 "Photo: Jacob Nuus, KGRG Sales Director")
Summer Riot, KGRG’s eleven band kick-off to summer, was set to be hosted on June 19 for the first time in five years.
But after a year of preparing the revival of one of KGRG’s most ambitious concerts, the KGRG staff is in the process of relocating their music fest due to a planned campus-wide blackout.
The project required doubling staff, support and stages to match the hoard of musicians at the event and within the station. Campus Safety was originally expected to be called in to lend a hand to KGRG AM and FM student volunteers.
However, with an electrical curveball, the station is considering different venues off campus and event staffing is difficult to determine. The enormity of the situation being diverted was stifling as the construction news reached the station June 1.
Staff were still determined, stating that the concert might be postponed a week or relocated. Since June 1st Summer Riot has changed to the venue Jazz Bones in Tacoma but is still scheduled for June 19th.
Capital Projects wasn’t planning to pull the plug on KGRG, and CP manager Mike Bingisser was extremely grateful for KGRG’s cooperation. This was the only window available for construction crews to safely feed power to Salish Hall, currently under construction, while simultaneously affecting the smallest amount of events possible.
A day devoted to playing each band, promos, and set up for the 1-10 pm music fest combined with event set-up; lighting, catering, directions, and staff detail are given fervent effort for noble reason.
Bringing the bands to the stage provides a platform for local bands to launch. The concert is also a thank you to the bands that have continually worked with KGRG, and by bringing the listeners and bands together, KGRG hopes to propel the up and coming bands to bigger things.
There is hope that someday there will be a band that has hit the big time and, remembers getting their start with 89.9 FM, will thank the station on their label. To some this might seem like an unrealistic dream, but after receiving an autographed guitar from Nerfherder, and Nirvana’s LSC stage appearance twenty years ago it doesn’t seem all too crazy.
Some of the musicians playing at the concert are 17 years old and at the start of their musical lives, which KGRG hopes to contribute to by bringing the bands and their 14,000 listeners together.
“Maybe we’re not a big station, but we still mean something to them,” Elise Manning, KGRG Music Director said.
Summer Riot is KGRG’s way to connect the south Puget Sound music scene. The station could be part of big concerts like Sasquatch, Warped and Bumbershoot. This possibility is clear with KGRG representatives at this year’s Warped Tour and future on-air giveaways. However, KGRG chooses to create their own concerts and connect with local music.
Tying multiple music tastes together in one show is another statement for KGRG. This mirrors KGRG listeners who vary in taste which was also well represented by staff. Not to be caught unaware, Manning was emphatic about staff roots.
“We listened to KGRG before we started working for KGRG,” Manning said.
Be the first to comment on this article!