Among this week’s campus events is the annual Willamette Valley Music Festival, which is put on by the University’s Cultural Forum. The festival takes place on Saturday, from noon to midnight.
A-Trak, Yeasayer, Baths and Donnis are the headlining musicians this year and will play on the main stage, but those are only four of the 35-plus bands playing on four different stages on campus. There is also the student stage, the KLCC stage at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art and the Bike Music Festival at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History.@@yes@@
The bands playing at the WVMF come from all over the musical spectrum, with sounds ranging from folk to hip-hop. The event’s planners are confident everyone will find something they like.
“Even if you don’t like the music on one stage, there’s other stuff happening elsewhere,” said Kelly Johnson, a student stage coordinator. “If you don’t like one stage, walk to the next spot and hopefully you’ll like that.”
Johnson and Alyssa Fisher, WVMF coordinator, have been hard at work preparing for the music festival since last October.@@http://culture.uoregon.edu/about@@
“It’s been a balancing act between contacting bands, seeing if they’re available, setting up stage areas and working with community partners,” Fisher said. “There have been a lot of meetings.”
The partners and sponsors involved in the festival make up a long list. Mallard Madness, ASUO and Eugene Weekly are just three of the 13 sponsors.
As its name suggests, the student stage will showcase seven student bands. Any student band was eligible to apply to play this year’s festival. Each of the bands has varying degrees of experience, Johnson said.
“These are the best bands the University has to offer,” she said. “Some have played shows before, but some of them are just really excited to have a stage to perform on.”
Festival attendees can also see student musicians on the main stage. The two winners of the New Song Contest will each play a 15-minute set on the same stage as the headlining bands.
“It’s a good opportunity for them to be able to say that they’ve played alongside these big bands,” said Fisher.
In addition to live music, the WVMF will also offer workshops and kids’ activities. DJ Food Stamp will lead a workshop on the history, technology and skills of DJing. His workshop, as well those put on by Sirens Dance Company and Kings Krew,@@surprisingly, yes@@ will be held in the EMU Fishbowl in the early afternoon.@@http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194026203964176@@
Coalessence: Ecstatic Dance Community will offer a dance workshop in the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Fisher described it as “meditative.”@@http://eventful.com/eugene/events/coalessence-community-ecstatic-dance-/E0-001-036009316-5@@
“They’re doing an experimental community dance experience,” she said. “It’s going to be really interesting.”
The different parts of the Cultural Forum each work on their own plans throughout the year, but Johnson said the WVMF is “a unique opportunity for all of the Cultural Forum to come together and show what we can do as a unit.”
Fisher also believes the festival is a good representation of what the Cultural Forum does.
“We’re bringing culture to the campus, trying to incorporate art and music with the culture of Oregon,” she said. “We’re all about connecting with the community.”
Thanks to sponsors, grants and the Cultural Forum’s own funding, the WVMF is free.
“It’s so rare to have a festival of this magnitude on campus. Students should take the opportunity to be part of this because we’re putting it on for them,” said Fisher. “There’s a wide variety of music, from folk to rap. Between all the music and workshops, there’s something for everyone.”
For the full festival schedule, visit the Oregon Daily Emerald’s Mallard Madness guide or the official Willamette Valley Music Fest site.