By Ann Marie Trietley
There might as well be tumbleweeds blowing through the library, the academic buildings and the dorms. Where have all the students gone?
Stacks of schoolbooks will collect dust once the last strand of homework has been furiously scribbled. Work is discarded and abandoned soon after class ends in anticipation. It’s time to prepare for the day that Fredonia students wait for all year.
It happens every year in the fenced-in field near Dods Hall. Upon rising Saturday morning students make their pilgrimage to the tents with the necessary provisions strapped to their backs. It’s Fred Fest 2008, and it’s time to prepare.
Of course, there will be food. Dinosaur Barbeque, provider of a favorite local cuisine in Syracuse and Rochester, arrives to peddle $5 plates of pulled pork and ribs to a winding line of famished concertgoers.
“I’m getting in line early for Dinosaur Barbeque,” says Nevada Greene, a senior English major. “Fred Fest weekend equals food.”
Some begin the annual springtime celebration earlier, with BJ’s Fest going on Thursday and Friday night downtown. This year, the two-day fest will feature Dameira, Lemuria, This is an Empire, Sonorous Gale, London vs. New York, Mysterious Mysteries, Gonculator and the Trip Wilsons.
“I was actually thinking this year that I’d do something special,” says James Ralls, a senior English major. “I was thinking I’d go to BJ’s Fest Thursday and Friday, the show on Saturday to eat Dinosaur Barbeque, then I’m going to a basement show instead of watching Cartel. All these crazy things will cause me to windmill, cartwheel and jump-rope for Jesus.”
BJ’s Fest is just the thing to gear up for the springtime concert season and prep the eardrums for thundering sets and roaring crowds. With so much opposition to this year’s headliner - pop-punk group Cartel - the die-hard music lovers on campus seem to be anticipating BJ’s Fest much more.
Although it’s not free - $5 per night – the eclectic and oft-surprising bands and cheap drinks are well worth it. The Trip Wilsons, a three-person band from Bainsbridge, N.Y., with the slam-dance favorite “United Snakes of America,” are forecast to be the ones on everyone’s lips this year.
“I’m not gearing up for Fred Fest,” says Dave Moran, a senior English major. “To me, it’s not that big of a deal. I’m planning on checking out the actual concert, then going out with my friends and causing trouble.”
While Fred Fest has gradually become more and more toned down over the years – no drinking, smoking, or more than three non-Fredonia guests per student allowed - students still prepare in advance to surrender themselves to the ultimate pursuit of happiness.
“I’m going to get lots of homework done Friday because I know I’m not going to wake up Sunday,” says Michelle D’Amico, a sophomore liberal arts major.
After the practical preparation of finishing that last nagging bit of homework is complete, some simple finishing touches are needed before the festivities can commence.
“I’m preparing with sunscreen,” says Kim Brant, a sophomore liberal arts major. “And a tour de Franzia!”
“Fred Fest, yeah, probably whiskey,” says Robyn Martin, a sophomore visual arts and new media major. “That’s probably it!”
But don’t attempt to smuggle that flask past Officer Growler! Be warned – you will be padded down before entering.
“Last year there were six cops searching you before you even went into the concert,” says Kevin Ludwig, a sophomore environmental sciences major. “It used to be a free festival day for kids to drink and have fun all day, and that’s how it should be. But Fredonia’s weird and has an authority problem.”
While dealing with authority is often necessary to get ahead in this world, it doesn’t have to stifle the Fred Fest fun. Besides the concert on Saturday, there will be plenty of merriment to be had both on and off campus.
“I’m preparing to have a good time outside of campus,” says Greene. “I don’t respect the decisions made as to what bands are coming, but Cartel I guess has a good fan base, even though everyone I talked to is unhappy about the decision.”
The whiney screams of Cartel are sure to be matched in volume by the springtime revelry lasting well into the night.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Does Fred Fest Really Matter?
By Anne Lithiluxa
What defines the illustrious “Fred Fest?” Is it the booze? Is it the bands? Is it good times with great friends? Is it the school year coming to an end? We caught up with Fredonia students and alum to give us their perspective on what defines Fred Fest.
Kristie Frascati, Fredonia alum, now attends SUNY Brockport. She cannot even compare her campus’ “ Brock-the-port” vs. Fred Fest. She says she is ecstatic to make the trip up the I-90 to her old Alma Mater this weekend to reunite with her distant friends and party like old times on Fred Fest.
“It’s a staple in Fredonia tradition,” Frascatu said.
She’ll be spending the entire weekend at a friend’s house on Green Street. and this year she’ll be bringing her boyfriend, brother and girlfriends from Brockport to Fred Fest.
“They have all heard about it. I told them it doesn’t even compare to anything at their schools,” she said. “They need to experience Fred Fest.”
But what about the students who currently attend the University? Do they have a different outlook on the festivities?
Computer Science Major Robert Scott said that Fred Fest doesn’t really matter to him because there’s always “sh**ty bands.” Unlike many other undergraduates who have complained, Scott has voted in the election for which bands make the stage.
He says he would have gone to see Three 6 Mafia. Even Vanilla Ice (ice baby). When questioned about the band elect, Cartel, he is clueless as to who they are and what their sound is.
He navigates online to the band’s website to read up and listen to songs.
“It’s not bad… it’s actually catchy.” Scott says. After short contemplation, he announces, “Yes! I will go see this band!”
But honestly, it’s really about the parties after all. Scott, like many other seniors, agrees that Fred Fest is a time at the end of the semester, or college career, to kick back and celebrate (wildly) with everyone they’ve befriended over the years.
Elena Pontz, a senior Journalism student, says,” it’s nice outside, there’s parties, people hang out- it’s a celebration of the college with the town.”
But did she forget to mention the bands and the festivities on campus?
“I would go, and it would matter to me if we had decent bands.” Pontz said.
She knows that Fredonia State is shadowed by neighboring UB with its high budgeted artists like Ludacris, Akon, etc.
Kevin Flood, a junior Communications Studies major, says that he remembers his roommate AJ telling him about how he had been to the previous three Fred Fests and how awesome they were.
“The bands before I came here were good! Like, Eve 6 and Alkaline Trio,” he says.
Flood, a big music lover, hasn’t been to any of the performances because he has been, for a kinder word, ”uninterested” in the bands.
“But the past three Fred Fests which I have been a part of have been lame,” he says.
Stephanie Bellinger, a TV/film major, also has not been happy with the bands.
“I’ve been here for two years, and I’m definitely not impressed,” she said.
She has given up all hope on having a “cool band” and warns others that it’s never going to happen.
Although the headliners may be wretched – or at least not consensus picks – a positive note is the local bands, comprised mainly of students, as part of the bill.
The only on-campus activity that seems to stick in some students’ minds is the Dinosaur Barbecue catering. I had it last year, and let me tell you it is dino-mite!
But the music isn’t necessarily where the memories are made. Whether you go and see the band, or you party hardy hard, take the time off from school work and don’t think about upcoming exams. It’s one of the last remaining weekends to hang out with friends, many who you won’t see again until next year or perhaps never again.
As Dave Matthews says, take time to make memories, because “Life is short and sweet for certain.”
What defines the illustrious “Fred Fest?” Is it the booze? Is it the bands? Is it good times with great friends? Is it the school year coming to an end? We caught up with Fredonia students and alum to give us their perspective on what defines Fred Fest.
Kristie Frascati, Fredonia alum, now attends SUNY Brockport. She cannot even compare her campus’ “ Brock-the-port” vs. Fred Fest. She says she is ecstatic to make the trip up the I-90 to her old Alma Mater this weekend to reunite with her distant friends and party like old times on Fred Fest.
“It’s a staple in Fredonia tradition,” Frascatu said.
She’ll be spending the entire weekend at a friend’s house on Green Street. and this year she’ll be bringing her boyfriend, brother and girlfriends from Brockport to Fred Fest.
“They have all heard about it. I told them it doesn’t even compare to anything at their schools,” she said. “They need to experience Fred Fest.”
But what about the students who currently attend the University? Do they have a different outlook on the festivities?
Computer Science Major Robert Scott said that Fred Fest doesn’t really matter to him because there’s always “sh**ty bands.” Unlike many other undergraduates who have complained, Scott has voted in the election for which bands make the stage.
He says he would have gone to see Three 6 Mafia. Even Vanilla Ice (ice baby). When questioned about the band elect, Cartel, he is clueless as to who they are and what their sound is.
He navigates online to the band’s website to read up and listen to songs.
“It’s not bad… it’s actually catchy.” Scott says. After short contemplation, he announces, “Yes! I will go see this band!”
But honestly, it’s really about the parties after all. Scott, like many other seniors, agrees that Fred Fest is a time at the end of the semester, or college career, to kick back and celebrate (wildly) with everyone they’ve befriended over the years.
Elena Pontz, a senior Journalism student, says,” it’s nice outside, there’s parties, people hang out- it’s a celebration of the college with the town.”
But did she forget to mention the bands and the festivities on campus?
“I would go, and it would matter to me if we had decent bands.” Pontz said.
She knows that Fredonia State is shadowed by neighboring UB with its high budgeted artists like Ludacris, Akon, etc.
Kevin Flood, a junior Communications Studies major, says that he remembers his roommate AJ telling him about how he had been to the previous three Fred Fests and how awesome they were.
“The bands before I came here were good! Like, Eve 6 and Alkaline Trio,” he says.
Flood, a big music lover, hasn’t been to any of the performances because he has been, for a kinder word, ”uninterested” in the bands.
“But the past three Fred Fests which I have been a part of have been lame,” he says.
Stephanie Bellinger, a TV/film major, also has not been happy with the bands.
“I’ve been here for two years, and I’m definitely not impressed,” she said.
She has given up all hope on having a “cool band” and warns others that it’s never going to happen.
Although the headliners may be wretched – or at least not consensus picks – a positive note is the local bands, comprised mainly of students, as part of the bill.
The only on-campus activity that seems to stick in some students’ minds is the Dinosaur Barbecue catering. I had it last year, and let me tell you it is dino-mite!
But the music isn’t necessarily where the memories are made. Whether you go and see the band, or you party hardy hard, take the time off from school work and don’t think about upcoming exams. It’s one of the last remaining weekends to hang out with friends, many who you won’t see again until next year or perhaps never again.
As Dave Matthews says, take time to make memories, because “Life is short and sweet for certain.”
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
This year's bands
By Kyle Gauser
Fred Fest always seems to have a good blend of local bands and sometimes a popular headliner.
This year’s local bands seem to be a group of popular up and comers in the industry that many of the students of Fredonia have had a chance to hear at various shows around Fredonia. The Scarlet Ending, Ghost of a Stranger, Flood the Shoreline, and Andrew Halliday and Friends have given Fredonia students many opportunities to see them play at places in downtown Fredonia from BJ’s to EBC to Valentine’s.
Some bands, like The Scarlet Ending, with two CDs released already, a song on MTV’s “The Hills”, and a new album on the way, are more established in the industry than others. Flood the Shoreline and Ghost of a Stranger have released albums this year, with Ghost of a Stranger playing a CD release show at Valentine’s in Fredonia on April 25. Andrew Halliday and Friends has also played various shows in Fredonia and are a very popular band to see live.
While the choice of Cartel as the headliner was unpopular with many students, you could also call them an up and comer. With two albums released so far (their latest in August 2007) they are still relatively new to the industry.
Secret Machines have been around for a while longer but at least for me they were a relative unknown. It seems that the theme of this Fred Fest may be young relatively unestablished bands looking to make their way in the music industry. While the local Fredonia bands may be more popular with the students, it should overall be a good show that provides attendees with a variety of different sounds and styles of music.
Here's the rundown:
Flood the Shoreline
Style of Music: Rock
Sound Like: Categorize their sound as Emotion, hooks, and drive.
Recordings: “Around and Around” Five-track CD released February 1, 2008.
Influences: Brand New, Our Lady Peace, Strata, Finger Eleven, The Juliana Theory.
Links: http://www.floodtheshoreline.com/home.html http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=61757943
Watch 'em:
Andrew Halliday and Friends
Style of Music: Rock
Sounds Like: Categorize their sound as “Something you might want to check out.”
Influences: Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles.
Links: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=22649924
Watch 'em:
The Scarlet Ending
Style of Music: Indie/ Folk Rock/ Acoustic
Sounds Like: Say they sound like “ever evolving Indie rock.”
Recordings: “Cries and Whispers” June 16, 2006, and “The Scarlet Ending” 5 Song EP released November 30, 1999.
Links: http://www.purevolume.com/thescarletending
http://www.myspace.com/thescarletending
Watch 'em:
Ghost of a Stranger
Style of Music: Indie Rock
Sounds Like: The Killers
Influences: Bloc Party, Muse, Radiohead, and Tokyo Police
Recordings: “Hers and Yours” Released on April 29, 2008.
Links: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=123956518
Watch 'em:
Secret Machines
Style of Music: psychedelic/ Big beat/ Blues
Sounds Like: My Bloody Valentine, and Ride. May also have hints of Procol Harum, U2, and The Flaming Lips.
Influences: The Flaming Lips.
Recordings: “Now Here is Nowhere” May 18, 2004, “Ten Silver Drops” April 25, 2006.
Links: http://www.thesecretmachines.com/ http://www.myspace.com/secretmachines
Watch 'em:
Cartel
Style of Music: Power Pop/ Punk/ Rock
Sounds Like: Simple Plan, Hit the Lights, The Academy Is...
Influences: Green Day
Recordings: “Chroma” June 13, 2006, “Cartel” August 21, 2007.
Links: http://www.cartelrocks.com/main.html
http://www.myspace.com/cartel
Watch 'em: Well you can't. Not here. We could do some downloading and converting to get around their "no embedding by request" on youtube, but they probably have more lawyers than we do. Way more lawyers. So we'll just send you to the link while remaining slightly irked that they're the only one of the Fred Fest bands to discourage embedding their video on a blog.
Fred Fest always seems to have a good blend of local bands and sometimes a popular headliner.
This year’s local bands seem to be a group of popular up and comers in the industry that many of the students of Fredonia have had a chance to hear at various shows around Fredonia. The Scarlet Ending, Ghost of a Stranger, Flood the Shoreline, and Andrew Halliday and Friends have given Fredonia students many opportunities to see them play at places in downtown Fredonia from BJ’s to EBC to Valentine’s.
Some bands, like The Scarlet Ending, with two CDs released already, a song on MTV’s “The Hills”, and a new album on the way, are more established in the industry than others. Flood the Shoreline and Ghost of a Stranger have released albums this year, with Ghost of a Stranger playing a CD release show at Valentine’s in Fredonia on April 25. Andrew Halliday and Friends has also played various shows in Fredonia and are a very popular band to see live.
While the choice of Cartel as the headliner was unpopular with many students, you could also call them an up and comer. With two albums released so far (their latest in August 2007) they are still relatively new to the industry.
Secret Machines have been around for a while longer but at least for me they were a relative unknown. It seems that the theme of this Fred Fest may be young relatively unestablished bands looking to make their way in the music industry. While the local Fredonia bands may be more popular with the students, it should overall be a good show that provides attendees with a variety of different sounds and styles of music.
Here's the rundown:
Flood the Shoreline
Style of Music: Rock
Sound Like: Categorize their sound as Emotion, hooks, and drive.
Recordings: “Around and Around” Five-track CD released February 1, 2008.
Influences: Brand New, Our Lady Peace, Strata, Finger Eleven, The Juliana Theory.
Links: http://www.floodtheshoreline.com/home.html http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=61757943
Watch 'em:
Andrew Halliday and Friends
Style of Music: Rock
Sounds Like: Categorize their sound as “Something you might want to check out.”
Influences: Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, The Beatles.
Links: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=22649924
Watch 'em:
The Scarlet Ending
Style of Music: Indie/ Folk Rock/ Acoustic
Sounds Like: Say they sound like “ever evolving Indie rock.”
Recordings: “Cries and Whispers” June 16, 2006, and “The Scarlet Ending” 5 Song EP released November 30, 1999.
Links: http://www.purevolume.com/thescarletending
http://www.myspace.com/thescarletending
Watch 'em:
Ghost of a Stranger
Style of Music: Indie Rock
Sounds Like: The Killers
Influences: Bloc Party, Muse, Radiohead, and Tokyo Police
Recordings: “Hers and Yours” Released on April 29, 2008.
Links: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=123956518
Watch 'em:
Secret Machines
Style of Music: psychedelic/ Big beat/ Blues
Sounds Like: My Bloody Valentine, and Ride. May also have hints of Procol Harum, U2, and The Flaming Lips.
Influences: The Flaming Lips.
Recordings: “Now Here is Nowhere” May 18, 2004, “Ten Silver Drops” April 25, 2006.
Links: http://www.thesecretmachines.com/ http://www.myspace.com/secretmachines
Watch 'em:
Cartel
Style of Music: Power Pop/ Punk/ Rock
Sounds Like: Simple Plan, Hit the Lights, The Academy Is...
Influences: Green Day
Recordings: “Chroma” June 13, 2006, “Cartel” August 21, 2007.
Links: http://www.cartelrocks.com/main.html
http://www.myspace.com/cartel
Watch 'em: Well you can't. Not here. We could do some downloading and converting to get around their "no embedding by request" on youtube, but they probably have more lawyers than we do. Way more lawyers. So we'll just send you to the link while remaining slightly irked that they're the only one of the Fred Fest bands to discourage embedding their video on a blog.
Don't let this happen to you!
By Debbie Rottner
The day starts off when you have a few with your friends at a pre-concert BBQ. The afternoon continues with a water bottle filled with your favorite “mixed beverage” at the concert. Everyone needs a break, though, so dinner is there to sober you up. Then to the bars!
This might be a typical day of a student participating in the annual Fred Fest festivities.
We all know that drinking is a big part of Fred Fest. What is not often thought about, however, is that only about a quarter of students at SUNY Fredonia are legally able to drink.
So what does that mean for the rest of the school?
Will the police just look the other way in the good nature of the weekend? Or is it worth the risk to take the chance and hope you won’t get caught?
Last year TV/Digital film major David Waldron found himself one of the unfortunate souls forced to pay a visit to the Fredonia Police station. While in his dorm room, Dave was enjoying himself with his friends. Much to his surprise, the Fredonia Police showed up stating that they had received a complaint about the noise coming from his room.
Taken away in handcuffs, Waldron knew that this was not going to be a pleasant end to his evening. Upon arriving at the station, the jail was crammed full of students. Almost everyone was being held for some sort of alcohol related reason. In essence, the jail cells at the police station had been turned into giant drunk tanks.
“I got there about 2:00 in the morning. Everything was jam packed. They had nowhere else to put me, so they handcuffed me to a bench in the middle of the station,” recalled Waldron.
Although he does not remember much from that night, one thing does stand out in Waldron’s mind. “I remember sitting on the floor looking around and thinking wow, I hope no one pukes on me!” He explained that this feeling resulted from the stench of beer oozing from the cells.
Being handcuffed to a bench is not a typical experience when taken to a police station. If the police know that Fred Fest happens every year, how exactly do they plan for this influx in drinking? Do they have anywhere else to put students rather than attaching them to a bench?
Fredonia Police Chief Bradley Meyers explained that the department increases both its foot and road patrols for the weekend.
But for the space issue, the Fredonia Police fell they have more than enough accommodations.
“Cell space is rarely an issue here. Yes, there is an increase in warnings for the weekend and if we need to detain students, we will keep them until they are capable to safely leave us,” said Meyers.
Meyers also warns students that they should be careful of doing something that could haunt them for the rest of their lives due to one drunken evening.
And as for Waldron? He was deemed safe enough to enter back onto the streets, and was released without charges after two hours of being attached to the bench. He now knows that playing his guitar in his dorm room at 2 a.m. probably is not the best idea.
The day starts off when you have a few with your friends at a pre-concert BBQ. The afternoon continues with a water bottle filled with your favorite “mixed beverage” at the concert. Everyone needs a break, though, so dinner is there to sober you up. Then to the bars!
This might be a typical day of a student participating in the annual Fred Fest festivities.
We all know that drinking is a big part of Fred Fest. What is not often thought about, however, is that only about a quarter of students at SUNY Fredonia are legally able to drink.
So what does that mean for the rest of the school?
Will the police just look the other way in the good nature of the weekend? Or is it worth the risk to take the chance and hope you won’t get caught?
Last year TV/Digital film major David Waldron found himself one of the unfortunate souls forced to pay a visit to the Fredonia Police station. While in his dorm room, Dave was enjoying himself with his friends. Much to his surprise, the Fredonia Police showed up stating that they had received a complaint about the noise coming from his room.
Taken away in handcuffs, Waldron knew that this was not going to be a pleasant end to his evening. Upon arriving at the station, the jail was crammed full of students. Almost everyone was being held for some sort of alcohol related reason. In essence, the jail cells at the police station had been turned into giant drunk tanks.
“I got there about 2:00 in the morning. Everything was jam packed. They had nowhere else to put me, so they handcuffed me to a bench in the middle of the station,” recalled Waldron.
Although he does not remember much from that night, one thing does stand out in Waldron’s mind. “I remember sitting on the floor looking around and thinking wow, I hope no one pukes on me!” He explained that this feeling resulted from the stench of beer oozing from the cells.
Being handcuffed to a bench is not a typical experience when taken to a police station. If the police know that Fred Fest happens every year, how exactly do they plan for this influx in drinking? Do they have anywhere else to put students rather than attaching them to a bench?
Fredonia Police Chief Bradley Meyers explained that the department increases both its foot and road patrols for the weekend.
But for the space issue, the Fredonia Police fell they have more than enough accommodations.
“Cell space is rarely an issue here. Yes, there is an increase in warnings for the weekend and if we need to detain students, we will keep them until they are capable to safely leave us,” said Meyers.
Meyers also warns students that they should be careful of doing something that could haunt them for the rest of their lives due to one drunken evening.
And as for Waldron? He was deemed safe enough to enter back onto the streets, and was released without charges after two hours of being attached to the bench. He now knows that playing his guitar in his dorm room at 2 a.m. probably is not the best idea.
So what does the community think about Fred Fest?
By JOHN MACKOWIAK
The title of a hit single from deceased Hip-Hop artist Notorious B.I.G. sums up what Fred Fest means to the village.
“Mo Money, Mo Problems.”
SUNY Fredonia's end of the year bash tends to bring in droves of alumni and outsiders. And those non-students need a place to stay, a place to eat and a place to drink.
What it all means is that Fred Fest brings in new money for Fredonia's hotels, restaurants and bars.
“It's an economic stimulus for the bars downtown and for surrounding bars and restaurants, so it does bring in additional people and money into the community,” said former Fredonia Mayor Frank Pagano.
Forget Congress's economic stimulus plan. The nation should just have a huge music (and drinking) festival.
Pagano, who now spends part of the year in Florida, used to be a businessman prior to being mayor. He was the owner of a couple restaurants and a bar. He knows first-hand about the financial boost that Fred Fest provides for local businesses.
“The bars and the restaurants pick up extra revenue from the stimulus that's created from all those coming into the community,” Pagano said.
It's undeniable. There are more people in Fredonia for Fred Fest, than there are on an average weekend. And that means more money for the village's small businesses.
Vice President of Student Affairs David Herman thinks the festival is an event that many local entrepreneurs excitedly anticipate.
“It's very good, economically, for the village, and all the businesses do great business that weekend, especially the bars and restaurants,” Herman said. “So, I think that they do look forward to it economically.”
But there is a downside to all of the money filtering into the village. As Biggie told the world in his hit single, with the money comes the problems.
“The village has sort of a love-hate relationship with Fred Fest,” Herman said. “In some ways, they're happy that the students are having a good time and that spring has arrived and that it brings a lot of business to the village, but in other ways, it's quite disruptive, especially when they have to put on extra police. It costs them money in the village budget, and residents are inconvenienced by the noise.”
Busting Skulls
Village Police will be forced to deal with higher volumes of drunk and rowdy people downtown. Arrests will have to be made, and fines will have to be paid.
“There's always the usual problems, and they're all created from too much alcohol,” Pagano said.
The former mayor listed some of the things that he saw during his tenure.
“When you drink to much there's the problem of assault and fights, and the police have to deal with that,” Pagano continued. “And we've had occasions where we found students sleeping on people's porches because they didn't know where they were. It's all related to alcohol, of course. And that's why they come because they want to drink, but you have to drink responsibly.”
When Herman was interviewing for his job as vice president, he had to sit down with the village's mayor and police chief. He said that for 80 percent of that interview, they talked about the Fred Fest that had taken place the previous weekend.
That was 2001—the year after which the decision was made to make Fred Fest into a one-day event, rather than a three-day raucous bash.
There were at least 22 arrests that weekend, as the village was flooded by non-students.
“It caused quite a disruption to the village,” Herman said.
Things have become much more tame since then, but the police force will still be prepared for the unexpected.
According to Fredonia Mayor Mike Sullivan, the village police will have a visible presence downtown. Sullivan said that the officers are most concerned with making sure everyone is safe, not filling up the holding center and handing out tickets.
“The Fredonia police are going to have their presence down there every weekend,” Sullivan said. “There used to be a lot more concern by the police of handing out citations for open container, and they've really taken more of the approach that the idea has to be public safety and preserving the peace.”
It's police discretion. A police officer will ticket an individual if they are being obvious and obnoxious with an open container. The village force wants to ensure that everyone acts responsibly and nobody is hurt.
“The primary focus is to make sure that everyone down there is safe,” Sullivan said. “It's much more maintaining the public peace than trying to fine somebody. ”
Since 2001, Fred Fest has been gradually declining in prominence and exposure. Fewer and fewer people are coming, making the festival less of a challenge for police.
Pagano couldn't really say if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He said he could go either way with it.
“I think it's good in a sense because the police can handle it better, and it's bad because there's not as much revenue generated into the community,” Pagano said.
What a Mess!
The other concern that is the mess that is left behind by the hard-partying Fred Festers.
When Fredonia wakes up the next morning, Barker Commons, Main Street, Water Street and all of the other roads will have trash scattered throughout.
With the morning's sun just rising above the horizon, early bird residents will be out walking their dogs. At the same time, some students will finally be shutting their eyes after a night of heavy drinking and wacky adventures.
The dog walker will tug on his dog's leash, as animal stops to examine a half-eaten hamburger that's been cast aside by a full-stomached drunkard.
The fresh green grass surrounding the Commons' fountains will be strewn with red Solo cups, beer cans and sandwich wrappers. There will be shards of glass from broken bottles in the alleys and parking lots behind the bars. Cigarette butts will lie dormant on the sidewalks.
“There's a mess to clean up in the morning. The street department has to send out people to clean up the streets and the garbage that's accumulated,” Pagano said.
Sullivan agreed that there is a mess downtown after Fred Fest weekend, and some residents will complain about it.
But there's always a mess, he said.
“There will be people that approach—and I know last year was my first year as mayor, I know I was approached the morning after, Sunday morning, by a couple of people who said, 'Boy, I looked at downtown. It looks terrible,'” Sullivan said. “Well, I'd been downtown, and it really wasn't that unusual. There were a few more cups here and there, but I also noticed that the bar owners already had people out, at the point I was down there, cleaning up.”
This year, there will be even less of a reason for residents to complain about the mess. One of the student groups on-campus, Students for Peace, is sponsoring a village-wide clean up effort.
They're calling it the Fredonia Town Clean-Up. It'll be the morning after. All students have been invited to join Students for Peace at Barker Commons at noon on May 4 to lend a hand.
The Bigger Picture
According to Herman, half of the residents in the village have a connection to the university. They're either faculty, staff or related to faculty or staff, or they might be local business people who rely on the money from the student population.
The campus is an asset to the region. It's vital to the local economy, and it's a center for culture in Chautauqua County.
There might be a few individuals who complain about students' weekend activities, including Fred Fest, but most residents don't have a problem with it. They can deal with the noise and the minor costs and the mess because they are aware that without the university, the local economy might fall apart.
“The college is part of the community. It's a celebration to end the semester at the university, and certainly, I think enough money comes into the community to offset the costs and the problems that are created.” Pagano said. “I certainly as an individual have no problems with it, and I live right across from the college.”
Pagano said that 99 percent of the students behave. It's that one percent that causes all of the problems.
The same is true about the complaining villagers, Sullivan insists. There is a tiny portion of residents who do all of the complaining, but those few complainers are louder than people who aren't bothered by Fred Fest.
“I take the approach that if that's the worst of our problems, then we we're doing pretty well. I think when you see the efforts that the students take at other times of the year, like the raking they do,” Sullivan said. “I think most people have realized that if we didn't have the college here, there wouldn't be much reason for people to be here.”
As exhibited by the college's Leaf-Raking Event and the Fredonia Town Clean-Up, many students are actively engaged in the community. Most villagers recognize that, and, as a result, they understand that college students will be college students.
“We've seen that time and time again, when there's been a problem in town, the residents always come out and speak up on behalf of students and say, 'hey most students are really good. We have a great relationship,'” Herman said. “So I do think they're very supportive and they tolerate a lot as a community because they remember when they were young, when they were students, and I think that they feel that, overall, Fredonia's a great place to be.”
Most of Chautauqua County's cities, towns and villages are losing population, while the number of Fredonia's residents has remained stable. And the student population is growing.
Each year, SUNY Fredonia receives more applications and admits more students than the previous year. That's been the trend over the past several years.
And as the number of students increases, the college creates more jobs.
More jobs and more people mean a more solvent economy for northern Chautauqua County.
Mayor Sullivan said that the university's contribution to the local economy is so huge that residents really can't complain. If the college left town, according to Sullivan, residents would lose jobs, services and entertainment options.
“I think a lot of people here in the village look at the fact that the economic value to our community for having it (the university) here, you live with it for that one day when they have the bands outside,” Sullivan said.
The title of a hit single from deceased Hip-Hop artist Notorious B.I.G. sums up what Fred Fest means to the village.
“Mo Money, Mo Problems.”
SUNY Fredonia's end of the year bash tends to bring in droves of alumni and outsiders. And those non-students need a place to stay, a place to eat and a place to drink.
What it all means is that Fred Fest brings in new money for Fredonia's hotels, restaurants and bars.
“It's an economic stimulus for the bars downtown and for surrounding bars and restaurants, so it does bring in additional people and money into the community,” said former Fredonia Mayor Frank Pagano.
Forget Congress's economic stimulus plan. The nation should just have a huge music (and drinking) festival.
Pagano, who now spends part of the year in Florida, used to be a businessman prior to being mayor. He was the owner of a couple restaurants and a bar. He knows first-hand about the financial boost that Fred Fest provides for local businesses.
“The bars and the restaurants pick up extra revenue from the stimulus that's created from all those coming into the community,” Pagano said.
It's undeniable. There are more people in Fredonia for Fred Fest, than there are on an average weekend. And that means more money for the village's small businesses.
Vice President of Student Affairs David Herman thinks the festival is an event that many local entrepreneurs excitedly anticipate.
“It's very good, economically, for the village, and all the businesses do great business that weekend, especially the bars and restaurants,” Herman said. “So, I think that they do look forward to it economically.”
But there is a downside to all of the money filtering into the village. As Biggie told the world in his hit single, with the money comes the problems.
“The village has sort of a love-hate relationship with Fred Fest,” Herman said. “In some ways, they're happy that the students are having a good time and that spring has arrived and that it brings a lot of business to the village, but in other ways, it's quite disruptive, especially when they have to put on extra police. It costs them money in the village budget, and residents are inconvenienced by the noise.”
Busting Skulls
Village Police will be forced to deal with higher volumes of drunk and rowdy people downtown. Arrests will have to be made, and fines will have to be paid.
“There's always the usual problems, and they're all created from too much alcohol,” Pagano said.
The former mayor listed some of the things that he saw during his tenure.
“When you drink to much there's the problem of assault and fights, and the police have to deal with that,” Pagano continued. “And we've had occasions where we found students sleeping on people's porches because they didn't know where they were. It's all related to alcohol, of course. And that's why they come because they want to drink, but you have to drink responsibly.”
When Herman was interviewing for his job as vice president, he had to sit down with the village's mayor and police chief. He said that for 80 percent of that interview, they talked about the Fred Fest that had taken place the previous weekend.
That was 2001—the year after which the decision was made to make Fred Fest into a one-day event, rather than a three-day raucous bash.
There were at least 22 arrests that weekend, as the village was flooded by non-students.
“It caused quite a disruption to the village,” Herman said.
Things have become much more tame since then, but the police force will still be prepared for the unexpected.
According to Fredonia Mayor Mike Sullivan, the village police will have a visible presence downtown. Sullivan said that the officers are most concerned with making sure everyone is safe, not filling up the holding center and handing out tickets.
“The Fredonia police are going to have their presence down there every weekend,” Sullivan said. “There used to be a lot more concern by the police of handing out citations for open container, and they've really taken more of the approach that the idea has to be public safety and preserving the peace.”
It's police discretion. A police officer will ticket an individual if they are being obvious and obnoxious with an open container. The village force wants to ensure that everyone acts responsibly and nobody is hurt.
“The primary focus is to make sure that everyone down there is safe,” Sullivan said. “It's much more maintaining the public peace than trying to fine somebody. ”
Since 2001, Fred Fest has been gradually declining in prominence and exposure. Fewer and fewer people are coming, making the festival less of a challenge for police.
Pagano couldn't really say if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He said he could go either way with it.
“I think it's good in a sense because the police can handle it better, and it's bad because there's not as much revenue generated into the community,” Pagano said.
What a Mess!
The other concern that is the mess that is left behind by the hard-partying Fred Festers.
When Fredonia wakes up the next morning, Barker Commons, Main Street, Water Street and all of the other roads will have trash scattered throughout.
With the morning's sun just rising above the horizon, early bird residents will be out walking their dogs. At the same time, some students will finally be shutting their eyes after a night of heavy drinking and wacky adventures.
The dog walker will tug on his dog's leash, as animal stops to examine a half-eaten hamburger that's been cast aside by a full-stomached drunkard.
The fresh green grass surrounding the Commons' fountains will be strewn with red Solo cups, beer cans and sandwich wrappers. There will be shards of glass from broken bottles in the alleys and parking lots behind the bars. Cigarette butts will lie dormant on the sidewalks.
“There's a mess to clean up in the morning. The street department has to send out people to clean up the streets and the garbage that's accumulated,” Pagano said.
Sullivan agreed that there is a mess downtown after Fred Fest weekend, and some residents will complain about it.
But there's always a mess, he said.
“There will be people that approach—and I know last year was my first year as mayor, I know I was approached the morning after, Sunday morning, by a couple of people who said, 'Boy, I looked at downtown. It looks terrible,'” Sullivan said. “Well, I'd been downtown, and it really wasn't that unusual. There were a few more cups here and there, but I also noticed that the bar owners already had people out, at the point I was down there, cleaning up.”
This year, there will be even less of a reason for residents to complain about the mess. One of the student groups on-campus, Students for Peace, is sponsoring a village-wide clean up effort.
They're calling it the Fredonia Town Clean-Up. It'll be the morning after. All students have been invited to join Students for Peace at Barker Commons at noon on May 4 to lend a hand.
The Bigger Picture
According to Herman, half of the residents in the village have a connection to the university. They're either faculty, staff or related to faculty or staff, or they might be local business people who rely on the money from the student population.
The campus is an asset to the region. It's vital to the local economy, and it's a center for culture in Chautauqua County.
There might be a few individuals who complain about students' weekend activities, including Fred Fest, but most residents don't have a problem with it. They can deal with the noise and the minor costs and the mess because they are aware that without the university, the local economy might fall apart.
“The college is part of the community. It's a celebration to end the semester at the university, and certainly, I think enough money comes into the community to offset the costs and the problems that are created.” Pagano said. “I certainly as an individual have no problems with it, and I live right across from the college.”
Pagano said that 99 percent of the students behave. It's that one percent that causes all of the problems.
The same is true about the complaining villagers, Sullivan insists. There is a tiny portion of residents who do all of the complaining, but those few complainers are louder than people who aren't bothered by Fred Fest.
“I take the approach that if that's the worst of our problems, then we we're doing pretty well. I think when you see the efforts that the students take at other times of the year, like the raking they do,” Sullivan said. “I think most people have realized that if we didn't have the college here, there wouldn't be much reason for people to be here.”
As exhibited by the college's Leaf-Raking Event and the Fredonia Town Clean-Up, many students are actively engaged in the community. Most villagers recognize that, and, as a result, they understand that college students will be college students.
“We've seen that time and time again, when there's been a problem in town, the residents always come out and speak up on behalf of students and say, 'hey most students are really good. We have a great relationship,'” Herman said. “So I do think they're very supportive and they tolerate a lot as a community because they remember when they were young, when they were students, and I think that they feel that, overall, Fredonia's a great place to be.”
Most of Chautauqua County's cities, towns and villages are losing population, while the number of Fredonia's residents has remained stable. And the student population is growing.
Each year, SUNY Fredonia receives more applications and admits more students than the previous year. That's been the trend over the past several years.
And as the number of students increases, the college creates more jobs.
More jobs and more people mean a more solvent economy for northern Chautauqua County.
Mayor Sullivan said that the university's contribution to the local economy is so huge that residents really can't complain. If the college left town, according to Sullivan, residents would lose jobs, services and entertainment options.
“I think a lot of people here in the village look at the fact that the economic value to our community for having it (the university) here, you live with it for that one day when they have the bands outside,” Sullivan said.
Gonculator -- Pride of Fredonia
Fred Fest 2006 ... from Gonculator's Myspace page.By Derek Degraad
After four years of playing shows, writing songs and recording music at Fredonia, the band Gonculator is zeroing in on its ultimate goal: To leave college with a solid music career already well under way.
Winning the Fredonia battle of the bands in 2006 and then opening for Fred Fest headliner Rufus Wainwright surely couldn’t have hurt their progress.
“That was pretty much the way we got signed to our first label,” said Gonculator bassist Derek Stoll.
Gonculator came on the scene in Fredonia out of Rochester in 2004 and will be leaving this year. In their time at Fredonia, its members managed to establish a fan base as well as create a moderately successful first album.
“So I mean, Jim Goldsworthy came up to us after that show, was pretty much like ‘I’d like to talk to you guys about a possible record deal,’” said Stoll. “So that was one of the more substantial things, obviously, that came out of playing that show.”
Jim Goldsworthy is the former manager of Subcat Records. The company, based in Syracuse, recently evolved into its present form as Fierce Little Records.
“I think also that playing that show just made us feel really good,” said Stoll. “We were out there playing and I think I heard that there were around 2,000 people out there. You know, and some people were telling us they had come out just to see us...so, that was just amazing and I think that’s when we first felt like ‘hey, maybe we can do this the rest of our lives.’”
Gonculator formed in 2003, the brain child of l Jake Kodweis, Stoll and Sean Grief, all childhood friends who shared an interest in music and a sense of humor. All of them attended Hilton High School near Rochester. It wasn’t long before Cameron Griffith, an accomplished marching band drummer during his time in Hilton High, joined up and completed the foursome.
It’s the shared sense of humor that has produced tongue and cheek song titles such as “Dana Novocaina” and “The Day She Took a Dump on My heart.” Their first studio album, “Gonculators Family Restaurant” has sold over two thousand copies so far. They routinely draw big crowds in cities like Ithaca and Syracuse as well as their native Rochester.
“People in Ithaca go nuts!” says Kodweis. “They’re all about having a good time, that’s why we make it a point to play their whenever we can.”
Kodweis, the band’s front man and main song writer, easily deserves most of the credit (or blame) for Gonculators’ reputation for bizarre onstage behavior.
“The kid’s facial expressions are outrageous,” laughs Kara Patrick, a long-time friend and fan. “He’s just so funny to watch onstage.”
Kodweis has sometimes been known to sport a pair of fairy wings on stage.
“I saw them at the thrift store, and I figured ‘hey this might be entertaining’…and sure enough it was,” he said. “They started to smell after a year and a half however, so I pretty much had to toss them out.”
A gonculator is a word that describes a type of paddle used to stir chemicals in a laboratory. That analogy is quite fitting for a band that delves into so many styles whilst managing to emerge with a sound that is still completely their own.
Tracks off “Family Restaurant” like “Motorcycle Love” and “Corruption in America” are straight up rockers in the tradition of Van Halen and Queen, filled with chunky riffs and Grief’s hyper noodling guitar solos. “25 years,” with its slow build up, could be taken as indie, whilst “Sexual Harassment,” a fan favorite, starts as a head-nodding funk song before collapsing into a head banging thrasher.
During their senior year in high school, the boys collectively decided they would attend the same college so that the band could stay together. It also turned out that the Fredonia music scene was just the right fit for them at just the right time.
“Our strongest base is definitely in Fredonia,” said Stoll. “We’re all from Rochester and we play in Rochester and people go, but we definitely have our base established here. And it’s nice because it’s a college town and people go home and spread the word around and we feel that our base expands that way.”
“Fredonia has the best music scene I’ve honestly ever seen,” added Grief. “I don’t know of any other schools that have this intimate of an underground music scene. So I think that’s really special and that the school thrives on it somewhat and it’s an honor to have been so well embraced by here.”
Winning the Battle of the bands in 2006 and opening for the headliner during Fred Fest, SUNY Fredonia’s annual end of the year blowout, helped to secure the band’s reputation in Fredonia’s small but vibrant music scene and has helped the band maintain momentum.
“I know I’m pretty happy and it gives me confidence that when we play at BJ’s we pack the place every time,” explains Grief. “So, you know, with that kind of consistency…it’s not bad at all. It’s amazing how effective word of mouth has been for us. People see us or read a review online or get introduced by a friend and it pretty much became real huge real fast.”
He also explained why they were only played Fred fest once and why they felt it was enough.
“Once you win it, you’re not eligible to compete the next year. So, the time we won it, we were sophomores, and now as seniors we were eligible again and we figured ‘hell, why not’ and that it’d be a good way to head out but…unfortunately we came in second place. Its fine, I mean we played it once and it was cool, so were pretty happy.”
The band was recently strained with Kodweis’ decision to drop out of school and go to work selling music equipment at Guitar Center back in Rochester.
“I felt like I was pretty much done with college and I like what I’m doing now, but I drive up and practice every week, so we haven’t fallen off yet,” he jokes.
Kodweis and the rest of the band admittedly have no plans other than the band after they leave Fredonia. Stoll, however, will be graduating this semester with a math degree. He’s also a math tutor on campus and has the kind of GPA that could guarantee him a spot in the grad school of his choice. He is adamant, however, that he is all about taking the band as far as it will go.
“Make no mistake, I fully plan on rocking my whole life,” Stoll says reassuringly. “The math teaching is only going to happen if everything else goes awry. I’ve pretty much put all my eggs in one basket on this one.”
While some people might think that banking your future on the whole college rock band thing might be an irresponsible gamble, every group member is equally confident that this is the real thing.
“We’ve got some pretty nice things that are happening for us and some amazing opportunities, which I don’t think many bands get to experience,” Stoll said. “Like, we just got signed to an up and coming label, a label that just kind of allows you to play your own music without pressuring you to change. Fierce Little Records is in the process of merging with some bigger people who will hopefully move us in the direction where we can do this full time and not need to work real jobs.”
“That’s the goal, it’s not about being rich or famous or any of that crap, it’s just being able to make a career out of what we love to do,” said Grief.
“This year we’re going to do BJ’s fest instead, which should be real real cool,” assured Stole.
BJ’s fest, which will take place this Friday will be the last show Gonculator will play in Fredonia as students. All of the band members believe that they will be playing an extremely long set that may not be over until way after the bar closes.
As the guys close the door on their predetermined time in Fredonia, they look forward to bringing their music to more of the world.
Winning the Fredonia battle of the bands in 2006 and then opening for Fred Fest headliner Rufus Wainwright surely couldn’t have hurt their progress.
“That was pretty much the way we got signed to our first label,” said Gonculator bassist Derek Stoll.
Gonculator came on the scene in Fredonia out of Rochester in 2004 and will be leaving this year. In their time at Fredonia, its members managed to establish a fan base as well as create a moderately successful first album.
“So I mean, Jim Goldsworthy came up to us after that show, was pretty much like ‘I’d like to talk to you guys about a possible record deal,’” said Stoll. “So that was one of the more substantial things, obviously, that came out of playing that show.”
Jim Goldsworthy is the former manager of Subcat Records. The company, based in Syracuse, recently evolved into its present form as Fierce Little Records.
“I think also that playing that show just made us feel really good,” said Stoll. “We were out there playing and I think I heard that there were around 2,000 people out there. You know, and some people were telling us they had come out just to see us...so, that was just amazing and I think that’s when we first felt like ‘hey, maybe we can do this the rest of our lives.’”
Gonculator formed in 2003, the brain child of l Jake Kodweis, Stoll and Sean Grief, all childhood friends who shared an interest in music and a sense of humor. All of them attended Hilton High School near Rochester. It wasn’t long before Cameron Griffith, an accomplished marching band drummer during his time in Hilton High, joined up and completed the foursome.
It’s the shared sense of humor that has produced tongue and cheek song titles such as “Dana Novocaina” and “The Day She Took a Dump on My heart.” Their first studio album, “Gonculators Family Restaurant” has sold over two thousand copies so far. They routinely draw big crowds in cities like Ithaca and Syracuse as well as their native Rochester.
“People in Ithaca go nuts!” says Kodweis. “They’re all about having a good time, that’s why we make it a point to play their whenever we can.”
Kodweis, the band’s front man and main song writer, easily deserves most of the credit (or blame) for Gonculators’ reputation for bizarre onstage behavior.
“The kid’s facial expressions are outrageous,” laughs Kara Patrick, a long-time friend and fan. “He’s just so funny to watch onstage.”
Kodweis has sometimes been known to sport a pair of fairy wings on stage.
“I saw them at the thrift store, and I figured ‘hey this might be entertaining’…and sure enough it was,” he said. “They started to smell after a year and a half however, so I pretty much had to toss them out.”
A gonculator is a word that describes a type of paddle used to stir chemicals in a laboratory. That analogy is quite fitting for a band that delves into so many styles whilst managing to emerge with a sound that is still completely their own.
Tracks off “Family Restaurant” like “Motorcycle Love” and “Corruption in America” are straight up rockers in the tradition of Van Halen and Queen, filled with chunky riffs and Grief’s hyper noodling guitar solos. “25 years,” with its slow build up, could be taken as indie, whilst “Sexual Harassment,” a fan favorite, starts as a head-nodding funk song before collapsing into a head banging thrasher.
During their senior year in high school, the boys collectively decided they would attend the same college so that the band could stay together. It also turned out that the Fredonia music scene was just the right fit for them at just the right time.
“Our strongest base is definitely in Fredonia,” said Stoll. “We’re all from Rochester and we play in Rochester and people go, but we definitely have our base established here. And it’s nice because it’s a college town and people go home and spread the word around and we feel that our base expands that way.”
“Fredonia has the best music scene I’ve honestly ever seen,” added Grief. “I don’t know of any other schools that have this intimate of an underground music scene. So I think that’s really special and that the school thrives on it somewhat and it’s an honor to have been so well embraced by here.”
Winning the Battle of the bands in 2006 and opening for the headliner during Fred Fest, SUNY Fredonia’s annual end of the year blowout, helped to secure the band’s reputation in Fredonia’s small but vibrant music scene and has helped the band maintain momentum.
“I know I’m pretty happy and it gives me confidence that when we play at BJ’s we pack the place every time,” explains Grief. “So, you know, with that kind of consistency…it’s not bad at all. It’s amazing how effective word of mouth has been for us. People see us or read a review online or get introduced by a friend and it pretty much became real huge real fast.”
He also explained why they were only played Fred fest once and why they felt it was enough.
“Once you win it, you’re not eligible to compete the next year. So, the time we won it, we were sophomores, and now as seniors we were eligible again and we figured ‘hell, why not’ and that it’d be a good way to head out but…unfortunately we came in second place. Its fine, I mean we played it once and it was cool, so were pretty happy.”
The band was recently strained with Kodweis’ decision to drop out of school and go to work selling music equipment at Guitar Center back in Rochester.
“I felt like I was pretty much done with college and I like what I’m doing now, but I drive up and practice every week, so we haven’t fallen off yet,” he jokes.
Kodweis and the rest of the band admittedly have no plans other than the band after they leave Fredonia. Stoll, however, will be graduating this semester with a math degree. He’s also a math tutor on campus and has the kind of GPA that could guarantee him a spot in the grad school of his choice. He is adamant, however, that he is all about taking the band as far as it will go.
“Make no mistake, I fully plan on rocking my whole life,” Stoll says reassuringly. “The math teaching is only going to happen if everything else goes awry. I’ve pretty much put all my eggs in one basket on this one.”
While some people might think that banking your future on the whole college rock band thing might be an irresponsible gamble, every group member is equally confident that this is the real thing.
“We’ve got some pretty nice things that are happening for us and some amazing opportunities, which I don’t think many bands get to experience,” Stoll said. “Like, we just got signed to an up and coming label, a label that just kind of allows you to play your own music without pressuring you to change. Fierce Little Records is in the process of merging with some bigger people who will hopefully move us in the direction where we can do this full time and not need to work real jobs.”
“That’s the goal, it’s not about being rich or famous or any of that crap, it’s just being able to make a career out of what we love to do,” said Grief.
“This year we’re going to do BJ’s fest instead, which should be real real cool,” assured Stole.
BJ’s fest, which will take place this Friday will be the last show Gonculator will play in Fredonia as students. All of the band members believe that they will be playing an extremely long set that may not be over until way after the bar closes.
As the guys close the door on their predetermined time in Fredonia, they look forward to bringing their music to more of the world.
“We hope to have a pretty heavy touring schedule,” said Grief. “Always be in the studio. It’s just what we’re used to doing: being together as a group, practicing, recording, playing shows. Yeah we’re definitely going to keep doing it.”
If you want to hear what the band sounds like, check here
What are they doing elsewhere?
By Pamela Pannone
There are plenty of SUNY schools that have well known, popular bands come and perform at their end of the year shindig.
The University at Buffalo’s headliner for its 2008 Springfest included the lyrical stylings of Akon, T-Pain, Mims and Styles of Beyond. UB’s Student Association, similar to that of SUNY Fredonia’s, provides funding for over 180 clubs, organizations and services on campus. This money is derived from a mandatory student activity fee, which for full-time students runs about $79.95 (or higher, depending on the major).
UB boasts the largest student government body in the entire SUNY system with 51 members. Fredonia’s SA has approximately 22 members.
Not only is Spring Fest free to all undergraduate students, but tickets are also available to the public for $35. Immediately following the concert, UB provides students with transportation to Downtown Buffalo’s Level nightclub for an after party, again free of charge.
Buffalo State is featuring Def Jam recording artist Fabolous and Trey Songz for its 2008 Springfest. The event is sponsored by the United Students Government and funded by the $100 mandatory student activity fee.
Undergraduate students with a student ID are charged $5 for the event and general public tickets are $20. Free transportation will be provided from various college sites in and around Buffalo.
Buffalo State’s Springfest 2007 highlighted Billboard’s chart-topping All American Rejects, known for singles like “Dirty Little Secret” and “Move Along.”
SUNY Geneseo had the punk rock band Brand New for its Spring Concert. It was sponsored by the Activities Commission, with tickets only available to Geneseo students -- for $17. The AC is comprised of 18 students elected to oversee the organization and execution of events on campus.
This is funded in part by the $648.50 comprehensive fee that is added to the student’s tuition. Of that total fee, $85 is directed towards student’s activities.
Just for kicks, check out Harvard’s Yardfest. It is featuring two headliners to appeal to a more broad audience. Due to 2007’s lackluster Third Eye Blind concert, Harvard’s College Events Board decided that it would bring in hard-core rappers Wu-Tang Clan and New York rocker Gavin DeGraw as headliners.
The $2,116 student services fee allows for such big names. The concert is otherwise free for all students.
There are plenty of SUNY schools that have well known, popular bands come and perform at their end of the year shindig.
The University at Buffalo’s headliner for its 2008 Springfest included the lyrical stylings of Akon, T-Pain, Mims and Styles of Beyond. UB’s Student Association, similar to that of SUNY Fredonia’s, provides funding for over 180 clubs, organizations and services on campus. This money is derived from a mandatory student activity fee, which for full-time students runs about $79.95 (or higher, depending on the major).
UB boasts the largest student government body in the entire SUNY system with 51 members. Fredonia’s SA has approximately 22 members.
Not only is Spring Fest free to all undergraduate students, but tickets are also available to the public for $35. Immediately following the concert, UB provides students with transportation to Downtown Buffalo’s Level nightclub for an after party, again free of charge.
Buffalo State is featuring Def Jam recording artist Fabolous and Trey Songz for its 2008 Springfest. The event is sponsored by the United Students Government and funded by the $100 mandatory student activity fee.
Undergraduate students with a student ID are charged $5 for the event and general public tickets are $20. Free transportation will be provided from various college sites in and around Buffalo.
Buffalo State’s Springfest 2007 highlighted Billboard’s chart-topping All American Rejects, known for singles like “Dirty Little Secret” and “Move Along.”
SUNY Geneseo had the punk rock band Brand New for its Spring Concert. It was sponsored by the Activities Commission, with tickets only available to Geneseo students -- for $17. The AC is comprised of 18 students elected to oversee the organization and execution of events on campus.
This is funded in part by the $648.50 comprehensive fee that is added to the student’s tuition. Of that total fee, $85 is directed towards student’s activities.
Just for kicks, check out Harvard’s Yardfest. It is featuring two headliners to appeal to a more broad audience. Due to 2007’s lackluster Third Eye Blind concert, Harvard’s College Events Board decided that it would bring in hard-core rappers Wu-Tang Clan and New York rocker Gavin DeGraw as headliners.
The $2,116 student services fee allows for such big names. The concert is otherwise free for all students.
Bummed
We've got three stories from people dealing with Spectrum. Some had more success than others in getting the info they needed (welcome to the world of reporting!). Tom Tiballi started out in search of whatever happened to the other festivals that existed at Fredonia (Scarborough Fair, anyone?) and ended up with a rumination on the idea of putting the responsibilties -- and power -- for putting on one big event into the hands of a single organization.
By Tom Tiballi
It’s almost 9 at night on a Monday, and I want to watch “Ax-Men” on the History Channel.
But not tonight.
Tonight I’ve got a date with Spectrum, the over-weight ne’er do-well of SUNY Fredonia that somehow has found enough to brag about to get a chip on her shoulder. I didn’t ask for it, it was more of a blind date. I blindly walked into their office repeatedly over the past week, asked to speak with some one – anyone, and was stared at…blindly.
So they tell me to come to the bi-monthly meeting and test my luck there.
Like I said, it’s nearly 9, but the doors are already shut by the time I arrive. I can’t necessarily say I am surprised. I pop a squat outside their meeting at a desk in the lobby, positioned ever-so to be able to drop eves on what Spectrum is up to tonight. Then when there seems to be an opening, I can go inside and ask my questions -- a short list of six or so.
Within five minutes, the cops show. We're closer to Fred Fest than I realized.
“I get nervous in front of crowds!” one jokes to the other as they are ushered in to the meeting, hands on his holsters, presumably to brief those in attendance on their responsibilities during the upcoming Fred Fest extravaganza. You know, how do deal with dudes trying to pee on the grass, girls trying to explain how the water in their Dasani bottles started to blush pink – typical college crowd control.
By now its 9:11, and I am starting to feel the pangs of remorse at having traded in my nice gigantic couch and television for a folding chair in a lobby. Just as I thought the show was waning, the cops finish up and meander out into the hall. “You can’t make me laugh!” one says. I believe the show I am witnessing must be a comedy.
Finally, at 9:19 the first exodus of bleary faces staring out from full sweat suits, grappling the responsibilities some unknown authority has just delegated to them during Fred Fest weekend, our designated weekend of “fun.” Another, even more depressed looking group files out 10 minutes later.
Finally, my cue has come.
I step in and am promptly stared down by the stragglers left in the room. Could be the hair-do. A few official-types are still mustering around, shuffling their photocopies. I smile at the first to meet my eye.
“Hi! I am from the Journalism department and I…”
By then I could already tell I wasn’t going to get anything here, with people’s lips pursed, eyebrows raised, sticks firmly implanted … well, we won’t say that here.
“We’re not doing any more interview… things, no.” she hissed. I smiled wider. “Well, I’ll just go ahead and put you down as ‘no comment’ then if you’d like”. “OK,” she growled as she tried to make an even more bitter face.
It’s a good thing I recorded “Ax Men” or she might have seen the end of it.
In many ways, over that 35-minute span I was exposed to exactly the same Spectrum I have been in the past three years, on a smaller level. A student, sitting around aimlessly, wondering what they are up to behind those closed doors and being disappointed when they don't deliver.
The organization rarely seems to feel an obligation to explain itself as to how it has made its decisions, and to a certain extent it’s only natural that its leaders would tire of the troublemakers who fuss over anything they do.
But when are few troublemakers more accurately described as a voices for a campus-wide indictment of the way Spectrum has allocated – or arguably misallocated – the funds we have entrusted to them as part of the activities fee we are all obligated to pay? Indeed, Spectrum has recently stated that its budget is private information and not available for public review (although the 2007 Fred Fest budget was made available for another reporter’s story after a Freedom of Information request).
Where does this ego derive from? Fred Fest has become the preeminent event at SUNY Fredonia, and as Spectrum’s ward, the group too has raised its status on campus and become very popular with students.
Hell, I even was in Spectrum for a few weeks freshman year. That is until I was told that there would be no vote as to who to book for the upcoming concert that Autumn of 2005. From what I recall, I was told that would be left to a governing committee of a few select students who somehow had final say.
Obviously, the technical problems inherent in trying to please everyone on campus are immense and arguably impossible to remedy. That is, however, in the constructs of what Fred Fest has become.
This is not wholly Spectrum’s fault, as various issues have compelled the campus administration to rein in the events that had been tradition on campus.
“It is largely an issue of insurance and safety,” Patty Feraldi explains. As director of alumni affairs, Feraldi does her fair share of special events planning on campus and has been a stalwart of keeping the traditional events hosted by the Alumni Association alive. The most recognizable of these is, of course, Homecoming Weekend, which has been listed as a major campus event since the 1950s, far outdating Fred Fest.
However, Homecoming Weekend and countless other weekends that had once been traditions on campus have dissipated over the past three decades, becoming more and more fractured from the type of multiday, multigroup coordinated events they had once been.
The fact that this downward trend has coincided with the birth of Fred Fest leaves one wondering if it is intended to be a consolidation of these weekend-long events that had once been held multiple times throughout the year, and if so – why is it only one day long?
Again, security issues have made the administration feel that Fred Fest could not go back to its pre-2001, multi-day format. However, the fact that there has been such erosion in coordination between groups on campus in consolidating the small events peppered throughout the year into tangible weekends with broader appeal leaves all the pressure on Spectrum to deliver for Fred Fest, and it simply is not up to the task.
Feraldi and the Alumni Association are doing their best to remedy this. This Homecoming Weekend they have been in contact with Spectrum about scheduling a fall concert to coincide with the events they themselves had planned. The goal is to round out the weekend into something a bit meatier than the traditional alumni soccer game and pep rally, but it has been difficult to coordinate.
“Part of that is there is only myself and the lady in the other room to plan it,” said Feraldi. “We do encourage anyone on campus to participate however.”
Fred Fest itself was originally sponsored by Igoe and Hendrix halls. Most of the events that would flesh out the festival weekends once so common to this place were likewise sponsored by student groups. Spectrum itself is sponsored by the students through the activities fee.
This leaves one to wonder where the ultimate responsibility lies for the mess that Fred Fest has become, and it lies with us.
We come to college and we want to mingle. We dimly remember someone once telling us that we should fight for our right to party, but they were way too huge to have ever done so here on our own stage.
But we, as a student body, should believe that to secure these rights to party, organizations are instituted among students, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. We should also believe that whenever any form of organization becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the students to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new method.
The question is, will we be too drunk to care no matter what band plays?
And if so, is Spectrum wrong in not giving a damn that we don't like Cartel? I will be watching the History Channel all weekend, regardless.
_____________________________________________
By Tom Tiballi
It’s almost 9 at night on a Monday, and I want to watch “Ax-Men” on the History Channel.
But not tonight.
Tonight I’ve got a date with Spectrum, the over-weight ne’er do-well of SUNY Fredonia that somehow has found enough to brag about to get a chip on her shoulder. I didn’t ask for it, it was more of a blind date. I blindly walked into their office repeatedly over the past week, asked to speak with some one – anyone, and was stared at…blindly.
So they tell me to come to the bi-monthly meeting and test my luck there.
Like I said, it’s nearly 9, but the doors are already shut by the time I arrive. I can’t necessarily say I am surprised. I pop a squat outside their meeting at a desk in the lobby, positioned ever-so to be able to drop eves on what Spectrum is up to tonight. Then when there seems to be an opening, I can go inside and ask my questions -- a short list of six or so.
Within five minutes, the cops show. We're closer to Fred Fest than I realized.
“I get nervous in front of crowds!” one jokes to the other as they are ushered in to the meeting, hands on his holsters, presumably to brief those in attendance on their responsibilities during the upcoming Fred Fest extravaganza. You know, how do deal with dudes trying to pee on the grass, girls trying to explain how the water in their Dasani bottles started to blush pink – typical college crowd control.
By now its 9:11, and I am starting to feel the pangs of remorse at having traded in my nice gigantic couch and television for a folding chair in a lobby. Just as I thought the show was waning, the cops finish up and meander out into the hall. “You can’t make me laugh!” one says. I believe the show I am witnessing must be a comedy.
Finally, at 9:19 the first exodus of bleary faces staring out from full sweat suits, grappling the responsibilities some unknown authority has just delegated to them during Fred Fest weekend, our designated weekend of “fun.” Another, even more depressed looking group files out 10 minutes later.
Finally, my cue has come.
I step in and am promptly stared down by the stragglers left in the room. Could be the hair-do. A few official-types are still mustering around, shuffling their photocopies. I smile at the first to meet my eye.
“Hi! I am from the Journalism department and I…”
By then I could already tell I wasn’t going to get anything here, with people’s lips pursed, eyebrows raised, sticks firmly implanted … well, we won’t say that here.
“We’re not doing any more interview… things, no.” she hissed. I smiled wider. “Well, I’ll just go ahead and put you down as ‘no comment’ then if you’d like”. “OK,” she growled as she tried to make an even more bitter face.
It’s a good thing I recorded “Ax Men” or she might have seen the end of it.
In many ways, over that 35-minute span I was exposed to exactly the same Spectrum I have been in the past three years, on a smaller level. A student, sitting around aimlessly, wondering what they are up to behind those closed doors and being disappointed when they don't deliver.
The organization rarely seems to feel an obligation to explain itself as to how it has made its decisions, and to a certain extent it’s only natural that its leaders would tire of the troublemakers who fuss over anything they do.
But when are few troublemakers more accurately described as a voices for a campus-wide indictment of the way Spectrum has allocated – or arguably misallocated – the funds we have entrusted to them as part of the activities fee we are all obligated to pay? Indeed, Spectrum has recently stated that its budget is private information and not available for public review (although the 2007 Fred Fest budget was made available for another reporter’s story after a Freedom of Information request).
Where does this ego derive from? Fred Fest has become the preeminent event at SUNY Fredonia, and as Spectrum’s ward, the group too has raised its status on campus and become very popular with students.
Hell, I even was in Spectrum for a few weeks freshman year. That is until I was told that there would be no vote as to who to book for the upcoming concert that Autumn of 2005. From what I recall, I was told that would be left to a governing committee of a few select students who somehow had final say.
Obviously, the technical problems inherent in trying to please everyone on campus are immense and arguably impossible to remedy. That is, however, in the constructs of what Fred Fest has become.
This is not wholly Spectrum’s fault, as various issues have compelled the campus administration to rein in the events that had been tradition on campus.
“It is largely an issue of insurance and safety,” Patty Feraldi explains. As director of alumni affairs, Feraldi does her fair share of special events planning on campus and has been a stalwart of keeping the traditional events hosted by the Alumni Association alive. The most recognizable of these is, of course, Homecoming Weekend, which has been listed as a major campus event since the 1950s, far outdating Fred Fest.
However, Homecoming Weekend and countless other weekends that had once been traditions on campus have dissipated over the past three decades, becoming more and more fractured from the type of multiday, multigroup coordinated events they had once been.
The fact that this downward trend has coincided with the birth of Fred Fest leaves one wondering if it is intended to be a consolidation of these weekend-long events that had once been held multiple times throughout the year, and if so – why is it only one day long?
Again, security issues have made the administration feel that Fred Fest could not go back to its pre-2001, multi-day format. However, the fact that there has been such erosion in coordination between groups on campus in consolidating the small events peppered throughout the year into tangible weekends with broader appeal leaves all the pressure on Spectrum to deliver for Fred Fest, and it simply is not up to the task.
Feraldi and the Alumni Association are doing their best to remedy this. This Homecoming Weekend they have been in contact with Spectrum about scheduling a fall concert to coincide with the events they themselves had planned. The goal is to round out the weekend into something a bit meatier than the traditional alumni soccer game and pep rally, but it has been difficult to coordinate.
“Part of that is there is only myself and the lady in the other room to plan it,” said Feraldi. “We do encourage anyone on campus to participate however.”
Fred Fest itself was originally sponsored by Igoe and Hendrix halls. Most of the events that would flesh out the festival weekends once so common to this place were likewise sponsored by student groups. Spectrum itself is sponsored by the students through the activities fee.
This leaves one to wonder where the ultimate responsibility lies for the mess that Fred Fest has become, and it lies with us.
We come to college and we want to mingle. We dimly remember someone once telling us that we should fight for our right to party, but they were way too huge to have ever done so here on our own stage.
But we, as a student body, should believe that to secure these rights to party, organizations are instituted among students, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. We should also believe that whenever any form of organization becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the students to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new method.
The question is, will we be too drunk to care no matter what band plays?
And if so, is Spectrum wrong in not giving a damn that we don't like Cartel? I will be watching the History Channel all weekend, regardless.
Who's running the show this year?
By Safiya Martin
It’s almost here. SUNY Fredonia will rock out on May 3 to the sounds of Cartel, The Secret Machines and a handful of others.
But Kaleena Goldsworthy knows her job is nowhere near over.
A senior from Syracuse, poised to graduate with two music degrees, Goldsworthy is making sure she’s remembered. Fred Fest chair on the Spectrum Entertainment board is only one of the three major positions she holds on student groups. As co-founder of both the Music Industry Club and Fredonia’s record label, Hand Me Down Records, many would say she’s at the top of her game. To her, this is all just a “nice way to close out my senior year.”
Being the chair for such a large event is what Goldsworthy has waited for from the beginning of her college experience. While others might have bided their time, she was shadowing the Fred Fest chair from her freshman year, learning the ropes from the very beginning. That experience is what grounds her now as she and her 13-person committee attempt to pull off a memorable show.
When others might have let the stress do them in, she’s taken it all in stride with an optimistic and energetic outlook that can’t help but rub off onto anyone working around her.
“It gets stressful but it’s awesome at the same time, and it’s not just me. I’ve got other people helping me and they’ve all made it a lot easier,” says Goldsworthy. “To be a part of something so big, being able to be in a position of authority when you’re in charge of making sure it happens, it’s worth it.”
That position of authority put her in the spotlight earlier this year, when this year’s headliner was announced to the student body. The uproar is something that Spectrum is used to, however, and likely will continue to face as long as it keeps producing the concert. Still, even amid the adversity, Goldsworthy has kept focused.
“We definitely don’t have a large campus by any means,” she said, “but 5,400 students and trying to pick one band? Y’know, to do that is near impossible, especially to find a band that everyone would agree with.
”People have to remember our budget isn’t like the University of Buffalo. We’re competing with other schools who have their concerts at the same time while still trying to keep an edge.”
While the students of Fredonia are eating Dino barbeque, fried dough and staring into the liquor, Kaleena’s tasks that day are much more arduous. Meeting with performers and their managers, making sure all 60 workers are in the right place, and doing the mad dash from one location to the other are just a few of the duties she will be fulfilling.
The joy, however, that is on her face at the prospect of Fred Fest, cannot be ignored. This is a woman who loves concerts and is pleased to present one to the student body. When discussing the possibility of the concert no longer being included in the school’s repertoire, she is very vocal.
“It’d be really sad to see no more Fred Fest; it’s been a tradition for a while, and we [Spectrum] definitely don’t want to have to stop it. It would have to be from forces beyond our control,” she says as she prints out paperwork for the event.
And as for seeing events like Fred Fest in her future?
“I’d love to plan something like this again, she says. “I don’t know if I’d necessarily be saying that if I didn’t get to work with the people I’m with now. I plan on a small scale for my band, but this was awesome."
It’s almost here. SUNY Fredonia will rock out on May 3 to the sounds of Cartel, The Secret Machines and a handful of others.
But Kaleena Goldsworthy knows her job is nowhere near over.
A senior from Syracuse, poised to graduate with two music degrees, Goldsworthy is making sure she’s remembered. Fred Fest chair on the Spectrum Entertainment board is only one of the three major positions she holds on student groups. As co-founder of both the Music Industry Club and Fredonia’s record label, Hand Me Down Records, many would say she’s at the top of her game. To her, this is all just a “nice way to close out my senior year.”
Being the chair for such a large event is what Goldsworthy has waited for from the beginning of her college experience. While others might have bided their time, she was shadowing the Fred Fest chair from her freshman year, learning the ropes from the very beginning. That experience is what grounds her now as she and her 13-person committee attempt to pull off a memorable show.
When others might have let the stress do them in, she’s taken it all in stride with an optimistic and energetic outlook that can’t help but rub off onto anyone working around her.
“It gets stressful but it’s awesome at the same time, and it’s not just me. I’ve got other people helping me and they’ve all made it a lot easier,” says Goldsworthy. “To be a part of something so big, being able to be in a position of authority when you’re in charge of making sure it happens, it’s worth it.”
That position of authority put her in the spotlight earlier this year, when this year’s headliner was announced to the student body. The uproar is something that Spectrum is used to, however, and likely will continue to face as long as it keeps producing the concert. Still, even amid the adversity, Goldsworthy has kept focused.
“We definitely don’t have a large campus by any means,” she said, “but 5,400 students and trying to pick one band? Y’know, to do that is near impossible, especially to find a band that everyone would agree with.
”People have to remember our budget isn’t like the University of Buffalo. We’re competing with other schools who have their concerts at the same time while still trying to keep an edge.”
While the students of Fredonia are eating Dino barbeque, fried dough and staring into the liquor, Kaleena’s tasks that day are much more arduous. Meeting with performers and their managers, making sure all 60 workers are in the right place, and doing the mad dash from one location to the other are just a few of the duties she will be fulfilling.
The joy, however, that is on her face at the prospect of Fred Fest, cannot be ignored. This is a woman who loves concerts and is pleased to present one to the student body. When discussing the possibility of the concert no longer being included in the school’s repertoire, she is very vocal.
“It’d be really sad to see no more Fred Fest; it’s been a tradition for a while, and we [Spectrum] definitely don’t want to have to stop it. It would have to be from forces beyond our control,” she says as she prints out paperwork for the event.
And as for seeing events like Fred Fest in her future?
“I’d love to plan something like this again, she says. “I don’t know if I’d necessarily be saying that if I didn’t get to work with the people I’m with now. I plan on a small scale for my band, but this was awesome."
How much does Fred Fest cost? Check out some numbers from last year
By Brian Giermek
Fred Fest has been a cornerstone event for Fredonia State students and alumni for just under 30 years. In this span, Fred Fest has provided free entertainment the last weekend before “dead week.” However, for as much entertainment we receive, it is easy to overlook the expenses that go into such an event.
Spectrum Entertainment is the student group that organizes Fred Fest. Its spring expense report for the 28th annual Fred Fest in 2007 showed the event cost Spectrum $49,491.20. The event featured Talib Kweli, a rapper. The expenses ranged anywhere from the entertainment to the promotional advertising to security.
Going into the 2007 Spring semester, Spectrum Entertainment received a $52,675 budget from the Student Association. A few reallocations per the Student Association and Comptroller added $4,224.84 to the budget, giving Spectrum a total of just under $57,000 to play with.
The biggest hit to the budget came from Talibra Inc., which received $25,000 from Spectrum. Talibra is an entertainment booking company out of New York City which handles Talib Kweli.
APG was a distant second with a $7,048.29 bill for staging services, and Dinosaur BBQ cost $7,000. The catering for the concert was ran by Dinosaur BBQ, a Syracuse-based company.
The University Police, the prime source of security during the concert, received $4,500 for their services, both on the concert grounds and around campus during the fest.
Concert Ideas, a company that provides entertainment for campuses across the United States, received $2,500 from Spectrum for its services. Based out of Woodstock, Concert Ideas books concerts and appearances by bands, and comedians ranging from Chingy to Carlos Mencia.
Dan Molad was paid $2,000 by Spectrum. Based out of Brooklyn, Molad produces independent music and actually plays in Elizabeth and the Catapult, a band which performed during Fred Fest.
With the exception of Xpress Promotional Solutions, which was paid $1,983.17 for their services; the rest of the expenses were held under $1,000 per vendor. Bounce About, Sound Services and Westfield Disposal were paid roughly $200 each, while G&E Tents, Tables and Chairs and The Limousine Service were allocated around $500 each.
Fred Fest has been a cornerstone event for Fredonia State students and alumni for just under 30 years. In this span, Fred Fest has provided free entertainment the last weekend before “dead week.” However, for as much entertainment we receive, it is easy to overlook the expenses that go into such an event.
Spectrum Entertainment is the student group that organizes Fred Fest. Its spring expense report for the 28th annual Fred Fest in 2007 showed the event cost Spectrum $49,491.20. The event featured Talib Kweli, a rapper. The expenses ranged anywhere from the entertainment to the promotional advertising to security.
Going into the 2007 Spring semester, Spectrum Entertainment received a $52,675 budget from the Student Association. A few reallocations per the Student Association and Comptroller added $4,224.84 to the budget, giving Spectrum a total of just under $57,000 to play with.
The biggest hit to the budget came from Talibra Inc., which received $25,000 from Spectrum. Talibra is an entertainment booking company out of New York City which handles Talib Kweli.
APG was a distant second with a $7,048.29 bill for staging services, and Dinosaur BBQ cost $7,000. The catering for the concert was ran by Dinosaur BBQ, a Syracuse-based company.
The University Police, the prime source of security during the concert, received $4,500 for their services, both on the concert grounds and around campus during the fest.
Concert Ideas, a company that provides entertainment for campuses across the United States, received $2,500 from Spectrum for its services. Based out of Woodstock, Concert Ideas books concerts and appearances by bands, and comedians ranging from Chingy to Carlos Mencia.
Dan Molad was paid $2,000 by Spectrum. Based out of Brooklyn, Molad produces independent music and actually plays in Elizabeth and the Catapult, a band which performed during Fred Fest.
With the exception of Xpress Promotional Solutions, which was paid $1,983.17 for their services; the rest of the expenses were held under $1,000 per vendor. Bounce About, Sound Services and Westfield Disposal were paid roughly $200 each, while G&E Tents, Tables and Chairs and The Limousine Service were allocated around $500 each.
When Run DMC Came to Fredonia
By Angela Spara
As a student at SUNY Fredonia, I know how significant the year end festival of Fred Fest can be. It marks the beginning of spring, the end of a school year and lots of wild stories to talk about for weeks. Between annual pig roasts, barbecues, concerts and late night bar crawls, it’s worth getting hyped about. But what happens when a weekend of fun and relaxing turns into 22 arrests, angry crowds and a drastic change in the festival as we know it?
Well, that’s what happened in Fred Fest of 2001, when an angry mob took to the streets after leaving a dreadful performance by the once legendary Run DMC.
People came from all over to see the performance at Fredonia. There were people coming in from parts of Western and Central New York, and even some parts of Pennsylvania. The crowd’s build up of excitement was put to rest once the performances had begun.
According to reports in the Leader, the crowd’s animosity began when the band took 10-minute breaks in between songs. Most of the sets consisted of a lot of talking and annoying phrases for the audience to scream. The bulk of the sets weren’t even songs. They played only fragments of their most popular songs -- “It’s Tricky,” “King of Rock” and “Walk this Way.” With the amount of alcohol present in the crowd, it wasn’t long before the crowd got riotous.
It wasn’t only the terrible performance of Run DMC that upset the listeners. The whole Fred Fest lineup for the weekend left students wondering which Fred Fest performers were lamer, this year’s or the prior?
The weekend started off Friday afternoon with a band from Amherst called Dinkus 9. They had a funky, ska sound that was danceable, and you could tell they wanted to please the crowd, according to the Leader.
The enjoyment didn’t last long.
The next band to perform was from Syracuse University and named August Project. The songs were middle of the road “frat rock.” The only people actually listening to the performance were drunken girls who seemed more into trying to get the attention of the lead singer, than actually listening to the music, according to Leader reports.
People seemed more worried about getting some booze in them then actually listening to the bands.
Saturday’s performances began with a less than impressive pop, punk band called Harold’s Trousers. This performance had no Fredonia students in the crowd, according to the Leader, and the only people who seemed to be enjoying the band were either drunk or high.
The next band to go on before the dreadful Run DMC performance was a rock band named Fuzz Bubble. The crowd seemed to enjoy their presence more than the performers the day prior. The band hit the stage to the “Star Wars” theme, which set the crowd in good spirits. Little did the listeners know what they were in for next with Run DMC’s performance.
After the concerts had come to a rest Saturday evening the angry crowds headed for the bars.
The streets of Fredonia never seemed so dangerous.
There was 16 police reports filed on Saturday night alone, according to the Dunkirk Observer. All the violators were between the ages of 18 and 35. People were found intoxicated and unconscious in the streets. Firefighters had to respond to a woman who had a head laceration from being in a fight at a bar. Students were getting pulled over for DWIs and disorderly conduct. Even a Sunny’s bouncer got rushed to the emergency room after trying to break up a fight, when a 19-year-old male smashed a beer bottle over his head.
Because of all the misconduct that occurred during this Fred Fest weekend, the school decided to change the festival from being a three-day occurrence to just taking place on Saturdays.
This helped to reduce the amount of staff time and energy devoted to the fest. It also allowed for students who volunteer for Fred Fest to have more leisure time to relax. It also helped contain the event, and reduced outsiders on campus.
A band’s performance has never caused this much commotion in Fredonia.
As a student at SUNY Fredonia, I know how significant the year end festival of Fred Fest can be. It marks the beginning of spring, the end of a school year and lots of wild stories to talk about for weeks. Between annual pig roasts, barbecues, concerts and late night bar crawls, it’s worth getting hyped about. But what happens when a weekend of fun and relaxing turns into 22 arrests, angry crowds and a drastic change in the festival as we know it?
Well, that’s what happened in Fred Fest of 2001, when an angry mob took to the streets after leaving a dreadful performance by the once legendary Run DMC.
People came from all over to see the performance at Fredonia. There were people coming in from parts of Western and Central New York, and even some parts of Pennsylvania. The crowd’s build up of excitement was put to rest once the performances had begun.
According to reports in the Leader, the crowd’s animosity began when the band took 10-minute breaks in between songs. Most of the sets consisted of a lot of talking and annoying phrases for the audience to scream. The bulk of the sets weren’t even songs. They played only fragments of their most popular songs -- “It’s Tricky,” “King of Rock” and “Walk this Way.” With the amount of alcohol present in the crowd, it wasn’t long before the crowd got riotous.
It wasn’t only the terrible performance of Run DMC that upset the listeners. The whole Fred Fest lineup for the weekend left students wondering which Fred Fest performers were lamer, this year’s or the prior?
The weekend started off Friday afternoon with a band from Amherst called Dinkus 9. They had a funky, ska sound that was danceable, and you could tell they wanted to please the crowd, according to the Leader.
The enjoyment didn’t last long.
The next band to perform was from Syracuse University and named August Project. The songs were middle of the road “frat rock.” The only people actually listening to the performance were drunken girls who seemed more into trying to get the attention of the lead singer, than actually listening to the music, according to Leader reports.
People seemed more worried about getting some booze in them then actually listening to the bands.
Saturday’s performances began with a less than impressive pop, punk band called Harold’s Trousers. This performance had no Fredonia students in the crowd, according to the Leader, and the only people who seemed to be enjoying the band were either drunk or high.
The next band to go on before the dreadful Run DMC performance was a rock band named Fuzz Bubble. The crowd seemed to enjoy their presence more than the performers the day prior. The band hit the stage to the “Star Wars” theme, which set the crowd in good spirits. Little did the listeners know what they were in for next with Run DMC’s performance.
After the concerts had come to a rest Saturday evening the angry crowds headed for the bars.
The streets of Fredonia never seemed so dangerous.
There was 16 police reports filed on Saturday night alone, according to the Dunkirk Observer. All the violators were between the ages of 18 and 35. People were found intoxicated and unconscious in the streets. Firefighters had to respond to a woman who had a head laceration from being in a fight at a bar. Students were getting pulled over for DWIs and disorderly conduct. Even a Sunny’s bouncer got rushed to the emergency room after trying to break up a fight, when a 19-year-old male smashed a beer bottle over his head.
Because of all the misconduct that occurred during this Fred Fest weekend, the school decided to change the festival from being a three-day occurrence to just taking place on Saturdays.
This helped to reduce the amount of staff time and energy devoted to the fest. It also allowed for students who volunteer for Fred Fest to have more leisure time to relax. It also helped contain the event, and reduced outsiders on campus.
A band’s performance has never caused this much commotion in Fredonia.
Fred Fest-Everyone who has ever performed
Brian Giermek dug into the archives and came up with a list of all of the performers who have ever been on the official Fred Fest stage ... as far as we can tell. If you have any corrections, let us know!
Meanwhile, here's the list:
YEAR
BAND NAME Fred Fest Appearances
1980
Two Hills 1
1 George Doran 1
2 Todd Hobin Band 1
Crossroads 1
Benhatzel 1
1981
Kentucky Moon 1
George Doran 2
Mr. Ed 1
Loosely Tight 1
Papa John Creach 1
1982
Old Salt 1
George Doran 3
Tangent 1
Joe Whiting and the Bandit Band 1
Max Creek 1
1983
Cranberry Lake Jug Band 1
Single Strings 1
805 1
The Majestics 1
Cosmetic 1
Jamalodeen Tacuma 1
1984
Hot in the Sun 1
Slip Knot 1
Ezra 1
Dry Jack 1
D - Train 1
1985
The Snackmates 1
21st Century Steel Band 1
Hands Down 1
Alternative Jazz Experience 1
Suspicion 1
Talas 1
Del Lords 1
Made In Austria 1
1986
Images in Vogue 1
Robin Fear 1
Nik and the Nice Guys 1
The Fleshtones 1
Slip Knot 2
Made In Austria 2
The /erg/ 1
Krack Ups 1
Arrivals at Gate One 1
Suspicion 2
1987
Byzon Iz Pyzon 1
Zebra 1
Sundowner 1
Just Us 1
Give Up The Ashes 1
Dick Bauerle Group 1
Dreamspeak 1
Arrivals 1
No Camaphlage 1
Redemption Posse 1
1988
Random Abstract 1
Cheap Shotz 1
The Beat Unit 1
Homel - Alaniz Band 1
The Make 1
New York to Paris 1
Gamalon 1
Awake and Dreaming 1
The Great Train Robbery 1
1989
Gypsy 1
Physical Graffiti 1
Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows 1
The Indigos 1
Satellites 1
The Lumens 1
Crumbs of Insanity 1
New York to Paris 2
1990
The Crumbs of Insanity 2
Sahara 1
The Great Train Robbery 2
Robin Crow 1
The Profiles 1
Hayden 1
Baby Grande 1
Strate Up 1
Nik and the Nice Guys 2
1991 3
The Floating Boats 1
Party Squad 1
Pauly Shore 1
1992
The Dead Milkmen 1
UR 1
John and Mary 1
Crazy Vanilla 1
The Fibs 1
Maximum Concept 1
The Great Train Robbery 3
George Wesley and the Irietations 1
1993 4
Crumbs of Insanity 2
Total Blue Funk 1
George Wesley and the Irietations 2
Urban Squirrels 1
Jesus Knieval 1
Earthworms 1
Cousin Andromache 1
1994
Electric Zoo 1
Quick Irv 1
Me Mom and Morgantaler 1
Rusted Root 1
Love Apple 1
Jane and Julia 1
Swyf Turtle 1
Spyro Gyra 1
1995
Conehead Buddha 1
Plastic Nebraska 1
Who Cares 1
McCarhizm 1
Love Apple 2
The Hatters 1
Milk Carton 1
Velocity Girl 1
1996
Nerve Circus 1
Creamy Booth 1
Black 47 1
Limpopo 1
Woody 1
Mighty Purple 1
Pellorberjot 1
The Royal Crowns 1
Mighty Mighty Bosstones 1
1997 3
Lunichicks 1
De La Soul 1
1998
Shwanoma 1
Wank 1
Goldfinger 1
The Roots 1
Osso 1
Mackstatus 1
Pellorberjot 2
Yolk 1
1999
Less Than Jake 1
G Love and the Special Sauce 1
Hole In the Shoeman 1
Wheat Stone Bridge 1
Libertine 1
5 Marky Ramone5 1
3 Days Old 1
Sabina 1
Joe Bodden 1
Major Healy 1
The Special People Club 1
2000
Sela 1
Mr. Liff Straight Out Of Boston 1
Moxy Fruvous 1
moe. 1
Leaphole 1
Joe Mulhollen 1
Molotov Cocktail 1
Schleigho 1
Joey in the Bubble 1
Precious 1
Division 9 1
The Pietasters 1
2001
Dinkus 9 1
August Project 1
Jill Sobule 1
This End Up 1
Harold's Trousers 1
Gym Class Heroes 1
Fuzz Bubble 1
Stemm 1
Run DMC 1
2002 6
Uncle Joe's Medicine Show 1
Goodfellaz and Walton and Catalina Live 1
Astronomical Unit 1
The Sheila Divine 1
Skatos 1
Jimmie's Chicken Shack 1
28N 1
7 Reel Big Fish7 1
2003
Razbari Sumthing 1
Simple Life 1
One World Tribe 1
League 1
The New Deal 1
Kashmir 1
Alkaline Trio 1
2004
The 5th Street Band 1
Three Inches From the Ground 1
Somerset 1
Northwestern 1
Long Since Forgotten 1
Petelin Place Project 1
Eve 6 1
2005
Bea Arthur 1
Face Down in Mexico City With an Ice Pick In the Back 1
Tomorrow Is Forever 1
8 Endive 1
Roses Are Red 1
Fire When Ready 1
Black Violin 1
The Juliana Theory 1
Stroke 9 1
2006
Gonculator 1
Kaki King 1
The All Star Champs 1
Sleeping Kings of Iona 1
The Scarlet Ending 1
Skeletonbreath 1
Colors in the Air 1
Rufus Wainwright 1
2007
Higher Charisma 1
To The 9's 1
Mopery in the No-Tell Motel 1
VIBE 1
MC Frost 1
Elizabeth and the Catapult 1
Nate in Public 1
Talib Kweli 1
2008
Flood The Shoreline 1
Andrew Halliday and Friends 1
The Scarlet Ending 2
Ghost of a Stranger 1
2-Tone 1
The Secret Machines 1
Cartel 1
KEY
1 - Lead Singer of Two Hills who played a solo accoustic set.
2 - Filled in for Fresh.
3 - Lack of information found on Fred Fest for that year.
4 - SPECTRUM advertised a "suprise headliner". The suprise wasn't reported upon before, during , or after Fred Fest.
5 - Did not perform. Gave a lecture and showed rare Ramones concert footage.
6 - First year Fred Fest was confined to Saturday. Was a two-day event (Friday and Saturday) prior.
7 - Last minute replacement for Dropkick Murphys.
8 - Originally wasn't allowed to play regardless of winning "Battle of the Bands." SPECTRUM eventually relented.
Meanwhile, here's the list:
YEAR
BAND NAME Fred Fest Appearances
1980
Two Hills 1
1 George Doran 1
2 Todd Hobin Band 1
Crossroads 1
Benhatzel 1
1981
Kentucky Moon 1
George Doran 2
Mr. Ed 1
Loosely Tight 1
Papa John Creach 1
1982
Old Salt 1
George Doran 3
Tangent 1
Joe Whiting and the Bandit Band 1
Max Creek 1
1983
Cranberry Lake Jug Band 1
Single Strings 1
805 1
The Majestics 1
Cosmetic 1
Jamalodeen Tacuma 1
1984
Hot in the Sun 1
Slip Knot 1
Ezra 1
Dry Jack 1
D - Train 1
1985
The Snackmates 1
21st Century Steel Band 1
Hands Down 1
Alternative Jazz Experience 1
Suspicion 1
Talas 1
Del Lords 1
Made In Austria 1
1986
Images in Vogue 1
Robin Fear 1
Nik and the Nice Guys 1
The Fleshtones 1
Slip Knot 2
Made In Austria 2
The /erg/ 1
Krack Ups 1
Arrivals at Gate One 1
Suspicion 2
1987
Byzon Iz Pyzon 1
Zebra 1
Sundowner 1
Just Us 1
Give Up The Ashes 1
Dick Bauerle Group 1
Dreamspeak 1
Arrivals 1
No Camaphlage 1
Redemption Posse 1
1988
Random Abstract 1
Cheap Shotz 1
The Beat Unit 1
Homel - Alaniz Band 1
The Make 1
New York to Paris 1
Gamalon 1
Awake and Dreaming 1
The Great Train Robbery 1
1989
Gypsy 1
Physical Graffiti 1
Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows 1
The Indigos 1
Satellites 1
The Lumens 1
Crumbs of Insanity 1
New York to Paris 2
1990
The Crumbs of Insanity 2
Sahara 1
The Great Train Robbery 2
Robin Crow 1
The Profiles 1
Hayden 1
Baby Grande 1
Strate Up 1
Nik and the Nice Guys 2
1991 3
The Floating Boats 1
Party Squad 1
Pauly Shore 1
1992
The Dead Milkmen 1
UR 1
John and Mary 1
Crazy Vanilla 1
The Fibs 1
Maximum Concept 1
The Great Train Robbery 3
George Wesley and the Irietations 1
1993 4
Crumbs of Insanity 2
Total Blue Funk 1
George Wesley and the Irietations 2
Urban Squirrels 1
Jesus Knieval 1
Earthworms 1
Cousin Andromache 1
1994
Electric Zoo 1
Quick Irv 1
Me Mom and Morgantaler 1
Rusted Root 1
Love Apple 1
Jane and Julia 1
Swyf Turtle 1
Spyro Gyra 1
1995
Conehead Buddha 1
Plastic Nebraska 1
Who Cares 1
McCarhizm 1
Love Apple 2
The Hatters 1
Milk Carton 1
Velocity Girl 1
1996
Nerve Circus 1
Creamy Booth 1
Black 47 1
Limpopo 1
Woody 1
Mighty Purple 1
Pellorberjot 1
The Royal Crowns 1
Mighty Mighty Bosstones 1
1997 3
Lunichicks 1
De La Soul 1
1998
Shwanoma 1
Wank 1
Goldfinger 1
The Roots 1
Osso 1
Mackstatus 1
Pellorberjot 2
Yolk 1
1999
Less Than Jake 1
G Love and the Special Sauce 1
Hole In the Shoeman 1
Wheat Stone Bridge 1
Libertine 1
5 Marky Ramone5 1
3 Days Old 1
Sabina 1
Joe Bodden 1
Major Healy 1
The Special People Club 1
2000
Sela 1
Mr. Liff Straight Out Of Boston 1
Moxy Fruvous 1
moe. 1
Leaphole 1
Joe Mulhollen 1
Molotov Cocktail 1
Schleigho 1
Joey in the Bubble 1
Precious 1
Division 9 1
The Pietasters 1
2001
Dinkus 9 1
August Project 1
Jill Sobule 1
This End Up 1
Harold's Trousers 1
Gym Class Heroes 1
Fuzz Bubble 1
Stemm 1
Run DMC 1
2002 6
Uncle Joe's Medicine Show 1
Goodfellaz and Walton and Catalina Live 1
Astronomical Unit 1
The Sheila Divine 1
Skatos 1
Jimmie's Chicken Shack 1
28N 1
7 Reel Big Fish7 1
2003
Razbari Sumthing 1
Simple Life 1
One World Tribe 1
League 1
The New Deal 1
Kashmir 1
Alkaline Trio 1
2004
The 5th Street Band 1
Three Inches From the Ground 1
Somerset 1
Northwestern 1
Long Since Forgotten 1
Petelin Place Project 1
Eve 6 1
2005
Bea Arthur 1
Face Down in Mexico City With an Ice Pick In the Back 1
Tomorrow Is Forever 1
8 Endive 1
Roses Are Red 1
Fire When Ready 1
Black Violin 1
The Juliana Theory 1
Stroke 9 1
2006
Gonculator 1
Kaki King 1
The All Star Champs 1
Sleeping Kings of Iona 1
The Scarlet Ending 1
Skeletonbreath 1
Colors in the Air 1
Rufus Wainwright 1
2007
Higher Charisma 1
To The 9's 1
Mopery in the No-Tell Motel 1
VIBE 1
MC Frost 1
Elizabeth and the Catapult 1
Nate in Public 1
Talib Kweli 1
2008
Flood The Shoreline 1
Andrew Halliday and Friends 1
The Scarlet Ending 2
Ghost of a Stranger 1
2-Tone 1
The Secret Machines 1
Cartel 1
KEY
1 - Lead Singer of Two Hills who played a solo accoustic set.
2 - Filled in for Fresh.
3 - Lack of information found on Fred Fest for that year.
4 - SPECTRUM advertised a "suprise headliner". The suprise wasn't reported upon before, during , or after Fred Fest.
5 - Did not perform. Gave a lecture and showed rare Ramones concert footage.
6 - First year Fred Fest was confined to Saturday. Was a two-day event (Friday and Saturday) prior.
7 - Last minute replacement for Dropkick Murphys.
8 - Originally wasn't allowed to play regardless of winning "Battle of the Bands." SPECTRUM eventually relented.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Unofficial Guide to Fred Fest
Welcome to the unofficial guide to SUNY Fredonia's annual spring celebration.
This site will feature articles produced in Reporting and Newswriting II on as many aspects of Fred Fest as we have time/energy/initiative to create.
Look for the stories and features to start appearing on Tuesday, April 29. We'll want your feedback!
Fred Fest will be Saturday, May 3.
Let the blogging/reporting begin!
This site will feature articles produced in Reporting and Newswriting II on as many aspects of Fred Fest as we have time/energy/initiative to create.
Look for the stories and features to start appearing on Tuesday, April 29. We'll want your feedback!
Fred Fest will be Saturday, May 3.
Let the blogging/reporting begin!
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