The hot weather on the afternoon of Friday, Sept. 20, did not stop students from gathering to enjoy the annual event known as “Couchella” run by the Georgia Tech Musician’s Network (GTMN). Couchella is one of the semesterly events that GTMN has thrown each fall since 2014, and the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary this past weekend.
The occasion was held on Tech Green, a go-to spot for many organizations on campus because of its central location. Students who attended could be seen dancing and moshing on the field, listening to music from bands and artists from the surrounding area. Many of the musicians were Atlanta natives and Tech alumni, which contributed to the number of people who came in support. The Technique was able to speak with a few executive members of GTMN to gain insight into the operations behind the event and the process of everything coming together to form the successful event.
This free event was in session from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and local bands like /Hospitality/, Tunnels, Bummer Hill and Michael Cera Palin took the stage throughout the day. Aside from watching the talent on stage, people could shop around at the tables set up by local vendors selling art prints, jewelry and more. Thanks to Tech Dining, food trucks were also stationed around Tech Green, selling food to the hungry festival goers.
Many attendees came to the event early and stayed until the end to see the crowd’s favorite emo-rock band, Michael Cera Palin (MCP). Chad Miller, 17’ CS and a member of MCP, is a Tech alum who helped organize the very first Couchella event all the way back in 2014, and it did not take much convincing to have him back on the stage ready to support the organization that had always supported him.
When speaking about the process for picking the lineup at Couchella, Nate Ryerson, second-year ECE, booking officer and stagehand, said, “We want to find local bands [and] student bands. Especially GT students who are making cool music. We want to showcase that to the GT community and work our way up from there.”
GTMN productions are put together through a cohesive team of individuals who have a passion for fostering the arts community here at Tech. The Technique spoke with Keely West, third-year ENVS and Vice President of GTMN.
The GTMN leadership was concerned about Couchella taking place on the same evening that many of Georgia Tech’s students had purchased tickets to travel to Six Flags Over Georgia, a nearby amusement park. Although stakeholders in both events tried to prevent this, both events ended up falling on the same night. Nevertheless, one would not have noticed the issue due to the wonderful turnout the festival received. Ryerson described the turnout as incomparable to last year’s and was excited to see all of the growth.
Couchella is just one of the festivals that GTMN puts on during the year. In the Spring, a similar event called “1000 Couches” takes place. Both are named after the previous home of the organization, “Under the Couch,” a music venue that unfortunately had to close its doors in late 2018 due to the construction of the new student center building. However, 2024 has brought an unprecedented number of new students wanting to join the network and students just showing up in general. This brings hope for GTMN to find a new, more permanent home in the near future.
Many people are unaware of the space that GTMN has created for students like them. West said, “It’s important to me to establish that there is a community like this.” As incoming freshmen back in 2022, they were unaware of this tight-knit group of people who pushed each other to dive into and share their creativity with others. Now, as a third-year student on the executive board, they are proud to see where the club stands today and want to keep encouraging students to join in on the experience.
The GTMN, as West describes, has a central goal of “catering to the local community” to the best of its ability and going beyond its known sphere of influence. Their goal as an organization is to support Tech students and those in the community who need an outlet for their musical creativity.
Students can support GTMN by coming to events like Couchella, promoting them on social media and buying their hand-designed T-shirts sold at meetings and semester events. Meetings are held every Wednesday at the John Lewis Student Center, along with open mic nights every Thursday, and both are open to all students.
Thankfully, students do not have to wait until the spring semester to hear more from GTMN. More events, on a smaller scale, will be held throughout the fall starting with a battle of the bands, and next, the organization has plans for what they call, “Styrofoam,” a collaborative album recorded and created by the students at Tech. To keep up with the Georgia Tech Musician’s Network, follow them on Instagram at @gtmusiciansnetwork.