Rusted Root gets students' Spring Fling approval

COURTESY MERCURY RECORDS ROOT CANAL: Since students asked for a 'danceable' Spring Fling band, the Yale College Council settled on funky rockers Rusted Root.

The Lemonheads in 1997. The Indigo Girls in 1998. Years of student complaints about the suitability of the Spring Fling headliner band appeared to go unheard. But this year, students finally had their say.

On Mon., Mar. 22, the Yale College Council (YCC), which organizes Spring Fling, admitted that the Yale Legal Counsel and the President's Office are in negotiations with the rock band Rusted Root to headline Spring Fling, and students have responded favorably to the announcement. An informal Herald poll of 80 undergraduates found that 36 were pleased with the band choice, 26 were indifferent, and only 16 were dissatisfied.

Freshman College Council (FCC) representative Mary Bennett, PC '02, is thrilled with the choice of Rusted Root, since she was impressed by their recent performance at the Palace Theater. "The Rusted Root concert was a mind-blowing experience," she said. "My friends and I did not stop dancing the whole time. They have such a feel-good vibe. Everyone can dance to them."

"They are a great band. I own all their CDs," Michael Stern, CC '02, said. "I've seen them live--they put on a great outdoor show. They are a funky, trippy band."

According to Spring Fling chair Jim DiTullio, JE '01, the "dance-ability" of the event's headliner band was a major concern students voiced in the 1,500 Spring Fling band surveys they filled out in the dining halls last November. "The Indigo Girls were not really considered danceable and appropriate to Spring Fling by many people," DiTullio explained.

The top four music genres that were listed by students in the surveys were hip-hop, alternative, classic rock, and pop/rock. Rusted Root's worldbeat vibe fits loosely into the pop/rock category, and the band was suggested by several students.

DiTullio and YCC President Zach Kaufman, SY '00, said the surveys were part of an increased effort to make students' preferences a top priority in the selection process. "The YCC wanted to make the decision more democratic and include as many people as we could in the decision-making process," Kaufman said.

Kaufman said another major reason the YCC was able to satisfy student wishes was President Richard Levin's,
GRD '74, increased allocation for the band budget. "[YCC representatives] had a meeting with President Levin at which we brought a statistical writeup of data and research indicating that the level of funding [previously $25,000] was not adequate for the kind of band Yale deserves," Kaufman said. "Our meeting was successful, and the amount of money was drastically increased."

"The survey results acted as [the Spring Fling committee's] compass in band selection, and President Levin's increased financial contribution only served to further bolster our efforts," DiTullio said.

DiTullio believes Rusted Root's energetic, two-
and-a-half hour performances are perfect for the party atmosphere of Spring Fling. "Rusted Root, whether you like them or not, is a typical, genuine, traditional Spring Fling band," he said. "I was looking for a band that people, even if they don't own their CDs or go to concerts, would still leave saying, `I had a great day, they put on a hell
of a show.'"

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