Collegiate Times

Tired of the radio? Bored to tears from the endless repetition of the same five songs? Depressed by the mainstream and are you longing to add substance to your musical repertoire? The Mixtape Music Festival is the answer to your prayers. The festival, being held in Squires Commonwealth Ballroom today, features an array of alternative bands appealing to a variety of musical tastes.

“The Alternative Sounds Committee aims to bring a variety of up-and-coming and underground acts to campus. We have a love for music and a desire to awaken the music scene around Virginia Tech,” said Shelby Bernard, director of Alternative Sounds for the Virginia Tech Union.

The Virginia Tech Union sponsors two annual shows: Soundfest in the spring and the Mixtape Music Festival in the fall. In addition, they put on the Acoustic Café, which takes place at Deet’s Place in Dietrick Hall every month. Diversity is the key point of the fall show as emphasized by Bernard.

“This year, we wanted to ‘mix’ things up a bit with our fall show. The Mixtape Music Festival is a multi-genre show that showcases several different styles of music, hence the idea of a ‘mixtape,’” Bernard said.

This confluence of musical elements is certainly auspicious of satisfying a variety of audiences with bands ranging from experimental/hardcore to powerpop/indie. The bands featured are Mass Movement of the Moth, Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer, Chasing Victory, and Hopesfall.

Mass Movement of the Moth is an experimental/hardcore band, while Up Up Down Down is an indie rock band. Zolof is a powerpop/indie band with a female lead vocalist, and Chasing Victory is an alternative/hardcore rock band. Hopesfall, rounding out the lineup, is a grunge/hardcore rock band.

This lineup provides plenty of thunderous sound along with relatively mellow indie sound. While not featuring bands many students are familiar with, audiophiles with curious ears and seeking a unique sound could be pleasantly surprised.

“I always get into arguments with people that say ‘we’ve never heard these bands.’ The way I see it, you’ll never discover your new favorite band without listening to new things, and what better time than at a live concert on campus. I hope people come out. We need more support for music around this area and five bands for $7 is a deal,” Bernard said.

Bernard and the rest of the Alternative Sounds crew are coming off a massive advertising campaign in attempts to regale students with a show of such promising musical talent. “We’ve been promoting like crazy — through flyers, listening tables, and, of course, facebook. We have just recently created our newest promotional tool, called ShowBot! He is our robot mascot and displays the upcoming show information. ShowBot! walks around campus, hands out flyers, and spreads the good news about the shows coming to Tech,” Bernard said.

Casual listeners and deeply dedicated music fans alike are encouraged to attend the show and can find more information on VTU’s website at www.vtu.org.vt.edu The radio and the flavor of the month will always be there, so this is an opportunity to perhaps see a noteworthy side of the music scene.

Mixtape Music Festival
Friday Nov.+10
Commonwealth Ballroom
Doors open @ 5:30 p.m., show starts @ 6 p.m.
$7 for VT Students and $10 for General Public (tickets sold at the door)
Sponsored by Virginia Tech Union Alternative Sounds

Mass Movement of the Moth

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start

Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer

Chasing Victory
Hopesfall