The birds and squirrels have returned to campus this spring and, as of this weekend, live music will too. The fourth annual Grinnellian music festival will be held this Saturday, April 18, in the JRC courtyard, and will feature student performances of all kinds. Sponsored by the College’s radio station, KDIC, the event is a way for the station to showcase local musical talent on Grinnell’s campus.
Organizers Emily Stuchiner ’15 and Evan Bruns ’16 have been working hard to put together the event, which will run for six hours and host 23 different acts. The two view the festival as different not only in its size and scope, but also in its reach, giving musicians who are normally not part of the Grinnell music scene a chance to perform.
“It’s an awesome opportunity to make sure that the staple performers on campus are there, like Tuggboat, The Night and various a cappella groups. But it’s also a great opportunity to bring new music to the forefront,” Stuchiner said.
The Grinnellian also boasts variety in genres of music, featuring upbeat, electro acts like DJ San Pellegrino, and heartfelt, acoustic acts, like the folk ballads of The Additional Six. Closing the show, however, will be The Night and Tuggboat, two bands that have become staples in Grinnell’s music scene.
“One big band that we’ve got, that is sort of on the rise is Tuggboat, they played in Showvember and they played a really big lounge concert last weekend, people were really showing up to that … we’ve got, honestly, the biggest campus bands playing,” Bruns said.
Both Stuchiner and Bruns said that the festival will be comparable to past years, filled with music, grilled food, drinks and t-shirts. The most notable change will be the location. This year’s festival will be held in the JRC courtyard as opposed to last year’s amphitheater location. The change was partly inspired by the better acoustics in the courtyard, and partly because of its central location.
“When it happened my first year, it was in the courtyard. I think it worked really well because it was such a hub,” Stuchiner said.
While a warm and sunny day would complement the festival nicely, current weather forecasts predict scattered thunderstorms for Saturday. In the case of rain, the event will be moved to Bob’s Underground Café. Luckily, even if there is a change in venue, the organizers assured The S&B that there will be no change in talent.
