<ent Activities Office (SAO) and Carleton Student Association will bring indie, hip-hop and pop, together in a Coachella-like spirit to Carleton’s annual spring concert on Saturday, May 19.
The much anticipated spring event will open with Battle of the Bands winners The Managers and Ashantology and feature The Dean’s List as the headliner.
The Dean’s List, comprised of a trio of musicians from Boston, is an up-and-coming “freshman” hip-hop group, according to MTV.com, which compares their talents to those of new artists like Wiz Khalifa, with influences such as Jay-Z and Florence and The Machine. “The Dean’s List is more of a movement than a band,” says their Facebook page. The Dean’s List’s newest album, “Generation X,” was number two on iTunes top Hip-Hop and Rap albums when it was first released, following Nikki Minaj’s “Pink Friday.”
SAO administered a poll to survey students’ top choices for the concert lineup. Last year, the headlining group Blue Scholars was selected by an overwhelming majority in the Spring Concert Committee’s first-ever online poll. This February, students were similarly encouraged to vote online for their top choices.
“The online poll allows people to be engaged and excited for spring concert,” said Sonali Gupta ‘12, one of three chairs of the Spring Concert Committee. “Organizing student feedback may slow down the process a little bit, but it is a democratic process that we think is really important.”
The Dean’s List is one of only two bands in the final concert lineup, along with Twin Sister, from the original list of performers in the student poll.
Among the other acts selected to perform, is Lushlife, an emcee and producer by the name of Raj Haldar. Lushlife’s first album “No More Golden Days” has been praised by The New York Times, Spin and Stereogum as “captivating…rhymes with audacious, gorgeous production.” His newest album, “Plateau Vision” was released in April 2012. Students can expect Lushlife to perform the best of both of these records.
Spring Concert Committee member Charlotte Harris ‘15 has witnessed Spring Concert come together through many months of planning. “I’m really excited for all the bands, especially Lushlife. Lushlife gave us a good deal so we were able to get five bands.”
Performances by Peter Wolf Crier, Twin Sister, The Thermals and The Dean’s List will follow Lushlife’s set. The Spring Concert Committee is chaired by Gupta, along with Julia Baker ‘12 and Dylan Gessner ‘12. The group wanted to assemble an eclectic lineup with different music genres to appeal to the student body.
“These decisions were more a group process than ever before with the student body as an avenue for our decision-making,” said Gupta.
Student DJs will entertain the crowds between sets, keeping with tradition from past concerts. SAO plans to prepare for inclement weather by preparing rain-tents for the stage and food stations. The beloved photo-booth is also scheduled to make a re-appearance at the event.
For future spring concerts, there is some hope that a heftier budget might attract bigger artist names. However, SAO and the Spring Concert Committee are confident that this year’s event will not disappoint. “We have a really strong lineup,” said Gupta. “If students have further ideas to bring to Spring Concert, definitely talk to a SAO program assistant.”
The 31st annual Spring Concert will take place eighth weekend of spring term at 2:00 PM behind the Recreation Center.