Ohio State club brings its own Coachella to campus

Nina Budeiri
Thu, 16 Apr 2015 05:05:03 +0000
Campus, browning amphitheater, coachella, musicians collective, ohio state

A student organization hopes to bring a bit of Coachella Valley, Calif., to Columbus this weekend.

MCoachella is a two-day outdoor music festival hosted by the Musicians’ Collective at Ohio State, or MCo, that’s set to take place at Browning Amphitheater beside Mirror Lake. This year, the event will feature 17 bands made up mostly of OSU students, and MCo president Arthur Broadstock said he is excited about the opportunity.

“It’s just a great way for students here to get to see fellow students doing something creative and showcasing their musical talents while enjoying the outdoors and our awesome campus,” said Broadstock, a fourth-year in biochemistry.

MCo is an open club with a purpose, Broadstock said, to “give people a place to share music and collaborate, and even form their own bands.”

Because there has been an influx of bands from previous years, this is the first year that MCoachella will take place over two days.

“Having two days for performers is going to make a big difference, especially in the amount of people we get to come out. There’s usually a lot of people walking by the amphitheater on the weekends, so being out both Friday and Saturday will give more people a chance to stop,” said Marcelo Fracchia, MCo vice president and third-year in marketing.

The performing bands are made up mostly from students involved with MCo, and music genres will range from folk to rap to ska.

“Nearly the entire spectrum of modern music will be covered in these two days,” said project developer Cameron Carr, a second-year in journalism. “Whether you’re into indie or electronica or really anything else, you’re bound to hear something you’ll like.”

Broadstock said the music this year will be better than in the past because many of the bands have now been together for a number of years.

“These guys have turned into some of the most talented people we’ve seen in years, and being able to have witnessed their growth is something special, especially when they get to share it with hundreds of their OSU peers,” he said.

MCo members have been promoting MCoachella by hanging up flyers in residence halls, as well as chalking on the Oval.

“I just know that people will love it if they come. It’s a very ‘by students, for students’ type of thing, which I think is important,” Broadstock said. “It’s an amazing chance to witness creativity. And who doesn’t love music outside on a nice day?”

MCoachella performances will begin at Browning Amphitheater at 5 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free.