Calling all C-U music fans, Perimeter Road Sound Recordings is back, and its festival is more collaborative than ever. “May the 4th be with you” is the motto this year as bands, crafts vendors, a food truck, and the 501st Midwest Garrison gear up to have a good time listening to some local tunes.
Four is the magic number as the student-run record label sprints towards their fourth annual music festival on May 4 2024. The event will take place on Parklands campus in parking lot B1 at 2400 West Bradley, Champaign, Ill. It is sponsored by Parkland College Radio, 88.7 WPCD.
As always, the event is free for all who are interested in the family-friendly showing. The show will go on, rain or shine. Audiences are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets.
Ranging from soulful R&B to rancorous punk tunes and 1950s rockabilly, the festival is a continuous celebration of the rainbow of music within the Illinois music scene.
Featuring newer acts such as the one-year-old rising stars of Manifest West – winners of the Canopy’s Club’s Battle of the Bands – and bands seasoned with half a decade together, such as Sweetmelk, the festival will feature artists of all types and giving the audience a broad variety of music to enjoy.
With five fiery bands and one intimate solo talent, the house is bound to be brought down – and then rebuilt by the students – several times throughout the six-hour show.
As of today, there is also a new music alert coming from one-third of the acts. The first is the opener, Modern Drugs’s album minted not even a week ago. The second alarm is rung by Tessa Turner, who is kicking off this year’s Singles Series for Perimeter Road with her song, “Narcissist,” which is currently set to come out this month. Look out for our article regarding her and the single in the coming weeks.
If you have not gotten the memo, it is never too late to know: Perimeter Road is always open for current Parkland students to join, including non-music majors who have a passion for music and its composition.
Each semester, students gain hands-on experience by helping artists compose, record, and craft their songs, as well as designing and distributing promotional material for the artists free of charge.
Outside the studio, members have the chance to mix the annual live show, act as stagehands for bands, and become occasional flyposters for important dates.
Students who are interested can submit an application to the record label coordinator(s) – currently Adam Porter and Deane Geiken. For more information, contact the label at perimeterroad@gmail.com.
You can also follow the label on Facebook and Instagram, as well as on Bandcamp and Spotify for music.
Likewise, if you want to scream along the lyrics with bands, we have you covered. It isn’t too late to catch up to any of these artists:
Modern Drugs | Haki N’ Dem | Tessa Turner | Sweetmelk | Manifest West | Union Avenue
Funk Pop | Soul/R&B | Singer-Songwriter | Punk | Alt/Indie-Rock | Rockabilly
Look out for our article regarding Tessa Turner’s journey and her long-awaited single in the coming weeks.
Or feel free to take a retroactive look at February’s interview with Manifest West regarding the band’s formation and future plans to bend and break genres.
