BRINGING LIVE MUSIC TO GRESHAM CAMPUS

Avid concertgoers in Gresham are likely aware of the lack of music events outside of Portland, but that’s all about to change in a few months with Hoodstock.

Devin Hardgrove, Mt. Hood student and music director of KMHD2, the college’s radio station, is putting together a music festival in an effort to bring a reliably great, affordable, all-ages music festival to the Gresham area.

Hoodstock will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22 at MHCC’s Earl Klapstein football/track and field stadium, and is set to be free for students and staff, and somewhere around $15 for the public.

“We want this to be a reasonable price event that everybody can see and enjoy and have just a great time,” said Hardgrove.

There will be one stage with six or seven indie artists, he said. “Indie is a vague thing. It could be indie-rap, indie-rock, indie-pop. It’s what the station (KMHD2) plays mostly, which is indie-rock and alternative along with pop and R&B.”

One or two of the headliners will likely be bigger bands from out of town, and the rest will be local bands, he said.

Hardgrove is the main force behind Hoodstock, with help from Mt. Hood broadcasting instructor JD Kiggins, who runs the radio station. Students from the broadcasting program will help as volunteers in different capacities at the event.

“I’m just glad that our station is doing it because I really believe that KMHD2 is the best station in Portland,” said Hardgrove.

Besides the music, there will be other activities happening at the festival. Ideas tossed around by the organizers include a silent disco, VIP experiences, food carts, and involvement with other departments on campus.

“We’re doing this the 22nd of September (Fall Term starts Sept. 24), so it’s kind of like a ‘welcome to Mt. Hood thing’ and [to] get everybody in the community and the students who are going to come soon involved and look forward to their time here at Mt. Hood,” said Hardgrove. “We want it to be a staple in the community for coming years.”

For those interested in getting involved with Hoodstock, the best way to connect is by emailing Hardgrove at [email protected].

Hoodstock will soon have a website. For now, those interested can follow KMHD2 on Instagram and Twitter to keep up with the latest information.