Once a year, WMCX hosts their Live Music Fest, an event where local musicians get to showcase their talent on Monmouth’s own student-run radio station. This year, the event ran for 15 hours and included acts such as Beach Daze, Tash Even & Kyle, calyx!, and many more.
“The Musicfest was an outstanding event thanks to my current executive board, broadcast technical engineer, Eric Reisher, and office coordinator, Casey Cantaffa,” said Aaron Furgason, Associate Professor and advisor for WMCX. “The current executive board did an amazing job of finding bands, producing the show, and documenting the event via live streaming performances and posting social media posts. Most importantly, all the bands expressed positive feelings about their experience, so overall it was a great event.”
In the past, Live Music Fest has been held for 24 hours. This year, the event was cut down to 15, but the energy and enthusiasm for the music still remained. “Although it wasn’t 24 hours long, it was still a very long day for everyone involved,” explained Beyonce Carranza, senior communication major and WMCX program director. “One of my favorite things about working on such a long event like that is that the energy is what can make it or break it. After a while, everyone gets a little tired, but the mood never goes down, which makes working a 15-hour event really special because everyone is just happy to be there.”
The show consisted of half-hour segments of music, followed by a half-hour of interviews with the previous acts. Students were able to attend this event as well as alumni. Carranza also explained that the alumni turnout was so immense that the board was able to have an alumni hour where past graduates were able to go on the air and discuss their experience at Monmouth.
Carranza continued, “This year’s artists, which consisted of New Jersey-based artists from as close as Asbury Park to as far up in Montclair, were all extremely talented. The fest was kicked off with Monmouth’s very own DJ Cass and followed by a mixed bag of artists with unique sounds. Every artist brought something new to the table, and it was amazing to see and hear them put their all into their performances. WMCX is a welcoming space for all kinds of artists and music, and the Live Fest is the best way to showcase that.”
WMCX recently celebrated its 50th year here at Monmouth, demonstrating the endurance and relevance of radio in a video-filled modern age. “WMCX is a special organization. A testament to this is that last spring, to celebrate its 50th year of broadcasting, almost three hundred alumni returned to celebrate and reminisce about their time at WMCX. The alumni’s participation in the May 2024 event and [Live Music Fest] shows the importance of and continued engagement/mentorship between alumni and current students that WMCX offers members. This is a full circle moment for me, as I am both an alum of Monmouth and WMCX, and I know that membership at WMCX fosters lifelong friendships, lasting memories, and important life experiences outside of the classroom,” said Furgason.
“For our listeners, I hope that the biggest takeaway that you have from the Live Music Fest is how special WMCX and music is,” Carranza concluded. “Even though these artists all have different styles, they come together on this very special day to celebrate each other, and their musical journeys with us at WMCX. Whether our listeners were already fans of these artists, or discovered them through the fest, I hope they can appreciate the artistry and dedication that these artists have and see how WMCX fosters an environment where they can reach a bigger audience with their music.”
