On Feb. 28, WMCN, Macalester’s college radio station, hosted GIG4GOOD, a fundraising concert with performances by student musicians and bands. The show took place in the Loch. At the event, WMCN staff hosted a screenprinting activity, wherein attendees could create custom GIG4GOOD t-shirts. All proceeds from the event went to the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC).
WMCN Manager Emily Hueser* ’26 felt a responsibility to support the Minnesota community as Operation Metro Surge, the recent influx of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, targets the Twin Cities: “As a manager [and] student leader of a community radio, it feels like I should be doing something for the community. That’s who we’re here to serve,” Hueser said.
Another manager, Elliot Pearson ’27, felt similarly: “There’s been all this crazy stuff with ICE happening in the Twin Cities, so we were like, ‘Okay, what can we as a radio station do to help besides just talking about it on air?’”
Although WMCN is run by Macalester, its airways extend across St. Paul and Minneapolis, and it’s accessible to anyone. Hueser explained that many neighbors who aren’t affiliated with the school have radio shows, and anyone in the area can apply to host a show.
“I view the radio station as a community space, and not just Macalester-affiliated,” Hueser said.
Opening the show at 7 p.m. was DJ SANDWICH (Will Stamoulis ’27), who energized the crowd with high-adrenaline beats and exciting mixes. His feel-good performance set the tone for the night: despite tackling serious issues, GIG4GOOD was ultimately a celebration of joy and music.
“I have a lot of fun at these events, like Kombucha Kickback, where there’s live music on campus [from] our campus bands,” Pearson said. “I’m glad that we’re a campus that has bands that we all know, and it’s exciting to get to see your favorites at these shows.”
Next up was Martin Bernsten ’26. Guitar in hand, Bernsten played a mix of original music and covers. In contrast to DJ SANDWICH, his music lent the evening a mellow, chilled-out vibe. In songs like “Andrew,” Bernsten delivered insightful lyrics with smooth vocals and clean lo-fi guitar tone. Partway through the set, he was joined by Jordan Galloway ’26. The pair harmonized together for a series of covers, including Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours.”
Then, sibling duo Joe College took to the stage. Brothers Quin ’28** and Oskar Hafner-Orange ’28 each played their own guitar, trading vocal responsibilities depending on the song. The duo played a number of original songs, such as “Crop Circles” and “Selfish Lovers,” both of which layered acoustic and electric guitar with great effect. Their rendition of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Holland 1945” garnered an especially strong reaction from the crowd, who danced wildly and sang along to the chorus.
Joe College was followed by Nice Couch for Free, a four-piece rock band with a rich grunge sound. They began quietly, but progressed to a heavier sound as they played. Basil DiBenedetto ’28** moved between keyboard and drums, Eleanor Barrett ’28 shredded on bass and Izzy Cialkowski ’28 and Annick Hart-Vilain ’28 led on guitar.
Before the final act, Bernsten, DiBenedetto and Trevor Wong VanHaren ’27 played a short intermission set. The group opened with some groovy bossa nova before playing a few covers. Their version of Amy Winehouse’s iconic “Valerie” got the whole crowd on their feet and dancing. It was the first time the trio had played together.
At 9 p.m., three acts hopped onstage together: Sink, EBK and Hareth. Sink provided backing instrumentals and vocals to rappers EBK and Hareth, who took turns rapping thoughtful lyrics and singing catchy hooks. Together, the musicians commanded the room, holding the crowd in rapt attention.
¡Adelante! and Macalester YDSA were tabling at the event, selling goodie bags and keffiyahs, respectively. Hueser found it invigorating to have support from multiple orgs. Ultimately, the event raised $786.70.
WMCN didn’t go into the night with a specific donation goal. “Our goal was to raise as much money as we could,” Hueser said. “We didn’t have as much prep time as we ideally would have wanted, and so we didn’t have a monetary goal. It was just as much to spread awareness, and get people engaged, and give people a space to be able to donate, or at least inform people about MIRAC. I found myself explaining who they are a lot, and it’s great to have the opportunity to do that, to get people informed about who’s out there in the Twin Cities that they can monetarily support.”
While GIG4GOOD is not an annual event, students should not write off the possibility of another benefit show in the future. In early meetings around the event, a fundraising goal that would lead to WMCN staff getting matching Garth tattoos was pitched.
Although they didn’t end up following through on that idea, Pearson hinted: “If we do another fundraiser, it’s not off the table. Garth tattoos might be happening.”
* Emily Hueser is a former Arts Editor for The Mac Weekly
** Quin Hafner-Orange and Basil DiBenedetto are editors for The Mac Weekly