Spring 2009 - Seattle University

Campus
O B S E R V E R
music matters
Quadstock Rocks On
Venerable music and entertainment festival turns 20 this year
John Bush vividly recalls his
favorite Quadstock moment.
It was early afternoon, the sun
shining brightly down on the
Union Green. A student band was
playing on a stage erected on the north
patio of the Green, and students were
lounging on the grass,
laughing with friends,
bobbing their heads to the
music.
A quick glance around
revealed a crowd delighting
in the latest
victim of the dunk tank—
in this case, Athletic
Director Bill Hogan—
while others played
volleyball or tossed a
Frisbee.
“It felt wonderful to see everyone
enjoying themselves and coming
together for this wonderful celebration,”
says Bush, ’09, who will
serve as Quadstock co-chair for the
second time this year.
This year Quadstock reaches a new
milestone as it celebrates its 20th year
as a late springtime staple at SU.
Nearly every student who has
attended Seattle University for the
past two decades has a similarly fond
or vivid memory of Quadstock, a
music and entertainment festival that
caps the academic year.
What started out as a simple concert
has morphed over the years into an
all-day event with eclectic live music,
games and activities. Quadstock,
sponsored by the Student Events
and Activities Council (SEAC), is
“Seattle features one of the most
diverse and deepest musical
collections in the country.
So, too, does Seattle U.”
John Bush, ’09, co-chair, Quadstock
one of the largest events at SU and
attracts upward of 1,000 students and
spectators.
“It is a tradition that so many
students know about and look forward
to every spring,” says Matthew Taylor,
’10, Quadstock co-chair. “Students
start to hear about it before they even
come to campus and the excitement
just grows from there. It is the premier
event on campus.”
Quadstock fits into the university’s
efforts to engage students in the arts
by offering an array of musical acts
spanning genres from hip-hop to folk,
electronic pop and rock to socially
conscious rap.
Other than the unpredictability
of the Seattle weather—“in the last
three years, we’ve had a little rain,
then a lot of rain, and then a day
of 80-degree sweltering
heat,” says Taylor—and
the task of putting on
the event with a limited
budget, the biggest challenge
co-chairs face is
assembling a musical
lineup that responds to
diverse tastes.
“We really try to
appeal to a wide audience,”
says Bush. “Seattle features
one of the most diverse
and deepest musical collections in
the country. So, too, does Seattle U.”
Typically, a winner of SEAC’s
Battle of the Bands is tapped to
open the show, followed by three
high-profile groups—often bands
on the rise or with a strong local
following. Over the years, the lineup
has included the Presidents of the
United States of America, OK Go
and the Blue Scholars.
The mainstage talent for this year’s
Quadstock, which takes place on
May 16, is still in the works. To
12 | Campus Observer