By Maya A. Weisinger

With the Maps and Atlases and Poison Control Center concerts under their belts, Mickey Davis ’13 and Noah Koch ’14 have already moved on to the next big thing to come to Macalester. They have just officially released the info for the Architecture in Helsinki show scheduled to hit Mac in mid-November. The news should make an impact in the mission to make Macalester register as a legitimate venue in the Twin Cities. The band’s reputation in the indie music scene will definitely make a show of Macalester’s ability to transition between the assumed libarts persona and the ready-to-rock attitude. Instead of just hosting one major Springfest event, the leaders decided they wanted to bring shows year-round. Three years ago, the Springfest committee tried to book Architecture in Helsinki without success. The venture of bringing an outside band to the campus is indeed a very big deal. “This is the first time the school’s ever done something like this, so there’s been a learning curve for everyone. We’re still working on successfully publicizing off-campus, for example,” Koch said. “One huge challenge was picking a date. Unlike some college shows, we got this show as a part of their U.S. tour, so our date was contingent on a bunch of other shows in the area,” Davis added. One of the more difficult challenges of wrangling in concerts like this is catching the interest and attendance of the student body. Faced with predictable complaints of students concerning the Springfest lineup (a customary occurrence that acts as a mental bomb to anyone in charge of the grand responsibility, I’m sure) the team is dedicated to making sure this Springfest is as accommodating as possible. Although they are still waiting on the clearance for the funding that will be allocated to the event, they have already been working on booking and event plans. Based on the amount last year’s Springfest was given ($45, 000), they have compiled lists of available bands in our price range and availability. Keeping in mind the addition of food, security, bouncy castles, t shirts, etc., the amount designated for bands is really not enough to get those big names that students yearn for every year. “A lot of names were removed from our original list because of pricing. I really wanted Beyonce, but if we did that, we wouldn’t have been able to have Springfest,” Koch said. “A lot of people say, ‘why don’t you get a band that’s bigger and more well-known?” And while I love Beyonce as much as Noah, our whole budget would be enough to get a chance to talk with her on the phone,” Davis added. A campus-wide survey for the Springfest lineup has already gone out earlier this week. The student body is urged to pick their musical interests to stay as involved as they can in the decision-making. Once the final budget is secured and a revised list based on availability is confirmed, they will work with the committee and students to pick the best lineup for the student body. Immediately upcoming, there is the 10K concert tomorrow, featuring a campus-band-only lineup. With a goal of inviting more Macalester musical talent to the campus stage, Concerts and Festivals is dedicated to the exposure of Mac artists. Davis says, “This campus if full of people who love music and make great music. We just want to tap into that.”