The power of music

A dark-haired man in a worn-in Grateful Dead T-shirt sits on a blanket, bobbing his dreadlocked head up and down to the beat provided by Blue Moon Revue. To his right, an older, slightly balding man stands, gently tapping his foot to the music. To his left, two golden retrievers chase each other around in circles, eventually running after a young barefoot girl, her long brown hair windblown over her smiling face. Below her, the green grass blew in the wind while the blue but cloudy sky illuminates all of Dunn Meadow Saturday for this year's Calmfest.\n"It's definitely a huge plus to get all sorts of people from different backgrounds and age groups to come together and strongly support a cause," said Jeff Shiffman, drummer for Indiana Trip Factory.\nIn its fifth year, Calmfest was the biggest and most fun festival the organization has put together, said Michael Truelove, event coordinator and Citizens Alliance for the Legalization of Marijuana founder. \nThe festival included music from seven bands, including Blue Moon Revue, Indiana Trip Factory and Alma Azul and numerous speakers including Truelove himself. The combination of speeches and music provided attendants with entertainment and information to encourage legalization of marijuana and better drug laws.\nSophomore Matt Frick, percussionist and banjo player for Blue Moon Revue, said he was overwhelmed by the crowd, which Truelove estimated to be more than 500 people.\n"I believe in supporting local music, and it's even better to have music supporting a great cause," Frick said.\nJunior Jesse McQuarters, bassist for Indiana Trip Factory, said as a student and musician, he was invigorated by the carefree community formed by the diverse crowd.\n"For me, personally, I draw so much inspiration from (the crowd)," he said. "It's so for-the-moment and inspirational … it just helps to give us energy and give that energy back to the audience."\nShiffman said another motivation for him to participate in Calmfest was the potential for social action.\n"People need to understand that a big part of the CALM movement is the hemp movement as well," Shiffman said. "People need to realize what a strength hemp would be to our industry and environment, which I think is the most important message."\nMcQuarters agreed with Shiffman, and said when he wasn't performing, he danced to the other performers and interacted with the crowd, trying to meet as many different people as possible to gain a fresh perspective.\n"It's very important to be educated about all the issues," McQuarters said. "Legalization is very controversial … you've got to be informed about it, know both sides of the story, and try to learn as much as you can so that when you go out you can make an informed statement."\nFreshman Stephanie Solomon said the diversity and progressive attitudes that permeated the audience impressed her.\n"I think it was wonderful because it didn't just attract the people that would stereotypically associate with an event like Calmfest," she said. "Rather, it's about more people who realize the cause is more than just crazy hippies who want to smoke pot, but actually a really serious issue."\nSolomon said although she enjoyed the informative and commercial booths that were set up, she liked the music the most.\n"It was a good representation of a lot of the things that are happening in Bloomington right now," she said. "The community that was at Calmfest is the part of IU that I like best -- really open and free spirited"