The Maintenance Shop in the basement of the Memorial Union saw a great year, say Squire Boone, M-Shop director and Eric Yarwood, M-Shop coordinator.

“Somehow we managed to swing it,” Boone says, sophomore in liberal arts and sciences. “I’d say the year went really well, all of our shows had great attendance for the most part.”

Yarwood agrees, saying the attendance has increased with student support.

“More students are becoming aware of the place,” he says. “[The performances] were more of what they wanted to see.”

Two performances, Alkaline Trio and Jack Johnson, especially drew record-setting shows, the latter selling out in 22 minutes.

Paul Hattan, senior in mechanical engineering was unable to obtain tickets for the Alkaline Trio show.

“I’ve seen them a few times in Chicago at the Fireside and the Metro, so I was all pumped up to see them at the M-shop,” he says. “When I went to get tickets a week or so before the show, they were sold out.”

Boone says one of his favorite shows was Alkaline Trio, among several others.

“There were so many good shows,” he says. “Definitely Alkaline Trio, Hey Mercedes and Har Mar Superstar were some of the best, in my opinion.”

He added that for anyone who saw Har Mar Superstar, he was absolutely hilarious and brought a different atmosphere to the shop.

One of Yarwood’s favorite shows was the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash.

“It was something different that we hadn’t tried before,” he says. “It was fun music that a lot of people showed up for.”

Yarwood added that the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash also brought a unique flavor to the M-Shop this year, along with another straight country show, Charlie Robison.

“The year was more of an outreach to a different audience,” he says.

“The shows were the most diverse group in quite a while.”

Next year, Boone’s brother Boonie Boone will be joining him as student director of the M-Shop. It will be the first time since Yarwood has been here the position will be shared.

“They offset each other very well,” Yarwood says. “Both of them realize that even if they don’t like the style of music, there is an audience, and we need to give it a shot.”

“It will be interesting working together,” Squire Boone says. “We have very conflicting tastes in music, but at the same time, pretty similar.”

The M-shop plans on taking the same approach next year, but expanding the audience even more.

“We will be trying some different stuff, and if it works, we will keep doing it,” Yarwood says.