As ILoveMakonnen and Ty Dolla $ign are set to perform the campus Saturday at the second annual University of Memphis Spring Fling festival (“Miami in Memphis”), a team of music industry students ironed out the details Monday night; mapping the general scope of events with sharpie on a whiteboard located in a UC conference room in the alumni lounge.
“So this is...that tree in front of the UC, tables where people are eating people are eating. Venders will be set up here..” said Music Industry Senior and Delta Vibe’s president Moriah Drinkard.
The student music planning committee's leader had gone so far as to sketch rectangles representing the two stages and even mock train tracks, but it was what Drinkard mentioned that Vibe’s partners, The Student Activities Council (SAC), were rumored to be providing that had the 22-year-old Music Industry major most excited.
“I feel like the idea of zip lining over a music festival is an insane unique experience,” Drinkard said. “And I think that the henna tattoos kind of feed into that festival culture.”
While SAC is in charge of providing activities and booking the two headliners for the Spring Fling, (ILoveMakonnen and Ty Dolla $ign) Delta Vibe’s responsibility includes bringing the “music festival aspect” to the alumni mall with local acts playing throughout the day. This year DV has provided staging, production, and promotion for Tasmine Ballentines, Bluff City Soul Collective, The Bonfire Orchestra, Mary Owens, The Passport, and Spaceface.
“SAC provides activities because they’re the activities council and Delta Vibe provides music from the music industry association,” Drinkard said. “We sort of co-op and get together to bring each of our expertise and join our mission statements to create this one event. I want the student body to know this is the biggest event on campus this year and this is a unique experience for students in that they not only get to sample and hear local musicians and some of their peers perform on stage, but they also get to hear big name artists.”
Delta Vibe Vice-President Keynan Harden has a favorite band made up of his peers that will be playing this year’s Spring Fling.
“I am most excited about seeing Bonfire Orchestra,” Harden said. “I remember seeing them at ‘Rhythm and Greens’ last year and they were probably one of my favorite performances.”
The Rhythm and Greens music festival is also an event that Delta Vibe plays a key role in promoting; splitting the duties with Blue Tom Records, the student-run record label. DV President Moriah Drinkard explained how the two student-run groups used to be one thing.
“Delta Vibe has technically only existed for the past two years,” Drinkard said. “It used to be Blue Tom Records but it wasn’t really functioning as a record label so we changed the name and left the name of Blue Tom Records to the actual functioning record label on campus in the music industry department.”
Since then Delta Vibe has primarily focused on booking events for artists and involving University of Memphis students who all have similar interests in music promotion.
“I’ve gotten a lot of good insight into different things that involve the music industry,” Freshman Film and Video Production Major Stephen Dinkins said. “I’ve enjoyed the things we have done; how we have had open mic nights I performed at, and hosting a ‘battle of the bands’ which was exciting.”
Last fall’s ‘Game of Tones’ event resulted in upcoming Spring Fling act The Passport winning “the battle”. While members of Delta Vibe are also excited to see the act perform again Saturday, 18-year-old Dinkins shared how promoting local bands isn’t all just “play”.
“A couple weeks before an event happens can be somewhat stressful because of all we have to do to promote for the event,” Dinkins said. “Other than that it’s fairly relaxed. Anyone can join Delta Vibe; all you have to do is show up for meetings. There’s no extensive procedure, you don’t have to get branded or anything to join. It’s legit.”
Allysa Meier, 21-year-old Music Industry Senior, explained what drives her to be involved with Delta Vibe and how excited she is for the Spring Fling Festival; ‘Miami in Memphis’.
“I’m super pumped. I love producing events like this. It’s what I want to do with my life and it’s promoting local Memphis music.”
More information about Delta Vibe and the festival can be found on the group’s blog: https://deltavibe.wordpress.com/spring-fling-2015/ as well as their respective Facebook page and group.
