Kathryn Walters |
As the school year winds down and finals loom on the horizon, UP students now have a reason to “keep their heads up.”
UP’s Campus Program Board announced Monday at its reveal party in Bauccio Commons that Andy Grammer and Tyler Ward will perform at this year’s annual Rock The Bluff concert on April 12 at 8 p.m. in the Chiles Center.
Andy Grammer is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles best known for his hit “Keep Your Head Up,” which has been popular on the Billboard Hot 100 and was featured in the movie “Pitch Perfect.” Tyler Ward will be the opener for Grammer and is an independent artist who posts his songs to YouTube. He also performs many covers of popular songs on his YouTube channel, such as Imagine Dragons’ “Demons” and Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.”
Students crowded in the Bauccio Commons at dinnertime to find out which artists had been chosen to perform on The Bluff. CPB created a video of CPB Director Evan Castro gradually making his way across campus to St. Mary’s Student Lounge, where he ultimately revealed the performers on a piece of paper. At the moment of the big reveal, UP’s dance team took the floor and performed a routine while an Andy Grammer music video played behind them.
Castro said that Alex G, another YouTube star who sings covers and who often collaborates with Ward, will also perform.
“She sings some stuff with Tyler Ward as well, so it’s going to be a great show,” Castro said. “The artists are excited to come, so we’re really excited.”
The selection process started in November, when Castro and other members of CPB started reaching out to music industry agents and seeing who was available during April. CPB had to seek approval from the University for these artists to come to The Bluff. CPB also sent out a survey to UP’s student body asking for suggestions on musical genres they would like to see at the concert.
The budget for this year’s Rock The Bluff concert was significantly higher than past years, at $94,000. This year, the student government fee that each student pays was increased by $15, which ASUP allocated to CPB for the Major Project Fund. CPB uses this money to put on Rock The Bluff.
Castro said this bigger budget was helpful in the planning process.
“Just having that amount of money available and not having to search for funds everywhere was such a nice thing for us to do. It made me stress so much less,” Castro said. “Last year they had to squeeze money from all the events we had, and this year we could actually go, hey, look at these bigger bands, let’s look at these people that are up and coming.”
Students at the reveal party were excited by the Rock The Bluff reveal.
Sophomore and transfer student Sophia Coletti looks forward to her first Rock The Bluff concert.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “He’s (Andy Grammer) not Macklemore, but I still think it will be a fun time.”
However, freshman Laura McDonagh is unfamiliar with Tyler Ward and said she will start listening to his music in preparation for the concert, but still thinks the concert will be fun.
“I think it’ll be an upbeat concert,” she said. “Any concert is really fun.”
According to Castro, students will be able to pick up their free tickets for the concert starting next Monday in the Chiles Center box office.
