SEC spring show to appeal to wide audience
Michael Mandelkern & Erin Pruckno
Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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Francis and The Lights, a New York City based band, is set to hit the stage at 9 p.m. "We didn't want to preface a hip-hop act with another," Alaina Crystal '09, SEC President, said. The band is "the perfect blend of the Talking Heads meets Prince," said Crystal. She also described Francis and the Lights as "very accessible, very danceable and a fun act to get the audience moving."
The Brooklyn-based Talib Kweli and Cincinnati-based Hi-Tek collaborated to release the album "Train of Thought," in 2000. Since then, Kweli released three solo albums with sparse contributions from Hi-Tek. He released three albums of his own since 2000, but none have reached the mainstream success of "Train of Thought."
"Talib Kweli does a good job of blending the sensibility behind indie music with hip-hop, Crystal said, "there's care in his lyrics, they're thought provoking. He's perfect for bringing different factions on campus together." Bringing together the campus community is the goal of SEC's spring big show. "We want to book something that appeals to a wide audience," she said.
Security will be stricter April 24 than it was for last semester's Girl Talk concert. One of Girl Talk's contractual stipulations permits fans to dance on stage. "It backfired because people rushed the stage," Crystal said, "I think it's going to be a totally different vibe."
Crystal stresses the importance of student involvement in planning concerts. SEC created a list of artists including Sonic Youth, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah and Brazilian Girls that was sent out to the SEC e-mail list. Students e-mailed back with their votes. Sonic Youth won the most votes, but its tour in Europe conflicted with coming to Skidmore. Talib Kweli, the runner up, won a close number of votes. She encourages students to attend meetings next semester to help plan the next performance, as well as voice who they would like to see perform at the College.
"Students should come to the show because for $5, they will entertained for an entire evening," Crystal said. The show, she said, is about exposure to new kinds of music and coming together as a college. "Even if you don't know Talib Kweli, go and join the community."
The doors will open at 8 p.m. The fee is $5 for students with valid ID and $20 for the public.
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