When Weinberg sophomore Jack Hartfelder arrived at Northwestern last Fall, he struggled to find other musicians to play with. As a drummer, he said he felt the campus music scene lacked cohesion and needed a “unifying presence.” To unite musicians and music lovers at NU, he launched a chapter of Local Mojo in March.
Local Mojo is a national entertainment brand that promotes student and local artists on college campuses. Founded in 2021 at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the organization aims to connect musicians, audiences and venues to support grassroots music communities.
While other student organizations like WNUR, Mayfest Productions, Starlight and Songwriters Association at Northwestern also organize music events throughout the year, Hartfelder said Local Mojo is meant to be a central hub for the campus music community.
Unlike those organizations, Local Mojo is not registered with Student Organizations and Activities at NU.
In addition to promoting events hosted by other student groups and local artists, Local Mojo organizes its own concerts and shows.
“There’s just a lot of talent on this campus, and I feel like a lot of the time people just aren’t aware of that,” Hartfelder said. “People struggle to find people to play with or people to go see.”
Hartfelder said the idea to start Local Mojo at NU came after he heard about Mojofest, a music festival hosted by the organization at UMass-Amherst. He thought NU would benefit from engaging with its own local music scene.
Inertia band member and McCormick freshman Cameron Crawford said while musical talent and interest exists on campus, there is often a disconnect between that enthusiasm and engagement with publicized events.
“Local Mojo is going to do really good things for the Evanston and Northwestern music scene, because I feel like there is an audience for music,” Cameron said. “It’s just the events — either they’re not publicized well, or they just don’t have it.”
Local Mojo NU has organized four events so far, including house shows and concerts at local venues like Animal Records. The group will host MojoStock, a Woodstock-inspired show, Friday.
One of Local Mojo’s most successful shows to date, Hartfelder said, was a Boiler Room-style event April 10, where three student DJs played in an off-campus basement emulating the immersive, underground vibe of the Boiler Room, an online music broadcaster and club promoter.
“It was kind of our first big event,” Hartfelder said. “And it definitely gave me a lot of hope that people will appreciate this and this is something people are looking for.”
Instead of receiving University funding, the group sells tickets to fund events and pay artists.
Weinberg sophomore and Local Mojo NU Treasurer James Dobin-Smith said the group has primarily been publicizing events on Instagram, where he said it can reach the most students.
“The whole idea is to create this cohesive sense of band off-campus culture that is easily tapped into by a lot of people,” Dobin-Smith said.
Hartfelder said he wants the group and its events to make the scene more inclusive, so it’s not just up to the hardcore music fans to promote it.
Hartfelder said he wants Local Mojo to be an established presence at NU where people automatically think, “Oh, obviously I know about Local Mojo. What are they doing this weekend?”
He hopes the group will continue to grow, by increasing membership and hosting more frequent, larger-scale events. He also plans to create a network of artists to connect musicians with bands in search of members.
“It’s a vision for what the scene will look like,” Dobin-Smith said. “This little utopia where everyone knows when things are happening. Everyone has access to the most awesome fan shows that are put on by the most awesome venues.”
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
X: @BethkeTia
Related Stories:
— Leon Thomas, Del Water Gap, Widemouth take the stage at A&O Ball
— Performers battle with beats and ballads for chance to play at Dillo Day
— Chicago independent record stores spin back in an era of streaming
