jason Erb

MACRoCks schedule had been tentative and secretive for most of the month, but when I picked up my wristband at the PC Ballroom on campus, a final schedule with much more specific time slots for each band was included thank God.  I'd picked up a buzz on several "must see" bands including Hopesfall, Stretch Arm Strong, Burnt by the Sun and Dillinger Escape Plan.  I had done what research that I could before the festival, so that I would know what bands might be my sort of style, and which ones would be too hardcore for my taste.

Without any expectations, I went to Godwin around 6 p.m., and managed to catch the last couple of minutes of a group called The Wage of Sin.  I was quite shocked by the loud, obtrusive metal assaulting my earsbecause the band is nothing but women.  How could I have missed that in the guidebook?  I was disappointed when their set ended before I could even get settled into my comfortable listening position - far away from any mosh pit or crowd surfers. 

The next band after The Wage of Sin was a Richmond-based metal band called Scarlet.   The somewhat poor acoustics made it difficult to understand much of what was being sung, and the music typically drowned out any lyrics that might have otherwise been audible.  Honestly, I wasn't much impressed, though I thought Scarlet was good enough to perhaps earn a second listen like their CD, maybe.  I like my music loud, but I was seriously afraid of going deaf if I stuck around for any of the other shows.  It seemed that the intensity of the bands grew as the night wore on, and Scarlet was plenty intense enough for me.  So I packed it up a few minutes after 7 p.m. and headed back to the PC Ballroom.

The Thermals

The Thermals were just finishing up their set when I made it back to PC Ballroom through the sometimes heavy and quite annoying rainfall.  The band was pretty good, and the crowd really seemed to be into it the moshing going on wasn't the fatal type happening at Godwin, where I had seen a friend of mine take a shoe to the face.  It wasn't pretty.  The atmosphere here was much more relaxed, and The Thermals were much more my speed, though a little too pop-punk for my liking.  Kathy Foster, the bass player, was probably the cutest girl I've seen in a band who isn't the lead singer.  Hutch Harris was the charismatic lead singer and just seemed to be having a damn good time.  The Thermals aren't the most polished band I've ever seen, but they have fun.  And when the band has fun, the fans have fun.

Need New Body

Need New Body was next, and their style is something I'm still trying to figure out.  Are they indie rock or jazz? Or maybe a little of both?  Basically, their music was all over the place, and while I caught faint hints of some real musical talent, it's like these guys didn't know what to do with it.  I wasn't entertained, but I wasn't totally disgusted at their sound.  "Tittiepop" was by far the most memorable song.  The percussion was superb, but the melody if you can call it that was simplistic and dull. 

With the end of NNB's set, I was quite anxious to move on from the PC Ballroom, yet I wasn't quite sure where to go.  With the continuing rain, I cut my losses and called it a night.

April 5, 2003

I spent most of Saturday morning taking ibuprofen to rid myself of a nagging headache, and searching desperately for the batteries to my digital camera that had been M.I.A. for over a week.  Luckily, I found the batteries and got rid of the headache in time to head to Godwin for the night.  My mission was to see Stretch Arm Strong, and while they weren't playing until 9:30 that night, I decided to stick it out at Godwin for the night. 

I mingled amongst the other fans while waiting for a friend to join me, and got quite the earful about the bands that were about to play.  One guy with piercings, an interesting tattoo of a scantily-clad woman on his arm and a metal spiked collar spent a good half-hour explaining why Alabama Thunderpussy is the most "kick-ass Southern band ever, man."  A cigarette or two later, I ran into fans of Norma Jean, who were getting ready to go on at this point. 

Norma Jean was awesome.  By a large margin, they were the best band I had seen thus far, and they were just my style real Southern rock with slow, seductive guitars followed by heaving, hitting drums.  They played a few tracks from their most recent CD, Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child, though I couldn't tell you the names of the songs.  Their sound was so polished and so put together you could tell that Norma Jean is a band, with a message and genuine talent. 

Stretch Arm Strong

After Norma Jean and a quick smoke break, Stretch Arm Strong took the stage and did not disappoint.  At this point, I finally remembered to start snapping some pictures, but didn't really fuss with too many I was too busy rocking to SAS.  "Means to an End" was perhaps my favorite of their songs, but their set was so jam-packed with tune after tune that it's much too hard to limit my pick to just one.  The crowd was obviously full of many SAS fans that knew the words to most of their songs.  Chris, the lead singer, never slowed down for even a second, bouncing from one part of the stage to the next.  Their positive energy and solid performance was everything that I had expected and more.  The bands 30-minute set was over much too quickly for my liking, but it was the perfect end to the weekend. 

The Arrival:
Jared and I arrived in Harrisonburg and discussed the City's overall stink, a topic we often bring up while traveling through new cities.  We met up with Catherine, drove to get our badges, and went up to the PC Ballroom.  Here we met some of our friends, and hung out for quite some time.  Then we decided to go in and check out the first band:

The Trauma Queens:
Decent.  The singer had a cool voice, but overall they sounded pretty sloppy and generic.  They had energy though, so it was at least pretty fun to watch.  After their performance, I went outside for quite a while, and didn't come back until...

Need New Body:
WOW!  Need New Body were my second favorite band of the weekend.  Downright silly.  Two pianos, two drummers, a guy who sang and played banjo, and a bass.  Really energetic, really fun, really different what more can I say?  I was blown away. 

El Guapo:
El Guapo were pretty good.  Synthesizers, drum machines, and a really creepy drummer are what stand out in my mind the most.  The drummer had crazy eyes.  Being from Dischord, they had a recognizable DC sound.  They were okay, but I wasn't all that into them.

Black Eyes:
Black Eyes were up next.  They reminded me a lot of Need New Body, but they were a little more catchy.  There was all kinds of instrument trading off going on, which I always find ultra-cool.  One guy just made "yip!" noises into the microphone. 

Pele:
Pele were great!  A three-piece who played spacey, instrumental jam songs.  The guitarist was very talented and used a phrase sampler pedal to play over parts.  Extremely fun to watch.  They reminded me a lot of The Sea and Cake.  I dug every minute.

Q And Not U:
Finally!  The main reason I came to MACRoCk!  They played mostly songs from their new CD, which were amazing, and just a couple cuts off their old album (mostly because they scaled down from a 4 to a 3-piece).  They ended with "And the Washington Monument Blinks Goodnight," complete with handclaps, and a drawn out jam-ending, when members from previous bands jumped on stage and played percussion instruments while Chris sang politically motivated lyrics. 

After this, we went back to the hotel, ate lots of snacks, and went to sleep.

DAY TWO

Merch Workshop:
This workshop mostly talked about Punk Rock Payroll.  A t-shirt/sticker/patches/buttons etc. company who won't deal with sweatshop-affiliated manufacturers.  Cool guy, but I didn't really learn much although I got a free button and shirt.

Recording Workshop:
Next we went and heard the guys from Inner Ear Studios (who record for Fugazi, Q and not U, etc.) talk about music.  Again, I didn't learn much about recording, but it was still cool to hear what they had to say.  Basically they talked about how people should try to make the most of what they have, and how it's cool to experiment with recording techniques.   

Booking and Promoting:
Up next was the booking and promoting workshop.  Again, nothing new learned we just heard about people who put on shows and stuff.  Nothing really memorable here. 

Ian MacKaye:
Then we went and heard Ian Mackaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat, Dischord Records) speak, which was thoroughly enjoyable.  It's nice to see an old "punk rocker," who still believes today in what he was doing when he was young.  He told all sorts of great stories about Dischord and Henry Rollins.  He talked about straight edge for quite a while.  I'm sure he's sick of talking about it, but he did it all in good humor.  MacKaye came across as a great guy who deserves a lot of respect. 

After this, we went to the label Expo, and just hung out.  I only watched one band today, and that was:

Minus the Bear:
Minus the Bear are a fantastic band.  Their music isn't all that experimental, but it's just damn good.  The singer had a great live voice (in my opinion, most singers aren't so great live), and the lead guitar player spent 80% of his time doing very technical "tapping" riffs, which gave the songs a very light, and bubbly feel.  It was a great set and a great way to end the evening.

After some food, a fire alarm, and hanging out with some friends, we drove home (and away from the stink of Harrisonburg) with a great weekend in our wake.

-Steven Ingram