NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—On April 2, Piscataway-based radio station 90.3 The Core invites students and other local residents to attend their 5th annual music festival, this time at the Rutgers University Cook Student Center at 2:30pm.

The event, ” Corefest,” will take place at 59 Biel Road where students may purchase tickets for $10 with Rutgers ID and regular tickets will be sold for $15. 

The lineup this year includes the Brooklyn-based headliner A Great Big Pile of Leaves, and a variety of local bands from the New Brunswick area such as Rita Fishbone, Modern Chemistry, Puddle Splasher and Dollys.

First organized in 2012, Corefest has grown to be The Core’s biggest fundraiser.

90.3 FM The Core aims to highlight the music scene and diverse talent that resides amongst the New Brunswick community.

In the past, the event has showcased popular artists such as Screaming Females and Noun’s lead singer and guitarist Marissa Paternoster.

Dollys, a three piece band based in the basements of New Brunswick, is one of the bands that will be displaying their musical talent at Corefest 2016. Members Jeff Lane, Natalie Newbold and Erik Kase Romero write “candid, harmony-filled indie pop” as described on their website.

In addition to being “ecstatic for Corefest,” Dolly’s is also “booking a week’s worth of East coast shows with [their] friends in ROMP mid-April.” They will be “getting over a dozen new songs that [they] plan to record and maybe release on a new LP before the year is through.”

A Great Big Pile of Leaves will be showcasing their music at 90.3’s Corefest after playing at the fundraiser this popular Indie/Rock band will be touring to Keane State College in Concord, New Hampshire.

“Corefest itself seems like a great chance to check out a lot of great bands. The entire process just seems very organic, set up through the radio station by music fans for music fans. The energy of these more grassroot campaigns is always a lot of fun, and it’s open to the public, which is rare for a show at a college” said A Great Big Pile of Leaves.

Other bands include Rita Fishbone, an experimental band from Clinton, NJ. Modern Chemistry and Puddle Splasher, both Indie/Rock, will also be featured at Corefest 2016.

The radio station, which is affiliated with Rutgers and Piscataway High School, works hard to expose new music from the local New Brunswick scene that thrives in local basements and coffee shops.

Open to the public, Corefest allows students and local community members to personally engage in this surrounding music scene.

Danielle Bruno, The Core’s General Manager, shares her excitement for Corefest 2016, “We’re really excited to have the event and hope that the community will come out and support all the local artists and our radio station.”