MACON — QuadWorks, the campus activities board of Mercer University, will host its third annual Bearstock Music and Arts Festival on Saturday. The concert is free, open to the public, and will feature 17 bands on two stages. The music begins at noon on Porter Patch at Mercer’s historic Macon campus and will feature headliners Jeremih, Cartel, The Maine and We the Kings, along with 13 local bands. Jeremih is scheduled to perform at 7:05 p.m. and Cartel will take the stage at 8:05 p.m.
Bearstock is sure to be an even bigger success than last year, organizers say.
“We were lucky enough to have We the Kings add us as a stop on their spring tour/ They are bringing The Maine and Cartel with them,” said Brittany McGarity, Mercer Live co-chair for Quadworks, the University’s student activities board. “Since those bands are all from the same genre, we wanted to mix it up with Jeremih, who is starting to become very popular and will bring a lot of energy to the stage.”
Rapper Jeremih’s self-titled debut album, Jeremih, debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, selling 59,000 copies in its first week.
Cartel is a five-member alternative rock band from Conyers. The band is best known for its single, “Honestly,” that is featured on its 2005 debut album, Chroma, and has had more than 36 million MySpace plays. The band also has its own MTV mini-series chronicling the recording of the band’s second album and has attracted coverage in Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, USA Today and The New York Times.
The Maine, a rock band from Phoenix, Ariz., was formed in 2007 while most of the band members were still in high school. The Maine turned its ‘90s radio rock band influences into a generic, but still infectious, pop-punk sound, signed to Fearless Records and released a five-song concept EP, The Way We Talk, in 2007. After performing on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, the band released its debut album, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.
We the Kings is a rock band from Bradenton, Fla. It released a self-titled, full-length album in 2007, which peaked at No. 151 on the Billboard 200. The band’s second full-length album, Smile Kid, was released in December 2009. We the Kings also has its own mini-series of webisodes, called “The King’s Carriage,” detailing life on the group’s tour bus.
The local bands and artists scheduled to perform include:
• A Love Not Lost, 12:30 p.m., Stage B
• All Get Out, 1:05 p.m., Stage A
• Alec Stanley, 1:40 p.m., Stage B
• City Council, 2:15 p.m., Stage A
• AL K!NG, 2:50 p.m., Stage B
• Ocean Is Theory, 3:25 p.m., Stage A
• Copacetic, 4 p.m., Stage B
• We the Living, 4:35 p.m., Stage A
• Doctor Squid, 5:10 p.m., Stage B
• The Key, which includes several Mercer students, 5:45 p.m., Stage A
• Floco Torres, 6:20 p.m., Stage B
In addition to these local favorites, Mercer Dance Revolution will also perform at 6:55 p.m. before the headliners come on Stage A at 7:05 p.m.
“Bearstock is more than just the headliners. It’s an all-day event that allows people to hear a lot of really great acts. The variety of bands represents a number of different genres. For music lovers, this is the ultimate experience for finding new, awesome bands to listen to,” McGarity said. “My advice: get there early and bring some sunscreen!”
For more information, follow on Twitter @bearstock2010 or call (478) 301-2685.
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