Tufts will rock in Homecoming celebrations this year with grassroots princes the Pat McGee Band and up-and-coming singer/songwriter Howie Day. The annual Fall Rock Show will take place in Dewick-MacPhie Hall on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Fall Rock Show selections are made by the student-run Concert Board, co-chaired by seniors Aaron Wright and Christian Trentacosta. Plans for the show began as early as this summer, when the pair received a list of possible acts that fell within a realistic price range for the group's budget.
"These were the best choices that fit within our budget, and we're really excited about them," Wright said.
Concert Board is responsible for four major concerts a year: the fall show, a rap show, a jazz show, and the year's major-name draw, Spring Fling.
The show typically draws up-and-coming bands that do not yet have national prominence. Acts usually have an extensive touring schedule and cult college followings. Past rock show headliners have included Dispatch, They Might Be Giants, and Fastball.
"We're not going to get a huge name. We get the kinds of bands that would play at The Orpheum or The Somerville Theater," Wright said.
Virginia's six-man Pat McGee band was founded five years ago. It is a touring band by definition and practice, and performs its fusion of rock, folk, and harmony-saturated bluegrass music at over 250 concerts a year.
"I've seen them maybe 12 times," said Wright. "They're a great live act."
The band's first CD, Revel, was released in 1997; General Admission, a live disc, was released one year later.
Day, who said Wright is "one of the biggest touring acts of the Northeast," was the recipient of this year's "Outstanding Debut Album" Boston Music Award for his latest release, Australia. He has spread his special brand of pop-acoustics through extensive touring with the likes of Jewel, Sister Hazel, and Guster.
The Fall Rock Show will take place on Thursday, Oct. 24, at Dewick MacPhie Dining Hall. Doors will open at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 and go on sale on Tuesday, Oct. 16. A valid Tufts ID is required.
- Sheryl Gordon
