Let's Start The Music!
Last Sunday evening I
stood in front of Coffman and looked across at the mall area leading to the
beautiful pillars of the Northrop Plaza. Campus was still. I felt relief as classes
were finished and summer was finally setting in. The first question people ask
you when you have finally wrapped up spring semester is "Do you have any
exciting summer plans?" I think the most popular
answer is: "I'm going to WE Fest or Summer Fest" or some other live, outdoor
summer music festival. However it can turn into a big hassle between, paying
for the camping site and the festival passes, on top of, trying to get a whole
weekend off from work it. Lucky for you our beautiful campus is having
its own Summer Music Festival at Northrop! And this festival is FREE! And it
goes ALL summer long. That's right, June, July and one date in August! And
there is going to be FREE FOOD courtesy of Jimmy Johns, Qdoba, and UDS. And, one
more thing, PRIZE DRAWINGS. Can I just say who needs an iPod Touch?!
This summer we
revamped our festival to bring bigger concerts with more diverse artists that are
more relevant to our student body. We have partnered with many organizations,
including Student Unions and Activities, Voices Merging, Northern Spark, and
more. One of the new programs is Movies and Music, which definitely has its
perks. We are co-presenting with Student Unions & Activities, bringing you
a free outdoor concert and movie to watch; a perfect place to take out a new date
that you don't want to drop fifty bucks on. One of our openers, U of M band Peregrine
Perspective introduces a funky, soulful, psychedelic jazz ensemble along with
Kill the Vultures, our experimental rap headliner, followed by the film Jurassic Park. At Northrop's Summer
Music Festival you won't spend a dime and you'll have a splendid time.
Even better than
being free, you have a great opportunity to experience the diverse music scene
that both the Twin Cities has to offer and your fellow talented student musicians.
We are specifically having an open mic night for the U of M students spoken
word group, Voices Merging! I personally am looking forward to our Friday Night
Live headliner Sims. Andrew Sims is one of the voices of Doomtree, the
well-known hip-hop collaborative in the Twin Cities. Doomtree strives for
originality and has become an influential name in grassroots hip-hop, and Sim's
message is one of empowerment, hope, and fearless beats. Along with evening
concerts we also have a series of Noontime Concerts that you all can plan your
lunch break around. Charanga Tropical is joining us again for this mini-series!
Their music is rich in harmony and melody, and, as I found out last year, you can't
refrain from dancing. It's just too tempting with their spicy variety of modern
son, salsa, cha cha cha, and timba. Lastly, we're bringing First Avenue: TOO MUCH LOVE On Campus for noontime dance parties; thrown by Too Much Love resident
DJ Sovietpanda, aka Peter Lansky. His beats are the best in dance music both
new and old.
There are also
concerts happening in on St. Paul campus presented by Student Unions &
Activities. A variety of U of M students will perform over the lunch hour at
the St. Paul Student Center Garden Terrace. I can't promise that campus will be
quiet like it was on my walk; but, it will be an impressive Summer Music
Festival. So what are your summer plans? You have everything you need right on
the Northrop Plaza. Life is one grand, sweet song, so let's start the music!
For a
complete schedule of events and more information, visit our website.
Image credit: Carla Schleicher
-Elise Whaley, Northrop Marketing Intern
