Well everyone's favorite Saturday is here again, and along with the dunk tank and whatever other crazy surprises it holds, Springfest always features good music. This year there is a diverse lineup of Macalester bands, local acts, and nationally known acts ranging from hip-hop to emo to power pop to Chicano. The music starts at 12:45 p.m. and goes on until… well, you'll probably be passed out by then, won't you? I've compiled a quick guide for those of you who plan to remain standing for at least some of the bands. Besides, what could be better than an afternoon of free, top-quality music? In the words of last year's headliner Rah Digga, "Can I get a 'fuck yeah'?"
 

Macalester Bands:
 

Spandex Lunchbox

Spandex Lunchbox is a recently formed Mac band that features Pat Leo '03 on guitar and vocals, Andrew Brantingham '03 on guitar and vocals, Travis Henspeter '02 on bass and vocals, and Dan Allen '02 on drums, cowbell, and vocals. I would describe the band as folky, somber, and dylanesque, but why not let them do it? According to Leo, "The band sounds like a late night rendezvous between the members of Night Ranger (post-"Sister Christian") and En Vogue after hours of huffing low grade gasoline while driving along the beaches of the French Riviera with a full blood red moon looking down and smiling knowingly. The band describes its sound as a fusion between dirrrty drum and bass and hardcore folk with a dash of speed metal recorded on analog equipment in a cramped room among suspicions of guile, wanton neglect, and abysmal sympathy."
 

Chidimu

For a change of pace, the next band, Chidimu is a group of 10 members from Macalester's African Music Ensemble that plays marimba music from Zimbabwe. Described by the leader of the group, Jim Burkland, as "high energy dance music," Chidimu (which is a Shona word for a piece of something or a part of a greater whole) uses marimbas, drums, and Zimbabwean shakers called "hosho."
 

Eclectic Satellites

The Eclectic Satellites, formerly called Livestock Shower Scandal, are regulars on the Mac campus, frequently playing shows here. The band features Greg Walz-Chojnacki '05 on drums, Dan Walz-Chojnacki '05 on the guitar, Jack Pingey on the bass, Mike Vasich '04 on the keyboards, and Senam Gbeho on the mic. Their sound according to Greg: "We're basically hip-hop, but we add a kind of klezmeresque flavor to it, kind of just to mix it up a bit. One of the best descriptions I heard of us was actually a simile of sorts: 'you're like the caviar pizza at Cafe Wac-– bianco baby.'"
 

Local Bands:
 

Twinstar

Twinstar is an indie rock band from Milwaukee, WI, and kicks off the non-Macalester musical showcase at Springfest. They play melodic indie/emo that most strongly recalls Fallfest headliners The Promise Ring. It is your normal, angst-ridden indie pop, but they do it well, and hopefully the early time slot will prevent the drunken depression songs like "Under Your Throat" could induce.
 

Heiruspecs

This 5-piece hip-hop band from St. Paul is rapidly gaining notariety. The Village Voice called the group's MC, Felix, "More than talented, and the band finds lots of unexpected grooves." Heiruspecs (the name is a play on the phrase "high respects") use real guitars, drums, bass, and keyboards to back up their melodic, upbeat hip-hop. Songs like "Meters" showcase well this blend of instrumentation with Felix's smooth delivery.
 

Mock Orange

Hailing from the farm country of Evansville, IN, Mock Orange is a four-man punk/indie rock band. They draw close comparisons to The Promise Ring (again) and other emo-punk bands of recent years. Similar in sound to Twinstar, they have a little more power and punk edge to please the party crowd.
 

National Acts:
 

Har Mar Superstar

Har Mar Superstar, otherwise known as Sean Tillmann, hails from, you guessed it, suburban St. Paul. His brand of sweet, sexy soul music has taken America by storm in the past year, and now he's bringing it to Macalester. He has toured with such hot acts as The Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Incubus, Hot Hot Heat, and Kelly Osbourne. Rumor has it he likes to do onstage stripteases. According to Rolling Stone, "He looks like porn star Ron Jeremy, gets off on Bell Biv Devoe, opens shows for The Strokes, and wears assless pants." Bear in mind that the Twin Cities also brought us Prince. Bring on the assless pants, baby!
 

Lifesavas

Lifesavas, a hip-hop outfit from Portland, Oregon, features MCs Jumbo and Vursatyl and DJ Rayzor Shynez. Lifesavas has instant cred through their record label, Quannum Projects, also home of DJ Shadow, Latyrx, and Blackalicious.
 

Slowrider

This L.A.-based Chicano band mixes all kinds of sounds and genres, including cumbia, hip-hop, salsa, funk, and space-rock. They are frequently compared to L.A.-based label mates Ozomatli. They use Carribbean and Brazilian rhythms with a hip-hop edge and politically conscious lyrics. According to the band's keyboardist, Daviz Gomez, "Like a D.J., we create a collage of music and take a little from different parts."
 

Superdrag

Knoxville, TN foursome Superdrag scored a major MTV buzz-bin hit in 1996 with "Sucked Out" (you know it: "Who sucked out the feel-AAANNN?"), and after a split with their major label and a release in 2000, they continue to impress fans and critics alike with their own unique brand of power pop. Dubbed "post grunge" or "alternative" by many, Superdrag should not fail to bring back memories to the Macalester community of that golden age of alternative music. Even if you're not an alternative fan, the show should be energetic and fun (and fuck artistic integrity, let's hope they play "Sucked Out").