The fourth AMP Festival will take place Nov. 17 and 18, with the culminating act being a performance by “progressive blues-rock” band The Hard Lessons.
This year the arts festival, which normally features many disciplines, has a focus.
When the AMP team got together to begin planning, “we decided right away to focus on music,” AMP President Seth Bogner said.
The festival is organized by the AMP student organization, and is also an Academic Service Learning Project for the Arts Administration program’s CTAR 452 class. The class is a requirement for both the graduate and undergraduate majors in Arts Administration. The festival is also an opportunity for advanced graphic design students, who designed the promotional materials and the website for the first time this year.
The AMP board, consisting of Arts Administration master’s students Bogner, Carrie Mood, Charlie Nork and undergrad Samantha Lowry, set the foundation for the class’s work.
The class is split into groups to handle different aspects of organizing the festival. The experience of organizing the event is crucial for students “it’s what we’re going to school for,” Bogner said.
CTARThe graduate students on AMP play a big role in the festival.
“It really helps being guided by the grad students,” undergraduate AMP member Alex Marr said. “Having such a supportive grad student group is hands-on experience.”
The headliner act at this year’s show, The Hard Lessons, consists of Augie and Korin “Coco” Visocchi, a married couple who started the band during their college days at Michigan State University. Their name, Augie explained to Nork, sprung from the fact that both key members were education majors.
They are attached to their roots, mostly playing shows around Michigan and Canada, although they have been featured on MTV. Augie also teaches a school of rock for kids.
“He’s really interested in helping kids learn music,” Marr said.
A variety of student bands open their act, including Elliot Street Lunatic, Autumn Rhapsody and The Pineapple Army. The mix of indie student bands and a professional act was meant to give “students a chance to play with professionals,” Bogner said
Student bands will also be playing during the two-day event in the EMU Student Center downstairs dining room. Also, the festival has a cabaret event hosted in conjunction with the EMU Department of Music and Dance and the Theatre Department, which will feature pop and musical theater acts.
In addition, an art walk will take place, where MFA students will open their shows for the night all around campus.
The Hard Lessons play at 8 p.m. Nov. 17 at Pease Auditorium. Tickets are $8.
More information can be found on posters around campus, the AMP website, www.emuAMPfest.com and on its Facebook page, AMP Music Fest 2010.
