Woodstock Rocks the House

ciates, Bird Project, and Dog vs. Lizard. On the blacktop, students watched the performance and chatted with friends and hot dogs were served on the porch.

speakers on Friday that were on their way to a dumpster that WALT’s new band division, headed by Grace McGuire, managed to intercept and hold on to.”

It’s a sunny day at Davidson College, the first in what feels like years. At 5 PM on Friday, Mar. 24, the place to be on campus is the Kappa Sigma porch, where three student bands play to a crowd of weekend-ready students. They’re here for the first of two live-music based segments of Woodstock, one of the college’s most popular traditions. Davidson’s Woodstock, which is hosted by WALT radio and the Kappa Sigma fraternity, is named for the more famous

In the evening, the house hosted Charlotte-based band Swingin’ Richards, whose mission statement is “ROCK THE HOUSE.” The Swingin’ Richards setlist included many a classic, from “Sweet Caroline” to “You Shook Me All Night Long.”

It was clear from the energy of the crowds that Woodstock is something students look forward to. Cali Koerner ‘24, co-president of WALT radio, says that

“Woodstock is about giving student bands an opportunity to play outside of just Battle of the Bands because booking gigs can be hard in Charlotte and downtown,” Co-President of WALT Cali Koerner said. “Woodstock is about unity. It really unites everybody. People are here because they’re in K-Sig or they’re in WALT, or they know somebody in a band, or they just love live music. [My] biggest priority is making it an event that everyone feels like they can go to.”

Emily Bryant ‘24 was at Woodstock for two reasons: “live music and fun outfits.” Sofia Cimballa ‘26 came to support her friend Annabel Semans, of the band Bird Project, and reported that her time at Woodstock was “absolutely awesome.”

Across the lawn, students were having similarly thrilling experiences.

“It’s something that we can only do here because we’re at Davidson College,” Koerner. “Other colleges may have student radio, but I think we’re special and that we can put on something really great and not worry about anything other than bringing the community together.”

Co-President of WALT Joe Claire ‘24, WALT’s other president, echoed Koerner’s sentiment.

Koerner also worries that “Davidson’s frat culture can be very isolating to people who are not in frats and are not part of other PCC organizations.”

While students may be passionate about on-campus music, there’s still a long way to go in terms of guaranteeing its presence, especially in an inclusive way.

“WALT is in the process of expanding its domain to include student bands as well,” Claire said. “As we enter into budgeting season, we are faced with the challenge of convincing the music festival, held in 1969 in Bethel, New York. Woodstock ‘69 amassed an estimated 400,000 attendees, yet Davidson’s remains more humble.

Woodstock has long been an opportunity to showcase student talent and enjoy a style of music not typically found on a weekend night on Patterson Court. Previously held annually in the fall, the event returned to campus in the spring of 2022 following a COVID-induced hiatus.

Woodstock ‘23 began with an afternoon segment, with performances from three student bands: Kenny Outlaw & Asso-

“We wanted to make the most of the limited equipment and resources that student bands have access to,” Claire said. “I think our success on Friday is a testament to a campus desire to support student music; now it’s just a matter of convincing the school that this is something worth financing.”

However, Claire believs that the student desire for a live music scene is not reciprocated by the administration.

“Student bands are given access to equipment that is no longer needed by Davidson’s Tech Services, which is a great resource, but it also shows that the college is not interested in spending money on student music,” Claire said. “We used school and Activities Tax Council that our efforts are worthwhile and play a significant role in student life at Davidson.”

Students who are interested in supporting live music on campus can reach out to Cali Koerner (cakoerner@davidson.edu) or Joe Claire (joclaire@davidson.edu), and should attend Battle of the Bands in late April.

Abby True/’25 (she/her) is a French & Francophone Studies and American Studies major from Camp Hill, PA, and can be reached for comment at abtrue@davidson.edu