Trio of Musical Acts Set to Rock Locatelli
By Keli Demertzis
As diverse as students are at Santa Clara University, one commonality that unites us all is our love of music. The fall concert presented by Activities Programming Board (APB) is an event widely anticipated and enjoyed by all, as well as a kick-off to the school year. With past headliners such as Kid Cudi and LMFAO, students were curious to see which of their favorite bands would grace them with their presence in our very own Locatelli Center. This year word got around, primarily through Facebook, that the Timeflies and Kap Slap were chosen as the opening acts and Macklemore as the headliner.
Timeflies, comprised of the Boston duo of Rob Resnick and Cal Shapiro, is creatively dubbed an "electro-hip-hop-dub-something" group by member Resnick. With the mission to create music that people can relate to and connect with, Timeflies ensures that they surpass any boundaries held by musical genres. Both were students at Tufts University, as well as music majors where they dabbled in the funk music genre before stepping up their game and creating this up-and-coming college band. According to the band's website, elements of "pop, hip-hop, electro, dubstep, and rock" can be heard in their well-received sound. Although very similar in their music interests, the men differ in their roles in the band; Resnick is drawn to the composition and production side, while Shapiro raps and sings. After messing around in the studio and creating what Shapiro calls their "poorly made single" named "Fade," the duo was taken aback from the positive feedback from music blogs and supportive fans. With more recent hits such as "All Night" and "Lose my Mind," Timeflies is sure to bring Santa Clara students a unique musical experience.
All it takes is one look at Kap Slap's band website to see what we Santa Clara students have in store. With the headline "Kap Slap-Mashups for Raging," student can expect quality mashups, the mixing of at least two pre-recorded tracks, of their favorite songs. In fact, according to Kap Slap's Facebook page, the mission is to "take the best parts of songs from artists like Deadmau5, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia and Skrillex, mix them up and sprinkle some top 40 vocals on top for the ladies… party music that won't be skipped on the iPod." The solo artist, Jared Lucas, a senior at Lehigh University, began his music career by messing with Garageband and experimenting with different sounds. By the middle of last year, his first mashup was born, and he has grown a following ever since. The name Kap Slap according to their website is pieced together with "Kap" coming from Jared's membership in the Kappa Alpha Fraternity and "Slap" referring to the condition one feels after downing a beer, then chasing it with a shot of rum. With mashups featuring songs such as "Stereo Love," "The Bad Touch" and "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight," Kap Slap has an infallible talent of mixing unexpected tracks.
Macklemore has also been experiencing a growth in fans. With a nod to his loyal followers in his well-known single, "The Town," he says "The kids in the front, they bring out the passion, dude/ Make noise throughout the show and not only when we ask ‘em to." Macklemore has found fame through his raw talent and dedication to his craft, stating "I don't need the money... what's the most important to me is the art." Macklemore, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, is a familiar artist to our multitude of Seattle-born students. He is an emcee who prides himself on writing about dark or even taboo topics in an effort to inspire and motivate. His biography says that "His music is inspirational, filled with social and racial consciousness, as well as a constructive political vision," which is hinted at by the name of his debut album, "The Language of My World." For example, one of his more well-known tracks, "Otherside," in which he is accompanied by producer Ryan Lewis and samples the beloved Red Hot Chili Peppers song of the same name, Macklemore delves into his painful past with substance abuse. Macklemore has cultivated his own hip-hop fan base without being signed to a label or having videos on rotation on MTV. Sir Mix-A-Lot, a fellow Seattle resident, said "People compare him (Macklemore) to Eminem because he's white, but he's not that kind of artist. It's all heartfelt, you can see when he performs that he bleeds this stuff-it's from the heart." From die hard followers to new fans alike, students should look forward to a fresh, new take on hip-hop.
Sophomore APB member Mark Wicker adds, "The openers, Timeflies, released a new mixtape Monday called "Scotch Tape," Kap Slap came out with an album this summer called "Audio Appropriation," and Macklemore recently released a hit single, "Can't Hold Us." With all the new releases and variety of acts I guarantee the concert will be a success!"
As for how these three made their way into the SCU Fall Concert lineup, Wicker explains, "the headlining artist, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, was decided by student surveys and polls that were posted on Facebook. From the surveys we took the highest ranked artists, then I emailed and called all of their agents to see if they were available for the concert date and also within budget."
Sophomore Jennifer Patterson and APB's human resource coordinator, added that Macklemore has "a huge fan base at Santa Clara since a lot of people are from the Northwest." In addition, "Kap slap and Timeflies came as a package so they (APB) thought that would complement Macklemore's music well by offering more of a dance party feel."
The Fall Concert will be held in the Locatelli Center on Thursday, Sep. 22 at 8 p.m. Tickets will be sold for $20 starting Welcome Weekend.
Contact Keli Demertzis at kdemertzis@scu.edu or
(408) 551-1918.