Skidmania Fall 2024
The Department of Music is pleased to announce the third annual Skidmania, planned for November 22-23, 2024 at the Arthur Zankel Music Center. Celebrating the music of 50 years ago, and fueled by the talent and imagination of Skidmore student musicians, Skidmania ’74 will offer an exciting and inclusive bill of music and musicians, with all proceeds to charity.
Auditioned student acts will present creative twists on familiar music, as well as straight-up tributes--all based on selections from the music of 1974. Some noteworthy eligible songs include “Band on the Run” (Wings), “Feel Like Making Love” (Roberta Flack), “Can’t Get Enough” (Bad Company), “They Won’t Go When I Go” (Stevie Wonder), “Working Man” (Rush), “Jolene” (Dolly Parton), “No Woman No Cry” (Bob Marley), “Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road” (Elton John), “Until You Come Back to Me” (Aretha Franklin), “Twisted” (Joni Mitchell), and many more wonderful possibilities! See more ideas below.
Audition deadline October 7, 2024 (by video submission). Requirements and details below.
More song possibilities
Further song ideas may be gleaned from and other sources. Some particularly promising selections include:
- Wings, “Band on the Run”
- Queen, “Killer Queen”
- Stevie Wonder “They Won’t Go When I Go”
- Billy Preston “You Are So Beautiful”
- Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
- Rush “Working Man”
- Impressions “That’s What Love Will Do”
- Bob Marley “No Woman No Cry”
- Rolling Stones, “It’s Only Rock and Roll”
- Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Call me the Breeze”
- Dolly Parton “Jolene”
- Dolly Parton “I Will Always Love You”
- Parliament “Up For the Down Stroke”
- Jackson Five “The Dancing Machine”
- Steve Miller Band “The Joker”
- Cat Stevens “Oh Very Young”
- Joni Mitchell “Help Me”
- Joni Mitchell “Twisted”
- Bad Company, “Can’t Get Enough”
- Bad Company, “Ready For Love”
- Brownsville Station “Smokin in the Boys’ Room”
- James Brown “Get Up Offa that Thing”
- Barry White “Can’t Get Enough”
- Abba “Waterloo”
- Steely Dan “Ricky Don’t Lose that Number”
- John Denver “Annie’s Song”
- John Denver “Sunshine on my Shoulder”
- John Denver “Thank God I’m a Country Boy”
- Roberta Flack “Feel Like Making Love”
- Aretha Franklin “Until You Come Back to Me”
- Jim Croce “I’ll Have to Say I Love You in a Song”
- Earth Wind & Fire “Mighty Mighty”
- Stylistics “You Make Me Feel Brand New”
Audition process
Take the stage for this historic musical event! Concerts are planned for November 22 and 23, 2024, with acts to be selected by an audition process:
- Songs should be chosen from the music of 1974 (see above). One 1974 song is off-limits for audition but will be featured in a rousing finale: “Nothing from Nothing.”)
- We seek high-quality performances in a wide variety of styles and interpretations.
- We seek an inclusive mix of artists and performers.
- We wish to accommodate as many acts as possible; excessively long songs are discouraged.
- It is strongly recommended that any audition ideas be first vetted by Jeremy Day-O’Connell, so as to confirm eligibility and minimize any duplicate selections.
- Audition by October 7, 202. .
Questions about song selection, the audition process, or anything else that’s on your mind: contact Jeremy Day-O’Connell.
* Note: Skidmania weekend overlaps with the Theater Department’s mainstage production. Please do not audition if you are involved with the Theater’s production.