San Antonio College’s Music Business students and staff hosted the program’s 16th annual Fredstock music festival Thursday in the Fletcher parking lot.
Founded in 2009 to honor longtime Radio-TV-Film (RTF) professor and Music Business Program Coordinator Fred Weiss, Fredstock has become a capstone project for students — a real-world training event for future media and music industry professionals.
“Fredstock’s an event that allows students to create and run a live music festival from the ground up,” RTF Program Coordinator James Borrego said.
The festival, which is also part of San Antonio’s official Fiesta calendar, featured five performances from a mix of rock and cumbia artists, including Grupo Metal featuring Chris Pérez and El Dusty, Los #3 Dinners, The Wizard, Powdered Wig Machine, and Jason Kane & The Jive.
“This is where the rubber meets the road,” Borrego said. “The students put all their classroom knowledge into action, from booking acts to managing vendors and troubleshooting production issues on the fly.”
Borrego said SAC’s leadership moved the festival from SAC’s Longwith RTF Building to the main campus and scheduled it for a Thursday instead of a Friday in hopes of bringing in more students.
“It’s a sign that the administration believes in this program, and it gives our students the chance to handle bigger acts, crowds, and responsibilities,” Borrego said.
Music Business Program Coordinator Dr. Ruben C. Rodriguez called Fredstock a “festival by students, for students” and emphasized its educational purpose.
“It’s our version of a final exam — a conglomerate project that brings together all the classes: concert promotion, live sound, venue management, even our multi-track audio and film students,” Rodriguez said. “It’s about preparing them to work for production companies, music venues, even the Spurs or Live Nation.”
Jason Kane of Jason Kane & The Jive said he was thrilled to help bring live rock music to SAC’s campus.
“Oh man, it’s great,” Kane said. “It’s about getting everyone together, away from the bigger Fiesta events, and giving them something real, raw and free. That’s what rock is about.”
SAC student Reganne Ardourel, a sophomore in the Music Business program, credited Fredstock with allowing her to pursue her career goals.
“It means the world to me,” she said. “You never know what’ll happen at a live event — from unpredictable weather to technical issues, but that’s where you learn … This program is amazing.”
Fredstock ‘25 also featured several food trucks, merchandise vendors and an enthusiastic crowd.
“It’s all for the students and the community,” said Rodriguez. “Fred would be proud.”
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